Method and system for monitoring a pantograph of a railway vehicle and railway vehicle

A railway vehicle comprising a pantograph adapted to be connected to a catenary, a traction unit electrically connected to the pantograph, and an electric motor connected to the traction unit and a system for monitoring the pantograph of the railway vehicle, the pantograph being adapted to be connected to the catenary and electrically connected to the traction unit, the catenary being adapted to provide an alternating current to the railway vehicle, the system further comprising:

• a voltage step detection device for detecting one or more voltage steps of a pantograph voltage at the pantograph,
• a zero crossing detection device for detecting one or more zero crossings of a line current, the line current being a portion of a pantograph current provided to the traction unit, the pantograph current being the current flowing through the pantograph;
• and
• a bouncing detection portion adapted to determine at least one bouncing time of the pantograph based on one or more detected voltage steps of the voltage step detection device and one or more detected zero crossings of the zero crossing detection device.

A method for monitoring a pantograph of a railway vehicle, the pantograph being adapted to be connected to a catenary and electrically connected to a traction unit, the catenary being adapted to provide an alternating current to the railway vehicle, the method comprising:

• detecting a voltage step of a pantograph voltage at the pantograph,
• detecting a zero crossing of a line current, the line current being a portion of a pantograph current provided to the traction unit, the pantograph current being the current flowing through the pantograph;
• and
• determining at least one bouncing time of the pantograph based on one or more detected voltage steps and one or more detected zero crossings.