Pantograph condition monitoring
11/02/2021
PantoInspect, a market-leading manufacturer and supplier of 3D automated and real-time wayside pantograph monitoring systems, has launched its new digital twin platform for pantograph condition monitoring.The new platform was launched in November 2020 and will be introduced to infrastructure owners, rolling stock operators and maintenance workshops in both the electrified rail and light-rail industries.
The PantoSystem uses deep learning combined with ultra high-speed 3D laser scanners and offers an artificial intelligence (AI) cloud service with its web-client platform. The new digital twin platform of the PantoSystem is capable of automatically identifying each type of train pantograph, which provides a more accurate measurement. This is beneficial to infrastructure owners who need to manage numerous types of rolling stock, since the use of AI for pantograph monitoring makes it much faster to train the system in recognising diverse types of train and pantograph. The new platform of the PantoSystem enables infrastructure owners to get their pantograph monitoring systems up and running more rapidly, which will make a significant contribution to their decision intelligence and asset management strategies.
With the help of big data analytics tools, it is hoped that the PantoSystem will play a significant role in improving the predictive maintenance of railways. In this way, larger amounts of data will be processed at faster speeds. Meanwhile, powerful deep learning techniques are expected to enable the PantoSystem to monitor customised trends and patterns of equipment failure on the entire fleet of trains. These advanced data analytics will provide railway operators with valuable insights on the condition of the trains, enabling them to improve the operational efficiency of their equipment and reduce the cost of maintenance by significantly reducing the amount of damage and preventing network disruptions.
Furthermore, the PantoSystem will provide infrastructure owners with a very powerful tool for the early detection of systematic pantograph damage caused by infrastructure defects, which will enable them to optimise their railway infrastructure. With the new digital twin platform combined with its ultra high-speed 3D scanners, PantoInspect will be able to expand its digitalisation capabilities by training the monitoring system to recognise almost anything related to the railway infrastructure, such as defects on the roof of the train. These capabilities will allow PantoInspect to support the digital transformation of the railway industry.
