Design feasibility for train inspection using vision sensors

目前印度铁路网和世界上许多其他地区对铁路车辆进行预防性维护检查的做法主要是基于人工检查，即对静止或缓慢移动状态下的车辆进行轨旁或坑内检查。目视检查由训练有素的人员在坑内或轨道旁进行，但仍取决于个人判断。此外，静止检测使维修人员无法获得车辆动态特性的重要信息。基于机器视觉系统的自动检查有可能克服人类检查的这些限制。这些系统可以被放置在离轨道更近的地方，或者在铁轨之间，当火车经过时，人们可能被认为是不安全的。使用视觉传感器和自动分析的组合可以自动检测许多缺陷；这些缺陷可能包括与轴、轮盘、车厢门、弹簧、减震器、车轮、刹车片有关的部件缺失和损坏的侧面缺陷；电气元件故障、元器件开裂、漏油、吊挂件等车底缺陷，货车侧壁、吊门变形等顶视图缺陷。目前的市场解决方案在其覆盖范围和性能方面是有限的。作为该项目的一部分，Rail Vision将把其现有的非常成功的轨道检测技术应用于列车检测。它将专注于适应机电接口，传感器定位和传感器触发模块，以实现高质量的移动列车数据采集。它将与印度的两个主要客户合作，以适应这项技术，并预计将从他们和其他来源获得未来的资金，以制造和试验这项技术。它还将在这一领域申请专利，以涵盖其知识产权。一旦这项技术经过试验和测试，Rail Vision将能够将这项技术出口到一系列国际市场。

Current practice for preventive maintenance inspections of rolling stock over Indian Railways network and in many other parts of the world is largely based on manual inspection which is either trackside or pit examination of stock in stationary or slow moving condition. Visual inspections are performed by trained manpower either in a pit or trackside location but remains dependent on individual judgment. Besides, the stationary inspection deprives the maintenance staff of significant information of dynamic behavior of the vehicle. Automated inspection by machine vision based systems has the potential to overcome these limitations of human inspection. The systems can be placed closer to the track or between the rails where it may be considered unsafe for a human to be positioned when a train passes. A number of defects may be automatically detected using a combination of visual sensors and automated analytics; these may include side view defects on missing and broken components related to axle, wheel disc, wagon doors, springs, shock absorbers, wheels, brake pads; underframe defects on malfunctioning electrical components, cracked components, oil leakage, hanging parts etc., and top view defects including deformed side walls and hanging doors of wagons. Current market solutions are limited in their coverage and performance. As a part of this project, Rail Vision will adapt its existing highly successful technology for track inspection to work for train inspection. It will focus on adapting the electro-mechanical interfaces, sensor positioning and sensor triggering modules for high quality data acquisition of moving trains. It will collaborate with two key customers in India to adapt the technology and is expected to receive future funding from them and other sources to manufacture and trial out the technology at their end. It will also apply for patents in this area to cover its intellectual property. Once the technology is trialled and tested, Rail Vision shall be able to export this technology to a range of international markets.