- The Obliquevue solution, developed in 2021 by Duos Technologies, has received a patent for the safety inspection process using artificial intelligence
- Companies using the system are gaining automated data about conditions under their cars, improving safety and reducing time, the technology company reported
Duos Technologies has been awarded a patent on Obliquevue, its remote inspection system for the undercarriage of moving trains. First released nearly four year ago, the system employs camera-based sensor data to identify or predict maintenance problems on a specific rail car as part of the company’s Railcar Inspection Portal (RIP) solution.
The undercarriage solution is in use by rail networks including railcar owners and operators. The system, focusing on areas that are usually difficult to manually inspect, can provide for identification of defects at train speeds (up to 125 miles per hour) before the train enters the next yard.
With that data, managers or inspectors can receive an indication of any mechanical features that should be repaired or visually inspected.
120 Frames Per Second
Obliquevue can capture up to 120 camera frames per second, giving it the ability to serve trains that travel at speeds up to 125 miles per hour. Images are processed on servers in the Duos trackside Edge Data Center. They are correlated and organized with train specific Automatic Equipment Identification (AEI) information and moved into the onsite storage servers linked to that rail car.
By installing the sensor hardware directly in the track, the installation does not delay trains since there is no need for an onboard rail sensor, said Jeff Necciai, DuosTech’s chief technology officer.
Rapid Development Initiative
Duos Technologies Group (duostech) is an intelligent technology company that serves transportation among other sectors. The company introduced the Obliquevue system in April 2021. Obliquevue was developed as part of a “rapid development” initiative and was brought from initial concept to production use in just 60 days, said Necciai.
At that time, Duos Technologies announced that they had added 25 new camera perspectives to their RIP solution, with eight of these new perspectives incorporated into the Obliquevue offering.
Each unit being deployed in the track consists of a bank of four high-resolution cameras, and an LED ring light for each camera, to track key features that manual inspections have looked for in the past— springs, traction motor, axles, center bolster, brake linkages and brake securement. The technology also tracks tread brake conditions.
The four-camera units are typically deployed in pairs to cover both angles of the undercarriage of each railcar. According to Neccaia, Duos’ RIP imaging systems scanned over 10 million railcar images last year.
Reducing Dwell Time for Trains
Benefits to railcar owners and operators include reduced train dwell times, which can increase ROI, said Necciai. The system can identify defects and intrusion that may require immediate attention and provides safe, efficient, and reliable remote monitoring of equipment. Obliquevue offers easy integration to existing railroad systems.
The newly patented technology utilizes advanced imaging techniques and offers oblique perspectives to enhance detection of anomalies that traditional systems might overlook. The system integrates with Duos’ RIP and its Centraco command and control software platform, leveraging artificial intelligence (AI) and sophisticated imaging sensors to meet stringent safety standards, including those set by the Association of American Railroads (AAR) and the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA).
Independent Deployment
Obliquevue provides ten additional visual perspectives at oblique (not perpendicular) angles underneath a railcar, enhancing the detection capabilities of Duos’ inspection systems. While designed to work as part of the RIP and Centraco systems, Obliquevue can be deployed independently for certain applications, said Necciai, to offer more flexibility for rail networks.
In addition, some customers deploy the solution along with other wayside detection solutions such as laser-based wheel profiling systems and pantograph inspection systems.
“The ability to perform a comprehensive remote visual inspection of their equipment helps such companies address issues before they become more expensive and time-consuming to repair,” said Necciai.