The equipment passengers never notice
A transport network is judged by whether journeys run on time. Behind each journey is a body of fixed equipment that travelers seldom see. Tunnels are ventilated by large fans and kept dry by pumps. Stations and terminals rely on escalators, moving walkways, climate control and power distribution. Airports move baggage along extensive conveyor systems. Ports handle cargo with cranes and conveyors. Depots maintain fleets using compressed air, lifting equipment and wash plant.
Much of this equipment runs for long hours, in demanding conditions, and serves the public directly. A failure tends to be highly visible and to spread: one stopped baggage belt delays flights, and one failed tunnel fan can restrict a line.
Constraints on maintenance
Maintaining transport infrastructure is constrained by access. Tunnels and track-side equipment can often be reached only in short overnight windows. Airside and port equipment operates around the clock. Sites are spread along corridors that may run for many miles.
These limits make inspection expensive and infrequent, and they place a high value on knowing in advance which assets need attention. A maintenance window used on healthy equipment is a window not used on the asset that fails the following week.
How AFFERENT is designed to help
AFFERENT's focus in transportation is the fixed plant: the motors, fans, pumps, drives and conveyors that are permanently installed and whose condition can be observed continuously. NODE is designed to mount on that equipment and observe it through several kinds of sensing.
Several design choices suit the environment.
- Continuous presence. A device on a tunnel fan is there between maintenance windows, which is when change occurs.
- Edge analysis. Underground and trackside locations are poor places for connectivity. Devices are designed to analyze locally and to report when a link is available. Read about edge AI.
- Rugged construction. Dust, moisture, temperature swings and vibration are normal in these settings. The NODE family is being designed with those conditions in mind, and tested ratings will be published once confirmed.
- Observation only. NODE is a monitoring device and is designed to remain separate from safety and control systems.
Planning scarce access
The most direct benefit is better use of limited maintenance time. When the condition of each asset is known, crews can be assigned on evidence. Work can be bundled sensibly within a possession or shutdown. Assets that are healthy can be left alone.
Operators responsible for many sites also gain a consistent picture across them through AFFERENT Cloud, in place of separate records held by different teams and contractors.