Advanced convoy control strategy for autonomously driven railway vehicles

For investigation on a new railway technology a test track in a scale of 1:2.5 was built at the University of Paderborn in 2002. The vehicles are equipped with a doubly-fed linear motor, enabling dynamic convoy formation on the track during driving, traction independent of external influences and transfer of power to the vehicle. Thus, the need for pantographs or a third rail for supplying electrical power does not arise, whereby the motor concept largely qualifies for autonomously driven convoys. In this contribution the principle of driving several vehicles in a convoy is explained. Furthermore an intelligent strategy for convoy control, which is demanded by the autonomous operation, is illustrated as well as safety concepts providing reliability