A new conception of a VLD vehicle based on the EPIS 5 FCC

Pic. no.1: Placement of the system in a vehicle - the EPIS 5FCC checking system and the VCS 185A LCD panel.

We have prepared a new conception of a vehicle for regional public transportation (VLD) based on the EPIS 5FCC on-board computer with checking (EPIS – Electro-acoustic On-Board Information System). Such a system is being used in the integrated transportation system of thePlzeň region now. It also includes other products of our company.

The newness of this conception is to be found in:

• the fact that one universal vehicle control unit is used as the control element – the EPIS 5 FCC on-board computer with checking,
• its optimized connection of the individual components in the vehicle – the „fast IBIS“, busbar is used
• it is optimized for system control form the dispatching and other supervision systems – direct access from the dispatching to the LCD or the vehicle panels.

As has been said above, the supplied system is based on the EPIS 5FCC vehicle control unit that incorporates:

• High-performance control unit – 1 GHz, 1 GB RAM, 8 GB data storage,
• Passenger check-in - i.e. a printer with extended lifespan, a color high-illumination passenger display, a BČK[2] reader – standards : Mifare, Desfire, NFC, emulated cards, etc.,
• 10,4“ capacity touchscreen LCD terminal,
• Many communication interfaces - IBIS, fast IBIS, RS 485, Ethernet, GPRS/UMTS, WiFi, CAN and others,
• Quadruple digital annunciator unit with high-performance amplifiers for both the inside and the outside of the vehicle and with an integrated microphone,
• GPS position surveillance, voice communication via GSM,
• and others.

Pic. no.2: Outer information LED panels at night.

The system is certified for the use in checking and prolonging coupons on the Plzeň card, it can handle kilometer based check-in, various price lists, detours, connections, on-call connections, etc. At the same time, communication with an IDS[3] dispatching according to the wishes of the organizer of public transportation is being finalized.

This information system manufactured completely by the Herman company also contains the modern outer information LED tableaus of the VLP (Vehicle LED panel) series. In this case they behave according to the IDP[4] standards and display “not deformed” Czech signs and use dynamic size change depending on the length of the text, i.e. the panel itself chooses the optimal font size to utilize the active display surface to a maximum extent and to ensure that the text is easily readable. A demonstration of a vehicle equipped with the VLP 24 panels is to be seen in the picture no.2. The panels communicate via a busbar using the “fast IBIS” protocol that uses a standard distribution system and the IBIS busbar interface but is able to communicate at a speed of 19,2 Kbit/s. The busbar is fully 8-bit. General pictures or signs directly from the dispatching can thus be sent to the panels, e.g. according to the CP-1250 coding or the UTF-8 alphabet. The communication protocol used for these displays is similar to the protocol used for transportation terminal LED panels which makes the work of the dispatching easier.

These LED panels allow for low costs of operation and long lifespan. In the case of the outer LED panels, principles of LED diode voltage regulation are used lowering the overall panel consumption almost to a half in comparison with the commonly used solution.

Pic. no.3: VCS 185A inner one-sided passenger LCD panel working in a regime according to the IDP standards.

One of the parts of the vehicle is also a vehicle LCD – the VCS 185 type, that behaves according to the standards defined in the IDP. It is connected with the EPIS unit via an Ethernet busbar making it possible for the vehicle LCD panel to receive pictures or videos sent from the dispatching or other supervision systems (e.g. advertisements).

The following picture contains a fundamental scheme of the vehicle installation:

Pic. no.4: Fundamental scheme of the new conception of regional public transportation vehicle installation.

The components of the vehicle installation include:

• EPIS 5 FCC – on-boar computer with passenger checking
• Outer vehicle LED panel front – VLP 24 × 200
• Outer vehicle LED panel side – VLP 24 × 160
• Outer vehicle LED panel rear – VLP 24 × 40
• Inner one-sided passenger LCD panel VCS 185A
• EPNEV 3.14IW – Command receiver for the vision impaired
• RI 01 – IBIS hub
• Relay for acoustic signal switching  - an external support relay for switching acoustic signals from the vehicle radio or the EPIS 5FCC.