photo: Archives/Railway
Knorr-Bremse increased its share in company Rail Vision to 36.8 %. It acquired an additional 19.8% of the shares worth $ 10 million. This partnership has lasted since 2019.
Rail Vision is an Israeli company that specializes in new technologies in the field of sensors and obstacle detection on railways. Its modern technology also cooperates with artificial intelligence. This allows Rail Vision technologies to detect an obstacle on the track up to a distance of 2 kilometers ahead. The system detects, for example, animals, people, other rail vehicles, alerts its conductor of the existence of bridges and tunnels and also on signaling. These systems are widely used, for example, in shunting stations, main lines or rail vehicles operated in cities.
Rail Vision therefore has great potential. In the future, many more train control proceedings will be automated. We can see this upward trend on the railways today. For Knorr-Bremse, this is an ideal opportunity to invest in new technologies that are on the rise. For Rail Vision, Knorr-Bremse has an advantageous background, thanks to which it can gain clients around the world.
Together, these two entities won a contract to equip several SBB Cargo locomotives with an assisted remote displacement system for obstacle detection. This is complemented by cooperation with Schweizer Electronic, which supplies the remote control system. According to this, only one person can move the railway vehicle. This significantly increases efficiency. During the standard shift, it is necessary to have a driver and a signaling device, which warns of possible obstacles. However, it can be replaced by this clever system.
Rail Vision offers several major products to its customers. The first is Rail Vision’s Main Line System. Therefore it is possible to prevent collisions and unnecessary downtime. Regardless of the weather, these intelligent systems are able to detect an obstacle up to a distance of two kilometers and alert it in time. As soon as the system detects an obstacle on the track, it immediately sends a warning to both the driver and dispatching center.
The second product is the Shunting Yard System. Regardless of lighting conditions and weather, the system detects obstacles at impressive 200 meters. This system also monitors the so-called dead zones. Therefore a safe connection and movement of railway vehicles is possible.
The latest product is designed for urban environments, for Light Rail Vehicles. It makes work easier for its operators - especially in places where there is no signal or poor visibility. This device also detects an obstacle up to 200 m and alerts the dispatcher and the driver.
Knorr-Bremse probably doesn't need to be introduced at all. This company is a world leader in brake systems. Knorr-Bremse products increase railway safety and emphasize energy efficiency and effectiveness. This company has been on the market for 115 years. It operates in 30 countries and has 29,000 employees.