With the rapid development of new technologies and an increasing tendency towards the city as a place of residence, the need for the transformation of transport systems for local and long-distance passenger transport is constantly growing. A key technology in this context is technologically advanced in-vehicle PCs and information systems for digital signage, for example. Recently, the IT company CTC Union has adapted and developed new systems for this purpose to create Smart Bus solutions for mass transportation at local, regional and international levels. A simple example is represented by buses and minibuses that have technologies such as video surveillance, information systems for passengers, electronic tickets or other ticketing systems, location tracking via GPS, 4G and 5G routers or other IT infrastructure.
The use of Smart Bus Solution not only helps to improve the passenger experience through the use of advanced technologies and the interconnection of different entities in an innovative and cost-efficient way. In addition, it enables the acquisition of real-time data such as the current number of passengers, occupancy rates and transfers between different modes of transport, or external parameters such as the flow of traffic, current road conditions and the average speed of vehicles, in order to optimize public and private transport. When building a user-friendly and efficient smart bus solution and selecting suitable devices such as embedded transportation PCs, there exist numerous factors that need to be considered.
Challenges:
Embedded Transportation and in-vehicle PCs often operate in harsh environments and are permanently or regularly exposed to strong vibrations.
An important goal of the deployment of smart bus solutions is to provide safety and information to passengers through various networked devices such as 4G routers, infotainment systems for waiting times and schedules, or video surveillance.
Buses and other means of transportation have limited power supplies and need to operate efficiently.
Networked embedded devices should be easily upgradable, including both software and hardware, to scale systems in the future.
A Smart Bus solution from CTC Union as a solution
The company CTC Union has extensive experience in developing smart bus solutions or other means of transport to logistics and telematics, and for this cause can offer a versatile range of Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) for practical application. The intelligent smart bus solution is designed to provide reliable connectivity to local and global networks, enabling a decisive step in improving user experience and infrastructure efficiency, and creating systems for management with a perspective on the near and distant future. Among the key features of the Network Devices announced by the company, which are among the decisive factors for practical deployment, are the following:
ITP Series Network Devices are fully compatible IP devices and can be quickly and easily replaced with a newer generation if necessary or desired. The ITP Series network devices provide Power over Ethernet (PoE) functionality, eliminating the need for additional cabling for power.
In addition, the innovative ITP Series devices require only 24 VDC as power supply and can transform it up to 50 VDC to implement external devices using PoE without any additional cabling for power supply.
ITP Series features include a rugged design for use in harsh environments and an extended temperature range of -40° Celsius to +70° Celsius.
The ITP Series is licensed according to various standards such as electrical pulse tolerance like EMI and EMS to provide optimal protection against surges such as lightning strikes.
By using secure connectors such as M12 and M13, there is no risk of degradation due to physical or mechanical influences.
The following illustration shows an ITP switch that draws the required power via 24 VDC from the on-board electronics and converts it to 50 VDC to power external devices such as IP camera, NVR, 4G router and other devices using PoE. The embedded devices do not require a separate power supply to operate efficiently.
