TITLE
MEASUREMENT SYSTEM FOR DYNAMIC PARAMETERS OF A TRAM PANTOGRAPH
AUTHOR(S)
Emil Iontchev1, Emil Mihaylov2, Rashko Vladimirov3, Rosen Miletiev4
ABSTRACT
In recent years an increasing number of pantograph failures in tram cars (TC) in Sofia has been observed. To investigate the forces acting on the pantograph, a dedicated measurement system has been designed and implemented. The system captures static and linear accelerations, as well as angular velocities along three axes. From the measured accelerations, the acting forces on the pantograph are derived, while the combined data from the gyroscope and accelerometer are employed to calculate the Euler angles. The measurement platform is based on the RedBoard-ESP32 development system, integrating the Bosch BNO055 sensor and an SD card for data acquisition. All components are housed within a metal enclosure to ensure full autonomy and to provide shielding against electromagnetic interference. The device is mounted beneath the pantograph slider. Additionally, a navigation receiver, installed on the roof of the tram car, records
both temporal and positional data during the experiments. Custom software applications have been developed for the processing of the collected sensor and navigation data. These tools enable detailed analysis by allowing the retrieval of sensor information for specific points or sections along the tram route.
DOI
How to cite this article:
Emil Iontchev1, Emil Mihaylov2, Rashko Vladimirov3, Rosen Miletiev4, MEASUREMENT SYSTEM FOR DYNAMIC PARAMETERS OF A TRAM PANTOGRAPH, UNITECH – SELECTED PAPERS - 2025