Measurements and conditioning in railways: SW tool for infrared cameras

n this paper the pantograph-overhead contact wire interaction is investigated by using an infrared camera. It is well known that the pantograph has a vertical motion because of the no uniform elasticity of the catenary. Therefore, in order to detect the temperature along the strip from a sequence of infrared images, a segment-tracking algorithm, based on the Hough transformation, has been employed. The obtained results are relevant for monitoring the status of the quality transmission of the current and for a predictive maintenance both of the pantograph and of the overhead contact line