Generic Operational Requirements for Video based Applications at Level Crossings

Abstract

The implementation of video based technology can help to increase the safety at level crossings. To implement and admit an innovative video based supervision system at level crossings intensive test campaigns are necessary, the generic operational requirements have to be identified and a lot of discussions with assessors can help to find the suitable solution. Technical and operational solutions for level crossings are analyzed concerning safety, economy, availability and operation. One possibility are video based technologies for safety relevant applications at level crossing. Worldwide a lot of level crossings without any obstacle detection in different structural and operational constellations exist momentarily. Therefore the Institute of Transportation Systems of the DLR investigates the options for technical realized vacancy detection for the danger zone of level crossings and an automatically activation of the level crossing system. None of the existing video based technologies, which are in work at railway system, are safety relevant applications (in Germany). They only assist the operators of the German railways, like an application based on video for monitoring level crossing through signaler. The video based level crossing monitoring is only used as a technical aided system for the signal man to observe a distant level crossing. The protection of the level crossing against unauthorized crossing is still not realized by using video. The presentation will show a video based system to improve safety at level crossing across Europe. Furthermore, the specific operational rules for a video based supervision system will be sketched. Generic operational requirements are identified. A lot of ideas, how video based technology can improve safety at level crossing are described. The range of ideas includes technical and non-technical secured level crossings. Innovative systems using camera based technology can be an economical alternative to existing units. The Institute of Transportation Systems of the German Aerospace Center in Braunschweig is developing such a system and evaluates it in different field tests.