In Ravensburg, the BERNARD Gruppe has implemented a smart solution that prioritises emergency vehicles and specifically manages traffic flow. A specially developed AI model detects fire engines with their blue lights flashing and enables the automated control of relevant traffic nodes.
The main road out of town had to be closed due to bridge renovation works. This resulted in detours that significantly prolonged the fire brigade’s response times. Critical locations were analysed and, based on this, a system was developed for targeted advance notification at traffic lights. BERNARD Mobility Analysers (BMA) were installed at strategically defined locations to detect and identify emergency vehicles.
The AI model, specially developed for this use case, recognises fire engines in operation by identifying vehicles with active blue lights. To do this, the system checks whether a detected vehicle is a fire engine and whether the blue lights are switched on. The recorded events are transmitted to the relevant intersections via a secure LTE connection. The data is converted into a format compatible with the traffic management system. This then controls traffic management and enables priority passage. The solution demonstrates how digital technologies can be deployed in a targeted manner to enhance the performance of safety-critical infrastructure. The BERNARD Gruppe combines traffic engineering expertise with innovative system development to create optimised operations for emergency services and road users.
Kai Ickert, BERNARD Gruppe
