System and method for monitoring railway transport information and electronic device for collecting data

Abstract

The present invention relates to a system for monitoring railway transport in order to monitor operating parameters of load, mechanical, electrical and environmental components of a fleet using data collection devices arranged in the railway environment. The monitoring of the collected data is performed by means of an interface, which displays and enables interaction with the data and is used to store and analyse the data so as to identify, locate and predict faults in railway transport. To this end, one or more electronic devices are arranged on the components or in areas close to the components to be monitored. On the basis of this information, it is possible to obtain predictive maintenance plans, preventing further damage to the vehicle and reducing downtime of the railway system. The present invention pertains to the fields of the Internet of Things, telemetry and engineering, relating to railway transport vehicles.

Description

SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR MONITORING RAILWAY TRANSPORT INFORMATION AND ELECTRONIC DEVICE FOR DATA COLLECTION DATA Field of Invention

[0001] The present invention falls within the fields of electrical engineering, computer engineering, data science and IoT, and mechanical engineering, specifically concerning rail transport vehicles. Background of the Invention

[0002] The lack of monitoring in rail transport proves to be a problem due to the need to control railway conditions, cargo, wagon identification, and the traceability of a railway component or fleet along the route. Without rail transport information monitoring systems, sensitive cargo can be subject to unwanted temperature or pressure variations, compromising its integrity; or even exposed to the risk of theft or robbery. Furthermore, manually identifying wagons or locomotives increases the risk of errors and delays in the monitoring process, harming logistical efficiency. The lack of accurate, real-time traceability also negatively impacts the rapid detection of problems in rail transport, hindering maintenance and compromising the reliability of rail monitoring.

[0003] In this context, between traversing isolated stretches subject to diverse environmental conditions and the natural wear and tear of railway mechanical and electrical components, a fleet is subject to a series of risks and failures that compromise not only the driver's safety, but also the safety of the cargo, the train, and the railway in general. Therefore, periodic repairs are necessary for everything related to the railway to prevent accidents and excessive mechanical wear.

[0004] Many rail transport vehicles have undergone preventive maintenance and inspection manually, contributing to a reduction in failures, but not eliminating the risk of mechanical problems, overheating, excessive wear, cargo theft, and the precise location of a component causing fleet malfunction. Since manual maintenance and inspection are time-consuming, labor-intensive, and often depend on the complexity of disassembling and accessing a potential mechanical failure within the context of a large fleet, it is evident that there is a need for more precise alternative methods to ensure effective and safe maintenance. It is important to emphasize that some freight locomotives have more than 100 railcars, making this inspection work highly susceptible to errors.

[0005] There are also a number of components used in rail transport, whether on the wagon or the railway itself, that naturally wear out due to friction. These include, for example, brake shoes, the railway track itself, wear plates designed to absorb mechanical wear at critical points on the vehicle, etc. All these components require maintenance and, in many cases, replacement.

[0006] In this regard, several solutions have been identified that aim to address the problem, such as patent US8112191, which proposes a system to monitor whether the brakes on a railway vehicle are functioning. Basically, the system checks the condition of the brakes by analyzing changes in predefined parameters immediately after the brakes are applied.

[0007] Within this context of brake system monitoring, the solutions presented in documents EP3401567, EP1798439, and US2023030390 are also examined. These documents show brake system wear measurement devices embedded directly in the friction material. As the friction material wears, the sensor is reached, thus indicating that it has been affected. However, these solutions are limited to a single wear level. This usually indicates that the brake shoe needs to be replaced, making predictive maintenance planning impossible.

[0008] The solution presented by patent US10844918 is also noted, which uses different RFID tags embedded within the friction material, capable of indicating different levels of wear. However, this proposal is limited to communicating the wear of the friction material only when an RFID tag reader is present.

[0009] The fact is that none of these solutions are comparable to the present invention. Therefore, solutions are desired for monitoring railway components in order to facilitate maintenance and inspection processes, particularly the implementation of sensors that collect operational data in real time, contributing to greater accuracy and practicality in solving the present problem.

