Abstract
Although condition monitoring is very important for a reliable operation of tram powertrain components, conventional wired sensor systems do not manage to find wide acceptance because of installation and security costs. To address those issues, we propose a novel condition monitoring system based on a wireless and energy self-sufficient sensor network, where the individual sensor nodes harvest energy from vibrations, occurring while the tram is in motion. First, we performed an experimental investigation to identify the most important boundary conditions for the system design. Second, we designed individual sensor nodes using parameters derived from the previous investigation. Finally, the sensor network was deployed and tested on the tram gearboxes. The obtained measurement data were recorded at a sufficient sampling rate of 4.56 kHz and were successfully transferred from the tram gearbox to the network base station within a radius of 10 m inside the tram despite factors such as reflections, fading and electromagnetic compatibility. A piezoelectric vibration harvester is the power supply for the sensor nodes and it delivers up to 21.22 mW for relevant vibration frequency range between 10 Hz and 30 Hz, thus enabling deployment of autonomous sensor nodes.
Highlights
In growing urban environments, trams are an essential part of public transportation
A novel sensor network has been developed for condition monitoring of tram drive components based on wireless nodes, which can be installed and maintained as they are powered by energy harvested from vibrations during drive
The installation conditions pose some challenges regarding electromagnetic compatibility and installation conditions, the results of the implementation show that the measurement data could be transmitted wirelessly at distances of up to 10 m
Summary
Trams are an essential part of public transportation. The challenge is to facilitate efficient transportation of ever-increasing number of passengers every day. That results in higher requirements for tram utilisation in terms of streetcar availability and service downtime due to technical breakdowns This can be supported by, e.g., a condition-based maintenance strategy delivering current information about the state of the tram drive components, which are subject to daily wear and tear [1]. Long measurement cables reduce the transferable frequency range for an analogue signal, which limits the ability to analyse high frequency vibration signals Another obvious advantage of the wireless diagnostic technology is the “drag and drop” of many individual sensors reducing installation and maintenance costs. We designed a wireless sensor network powered by VEH converters, which are developed for the tram applications. We focused on experimental estimation of the specific application requirements and on performance evaluation of the system design
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