GLONASS \ GPS \ Beidou monitoring

Current state

Probably, all trackers known to me that were mentioned in previous articles on the Habré, use far from new technologies. This is not NTP. In fact, the market for such devices is full. Few people manage to compete worthily with Chinese manufacturers in price.

The main current task facing tracker designers today in Russia and the world is to make a compact bookmark. That is, a miniature tracker with low power consumption but with good parameters on GSM, GPS channels.

GLONASS \ GPS

Excellent communication with GPS \ GLONASS satellites is achieved by using good antennas, modules and correlators. I must say that the correlator is a custom chip based on an IP block (intellectual property block) or good firmware to run on an ARM-11 processor. Such programs cannot be found in the public domain. The highest quality components but also expensive are supplied by uBlox. There is also a domestic military development. For example Ѿ the company Navis da Angstrom-T.

GSM

The main requirements for the many possible GSM modules is not a high price. All advanced information, unfortunately, is only available in Chinese. The most advanced chipset for this is MT622X (the ones that are on the Nokia E73).
Datasheet in Chinese on MT622X

Option Two: SIMCom900 is based on the same class of MT623X chips with firmware from MT622X.
Information about SIM900

Option Three: Wait for Quectel Wireless Solutions (which forked from SIMCom) to release an even cheaper solution.

Other alternatives include Angstrom-T, eRide, Sagem and Centurion.

Microprocessor

Each manufacturer has a desire to greatly reduce the cost of the tracker. To do this, you have to choose an inexpensive central microprocessor.

At the moment, this is usually:

LPC17XX, LPC24XX or at91sam7x256
These are microprocessors based on the ARM7 core with additional peripherals such as CAN buses. But these are all outdated solutions.

Let's look at other alternatives:

TMS570LS
This chip has a number of very modern interfaces and devices CAN, LIN, MibSPI, UART, HET. Based on it, you can build very advanced on-board computing devices.

But Samsung’s chips based on ARM 9 will probably be a favorite on the market (here I’m not giving a complete list of alternatives).
S3C2440

And one of Samsung’s newest and most popular solutions (ARM 11):
S3C6410 The

set for developers of the latest chip has become popular among Chinese designers future on-board automotive systems more recently. Just a month ago. As you can see, a complete package of various OS and programs is supplied with the chip, not to mention the development environments and bootloaders. Devices based on this chip quietly support video broadcasting, etc.

We talked about the basic bricks from which modern black boxes are built. Let's move on to the software stuffing of modern trackers.

Modern software features of trackers

The previous generation trackers worked on microprocessors with a strong RAM limit. This imposed restrictions on the architecture of the main program. Add here the need to support multiple interfaces and peripheral sensors.

Here is a sample list of devices, protocols that the tracker of the previous generation supports:

The GSM (for each type of gsm-module is a software module),
the GPS (from different manufacturers including SMS, Voice Data, GPRS)
Flash Memory
Timer
the CAN
the i2c
keypad
reader barcode
fuel sensors (ultrasonic and capacitive)
module permutations of the transmitted data
update module via Voice Data
temperature
sensors pressure sensors ZigBee
camcorder geofence alarm module speed control time control arbitrary level analog signal level remote command module tracker terminal interface delay









Of course, this is a complex program, but it was implemented only on 64K RAM. As a result, the program consisted of about 450 pieces of code that were associated with individual parts of the device’s overall black box functionality.
In addition to the firmware of the device, a tracker setup program and a service server or a private server with support for electronic cards of various formats, or interfaces to map services from Google or Yandex are required.

Major Russian manufacturers of trackers

Tula:
www.radsel.ru

Sverdlovsk:
www.kb-navigator.ru

Minsk:
www.rainbow.by

Izhevsk:
www.irz.ru

Perm:
www.morion.ru

Chelyabinsk:
www.planar.chel.ru
www.trans- pribor.ru
www.mtsk.ru
www.black-box.ru
www.tk-chel.ru

Tolyati:
www.agisltd.ru

Peter:
www.piligrim-gps.ru
www.promasu.ru
www.omega-smb.ru
www.scout-gps.ru

Moscow:
www.m2m-t.ru
www.barl.ru
www.t-helper.ru
www.autotracker.ru
www.glorient.ru
www.gelix.com
www.videofonmv.ru
www. contisatellite.ru
www.ask-gps.ru
www.stm.vinco-t.ru
www.telemak.ru
www.omnicomm.ru

New software features trackers

I will dwell separately on CAN 2.0 and LIN interfaces. They are used to receive data from a working car engine. In modern trackers, there is the possibility of very flexible adjustment of the volume and time intervals for receiving data and sending them via the GSM module (Voice data, GPRS, SMS) or accumulating this data in flash memory and then resetting it through one of the many available services.

The next generation trackers will be able to transmit some commands to the car engine. But at the moment, using these interfaces to collect information requires separate adapters from third-party manufacturers (for example, from Squarell or ACElab). These adapters provide optical and wireless isolation from power surges in the on-board power system as well as independence from the connectors that are used in cars of various brands.

All received digital readings (including the coordinates of the observation object) require preliminary digital filtering and mathematical processing. It is in these parts of the program that the main competitive advantages of this or that tracker are contained. For example, drawing a track of an object without outliers and incorrect straightenings requires an analysis of geographical maps of the area. But before that, the coordinate data is also digitally filtered to interpolate-smooth the path sections and compress the information transmitted to the server.