[0010] In this sense, several monitoring systems present in the previous technique have systematic limitations, such as the lack of monitoring sensors within a management system and the identification of the exact location of the fault found, thus compromising the effectiveness of predictive maintenance based on the actual conditions of the wagons. Furthermore, the lack of graphical and display interfaces for analyzing and controlling the data of the rail transport to be monitored is notable, and its absence limits the accuracy of the monitoring process.

[0011] Thus, based on the literature reviewed, no documents were found that anticipated or suggested the teachings of the present invention, so the solution proposed here, in the eyes of the inventors, possesses novelty and inventive activity compared to the state of the art. Summary of the Invention

[0012] Thus, the present invention solves the problems of the prior art by collecting data related to rail transport, In order to monitor the operating parameters of load, mechanical, electrical, and environmental components of the fleet, using data collection devices located along the railway. The monitoring of the collected data is carried out through an interface that displays and allows interaction with the data, responsible for storing and analyzing the data in order to identify, locate, and predict failures in rail transport.

[0013] Furthermore, the present invention also makes it possible to identify the operating status of one or more components of the railway transport system, especially with regard to components subject to wear due to mechanical friction naturally caused during rail transport. To this end, one or more electronic devices are placed on the components or in regions close to the components to collect wear data. Through this information, it is possible to obtain predictive maintenance plans, preventing further damage to the vehicle or prolonged downtime of the railway system.

[0014] In a first object, the present invention presents a rail transport information monitoring system, in which at least one rail transport vehicle is used on a railway, such that the system comprises: at least one electronic device, which has rail transport data related to the vehicle and / or the railway, said data being collected and / or previously stored in said electronic device; and a processing unit that receives and processes the data coming from the electronic device.

[0015] It is also an object of the invention, a method for monitoring rail transport information, in which at least one rail transport vehicle is used on a railway, comprising the steps of: a) receiving rail transport data related to the vehicle and / or the railway, by a processing unit, said data being collected and / or previously stored in an electronic device; b) processing of said data by the processing unit, in order to generate at least a metric or parameter related to the vehicle and / or the railway; and / or making the metric and / or parameter available in an interface.

[0016] It is also an object of the invention an electronic device for collecting wear data on wearable components used in rail transport, said wearable components being mounted on a rail transport vehicle and / or on the railway, said electronic device comprising a body formed from a consumable material substrate, capable of wearing down due to the wear of the wearable component by friction, wherein said body is provided with one or more tracks for the circulation of electric current.

[0017] It is also an object of the invention, an electronic device for collecting wear data on wearable components, said device being embedded in or in a region close to the wearable component, wherein the device comprises a body formed of a consumable material substrate, capable of wearing down as a function of the wear of the wearable component by friction, wherein said body is provided with one or more tracks for the circulation of electric current arranged in an orientation relative to the wear of the component.

[0018] It is also another object of the invention, a wearable component comprising an electronic device for collecting wear data.

[0019] It is, yet another object of the invention, a brake shoe comprising an electronic device for collecting wear data connected to at least one region of the brake shoe or pad, sufficiently capable of measuring or detecting wear information.

[0020] These and other objects of the invention will be immediately appreciated by those skilled in the art and will be described in detail below. Brief Description of the Figures

[0021] The following figures are presented:

[0022] Figure 1 shows a schematic representation of an embodiment of the present invention, where there is a rail transport vehicle with onboard electronic monitoring devices.

[0023] Figure 2 shows the implementation of Figure 1, which demonstrates the stages of rail transport monitoring.

[0024] Figure 3 shows a realization of the rail transport information monitoring system, detailing the functionalities of the processing unit.

[0025] Figure 4 shows a schematic drawing of a railway bogie with the electronic devices positioned on the bogie, indicating that the component is being monitored by the system.

[0026] Figure 5 shows a front view of an embodiment of a consumable sensor, operating as part of an electronic device, capable of being used to indicate wear on consumable components.

[0027] Figure 6 shows a schematic view of the sensor's positioning, illustrated in Figure 5, on a brake pad.

