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Automated Pantograph Inspection System (apis™)

Duos Technologies Automated Pantograph Inspection System (apis™) - robust, fully scalable and using an IP-based architecture with real-time, intelligent video capability provides archived video images of pantographs for any electronically-driven transit company. At the apis™ inspection station, trains pass one of three inspection points. Two fixed cameras and two infrared illuminators (one each mounted on opposite sides of the track) capture high resolution digital video images of each pantograph. At the same time, an American Association of Railroads (AAR) Standard Automatic Equipment Identification (AEI) reader captures the unique number from the passing car. Each high resolution digital pantograph image and corresponding car number is bundled, transmitted to the rvspro™ digital server, and stored in the provided SQL database as a single record.

The rule-based praesidium® intelligent vision suite, taught to recognize known “good” pantograph images, compares them to the captured images on the rvspro™ server. apis™ automatically detects pantograph defects such as bends, chips, and cracks and flags those records for manual inspection. Records are stored for a minimum of 30 days and accessed using a Duos browser-based interface through a customized, intuitive Graphical User Interface (GUI). Pantographs can be inspected remotely from any authorized workstation connected to the company LAN/WAN, although archived video imagery is typically monitored from a dedicated Duos provided workstation.

Why apis™?
Many of North America’s largest metropolitan transit companies operate electric commuter rail lines over thousands of miles of track serving hundreds of stations. System light rail cars employ pantographs, spring loaded devices that push a contact shoe up against a contact wire to draw the electricity needed to run the train. Pantographs for all cars must be visually inspected by railroad personnel on a daily basis. Inspection typically occurs when trains are in-station where limited light and space compromise the safety and accuracy of the effort. apis™ eliminates the need for routine manual pantograph inspection, greatly enhancing maintenance operations and control and minimizing the possibility of unplanned down time.

Automated Pantograph Inspection System (apis™) Features and Benefits:

• eliminates the need for routine manual pantograph inspection
• provides robust, fully scalable IP-based architecture with real-time, intelligent video capability
• deploys high resolution cameras and infrared illuminators to capture digital video images of each pantograph
• deploys AEI readers to capture the unique number from each passing rail car
• recognizes and passes “good” pantographs
• detects pantograph defects such as bends, chips, and cracks
• bundles the rail car number and pantograph image into a single record
• flags pantograph defect records for manual inspection
• stores records for a minimum of 30 days
• permits flagged pantographs to be inspected from a dedicated Duos provided workstation or remotely from any authorized workstation

For apis™ technical specifications, download the brochure.