DB Cargo will be testing new ways to make technical wagon inspections more thorough by capturing pictures and data from below the rolling stock units. The pilot includes the deployment of underfloor cameras, microphones and artificial intelligence at the Munich North shunting yard.
Usually, wagons are inspected from the sides and their tops. By also getting a look from below, it should be “possible to diagnose potential damage much more quickly and accurately in future”, DB Cargo said.
How does it work?
Five cameras placed on the railway take a picture when the freight wagons pass above them, capturing the axles, brake rigging and other components. “At the same time, microphones record sound to detect flat spots on wheels or other irregularities”, the company added. This will provide a 360-degree view of the wagons, facilitating the identification of possible issues.
During the pilot, the data obtained from the existing cameras around and above the wagons will be combined with the data from the new cameras below them and “evaluated using AI models”. The project sees the collaboration between DB Cargo, DB InfraGo, DB Systel, CoDiVe and the University of Wuppertal. Funds are coming from the German Centre for Rail Transport Research.
