New technological advances in computer vision enhance people safety and streamline railway infrastructural operations. Detecting premature infrastructural wear supports predictive maintenance to avoid sudden failures, which are dangerous, costly to handle, and hurtful for your reputation. Smart computer vision secures the safety of workers and passengers during regular operation, construction and repair. Besides monitoring applications, APIXA solutions help to avoid vandalism and theft of machinery and materials.
At APIXA, we understand the specific challenges that railway companies and infrastructure managers are facing. In response we offer dedicated solutions and custom developments that match their ambitions. Our application reach across industries enables us to adopt proven know-how from other markets. We master vision hardware to deliver superb imaging, tuned to handle the complexities and dynamics of varying environmental conditions along rail tracks. State-of-the-art vision AI allows us to distillate reliable decision-making information to make railway processes safer and more effective and affordable.
Catenary lines
Catenary power lines can be inspected in detail using a high-speed line camera mounted on an inspection train. Vision AI detects line wear and inadequate line tension and positioning. This information is reported to help plan predictive maintenance and avoid sudden breakdown. Integrated hardware and software solutions offer accurate imaging and support massive data capture and instant storage using fiber optics. The aligned configuration consists of a linescan camera and laserline lighting.
Portals & poles
The portal structures carrying the catenary power lines are captured using four sensors attached to the front of an inspection train. The accurate timing of the simultaneous imaging results in in-plane portal shots used for visual and measurement-based inspection. The high-quality images allow for automatic AI driven detection of warped or damaged portal structures. Similar computer vision solutions are applied to take sideview images to inspect poles alongside rail tracks.
Rails
Triangulation or LIDAR based 3D cameras mounted on an inspection train detect rail wear and defects. The hardware configuration and vision AI software capture and analyze track rails. Any premature signs of rail wear rail or other quality issues can be used to organize dedicated maintenance and repair actions in an efficient fashionway. The integrated solution is robust against all kinds of weather conditions as well as vibratory and electromagnetic interference.
Pantographs
The pantographs on a passing train are captured from a stationary system. To detect wear and defects, an integrated hardware and software solution executes accurate surface imaging with synchronized infrared flashing. It is eye-safe and does not blind people. The solution, comprising of a hardware configuration and vision AI software, automatically adapts to varying weather and lighting conditions. It is a rugged and water-proof solution which transfers the acquired and processed data wirelessly.
Vegetation
Excessive vegetation growth may hinder or even obstruct smooth railway traffic. An inspection train with triangulation or LIDAR based cameras and dedicated lighting along with vision AI can determine where corrective action is needed. An integrated solution is capable of dealing with various vegetation types in all weather conditions. The solution contributes to effectuating passenger safety in an efficient way.
Safety, vandalism, security
Stationary computer vision systems applied at railway crossings, ticketing areas or other locations is used to automatically detect cases of danger, fraud, vandalism, theft, etc. The camera configuration and vision AI implementation may differ greatly in order as to meet specific application requirements. In addition to economic advantages, the solutions developed by APIXA serve as a deterrent to discourage people taking unnecessary or unlawful risks.
