Hardware-in-the-Loop Overhead Line Emulator for Active Pantograph Testing

Pantograph active control is considered as a means to improve the current collection quality in high-speed railways. Different studies have focused on the assessment of pantograph control systems, addressing actuator configurations and control strategies, mainly by means of numerical experiments. In the last few years, it has become possible to transfer the knowledge gained from numerical experiments to real operating conditions. Due to the high cost of on-track tests, which are necessary for the final assessment of active pantograph performances, it is desirable to perform these tests on a system that has already demonstrated its capabilities with less expensive laboratory tests, in which at least the basic features of the real operating conditions are reproduced. This paper deals with the development of a hardware-in-the-loop (HIL) test rig, which allows the reproduction of the dynamical interaction between the overhead lines and the pantograph in high-speed railways. The HIL test rig makes it possible to verify the control strategies, the electrical drive configurations for active control, and the contact force estimation procedures on a real pantograph under conditions that are similar to those encountered on the real line. Some examples of test bench applications for pantograph active control and contact force estimation are also presented.