German technology company Continental announced that it has developed a head-up display (HUD) for trams.
A press release from the company said that the display solution from the in-house development and production service provider Continental Engineering Services (CES) aims to make intra-urban traffic safer by ensuring that tram drivers can focus their full attention on what is happening on the road. This also enables, for instance, a reduction in the number of emergency braking manoeuvres.
Trams primarily operate in heavy and frequently challenging inner-city traffic, an environment in which the number of unprotected road users is increasing. More people are cycling or riding e-scooters or compact electric mopeds. Moreover, many road users allow themselves to be distracted by their cell phones. According to information from the transport services, this has resulted in increasing accidents, including those involving trams.
Commissioned by a rail vehicle manufacturer, CES is bringing the innovative display to production maturity. It will initially be used in Europe from the middle of this year. CES is doing important pioneering work here. To date, real head-up displays have been non-existent in rail transportation. Key components of the display, including the powerful light source, come from Continental’s automotive portfolio and are already installed in various vehicle models from major automotive manufacturers.
Dr Christoph Falk-Gierlinger, General Manager, CES, said, “With the development of a head-up display for trams, we are taking a major step toward greater safety in urban rail transport. Information previously displayed on different cockpit instruments can now be placed in the driver’s field of vision via a central head-up display. Their view is not distracted from the traffic. The journey will become safer for tram drivers and passengers.”
Prevents Collisions
The advantages of using head-up displays in rail vehicles are immense. As in the automotive sector, the trend is toward ever-larger windshields and consequently lower set dashboards. Here, however, the necessary head movements distract from the traffic situation. Moreover, the eyes constantly have to switch focus between near and far vision as the driver’s gaze moves between cockpit and road. This is very tiring for the driver. Projecting vital information – for example, warning signals, speed, distance to the next stop – in the driver’s direct field of vision makes driving more comfortable, resulting in greater safety. This is particularly the case because the information is displayed virtually as if it were at some distance in front of the vehicle. That way, the eyes do not have to refocus constantly.
The new Combiner head-up display projects information onto an external transparent screen in the driver’s field of vision. Drivers are not only able to see the road and cockpit display simultaneously, but the information also appears at what is perceived as the same distance.
NB: Photo is representational; courtesy: Bombardier.