Intelligent Traffic System Makes Hamburg’s Elb-Tunnel More Efficient

Echelon Corporation announced that its LonWorks® technology is being used in Hamburg, Germany to help move traffic safely through the Elb-Tunnel. The traffic guidance solution uses light emitting diode (LED) lights embedded with Echelon’s LonWorks control technology to guide cars through the 3.2 kilometer tunnel, optimizing traffic flow and reducing pollution. Up to 150,000 vehicles per day use the tunnel.

The highly robust surface lights are similar to those used by aircraft while taxiing to or from airport terminals. The new system replaces the mechanical guidance system (concrete blocks or beacons) for directing traffic into the correct lanes, a laborious and dangerous task involving the manual repositioning of the blocks or beacons according to various traffic situations, which is a costly and time-consuming exercise.

The solution, developed by WHO Ingenieurgesellschaft mbH as a subcontractor of SIEMENS AG – Traffic Solutions for this project, features over 650 electronically controlled LED surface lights that lead up to the tunnel. The light fixtures are networked using Echelon’s power line communication technology, allowing them to communicate over existing power lines. The LED lighting network is connected by Echelon’s i.LON®100 Internet Servers to the tunnel operator’s IT infrastructure and control center, helping crews make real-time decisions about traffic control and system maintenance.