[0028] Figure 7 shows an actual mounting of the sensor positioned on the side of the brake pad. Detailed Description of the Invention

[0029] The present invention proposes a rail transport information monitoring system using electronic devices strategically embedded in the rail transport vehicle or on the railway itself, enabling continuous monitoring of rail transport information, as well as the display of this information in a graphical interface, where the data is made available and processed for greater accuracy in analysis. There is also the possibility of user interaction with the data on the interface. Within the scope of the present invention, the context of rail transport includes, but is not limited to, any type of transport involving rail vehicles or railways, whether for the... both freight transport and passenger transport.

[0030] For monitoring purposes, the electronic device is responsible for obtaining rail transport data related to the vehicle and / or the railway, said data being collected on-site and / or previously stored in said electronic device. In this sense, the electronic device is capable of collecting operational data through sensors or other electronic components, and / or storing relevant pre-existing data for monitoring in a memory.

[0031] In a practical application, rail transport monitoring can be performed on at least one of the following: at least one railcar, locomotive, train composition, section of one or more railways, part of one or more loads being transported, or a combination of the above. Thus, the data available in the system refers to the monitoring of one or more elements associated with the rail transport vehicle.

[0032] In one embodiment, the electronic device is capable of collecting or storing data relating to at least one of the following: the geographic location of the rail transport vehicle, the railway, or both; or the identification of the serial number of the rail transport vehicle, the railway, or both; the identification of the model of the rail transport vehicle, the railway, or both; the identification of the type of cargo being transported by the rail transport vehicle; the identification of the chassis of the rail transport vehicle; the physical-chemical elements relating to the rail transport vehicle, or the railway, or the environment in which one or more are located; identification of wear on components located in the railway environment, such as the wear of railway brake shoes or pads; or a combination of the above.

[0033] In the context of the invention, the aforementioned physicochemical elements can be parameters regarding movement, such as speed, acceleration, and vibration, or regarding the temperature or pressure of the environment. external or internal, and may refer to the load.

[0034] Thus, by way of example without limiting the scope of the invention, the electronic device is capable of collecting geographic location data and wear data from brake shoes or pads, in addition to having, in its memory, the identification of the serial number of the rail transport vehicle or the ID of the brake shoe or pad itself. This allows correlating the information collected on-site with the component identification, knowing the component's operating status and its location on the vehicle or railway.

[0035] In one embodiment, the electronic device collects information from a component of the railway wagon and stores information about the position of said wagon within the locomotive, as well as indicating, if applicable, the side of the wagon on which this component is located. For example, in the case of monitoring brake shoe wear, the electronic device collects wear data and reports the wagon's position on the locomotive and the respective side on which the brake shoe is located. In these cases, information about the wagon and the side on which the brake shoe is located is previously stored in the electronic device's memory.

[0036] For illustrative purposes, the device in question could be an RFID sensor, an optical sensor such as a camera, a kinetic sensor, an electro-electronic sensor, a MEMS sensor, a physical sensor, a chemical sensor, a geographic sensor, or a combination of the above.

[0037] In this context, the device could be a drone that collects data related to rail transport through images, sensors, or both.

[0038] In one embodiment, the device for collecting data from said elements may be located in: at least one component present in at least one rail transport vehicle, such as brake shoes, or in the external environment in which the vehicle is associated, such as on the tracks, in the structures of railway stations, in underground arrangements; or, also, in both.

[0039] Thus, the aforementioned data, when the device is associated with at least one vehicle, may, in another embodiment, refer to parameters associated with mechanical, electrical, or both components of the vehicle; to the physical-chemical properties of the vehicle; to the environment in which the vehicle is located, has traveled, or will travel; to the vehicle's identification; or even to a combination of the above.

[0040] Additionally, when the device is associated with at least one railway, the aforementioned data may refer to parameters associated with components or sections of the railway; components or regions adjacent to the tracks in at least one section of the railway; the geographical location of the railway; the environment in which the railway is located; or a combination of the above.

[0041] In this way, the device ensures the collection of all the data necessary to carry out efficient analyses regarding the rail transport being monitored.

[0042] In one embodiment, the electronic device is responsible for collecting and / or storing wear data caused by friction on one or more components of the rail transport vehicle and / or railway. In this scenario, the component in question is a component subject to friction wear, meaning that during rail transport operation, the component naturally undergoes wear of its material, reducing some of its dimensions. For illustrative purposes, without limiting the scope of the invention, the aforementioned wearable component includes brake shoes, brake pads, railway rails, wear plates, brake discs, etc.

