Recognition the Installation Place of Signal Equipment Using One Handy Camera

Signalling and communications facilities in the railway are installed not in one place but scattered out along track-side between adjacent stations. For this reason, a great deal of labour is currently required in maintenance work for performing individual inspections, and in facility management work for ascertaining the installed positions and their types. For example, when repairing or improving for signal equipment, we have to update a database such as a management ledger based on the drawings. However, since the workers manually update the ledgers, there is a concern that input or deletion omission possibly occurs. In order to reduce human errors and the workload in maintenance, there is a requirement for a system that can automatically recognize and inspect the equipment without going to the site. Although there are methods to grasp the position and state of the equipment using distinctive sensors such as a LiDAR sensor and a stereo camera, it is necessary to prepare a dedicated vehicle, expensive sensors, or both. Therefore, we are developing a system that supports the maintenance work of signal equipment using only a handy camera. To use the system, all you need is a camera and a camera mount, such as a tripod. Our system is that assists ledger management by recognizing signal and communication equipment from the video obtained by the handy camera and estimating the location of the equipment. This paper describes the outline of our system and the fundamental elemental technologies for building it.