What is a UIC number?

The UIC number (Union Internationale des Chemins de fer, or International Union of Railways) is a unique identification number for freight and passenger railcars. It is used to uniquely identify railcars among railroad operators, infrastructure managers, and government agencies.

A complete UIC number consists of twelve digits. The first two digits represent the interchange procedure code, while the third and fourth digits represent the UIC country code. The fifth through eighth digits indicate the class codes, followed by the ninth through eleventh digits, which represent the serial number of a vehicle type. The twelfth digit is the check digit.

Since 2007, all newly registered rail vehicles have also been assigned a 12-digit number. This number allows the vehicle to be uniquely identified in the European Vehicle Registration Register (EVR).

What is automated UIC number recognition needed for?

Automatic detection of UIC numbers is particularly useful when used in combination with static and dynamic rail scales. Many of our customers are successfully using this technology. The major advantage is that the weigher no longer has to manually enter the UIC numbers into the weighing results.

To simplify this process, we have integrated interfaces with our customers’ higher-level rail systems into our rail scale software. This has been running productively for years in existing installations using EWP-GW. Through this interface, the higher-level system transmits the train’s car order, including UIC numbers, to the weighing software. The weighmaster no longer has to enter the entire number manually; instead, they verify the transmitted number and initiate the weighing process with the push of a button.

With our dynamic rail scale, we have automated this process even further. In practice, however, there may be rare instances where the car sequence differs from the sequence in the software due to changes in operational procedures. This is where camera-based UIC number recognition provides additional reliability! This system can be retrofitted to both static and dynamic track scales. We also offer retrofitting of this system for track scales from other manufacturers.

How does camera-based UIC number recognition work?

The UIC number recognition system uses cameras and lighting units that capture the passing train from both sides. The recognition software processes the data, and the result is sent to the weighing software, where it is assigned to the weighing result.

The process flow is as follows:

• The start, end and individual carriages of the train are automatically recognized by an algorithm and sensors in the track.
• Depending on the time of day and weather conditions, the lighting is activated to ensure good camera recognition even in poor visibility.
• The generated images are assigned to the individual wagons.
• The UIC number is automatically recognized by our software and assigned to the weighing result in our weighing software.

Our UIC number recognition technology is based on OCR (Optical Character Recognition), which involves intelligent image processing. Image recognition is influenced by two key factors:

• The quality of the software with the detection algorithm used in it
• The quality of the image capture technology, the camera and the lighting

The key factor is the quality of the recognition software. The sophistication of the recognition software, the intelligence and quality of the recognition algorithms used, the mathematical expertise, and the years of experience behind it all determine the capabilities of the recognition software.

The better the algorithms, the higher the quality of the detection software:
the highest detection accuracy,

• the fastest processing speed,
• the greater the range of image quality it can process,
• the more tolerant it is of distortions in the input data.

Our weatherproof cameras and lighting system are mounted on two poles on each side of the track. Communication takes place via Ethernet to a control cabinet that houses the control system.

Whether it’s 40 railcars or a single tank car: We’ll inspect your track area on site and tell you what detection rate is realistically achievable there. We typically complete maintenance, adjustment, and calibration of your rail scale in a single day, and we keep replacement parts in stock for at least ten years. Talk to our scale engineers.

Features

ESSMANN’s UIC number recognition system uses an algorithm-based approach and state-of-the-art optical recognition software to capture and transmit data in real time. It supports the identification of all train lengths and freight cars, from freight trains to boxcars. The OCR feature of the UIC number recognition system can read codes and labels on freight containers, cars, railcars, and rail vehicles. It also recognizes codes or identification numbers that are low-contrast, stenciled, or unevenly written.

Our UIC number recognition system can be easily integrated into various rail, ERP, and TOS systems using software interfaces. It uses energy-efficient solid-state LED lighting, which ensures excellent image quality. High accuracy is maintained even in low-light conditions.

Advantages

The UIC number recognition system from ESSMANN | Scales & Automation is reliable, flexible, and convenient. It fully automates the weighing process and offers numerous advantages:

1. Reliability: UIC number recognition improves productivity and increases accuracy.
2. Flexibility: Regular updates eliminate software vulnerabilities and extend the functions.
3. Convenience: By reducing personnel costs, it lowers costs.

With UIC number recognition from ESSMANN | Waagen & Automation, you can optimize your processes efficiently and sustainably.