[0043] Thus, to monitor wearable components, the electronic device, in one embodiment, comprises a consumable sensor that wears down in proportion to the wear of the component. Within the scope of the invention, sensor wear in relation to component wear means that the sensor is configured to wear down in any previously known proportion related to the component, sufficient to determine or infer its wear. In one embodiment, the The consumable sensor has two or more wear levels, capable of progressively identifying component wear. In one embodiment, these wear levels are embedded in the body of the consumable sensor, so that they are reached as the sensor body wears down through friction. In another embodiment, the wear levels are part of the electronic circuit of the consumable sensor. In yet another embodiment, the wear levels are additional components capable of being identified by the electronic circuit of the sensor and / or electronic device.

[0044] Furthermore, the electronic device may be embedded directly in one or more components of the road transport system or in some region close to said component, in such a way that it is sufficient to collect the desired data. In one embodiment, the electronic device configured to collect wear data is positioned on the wearable component. In another embodiment, the electronic device configured to collect wear data is positioned in a region close to the wearable component. In the latter, for example, the electronic device is positioned parallel to the rail, being supported by a rod. In another example, the electronic device is positioned adjacent to a wear plate.

[0045] The invention's monitoring system also includes a processing unit, which can be mounted on the railway vehicle, positioned at specific points along the railway, and / or implemented on a remote server.

[0046] In one implementation, the processing unit receives the data collected by the electronic device and cleans the data using a filtering tool. After processing, the interface receives the data processed by the data processing unit and displays it to the user, also allowing direct interaction with the data to perform any analyses and extraction of parameters / metrics.

[0047] Thus, for the data processing unit to perform all operations related to data processing, it must understand... at least one of the following: at least one component for receiving data collected by the electronic device, or at least one component for storing received data, or at least one component for cleaning data, or at least one component for calculating and converting data into processed data; or a combination of the above.

[0048] The aforementioned data cleansing performed by the data cleansing component is associated with at least one of the following processes: removing duplicate data or artifacts, handling missing values, or standardizing data, all carried out to increase the accuracy of data analysis.

[0049] The data processing stage can occur locally, remotely, or in a mixed / combined manner, and must be performed in at least one local processing module, or a remote one, such as in the cloud; it can be completed using a data processing algorithm.

[0050] The invention's monitoring system also features an architecture for transmitting data from the electronic device, encompassing the transmission of data from the electronic devices to the processing unit and / or from the processing unit to the graphical interface or remote server.

[0051] In one embodiment, the system features a sensor + portal architecture, where the electronic devices embedded in the rail transport system communicate with portals distributed along the railway. These portals are mechanical structures positioned along the railway that carry electronic receivers capable of interacting individually with each electronic device embedded in the rail system. These portals function as local gateways, receiving information transmitted by the devices as the wagons pass through their coverage area. The process occurs automatically and without human intervention, allowing data to be captured quickly as the train passes. The information can then be sent to the cloud or to a local analytics system for processing and integration with maintenance platforms.

[0052] In another embodiment, the system uses a data aggregator + portal architecture, where the data aggregator acts as an intermediary component between the electronic devices and the portals distributed along the railway. In this architecture, the installed devices do not communicate directly with the fixed infrastructure, but rather with an embedded aggregator located in the wagon or railway itself. This device acts as a data concentrator, responsible for collecting, storing, and consolidating information from multiple sensors installed in the railway system. The aggregator performs continuous data acquisition, applying filters, compression, or local pre-processing to optimize the volume of information transmitted.Thus, data transmission can occur opportunistically, that is, only when connectivity is available, either by passing through a fixed gateway with local communication (LoRa, Sub-GHz), or through embedded cellular networks (LTE / 4G). This communication flexibility makes the system more efficient in terms of energy consumption and transmission cost, in addition to allowing operation in areas with intermittent coverage.

