Wireless Sensor Network for Condition Monitoring of Axel Counter Device in Railways

Axel counter device plays a pivotal role in safe operation of train. ACD is fixed on track-side to count the axels of train boggies. It works on the principle of cutting of magnetic flux between two coils. It counts the axels with passing of wheel-flange through the passage of two coils of ACD fitted on track. It is employed in station area or yard area which simultaneously monitors the occupancy of different track sections as approach track, main line, loop line, berthing line, common loop line, point zone, washing line, Siding line etc. ACD with high availability is also installed outside station area to push the train in the block section to give line clearance from rear station for the next train in sequence to avoid any unusual incident in the block section. This helps in designing a standard interlocking system to give signal on best paths for train movement in busy routes for premium trains (like Rajdhani Express train on Indian Railway Network). Presently ACDs are monitored with wired network such as Copper quad cables, OFC, Two core Power cables, give poor insulation to OHE induced voltage in Railway Electrified area. Also wires and cables are prone to be damaged during excavation activities along the track, and use of these cables results in loss of power and redundancy in data. This paper proposes a technology to replace physical wired network with Wireless Sensor Network technology. Adhoc wireless sensor network improves the availability of train data and reduces redundancy, failures and reduces power requirement. With the help of various routing methods, an energy efficient WSN is developed which can be employed in accessible areas, reducing human interaction.