This project
intends to develop a cost-effective detection system that can monitor the
operation condition of the RFID tags mounted on the track sleepers. The figure
above illustrates the scenery of an RFID tag mounted on the rail track’s
sleeper. It may be mentioned that such tags are commonly used in
communications-based train control (CBTC) systems.
The observed
problem associated with these mounted RFID tags is that they become
malfunctional due to performance deterioration after certain duration and their
positions may also be shifted after some time due to the constant vibrations
associated with the track sleepers. It is therefore essential to have a simple
system that can monitor the operational status of these RFID tags and estimate
their relative locations.
A detection
system to be mounted on the train will then be developed through a number of innovative
concepts so that it can communicate with the RFID tags for status monitoring
and positioning. A program will also be developed to collect the information
and to display the operational status of the tags for easy detection and
triggering of maintenance.