[0053] In another embodiment, the monitoring system uses a sensor + local gateway architecture, where the rail transport vehicle itself is equipped with a communication architecture, so that the electronic devices communicate directly with this integrated architecture. In this architecture, the devices communicate with an embedded gateway, installed in the wagon itself or at a central point of the train, which acts as a local aggregation and processing unit. From there, the information is transmitted to external platforms, such as train management systems (TCMS) or predictive maintenance solutions, allowing continuous monitoring of the equipment status and anticipation of failures. For illustrative purposes, CAN buses are used for communication between the embedded electronic devices.

[0054] In one embodiment, the monitoring system comprises at least one interface which includes at least one tool that enables at least one of the following actions: generating metrics and parameters for rail transport, generating parameters related to tracking, generating health indices for rail transport vehicles, or a combination of the above.

[0055] The aforementioned interface can be a graphical interface, which allows the display of data and user interaction with the displayed data, in order to enable the insertion and removal of new information and the analysis of the data presented by the graphical interface; or it can be a display interface, allowing only the visualization of the data.

[0056] In one implementation, the data can be displayed in a graphical or display interface, which can be local, cloud-based, or remote, as long as it allows at least the display of the processed data.

[0057] In another embodiment, the monitoring process comprises at least one of the following steps for generating: at least one parameter and at least one metric related to rail transport; at least one rail transport health index; at least one rail transport component wear index; at least one parameter related to rail transport tracking; or a combination of the above.

[0058] Thus, it is a fact that the solution presented in the present invention enables various tracking, monitoring, telemetry, planning, and predictability activities for maintenance in rail transport systems, both on the vehicle itself and on the railway. For example, based on this information, when the vehicle arrives at a specific platform or station, operators can go directly to the component to be replaced or repaired, reducing inspection time and the time the vehicle is out of service without productivity.

[0059] Furthermore, this information can go directly to fleet owners and train controllers, who are able to better design a predictive maintenance plan, in addition to being equipped with a A large amount of information is needed to obtain management metrics.

[0060] The examples shown here are intended only to illustrate one of the numerous ways of carrying out the invention, without, however, limiting its scope. Example 1 - Railway Component Wear Monitoring System

[0061] The rail transport information monitoring system in this example is a system associated with a rail transport wagon, located in a fleet, whose purpose is to monitor the wear of the components (1) that make up the wagon. Figure 1 shows a rail transport vehicle (10) comprising a rail wagon (3), located on a lower structure (4), which is associated with four data collection devices (2), which in this example are used to store data related to the vehicle (10) or rail transport. The vehicle (10) is in communication with a rail transport information monitoring system.

[0062] For the monitoring process exemplified, data is collected through sensors, in order to generate wagon metrics and parameters relating to tracking and health indices of the wagon components (1). These metrics / parameters reflect the wagon's operational conditions, for example, operating time, loaded and unloaded travel time, travel speeds, railway route, distance traveled, loading / unloading quantities, braking system activations, time in severe weather conditions, etc. In addition, the wagon and its component health indices (1) are calculated based on this collected data and based on one or more generated metrics.

[0063] According to the steps illustrated in figure 2, the RFID sensor acts as an electronic device (2), which performs the collection of information (5) relating to the ID of the railway components, the chassis and the railway wagon (3) in which they are located, the serial number, the location of the wagon according to its arrangement in the railway composition, and the physical-chemical parameters related to the wear and integrity of the components (1), such as temperature and pressure.

[0064] As the aforementioned information is collected in real time, the information is sent to a monitoring system (6), where the data processing unit (11), present in the rail transport information monitoring system, as shown in Figure 3, receives the data through a receiving component (12), storing it in a storage component (13). Then, the data cleaning process is carried out, using a data cleaning component (14), to process the data in order to maximize the effectiveness of the analyses.

[0065] Data cleaning consists of removing duplicate data, handling missing values, and standardizing the data. Once cleaning is complete, the data is converted into processed data by means of a data calculation and conversion component (15), which in this example is a data normalization algorithm.

[0066] After processing is completed, the data is displayed in a graphical interface, which enables the display of the data and the user's interaction (17) with the data already processed for analysis. The information in the interface (16) is displayed in such a way as to enable the identification of the wagon in question and the components being monitored, providing the parameters, metrics, and indices of the operation and tracking of the components.

