Reducing Operating Costs is a key focus for the Rail industry. Leveraging Predictive Maintenance algorithms allows rail operators to take trains out of service in advance of a costly failure which can impact the train service.
However adding the sensors needed to rolling stock is a costly process, particularly where wired sensors are being used. Inevitably trains have to be taken out of service for the installations which impact on any benefits that may be gained.
The EU-funded SCOTT programs has devised an Autonomous Wireless Network (AWN) system for both On-Board and On-Track devices, which provides trustable wireless connectivity between them and Centralized Systems (TMS, Cloud Services).
The AWN will enhance operations and maintenance for rail, as a first step for future services, at low costs and easier installations.
For this project, the TRX R6 has been selected as the onboard gateway thanks to its multiple interface options to interconnect to the wireless sensor network, but also because the multiple 3G/4G modems available for the V2X connectivity. In addition to this, some other partners have developed methods for uplink data rate estimation and interface selection that is only possible thanks to TRX R6 being an open platform ready to host third party applications.
This has resulted in the following benefits:
