Summary
Client industry:
Rail Transportation
Challenge:
The client sought a solution that would enable, in a non-invasive way, the live monitoring of the LED status indicators on a number of PLC’s already operating on the asset.
Solution:
BlueCube IoT with LED panel detector overlays and data architecture platform
BlueCloud. A Microsoft Azure based information delivery backbone
Results:
Automated LED state alerting
Faster response time to potential safety issues
Lower cost of inspection
Unified information dashboard
Typical solution size (85mm x 110mm x 30mm) less than 300grms
Solution area:
Barnbrook’s BlueCube solutions help clients incorporate emerging technology into their business operations to help improve reliability, safer inspections and overall improve the service for customer experience.
The Details
Accident prevention is a top priority for rail companies. The sooner maintenance issues are identified, the faster repairs can be done in the safest ways to ensure the railway continues to be safe to operate and work on.
Rail companies are also concerned about the safety of workers in the field who are inspecting or repairing the rail assets. Minimizing on-site inspection time helps protect workers and decreases labour costs.
The company sought a solution to ‘smart enable’ the PLC status without the need to connect into it. This allows the operational status of the PLC to be monitored remotely without visually inspecting each journey.
The PLC’s monitored, as part of an initial trial were: –
Toilet
Doors
HVAC Controller
To enable workers to focus on actual maintenance, the company sought a solution to minimize the time required for personnel to be visually inspecting operational status. The company also wanted real-time alerts to better plan maintenance activities.
Matching solutions to desired outcomes
A central dashboard and smart APP technology made sure that the alerting and visual situation for each asset was delivered directly to the designated personnel for timely and appropriate actions.
Our server systems constantly analyse the incoming data streams and delivers ‘traffic light’ information. This ‘traffic light’ information together with event driven alerting allows activities to be planned in when appropriate and safe rather than a totally reactive support situation.
Addressing challenges
Live data transmission from older rolling stock can often be a challenge due to lack of inherent live reliable data communications infrastructure. BlueCube products are totally self-contained systems but can work equally well where there is a reliable data communications backbone on the asset.
This ability to autosense the most expedient means to get data off the asset rather than the more traditional method of data logging delivers immediate benefits.
The client sought a solution that would enable real-time alerts if the servers identified an issue requiring maintenance or checking.
Delivering meaningful outcomes
The company partnered with Barnbrook to address all its challenges. Our Innovations team designed a solution around our BlueCube modular IoT and data architecture platform enabling asset monitoring, initiating real-time alerts, and streamlining maintenance activities, all delivered via our BlueCloud, Microsoft Azure based information delivery platform.
By partnering with Barnbrook, the client can transform its maintenance process to increase productivity, optimize its workforce and improve rail safety.
Barnbrook developed the IoT and data architecture platform to:
Utilise our Azure cloud-based, scalable, and centralized data repository.
Reduce the number of manual inspections needed and, consequently, reduce labour costs associated with inspection.
Speed time to avoid engine or service issues related to inoperative fire suppression system without the need for frequent inspections, leading to a reduction in in-service incidents and costs associated with liabilities and time out of service.
Accelerate time to discovery of conditions indicating a need for preventive maintenance in advance of a failure condition.
Improve consistency and quality of inspections relative to the variation that can occur in manual inspections.
Enable the collection of sufficient time-interval data to deliver preventive maintenance guidelines, further reducing incidents.
Maximising Investment
Barnbrook’s BlueCube range of IIoT solutions are of a modular and expandable design. As the units auto configure, adding another sensing capability can be as simple as plugging in another sensor and wait for the extra information to start flowing into the client dashboard.
Key Partners & Clients
Porterbrook ● Angel ● Icomera ● DG8 ● Scotrail ● GWR ● Chiltern Railways ● Bombardier ● Merlin Power