This is something Nexxoit has been working on for some time, following a fatal incident on the Øresund Bridge in Denmark in 2019 when a passenger train hit a trailer that had swung off a pocket wagon. That incident spurred Nexxiot to look at how a sensor could be incorporated into the existing telematics platform to detect any problems with the kingpin connection to the pocket wagon.

Nexxiot specialises in digitising non-powered assets, including containers and rail cars. It has developed a telematics device that uses low energy Bluetooth to communicate to sensors and a cellular connection to send data wirelessly to the cloud.  Nexxiot hardware and systems are in use today on wagons and tank container fleets for tracking parameters including location, temperature and cargo status.

In an interview with WorldCargo News, Nexxiot CEO Stefan Kalmund said adding a kingpin sensor to the Nexxiot platform is a major challenge, requiring the most complex sensor system the company has developed to date. To begin with the sensor system has to be capable of working with different wagon and trailer configurations, including wagons with height adjustable hitches.

In addition, the sensors, Kalmund, continued, need to be able to detect three situations: the presence of a trailer in the wagon; if the king pin has entered the fifth wheel; and that the fifth wheel lock is closed around the kingpin.

Trailer presence is detected using an ultrasonic sensor. The presence of a trailer activates the kingpin system, which has two separate sensors. Detecting the kingpin is in the fifth wheel is achieved with an inductive sensor, whereas the lock latch function uses a reed contact proximity sensor. Both sensors at the kingpin as well as the trailer detector are powered by separate batteries, whereas the primary battery in the main Nexxiot hardware device, the latest version of which is the Globehopper 3.0, is powered by a solar panel.

Nexxiot has been field testing different sensors and control system algorithms over the last 12 months. Kalmund said it is being “super careful” with regard to quality control, but so far the data on system performance looks very promising.

As well as the sensor technology, Nexxiot has developed a method for  integrating the kingpin monitoring system into the trailer loading process in a way that improves safety, while at the same time causes minimal operational disruption.

To provide an immediate visual indication to equipment operators, Nexxiot has incorporated an LED indicator light system that is mounted on the wagon. This features separate red and blue lights for the kingpin presence and the locking bar. Red and blue lights were selected as these are the easiest to see from a distance. Separate lights for the kingpin presence and for the locking bar cover the three different combinations where the trailer is not properly secured. Two blue lights indicate the trailer is secured safely.

The LED indicators have been developed with a view to meeting a possible future regulatory requirement for a “digital coupling” that confirms trailers are properly secured to wagons before a train can depart. In addition, the Nexxiot cloud platform can be used to send alerts and messages to trailer and wagon owners, and the rail operator, similar to the way a telematics system on a tank container or other asset might operate.

Kalmund stressed that while wagon owners and operators want to be ready for any regulatory requirement, a digital coupling also offers a return on investment both for companies like VTG and DB that operate large wagon fleets and, in the future, possibly for trailer owners as well.

Data from the system can be used to manage the wagons and the operation, including planning any action if a trailer cannot be secured, scheduling maintenance and alerting customers of any delays. Other integrations, including with the rail car braking system, are also under consideration.

The cost of owning and operating the telematics device is in the region of €1,000 over six years, which is 1-2% of the capital cost of a wagon. The cost is insignificant compared to the cost of not being able to operate on a route due to a safety incident, such has occurred in Denmark again this year.

This second ban was lifted last week, subject to certain conditions being fulfilled.