Assessing the Effectiveness of Vision Technologies for Railcar Inspection

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Language of the publication
English
Date
2024-12-02
Type
Report
Author(s)
  • Yan Liu
  • Abdelhamid Mammeri
  • Samy Metari
  • Md Atiqur Rahman
  • Alireza Roghani
  • Michael Hendry
  • Lianne Lefsrud
  • Parth Rana
  • Fereshteh Sattari
Publisher
National Research Council Canada

Alternative title

Évaluation de l’efficacité des technologies de vision pour l’inspection des wagons de chemin de fer

Abstract

Railroads worldwide are leveraging machine vision technologies to enhance railcar inspection quality and efficiency, ultimately improving railway safety. In collaboration with Canadian Pacific Kansas City (CPKC), the University of Alberta (U of A), TC’s Rail Safety and Security Directorate, and the National Research Council Canada (NRC), Transport Canada’s Innovation Centre (TC) launched the Automated Machine Vision Inspection Systems (AMVIS) project in 2021 to assess the capabilities of remotely monitored train inspection technologies. This project studied the reliability of the Train Inspection Portal System (TIPS) under various climatic conditions, the effectiveness of Portal Office Inspection (POI) in detecting safety defects, and the potential of AI algorithms to support inspectors. The results provide evidence that TIPS enables real-time, high-quality imaging without disrupting train operations, reduce idling time and improve defect detection for several defect types. Additionally, AI models such as YOLOv5 and Faster R-CNN demonstrate strong potential in automating defect identification, particularly for wheels and cap screws. Key recommendations include optimizing camera placement for enhanced imaging, refining POI software for improved defect detection, and integrating AI-driven solutions to elevate inspection accuracy and efficiency.

Description

This report investigates the reliability of the Train Inspection Portal System (TIPS) under different climatic conditions and assesses the effectiveness of Portal Office Inspection (POI) in detecting train defects. It also examines the impact of human factors on POI output and explores the potential of AI algorithms to assist office inspectors.

Subject

  • Rail transport

Keywords

  • Rail Transportation,
  • Automated Machine Vision Inspection System (AMVIS),
  • Inspection Portal,
  • Machine Vision,
  • Human Factors,
  • Defect Simulation,
  • Train Inspection,
  • Train Car Defects,
  • Artificial Intelligence

Rights

Pagination

1-89

Peer review

Internal Review

Open access level

Green

Identifiers

Government document number
https://open-science.canada.ca/handle/123456789/3472
1TJC06XY54SB-1102879366-1463

Report

Report no.
1TJC06XY54SB-1102879366-1463

Citation(s)

Liu, Y., Mammeri, A., Metari, S., Rahman, M.A., Roghani, A., Hendry, M., Lefsrud, L., Rana, P., Sattari, F., (2024). Assessing the Effectiveness of Vision Technologies for Railcar Inspection, National Research Council Canada, University of Alberta.

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Rail transportation

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