[0067] Thus, the monitoring system in this example provides rail transport information to facilitate the identification of potential operational problems based on the analysis of the collected information and to resolve issues related to the exact location of components in the rail environment, facilitating the maintenance process. Example 2 - Wear sensor for monitoring a wearable component

[0068] As is well known, there are several components (1) in a railway wagon that naturally suffer wear from friction or vibrations due to their operation. For this, a wear sensor (2) was developed, formed from consumable material, i.e., which wears down or is consumed as the component (1) wears down. The said wear sensor (2) is provided with a body (20) formed from a consumable material substrate, capable of wearing down in relation to the wear of the component (1), in which said body (20) is provided with one or more tracks (21) for the circulation of electric current.

[0069] The sensor (2) is powered by an electronic module that provides electrical power, causing current to circulate through the tracks (21). These tracks (21) are in contact with, or accessible to, the wear that component (1) undergoes, and may be gradually consumed or completely broken when subjected to external action that causes wear. In this sense, the current flow is totally or gradually interrupted, and is identified by the electronic module. This current interruption, total or gradual, is associated with a level of wear of the monitored component (1).

[0070] Furthermore, multiple electrically isolated tracks (21) are provided, which are formed on the sensor body (20) itself. The different tracks (21) are associated with different levels of component wear (1), allowing the identification of different stages, for example, little wear, intermediate wear or a lot of wear, facilitating the predictability of component maintenance (1). Similarly, when the current flow in one of the tracks is interrupted, totally or gradually, the electronic module is able to identify which track was interrupted and thus associate it with the level of wear.

[0071] For this purpose, the tracks (21) are arranged in a specific orientation that is relative to the wear of the component (1). That is, if the wear of component (1) occurs mostly in the axial direction, the tracks (21) are arranged in the same axial direction, allowing them to follow the direction of wear.

[0072] Additionally, in this example, the sensor body (20) was manufactured on a polyimide substrate, which has high thermal stability (up to approximately 400 °C), high dielectric strength and excellent mechanical flexibility.

[0073] Furthermore, a temperature sensor is embedded in the electronic module itself, allowing the generation of additional temperature data related to the component (1). Example 3 - Wear sensor for monitoring brake shoes

[0074] In a more specific application, a sensor was developed for monitoring component wear (1). As is well known, one of the components most affected by friction wear in railway compositions are brake shoes. For this purpose, the arrangement shown in Figure 4 was proposed, where each shoe (1) is equipped with a wear sensor (2) communicating with the processing unit (11). In this configuration, the architecture proposed is that each sensor (2) communicates with a single processing unit (11).

[0075] The sensor (2) used in this example is a consumable sensor, capable of being worn down due to the wear of the friction material of the brake shoe (1). An example of a consumable sensor (2) was developed as illustrated in Figure 5. Said sensor (2) is provided with a body (20) formed from a consumable substrate, capable of wearing down due to the wear of component (1), wherein said body (20) is provided with one or more tracks (21) for the circulation of electric current.

[0076] The sensor (2) is powered by an electronic module (not shown) that provides electrical power, causing current to circulate through the tracks (21). The said tracks (21) are oriented in the direction of wear of the friction material. from the shoe (1), which comes into contact with the brake disc, being gradually consumed or completely broken when subjected to the action of the brake disc. In this sense, the current flow is totally or gradually interrupted, being identified by the electronic module. This current interruption, total or gradual, is associated with a level of wear of the shoe (1).

[0077] In the example shown in Figure 5, two electrically isolated tracks (21) are provided, which are formed on the sensor body (20) itself (2). The different tracks (21) are associated with different levels of brake shoe wear (1). In this configuration, two levels were selected, one being a 'half-life' level, indicating that approximately half of the useful life of the friction material has already been consumed, and a 'pad replacement' level, indicating that the friction material has been almost completely consumed.

[0078] As shown in the previous example, when the first track (21) is completely or gradually broken, the electronic module identifies the interruption of the current and signals that the first level has been reached. The same occurs for the second track (21), which indicates the end of the useful life of the shoe or pad (1).