These algorithms can be implemented both on the server and on the side of the new generation black box. But IMHO the best way is a reasonable separation of data filtering into two parts. The first, which runs on the tracker and lends itself to remote configuration, and the second, which can run on the server and even be modified by integrators and end users.

Scopes of new trackers

We list in one place the horizons of the use of such devices.

Object control:

international associations of
passenger
cars of
automobiles companies
auto delivery
services
utilities
railroad construction of
containers of
river and sea transport
police
encashment
expeditions of
individual remote travelers

New tracker features on extreme generation chips

Let us repeat a single list of possible functional prospects for the development of the black box.

Hardware Features:

Channels - satellites, COSPAS-SARSAT, GSM, CDMA, Simplex, LTE, VHF, UHF, wifi and bluetooth, ZigBee, Netsukuku, Skipe, Sip, APRS
Positioning signals: GLONASS, GPS, Laurent
support for all transmission protocols TCP / IP, UDP , FTP, SMTP, SNMP, POP3
packet data
security system, door sensors
DVD player
TV tuner
radio
car computer
local router mobile Internet
geo-map, satellite constellation almanac (AGPS)
SD / SDHC memory cards CAN CAN
receiver
, K- line, JLINK, LINbus
barcode scanner, magnetic and smart cards, RFID, QR code,
numeric keypad with input indicator,
biometric readers
and other possible bases of enhanced reality

Software Functions:

Demanded during the theft:

alarm message and emergency cases and the inclusion of audio and video broadcast
control vehicle opening
definition theft attempts
transmission frequency change in transition to detect attempts at fixing mode beetle (IDS)

For a control room:

Traffic control (traffic jams)
Fuel control
data acquisition from sensors
sending a security signal
log saving
remote access to the car via a telephone receiving alarm signals and remote locking, unlocking a
video recorder and an audio recorder inside and outside the car (DVR) with tracking and switching cameras
route planning
navigation program
automatic construction of new geo-trails, roads
forecast whether the transport time to get
several levels exceeding the maximum scab
lock-out for the geo-area freeform
flexible adjustment of transmission intervals bound by any vector mask
internal and external state vector (parking, movement, rotation, latitude, speed, longitude, height, direction, date-time, vector of sensor readings, maximum and minimum distance, number of minimum increments of the degree of rotation, thermal expansion, horizon)
distance detection to neighboring car LED headlights and auto high beam

Required driver service functions:

navigation programs, personal navigator
, route planning
, communication channel with the car manufacturer,
every minute forecast whether vehicles can get on time
traffic signs recognition and warning about violations;
information about gas stations, cafes, tire service, car services and car wash
social network with information about traffic police and incidents and info bonuses
fuel savings recommendations (on driving style),
automatic switch attention of the driver, the driver of the heart sensor
automatic identification si Topic (AIS information about the surrounding moving objects and operational dispatch)
payment procedures road and gasoline
automatic transmission of airbag deployment to the Ministry of Emergency Situations and the SOS (Mayday) emergency button;
electronic registration of incident reports;
package manager for updating the
weather forecast programs for 3 hour periods;
taxi driver service;
identification, cargo registration and payment for transportation services;
switching of sims, roaming and channels transmission
monitoring pavement and sending messages to the road service
road train
combination of radar and cameras to avoid a collision with a person
communicate with "smart" to ozhnymi communication, including signs, traffic lights and parking
breathalyzer
information input from invoices and other documents through a barcode, keyboard, RFID

On-board computer

As a result, a tracker built on ARM 11 can theoretically process streaming video, hold a communication channel, give recommendations on navigation and movement, display additional information such as “enhanced reality”.
It can also perform complex correction calculations to improve the quality of received signals from satellites and better process the collected data.

For example, based on an analysis of the dynamics of changes in speed and fuel consumption, we can give a recommendation for a more economical movement. This saves an average of about 10% of fuel.

Transferring heading and speed data to nearby cars will help reduce collisions and dangerous situations. That is, in fact, you will see cars that move around the corner. Plus, having registered in the social network of drivers, you will get that information about the traffic police and traffic difficulties.

All procedures for payment, monitoring, control, recording of incidents, transfer of insurance amounts, if necessary, can be made operational and transparent. It will not be necessary every time the traffic police to go to the scene of the accident.

Unfortunately, there are no standard consumers and therefore trackers are developing towards flexible settings for their functionality. Due to fierce competition, I am not inclined to go into the details of the technical description. But I will be happy to try to answer all your questions.

Map of car factories

To implement such a project, cheap chips are needed. This is ensured by its production factory. A large team of programmers, managers and electronic engineers. Up to about 700 people. This requires serious investments not only in jobs and the construction of capital housing and infrastructure development, but also the constant costs of campaigning and cultural work, food and maintaining the sanitary-technical level. Well-equipped laboratories for product testing are also needed. Workshops and lines for the production and packaging. Warehouse terminal for storage and loading of packaged products. The room for vocational education courses and teachers (possibly combined with the main work in the company). Offices for the sale and information and technical support of customers (including drivers in real time).direct communication with customers - mobile providers, manufacturers of cars, tractors, combines (many factories in Russia) and licensing authorities in the government and banking sectors . It would be great to combine a lot of scattered developers of terekers using common protocols for exchanging with servers and the interface for modular embedding of binary IP blocks. For example, you can allocate one core of a multi-core ARM processor exclusively for executing closed binary modules connected to the OS with a standard API.