A systematic literature review on active control technology of pantograph-catenary system in high-speed railway

The Pantograph-Catenary System (PCS) is a critical interface for stable power acquisition in high-speed railways, and its dynamic interaction performance directly dictates the safety and reliability of train operation. As operating speeds increase, traditional passive pantographs experience severe fluctuations in contact force, leading to electrical arcing and mechanical wear, becoming a key bottleneck to further speed advancements. Active control technology, which integrates sensors, controllers, and actuators to regulate the pantograph’s behavior dynamically, is a core solution for addressing these challenges and ensuring superior current collection quality. This review aims to systematically survey and summarize the state of the art and future trends in active control for the pantograph-catenary system. Firstly, the core dynamic challenges and the necessity of active control are discussed before detailing the key modeling techniques required for simulation and real-time control design. Secondly, existing active control strategies are meticulously classified and reviewed. Subsequently, the essential hardware implementation platforms, including actuators, sensor technologies, real-time controllers, and Hardware-In-the-Loop (HIL) testing rigs, are systematically outlined, thereby bridging theory and practical verification. Additionally, the emerging concept of active catenary control is also explored. Finally, present an in-depth discussion and outlook on the current status and limitations. This review is intended to provide a comprehensive and insightful reference for researchers and engineers in the relevant fields.