[0079] Additionally, in this example, the sensor body (20) was manufactured on a polyimide substrate, which has high thermal stability, high dielectric strength, and excellent mechanical flexibility. The adoption of this substrate allowed the direct conformation of the sensor (2) onto the surface of the brake pad, enabling proper mechanical coupling and electrical continuity, even under deformations and thermal variations during operation. This is essential for applications in moving components and irregular geometry, such as subway braking systems. Furthermore, this type of substrate allows the sensor (2) to be mounted either on the external or surface part of the friction material / shoe, or to be formed within the friction material, i.e., being covered by the material during its manufacturing process.

[0080] Furthermore, sensor (2) has a temperature sensor (not shown) that monitors the surface temperature of the friction material where it is installed. In this example, an NTC was used. Temperature monitoring is essential to avoid overheating conditions that can lead to material fatigue, reduced coefficient of friction, and thermal failures in the braking system. Thus, continuous temperature measurement on the brake pads provides a critical control variable, allowing the identification of abnormal situations, adjustment of braking strategies, or triggering of preventive alarms. This also allows for correlation between wear and temperature data.

[0081] Thus, the resulting sensor (2) consists of four connection pads for interfacing with the signal conditioner harness, one for the half-life signal, one for the end-of-life signal, one for the reference signal, and one for the temperature signal. These two conductive traces interrupt the input signal to the output connection when the wear levels corresponding to the half-life and end-of-life of the pad are reached. In addition, there is a dedicated connection to a thermistor, used for monitoring the temperature during system operation.

[0082] Each wear sensor (2) communicates with its respective electronic module, which supplies it with electricity and has a memory storing sensor (2) identification information. This identification information is different for each sensor onboard the railway vehicle, allowing the processing unit (11) to recognize which sensor (2) it is receiving information from. With this, the processing unit (11) is able to recognize and provide wear and temperature information specifically for each brake shoe or pad (1) of the railway vehicle. Example 4 - Mounting the wear sensor on a brake pad

[0083] An example of mounting the brake pad wear sensor (2) is illustrated in Figure 6. The sensor (2) was designed for direct integration into the brake pad (1). Installation is performed by inserting the sensor (2) in a 5 mm recess, located on the side face of the pad (1). Subsequently, this recess is filled with an insulating resin, selected for its ability to withstand temperatures above 300 °C. This process ensures electrical insulation, protection and mechanical resistance to wear of the sensor (2).

[0084] Furthermore, the sensors (2) were mounted so that the tracks (21) were in the orientation of the pad wear (1), as can be seen in figure 7.

[0085] For the purpose of attaching the sensor (2) to the pad (1), an adhesive is used that has greater mechanical strength during the pad (1) grinding process, as well as greater thermal strength, given the high temperatures reached by the pad during the braking process.

[0086] To this end, a test was conducted to compare the performance of two high-temperature insulating adhesives. One epoxy adhesive that withstands up to 600 °C and one silicone adhesive that withstands up to 315 °C. For this, two sensors were installed on the side of the brake pad. Each sensor was fixed with a different adhesive (epoxy or silicone), and the curing time was applied according to the specification. After adhering the sensors (2) to the pad (1), the assembly was subjected to a wear test on the test bench, evaluating the performance of the different adhesives used, verifying which one presented better adhesion and stability in fixing the sensor to the brake pad during the wear process. The test results showed that the epoxy adhesive did not withstand the mechanical stresses, detaching from the side face of the pad (1). In contrast, the silicone adhesive kept the sensor (2) fixed in its installation location.

[0087] Those skilled in the art will appreciate the knowledge presented here and will be able to reproduce the invention in the forms presented and in other variants and alternatives, covered by the scope of the following claims.

Claims

Claims 1. Rail transport information monitoring system, in which at least one rail transport vehicle is operated on a railway, characterized by comprising: a. at least one electronic device (2), which has rail transport data related to the vehicle and / or the railway, said data being collected and / or previously stored in said electronic device (2); and b. a processing unit (11) that receives and processes the data coming from the electronic device (2).

