HIL Simulation of the Positioning Control for an Automated Driving Monorail Vehicle

Currently, numerous single-track railway lines are disused due to economic reasons. However, one way they could be reactivated for a bidirectional on-demand service traffic is by small vehicles that use only one rail. MONOCABs are such small cabin-like vehicles, stabilized by a system of control moment gyroscopes and a trim mass. They could make an important contribution to improve the mobility offer especially in rural areas. Regarding the MONOCAB, there is currently no reference in comparison with other vehicles. It is mandatory to gain experience before transferring such a new vehicle concept into commercial operation. To ensure the function and safety of the vehicle even before implementation, a model-based design of the system is carried out for development and analysis. In order to test the developed algorithms, this paper presents a Hardware-in-the-loop structure considering a detailed model of the vehicle and real electronic control units to accurately represent the overall system. This paper focuses on the driving system of the vehicle and investigates interdependencies with the performance of the electronic control units and communication networks.