Panto Trace


Seamless Train Tracking 


Revolutionizing vehicle number recognition with OCR and RFID integration

PantoTrace

RFID

OCR

VIDEO

PantoTrace integrates camera and RFID technology, offering the ultimate solution for vehicle number identification. What sets the system apart is its compactness and remarkable versatility. By combining an RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) reader and OCR (Optical Character Recognition), PantoTrace can accurately identify the vehicle ID on trains with or without RFID tags. Conducting vehicle measurements are key to optimizing asset management and maintenance. However, correlating these measurements to a unique vehicle ID is crucial for predictive maintenance and early damage detection. 

RFID technology is the most robust and reliable method for vehicle identification, ensuring accurate recognition of vehicles running at high speeds, regardless of various conditions like dirt, rain, or snow. If the trains are equipped with RFID tags, the RFID reader automatically identifies the vehicle ID. However, in cases where railways have not yet adopted RFID tags for their trains, PantoTrace utilizes infrared light sources, invisible to the human eye, to capture high-quality images during day and night. Subsequently, OCR with machine learning is then applied to proficiently extract the vehicle ID.

PantoTrace is the perfect match for the PantoSystem. By connecting the PantoTrace to the PantoSystem, you can automatically identify vehicle IDs and correlate them with the pantographs. This facilitates accurate tracking of wear on all train passages and enables prompt actions to be taken, in the event of a severely damaged pantograph being detected. 

Additionally, PantoTrace captures detailed video footage of the train's side, enabling streamlined inspections. Designed to be user-friendly, it allows easy installation and seamless integration with external systems through an API.  
The data captured by PantoTrace, combined with PantoInspect's extensive machine vision experience, continuously paves the way for new use cases and the expansion of additional features.

Specifications
Text Recognition Accuracy 90% or higher, depending on letter contrast and dirt
RFID RFID data retrieved in real-time
Interfaces PantoClient – A web-based client for the PantoSystem 
PantoAPI – Http based API, suitable for system integration
Train ID data RFID values, OCR based vehicle number, video from vehicle side
Max Train Speed > 175 km/h
Dimensions 400 mm x 600 mm x 213 mm (H x W x D)
Environmental Operating temperature range: -20°C to 50°C
Placement 1.3 m – 2 m from the side of passing trains
Approximately 1.5 above track level
Isolation Class IP65
Required Power Supply 1 x 230V, 4A, max 500W
Technical Specification

Functionality

General functionality description here

RFID

Benefit from the robustness of a RFID based vehicle identification system. PantoTrace has a built in RFID reader and if a vehicle is equipped with a RFID tag it can be read by the PantoTrace.

OCR

Seeing is believing. Not all vehicles are equipped with RFID tags. An OCR based vehicle identification system can serve as a backup to RFID or on its own. 

Integration

Integrate PantoTrace to our software suite or fetch the required data from our API. 

Software Suite

PantoTrace integrates seamlessly into our pantograph monitoring software. It will automatically match pantographs to vehicles. Assigning pantographs to unique vehicles makes alarm reporting better but it also enables tracking measurements over time. This is key for predictive maintenance

API

In addition, PantoTrace can function as a standalone unit, providing notifications whenever a train passes by. This versatility allows Panto Trace to be utilized in various applications where the identification of vehicles is critical.