Citation

Mistry P, Lane P, Allen P. Sensors (Basel) 2020; 20(9): e2692.

Affiliation

School of Computing and Engineering, University of Huddersfield, Queensgate, Huddersfield HD1 3DH, UK.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2020, MDPI: Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute)

DOI

10.3390/s20092692

PMID

32397348

Abstract

In this study, we propose a methodology for the identification of potential fault occurrences of railway point-operating machines, using unlabeled signal sensor data. Data supplied by Network Rail, UK, is processed using a fast Fourier transform signal processing approach, coupled with the mean and max current levels to identify potential faults in point-operating machines. The method developed can dynamically adapt to the behavioral characteristics of individual point-operating machines, thereby providing bespoke condition monitoring capabilities in situ and in real time. The work described in this paper is not unique to railway point-operating machines, rather the data pre-processing and methodology is readily applicable to any motorized device fitted with current sensing capabilities. The novelty of our approach is that it does not require pre-labelled data with historical fault occurrences and therefore closely resembles problems of the real world, with application for smart city infrastructure. Lastly, we demonstrate the problems faced with handling such data and the capability of our methodology to dynamically adapt to diverse data presentations.

Language: en

Keywords

condition monitoring; fast Fourier transform; fault detection; railway point-operating machines; signal processing; smart sensors; turnout; unlabeled data