CIDS · Rail carriage safety

Intelligent Detection of Unusual Behaviour Onboard Trains

Detect incidents across the train between patrols

The CIDS carriage monitoring system analyses existing CCTV onboard to detect passenger and crowd incidents, check terminal clearance and flag unsafe driver actions. It retains the existing network, delivers end-to-end alerts within 5 s under test conditions and preserves evidence for review.

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Operational gaps and how CIDS responds

Cameras already provide pictures. What is missing is timely interpretation.

Blind spots

Crowding and limited space obscure a single viewpoint, particularly in corners.

Four cameras per car provide a 360° view; a six-car formation supplies 24 feeds.

Delayed response

A train patrol takes 2–5 minutes; incidents can develop before staff arrive.

End-to-end alert ≤5 s; crowd-event response ≤3 s.

Multiple handoffs

Crew report via a supervisor and the cab before information reaches the centre.

Structured alerts go directly to the cab and control centre and are synchronised to the cloud.

Staffing demands

Fatigue and attention affect the consistency of around-the-clock patrols.

Continuous monitoring and reviewed examples support model refinement. Crew remain responsible for intervention.

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System architecture

  1. 01

    Capture

    Four dome or fisheye cameras per car provide 360° coverage and 1080p RTSP feeds.

  2. 02

    Edge

    AFR600 performs onboard inference and buffers data in terabyte-class local storage during outages.

  3. 03

    Platform

    PIS switches and central servers handle timing, commands, device management, data cleansing and distribution by priority.

  4. 04

    Interface

    Cab pop-ups, live views, centre alerts and cloud records support tiered notification.

RTSP capture → PIS network → AFR600 inference → event record, marked image and preceding 30 s of video → central archive and alert display

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Onboard installation

Three deployment principles

  1. Reuse existing feeds

    Take RTSP video from the PIS switch without changing cameras or wiring.

  2. Independent processing

    Dedicated nodes operate without consuming the CCTV host’s computing capacity.

  3. Remote control

    The centre synchronises clocks and starts or stops detection remotely.

One node serves three or four cars. In this six-car example, cars 03 and 04 each carry an AFR600.

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AFR600 onboard edge computer
AFR600 onboard edge computer

Synchronised timestamps · Health checks every minute · Video ≥7 days, events ≥14 days, logs ≥30 days · Two-way PIS communication and resumable uploads

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Four detection tasks

F05

Passenger incidents

Detection targets
Falls, lying across seats and waving for help; concurrent targets supported.
Key metrics
≥2 Hz; response ≤5 s
Event output
Timestamp, car, door area, action and annotated image, plus video from 30 s before to 10 s after the event.
F06

Crowd incidents

Detection targets
Rapid dispersal, running or pushing by three or more people.
Key metrics
≥2 Hz; response ≤3 s
Event output
Each camera detects and reports independently, including within the same car.
F07

Terminal clearance

Detection targets
Remaining passengers of all ages; bags ≥15×15×5 cm and suitcases ≥30×40×10 cm.
Key metrics
≤3 s response; initiated by the centre after doors close.
Event output
Pop-up, still and preceding 30 s of video; each target reported separately.
F08

Driver incidents

Detection targets
Both hands off controls ≥5 s or head down ≥10 s.
Key metrics
≥2 Hz; response ≤3 s
Event output
A pop-up on the four-view cab terminal identifies type and position and captures evidence.

Figures refer to standard test conditions. Results depend on camera installation, light, crowding and software version; agreed project tests govern acceptance.

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From detection to response

  1. 01

    Real-time detection

    Onboard inference identifies movements and event features in the video.

  2. 02

    Event confirmation

    Classify the event, locate the carriage, establish the time and filter interference.

  3. 03

    Evidence retention

    Mark the image and save a 30-second recording around the incident.

  4. 04

    Multi-channel reporting

    Send encrypted reports over the dedicated PIS network to central and cloud services.

  5. 05

    Terminal response

    Display a cab alert, monitor at dispatch and retrieve the historical record.

Average response <2 s · event retention 100%

These are workflow test results, not per-function response limits. Recording windows are project-specific.

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Cab, operations centre and cloud displays

  1. Cab terminal

    Cycles through four views and opens live video with event type and location on alarm.

  2. Operations centre

    Receives train health and events and issues clearance checks, clock updates and emergency dispatch instructions.

  3. Cloud fleet platform

    Monitor multiple trains, roll out remote updates, stream live video and review history.

Terminal alarm showing incident type, car location and status; footage and identifiers masked
Terminal alarm showing incident type, car location and status; footage and identifiers masked
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How onboard detection works

  1. Multi-camera fusion in confined spaces

    Complementary views reduce single-camera occlusion. Test detection accuracy exceeded 98%.

  2. Temporal pose recognition

    Track 15 body joints over time to distinguish walking, falls, reclining and waving for help.

  3. Occlusion handling and cross-camera ReID

    Match pedestrian features and tracks across views to associate observations of one person; camera-level reports remain independent.

  4. 32 TOPS onboard processing

    Analyse onboard and transmit key events rather than all feeds. In testing, recognition exceeded 98% and processing latency was below 200 ms.

Illustration of body pose landmarks
Illustration of body pose landmarks

Figures refer to standard test conditions. Results depend on camera installation, light, crowding and software version; agreed project tests govern acceptance.

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CIDS and crew patrols compared

DimensionCIDSCrew patrols
Detection and responseContinuous monitoring with alerts in secondsPatrol cycle of 2–5 minutes
Peak-hour visibilityContinuous coverage from 24 feedsFixed views obstructed by crowds
ContinuityDesigned for round-the-clock operationAffected by fatigue and attention
Accumulated experienceModels refined with accumulated dataStaff turnover and repeated training
Incident responseAutomatic alerts with event evidenceStaff can intervene and help on the spot
Service consistencyConsistent configured criteriaVaries with individual experience

CIDS monitors and records evidence. Crew assess the scene and can provide immediate assistance.

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Deployment requirements

In-service monitoring · Terminal clearance

Before installation

Installed cameras
1080p or higher with coverage of the main carriage area. Survey any gaps before adding cameras.
Onboard network
Confirm RTSP feeds are available at the PIS switch. A parallel connection retains existing wiring.
Formation
Six cars in the reference design, with one node per 3–4 cars. Confirm other formations separately.
Work window
Schedule installation and integration during overnight depot stays or maintenance windows outside service hours.
Centre integration
Confirm platform interfaces, protocols, alarm fields and integration responsibilities in advance.

Deployment on a six-car metro train covered installation, configuration, centre integration and acceptance. The line name and site footage are withheld at the customer's request.

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