Fraunhofer application center for system technology
| Institute part of Applied Systems Technology AST |
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 Location in Ilmenau |
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| Category: | research Institute |
| Carrier: | Fraunhofer Society |
| Legal form of the carrier: | Registered association |
| Seat of the wearer: | Munich |
| Facility location: | Ilmenau |
| Type of research: | Applied research |
| Subjects: | Engineering |
| Areas of expertise: | IT , information processing , telecommunications |
| Basic funding: | Federal government (90%), states (10%) |
| Management: | Thomas Rauschenbach |
| Employee: | about 100 |
| Homepage: | www.iosb-ast.fraunhofer.de |
The Applied System Technology (AST) branch, also known as “Fraunhofer AST” for short, is an institution of the Fraunhofer Society for the Promotion of Applied Research eV and was established in April 1995 as a branch or application center of the Fraunhofer Institute for Information and Data Processing IITB Karlsruhe founded. On January 1, 2010, the parent institute Fraunhofer IITB merged with the FGAN Institute for Optronics and Pattern Recognition (FOM) to form the Fraunhofer Institute for Optronics, System Technology and Image Evaluation (IOSB). The Fraunhofer AST facility is located in the “Am Vogelherd” industrial area in Ilmenau . The activities of the Fraunhofer AST can be assigned to applied research and development in the engineering sciences in the fields of electrical engineering, information and communication technology and mechatronics. The Fraunhofer AST is involved in five work areas: energy management / energy systems, embedded systems , surface water / maritime systems, and water supply and wastewater treatment .
history
The founding of the Fraunhofer AST as one of the first three application centers of the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft goes back to 1994. The aim at that time was to provide scientists with a business-oriented research platform in the new federal states. In April 1995, the Fraunhofer AST started operations on the premises of the Technical University of Ilmenau . From 1999 to 2002 the workplace was relocated to the Federal Institute for Hydraulic Engineering. Since 2004, the Fraunhofer AST has been based in a building complex in the “Am Vogelherd” industrial area in Ilmenau. On January 1, 2013, the institute was renamed the Applied System Technology AST branch, as the name "Application Center" is only used in connection with collaborations between Fraunhofer institutions and universities of applied sciences.
Research and Development
The main focus of work can be found under the heading of resource management with the sub-topics of energy and water . The simulation and optimization of complex systems as well as the development of production-related software solutions play a decisive role here. The Fraunhofer AST is divided into the Energy and Water and Mobile Systems departments. The specific work areas are subdivided as follows:
energy
The energy management / energy systems business areas focus on the holistic use of information and communication technologies in the energy sector. This includes the development of energy management and energy data management systems, the operational management of energy transmission and distribution networks as well as solutions for technical and business processes in the liberalized energy market. Other research focuses are virtual power plants, smart metering , optimal network management, mobile and stationary energy storage and smart grids.
Embedded Systems
The business field Embedded Systems deals with the system integration (sensors, communication solutions) as well as the modeling, simulation, guidance and monitoring of partially and fully autonomous land vehicles. Practical examples include remote diagnosis and maintenance of mobile systems (e.g. wheelchairs) as well as driver assistance and the recording of driver states.
Surface water and maritime systems
In the Surface Water / Maritime Systems business area, the focus is on the modeling, control and management of surface water systems using software-supported decision support systems. IT-based modeling systems were developed for water requirements, catchment areas and rivers. A holistic prototype of a decision support system for optimal water management was realized in the project "Beijing Water" (PR China). Another focus is the design of guidance systems for teleoperated and autonomous underwater vehicles. The modified underwater vehicles fur seal and sea wolf are available at Fraunhofer AST for this purpose. With the "ExAUV" there is a third underwater vehicle, which is mainly used for testing control algorithms. At the end of 2009 a covered pool was completed for test purposes.
Water supply and wastewater treatment
The water supply and wastewater treatment division develops software solutions for intelligent and optimal process management in the field of water management. This includes solutions for drinking water treatment and distribution as well as for storage and dam systems.
ICT energy laboratory and energy park
The IuK-Energie-Labor was opened in February 2008 as a research and development laboratory for future energy systems in cooperation with the Department of Electrical Power Supply at the Technical University of Ilmenau . Data from spatially distributed, decentralized energy producers are recorded and processed in order to open up research and development potential in the areas of operational management, energy data management, and energy optimization and forecasting. With the research platform "Intelligent Energy Systems", a so-called MicroGrid was completed in 2010, which, in addition to stationary and rotating PV systems, also includes a redox flow battery storage system with a capacity of 100 kWh and two flywheel storage units. On the consumer side, the system includes adjustable and controllable small consumers as well as two electric vehicles.
Cooperations
The Fraunhofer AST is a member of the Fraunhofer Energy Alliance, an association of currently 15 Fraunhofer institutions, and the Fraunhofer SysWasser Alliance with a total of nine affiliated Fraunhofer Institutes. In the university area, there is close cooperation with the Technical University of Ilmenau in the fields of electrical power supply , simulation and optimal processes, as well as system analysis.
Infrastructure
Around 100 people, graduate students and research assistants are currently employed at Fraunhofer AST. The operating budget in 2017 was over 6 million euros. The proportion of contract research from industry was over 40 percent. The Fraunhofer AST has been headed by Thomas Rauschenbach since 2005. Since the summer of 2016, a new institute building has been under construction in the "Am Vogelherd" industrial park, which is being built together with Fraunhofer IIS, the DVT wireless distribution systems department. A total of 3400 square meters of new office, laboratory and training rooms will be created, with space for up to 212 employees. The move into the new building is planned for 2019.
Branch office in Görlitz
The Fraunhofer AST has had a branch in Görlitz since 2017. The main research focus there is on IT security of critical infrastructure.
Web links
Coordinates: 50 ° 41 ′ 37.1 ″ N , 10 ° 56 ′ 11.8 ″ E