In the “IDEA - Innovative Depot Automation” research project, transport scientists from the fields of telematics and vehicle mechatronics worked together to automate vehicle depots in transport companies. Innovative technologies such as wireless communication between autonomously driving vehicles and a depot management system via a 5G campus network were developed. The combination of tracking and communication functions of the 5G campus network enables precise localization and targeted control of vehicles. Autonomous coordination and driving maneuvers could be tested in a test environment with the help of two commercially available vehicles, which were equipped with corresponding components for localization and remote control.

© MRK Management Consultants GmbH

Schematic illustration of automated, 5G-based depot operation

As a result, the researchers were able to show that modern communication technologies can be used to automate processes such as parking, driving to the car wash or charging vehicles in the future, thereby reducing the workload on personnel and cutting operating costs. The creation of a standardized system architecture also provides the basis for broad applicability and integration into existing infrastructures. In this way, an increase in the efficiency of depot processes in transport companies can be achieved across the board in the future. 

At the final presentation of the project in Torgau, an 18-metre articulated bus from Dresdner Verkehrsbetriebe (DVB) equipped with technology for data transmission and vehicle control was demonstrated on a test route. A video of the presentation has been published in the ARD media library. Watch the video