Existing passive pantographs are part of mechanical suspension systems in which the contact force is predetermined and cannot monitor or adjust to changes in the environment within which they operate.
Project Challenges
The single biggest challenge is keeping the precise amount of force necessary to keep a solid connection while moving at different speeds and angles with solid repeatability over time and in all weather conditions.
The Solution
-Sherborne custom-built force sensor is used for a real-time monitoring system ensuring a reliable contact between the pantograph and the overhead line.
-The custom solution reduces service disruption in severe weather conditions, allows multiple pantograph operation, allow higher speed operation on existing infrastructure, and offer both train and infrastructure maintenance and reliability benefits.
-The pantograph provides a real-time measurement of the direct contact force between the pantograph’s current collector and the overhead wire when running under overhead power lines.
Sherborne Sensors’ high precision inclinometers measure horizontal and vertical angular inclination with virtually infinite resolution; providing highly accurate tilt and inclination measurements for demanding industrial applications.
