Visible assets
31 March 2009
Real time visibility of shipments using new tracking platform.
With the ever-growing flow of goods in the global economy, telematics applications are amongst the fastest growing in the market. The need of logistics companies and of their customers for near real time visibility of shipments is one of the main application areas, as is the tracking of cars, lorries and other assets. A further market consists of applications in safety and security.
With the exception of a limited number of large-scale projects, such as tolling, the requirements are very specific to each project, leading to customisation of the products. This is where the flexibility of software is utilised, with hardware becoming increasingly standardised. However, hardware development remains a complex and resource-consuming task requiring expensive certifications and type approvals. Vincotech announced the availability of the telematics platform A1074. This platform allows for software implementation by the service providers and can be adapted to individual customer requirements.
Responding to the market demands as stated above, Vincotech developed a platform for telematics applications. The platform targets the global market and has been type-approved for most markets. The certifications and type approvals according to CE, E, FCC, PTCRB and A-Tick allow the service provider cost efficient solutions.
The implementation uses the SiRFstarIII GPS receiver, a quad band GSM/GPRS modem and an ARM microcontroller. A major focus during development was laid on minimising the power consumption of the platform. The unit provides flexible IO ranging from digital inputs and outputs over a standard serial port to a Dallas 1-wire and a CAN interface. The A1074 is freely programmable and, due to the use of the industry standard ARM microcontroller, there is a wide choice of development tools.
Vincotech offers tools like a boot loader and a flash tool, but no finished application software. The available software libraries and a board support package assist in programming and in the porting of existing applications.
Future developments include further hardware platforms for telematics and tracking for diverse application areas. While the A1074 is intended for installation inside of a car, heavy-duty vehicle or similar, Vincotech is currently developing a rugged device for outdoor use.
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