The concept presented in this paper contributes in a general manner to a save and effective management of any vehicle fleet. In order to satisfy the scale from low-cost to high priority applications, this management concept is currently being implemented at the Frankfurt/Main airport for fire vehicles. The focus of the current paper is put on the navigation module, as it is necessary for this concept. Therefore a test vehicle has been equipped with 9 different sensors and a reference system, in order to evaluate every single sensor. Beside the navigation accuracy, the emphasis is put on the system reliability. The investigated sensor assembly, in conjunction with the optimal sensor fusion algorithm called Mathematical Navigation Monitor (MNM), forms a navigation array, that is capable to meet the individual requirements of many applications. Thus 9 different sensor configurations have been tested in field trials on the Frankfurt airport, before the appropriate solution for fire vehicles could be selected.
Abstract