Wireless Brake Shoe Force Measurement System

In line with the DOT's desire to encourage the development of a wireless brake shoe force measurement system, Mide will use its extensive experience on loadcell design, energy power-harvesting and wireless data transmission to develop an accurate system for the self-powered, wireless measurement of brake shoe forces on Railroad freight cars. Piezo or coil/magnet proof mass devices will harvest vibrational energy to power the measurement system and RF or Infrared modems will be used to transmit the measured brake shoe forces to a monitoring system developed by Mide for the U.S. Navy. In Phase I Mide will develop a detailed set of system requirements and these requirements to design and assemble a fully functional system that will be tested on TTCI's brake shoe test setup. Phase II will focus on refining the Phase I design and in specific to reduce cost and mature the system for pre-production models to be shipped to railroad operators for in-fleet testing in Phase II.