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Innovation & Technologie Anfrage

Spanish SME seeks partners providing a railway track section in Germany, United Kingdom or Ireland to run pilot tests of its innovative railroad environment monitoring device under technical cooperation agreement.

Country of Origin: Spain
Reference Number: TRES20190325001
Publication Date: 25 March 2019

Summary

Spanish beneficiary of SME instrument phase 2 is developing a measurement device, which records geometrical parameters of railroad lines and seeks partners able to provide a railroad stretch to carry out pilot tests in Germany, United Kingdom or Ireland. A technical cooperation scheme is intended, whereby the SME could both get a valuable feedback from the field experience of the partner and gather requirements of infrastructures helping the technological development of the device.

Description

Spanish company, beneficiary of SME instrument phase 2, is endorsed by more than 45 years of experience in engineering and construction fields applied both to the industrial and the railway sector, including the design and installation of overhead line equipment (OLE) and energy supply networks, electric substations, signalling and communication systems in Spain and abroad. Supported by this wide knowledge of the railway infrastructure, one of the company’s big bets is innovation.



As a result of this innovative approach, the company is currently developing a measurement equipment which records, in real-time, on-site, ease-of-use and the recording speed the key geometrical parameters of the railroad environment.



The device can help companies involved in the construction, maintenance or refurbishment of infrastructures, because the device measure the main critical parameters to be supervised and corrected. So it is possible reducing significant associated costs for these companies.



The product is conceived as a portable, lightweight and easy-to-handle device. Several sensors are integrated in the trolley, responsible of data collection, providing the inputs needed by the software. Up-to-date and machine-learning adapted algorithms treat the data recorded and give the user the chance to visualize the defined measurements in the embedded software, with no need of later office post-processing.



At this stage of the project, the Spanish SME is looking up to raise awareness of the measurement device, for this reason the company is looking for technological partners interested in performing pilot tests related to the railway sector and infrastructure administrators. The company has scheduled several demos of the device in Spain and the United States.    



As Germany, United Kingdom and Ireland are also considered key markets according to the company’s business plan, a technical cooperation agreement is requested with a partner offering deep knowledge of railways in these areas. By giving access to a valid infrastructure to perform the pilot tests, the company’s aim is to gather the technical requirements of the infrastructures in these countries which will be used to improve the product and help with the technological development.



As a result of the demo, the company will develop a full report of the pilot test, including descriptions of the works performed, graphics, cross section drawings and photographs which will be sent to the partner to check the results and to transmit the feedback of the product and the service

Expertise sought

The measurement device developed by the Spanish SME records the main parameters of the railroad environment: contact wire height, stagger, REFOS (Running Edge to Face of Steel),… while the operator carries the device along the track, thanks to the integration of several sensors, offering the customer a complete solution to support the design, installation, test and maintenance of railway infrastructures.



Although one of the most attractive characteristics of the device is the on-site and real-time treatment of the data and measurements recorded, the company also generates as-built documentation, such as graphics of the contact line geometry and cross sections drawings. This information will be very useful to control the main clearances to check (train gauge, vegetation control, minimal electrical clearances, tunnel surveys...). Also, a 3D point cloud of the track section is recorded during the test, enabling the user to check the previous information at a glance.



The product specifications have been adapted to the infrastructures where pilot tests have been performed, obtaining valuable feedback from the host companies. 



For this pilot test, at the current technological stage of the product, the company requires an electrified track section, both outdoors or in a tunnel, between 100m and 5km length. Track gauges could be metric (1000 mm), standard (1435 mm) or Iberian (1668 mm).The overhead line equipment could be standard, light or rigid. The railroad environment demanded by the company could vary between metro, light rail, tram, conventional or high-speed lines. Railway depots stretches are also an option.

Stage Of Development

Prototype available for demonstration

Requested partner

The company is looking for German, British or Irish partners from railway sector such as: infrastructure operators, large engineering firms, maintenance service providers, public bodies for infrastructure monitoring, research and development institute or university. The role of the partner searched would conduct pilot tests in railway infrastructures.

The company is interested in a technological collaboration for improving the device with the expertise and skills of the partner.

Dissemination Countries

Germany, Ireland, United Kingdom