Precise Docking at Charging Stations for Large-Capacity Vehicles: An Advanced Driver-Assistance System for Drivers of Electric Urban Buses

Contemporary transportation is developing toward applications of large-capacity vehicles. This trend is caused mainly by environmental and economic factors. In the public transportation area, it leads to the use of long and articulated electric buses, which are difficult to maneuver, even for experienced drivers. Consequently, there is a need to develop advanced driver-assistance systems (ADAS) for operators of urban buses to safely perform positioning maneuvers with acceptable precision. This article presents an ADAS concept dedicated to the task of precisely docking a pantograph tip with a charging station. We describe the functional structure of the ADAS and explain details of its interconnected components responsible for motion algorithmization, environmental perception, and vehicle localization. Experimental results of assisted pantograph docking maneuvers obtained with an articulated electric bus are provided.