Box computer targets in-vehicle applications

The company said that Trek-550, placed in transport trucks, buses, vehicle fleets and taxis, can be connected to a variety of monitoring systems such as car area networks.

Built-in wireless communications (WWAN, WLAN and Bluetooth, for example) allow Trek-550 to send data back to a central site, as well as to receive over-the-air updates and communicate with central despatch.

Trek-550 is ISO7637/SAE J1455 Class A/SAE J1113 certified.

It can operate in extreme temperatures and transient power conditions and can endure shocks and vibrations.

The dual-audio and video outputs allow independent displays such as the Trek-303 to be attached, providing in-cab or passenger display applications.

The Trek-550 is built from the ground up for use in vehicles where a rugged industrial design is essential.

The ISO7637-2 rating and car power management software (ignition on/off, delay on/off, and low-battery monitor) guard against electrical noise and surges, as well as preventing damage to the computer caused by transient vehicle power.

The Trek-550 can withstand environmental extremes common in vehicles; it can operate at a temperature range of -30C to +70C and its sealed unit carries military-grade certification (MIL-STD-810F, Method 516.5) against vibration and shock.

It also receives vehicle diagnostic information using the widely-adopted OBD-II protocol.

Trek-550 supports J1708, a serial communications standard, which allows it to communicate over a serial port to other vehicle electronic control units.

It also supports the newer J1939 standard, allowing it to communicate via twisted pair to a variety of vehicle components over a CAN bus.

Information exchange is said to be fast and efficient, and can be reported to the driver or central office in real time.

GPS systems often fail in dense urban centres, tunnels or mountainous regions where line-of-sight to satellites is compromised.

Trek-550 is said to overcome these limitations in two ways: assisted GPS (AGPRS), where positioning data is sent to the unit using GPRS communications from an AGPRS server; and dead reckoning, where the vehicle continues to update its position based on velocity and gyroscopic calculations.

In these ways, Trek-550 is able to report its position to driver and/or despatch regardless of terrain or driving conditions.

Trek-550 has two video-in ports to support a rear-view monitor.

Reducing blind spots with video monitoring systems increases safety and reduces liability to the vehicle fleet company.

Trek-550 supports Windows CE 6.0, XP, and Linux, and it is compatible with the Trek-303 smart vehicle display.