2. Rail transport information monitoring system, according to claim 1, characterized in that the electronic device (2) collects or stores data on at least one of the following: a. geographical location relating to the rail transport vehicle (10) and / or railway; b. identification of the serial number of the rail transport vehicle (10) and / or railway; c. identification of the model of the rail transport vehicle (10); d. identification of the type of cargo being transported by the rail transport vehicle (10); e. identification of the chassis of the rail transport vehicle (10); f. physical-chemical elements relating to the rail transport vehicle (10) and / or railway and / or the environment in which the foregoing are located; g. identification of wear of components located in the railway environment, such as the wear of railway brake shoes; or h. a combination thereof.

3. Rail transport information monitoring system according to claim 1, characterized by the electronic device (2) to collect or store wear data caused by friction of one or more components (1) of the rail transport vehicle (10) and / or railway, said component (1) being wearable by friction.

4. Rail transport information monitoring system, according to claim 3, characterized in that the electronic device (2) comprises a consumable sensor, which wears out as a function of the wear of the friction-wearable component (1), wherein said consumable sensor is embedded in or in a region close to the friction-wearable component (1).

5. Rail transport information monitoring system, according to claim 4, characterized in that the friction-wearable component (1) is at least one of: brake shoe, brake pad, railway rail, vehicle wear plates (10) or a combination thereof.

6. Rail transport information monitoring system, according to claim 4, characterized in that the consumable sensor comprises two or more wear indication levels embedded in the body (20) of the consumable sensor itself.

7. Rail transport information monitoring method, in which at least one rail transport vehicle is used on a railway, characterized by comprising the steps of: a. receiving rail transport data related to the vehicle (10) and / or the railway, by a processing unit (11), said data being collected and / or previously stored in an electronic device (2); b. processing of said data by the processing unit (11), in order to generate at least one metric or parameter related to the vehicle (10) and / or the railway; and c. making the metric and / or parameter available on an interface (16).

8. Method for monitoring rail transport information, of According to claim 7, characterized in that the data collected and / or previously stored in the electronic device (2) is at least one of the following: a. data of at least one piece of information relating to the identification of the rail transport vehicle (10) and / or railway; b. data of at least one parameter relating to the health index of the rail transport vehicle (10) and / or railway; c. data of at least one parameter relating to the tracking of the rail transport vehicle (10) and / or railway; d. data of at least one section of at least one railway; e. data of at least part of the cargo transported by at least one rail transport vehicle (10); f. data on the wear of components located in the railway environment, such as the wear of railway brake shoes; g. data on the external environment of at least one rail transport vehicle (10); or h. a combination thereof.

9. A method for monitoring rail transport information, according to claim 7, characterized in that the electronic device (2) collects or stores wear data caused by friction on one or more components (1) of the rail transport vehicle (10) and / or railway, said component (1) being wearable by friction.

10. A method for monitoring rail transport information, according to claim 9, characterized in that the electronic device (2) generates data from two or more levels of wear related to the wear of the wearable component (1).

11. Electronic device for collecting wear data on wear components (1) used in rail transport, said wear components (1) being mounted on a rail transport vehicle (10) and / or on the railway, said electronic device (2) characterized by comprising a body (20) formed on a consumable material substrate, capable of wearing down as a function of the wear of the wearable component (1) by friction, wherein said body (20) is provided with one or more tracks (21) for the circulation of electric current.

12. Electronic device for collecting wear data, according to claim 11, characterized by comprising two or more tracks (21) electrically isolated from each other, defining two or more levels of wear detection, said tracks (21) being consumable depending on the wear of the wearable component (1).

13. Electronic device for collecting wear data, according to claim 11, characterized by comprising an embedded temperature sensor collecting temperature data from the wearable component (1).

14. Electronic device (2) for collecting wear data on wearable components (1), said device being embedded in or in a region close to the wearable component (1), characterized by comprising a body (20) formed from a consumable material substrate, capable of wearing down as a function of the wear of the wearable component (1) by friction, wherein said body (20) is provided with one or more tracks (21) for the circulation of electric current arranged in an orientation relative to the wear of the component (1).

15. Electronic device (2) for collecting wear data, according to claim 14, characterized in that the wearable component (1) is a brake shoe having friction material, wherein the electronic device (2) is positioned on the brake shoe with the tracks (21) arranged in the wear orientation of the friction material, said electronic device (2) comprising two or more tracks (21) electrically isolated from each other defining wear levels of the friction material.

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