Using Accelerometers to Improve Real Time Railway Monitoring Systems Based on WSN

Rail transport systems require constant monitoring for better control and safety of passengers. Due to this, there is a great growth in the use of real time monitoring systems for trains. The use of WSN has been configured as one of the technologies that most allow such evolution. The sensors help in obtaining and verifying existing data as well as estimating and deducing new information. This paper proposes the use of WSN, accelerometers and gyroscopes as complementary technologies for monitoring several railway system variables. As validation, we present a prototype and initial experiments performed in the Railway system of Recife - Brazil (METROREC).