From The Field

Apr 1, 2008 12:00 PM

German Metro System Adopts Video for New Passenger Safety System

IndigoVision, headquartered in Edinburgh, United Kingdom, is providing the technology behind a new train dispatch system that improves passenger safety and speeds operations for the Berlin S-Bahn. The S-Bahn is a metro system that transports about 1.3 million passengers a day across a network consisting of 16 lines and 165 stations. The IP system allows the train driver to safely manage train dispatch via a video display in the cab.

The metro system installed a pilot system using 24 cameras across six stations. The next stage will be to install 88 additional cameras in 22 stations.

In a typical station, four fixed video cameras are placed on each side of the track to monitor the platform and train doors. The four cameras are connected to a quad-split unit to produce a single four-way video image, which is connected to an IndigoVision 8000 transmitter unit. The 8000 converts the analog signal into a high-quality digital video stream for transmission over the IP network. The video is also transmitted using a wireless LAN to a display in the train cab where the driver can monitor passenger movements and ensure doors are closed before departure.

A built-in motion analytics capability in the transmitters is used to trigger an alarm when a train arrives at the station by detecting motion in three-quarters of the quad-split image. The alarm is used to update an interactive rail network status map displayed on monitor workstations equipped with IndigoVision Control Center software and to provide real-time control of video recording.

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