45
February 2015
M2M C
ommunication
with all Telit modules, the firmware of the
HE910 can also be updated (FOTA, firmware
over the air management). This is a particu-
lar advantage in the case of applications that
are used globally. Neither an on-site update is
required nor does the equipment have to be
collected to update the firmware. The HE910
module is part of the Telit xE910 family, which
supports the GSM/GPRS, UMTS/HSPA and
CDMA/EV-DO technologies. All models are
based on the same LGA form factor. Solutions
providers can therefore use the most suitable
module for their requirements with just one
hardware design.
M2M modules have been in use for many
years, in ticket machines, vehicles or electric-
ity meters for example. A new application is
their use to control truck parking manage-
ment systems at freeway service stations. Traf-
fic experts all agree that freeways in Germany
lack many truck parking spaces. One of the
reasons for this is that the transportation of
goods on the freeway has again increased con-
siderably in recent years, and not enough new
truck parking facilities have been created to
cope with the demand for them. At the same
time, drivers are required by law to take a
break after driving non-stop for 4.5 hours.
In a pilot project in the German-speaking
region, one of the CEP partners is developing
a solution to inform the truck driver in good
time ahead of his departure how many free
parking spaces are currently available. The
communication in this solution is based on
the HT910 terminal from CEP. In this project,
the drive-in and drive-out area of the parking
space is scanned by special sensors, which are
connected to industrial PCs. The industry PC
then transfers the data via the HT910 termi-
nal to a central server.
The video cameras set up also transmit their
images of the current parking lot situation via
a HT910 terminal to the server. The deter-
mined number of free parking spaces is dis-
played on notice boards set up especially for
truck drivers several kilometers before the
rest area. The system is therefore able to guide
the parking space search completely auto-
matically, without any manual intervention.
Another possible application for HT910 ter-
minals is in parking ticket machines, which
are used to monitor parked traffic in city cen-
ters or on unrestricted parking lots. Numer-
ous established suppliers of such machines are
already testing and using the HT910 in their
equipment. The terminal transfers informa-
tion about faults and early warnings such as if
there is no paper or the money hopper is full.
Card payment transactions are also autho-
rized online via the terminal.
In the latest generation of parking ticket
machines, up-to-date information and adver-
tising are also displayed in graphic displays.
The content for this can be downloaded
quickly from the Internet via the broadband
connection using the HT910 terminal. Cru-
cial for the use of the HT910 in parking ticket
machines is the ultra-low current consump-
tion, since the parking ticket machines are
normally powered by solar energy or battery.
As a result, the option of displaying advertising
also provides an additional source of revenue
for operators alongside boosting the machine
efficiency through remote data transfer.
To finish, a short example from the world of
telematics that is also suitable for small solu-
tions from the domains of fleet management
and vehicle location. At the heart of this
application is Picotrack, a fully-functioning
GSM/GPS location device weighing just 35
grams and measuring 57x38x15mm pro-
duced by Telic in Oberhaching, near Munich.
The settings for event signals (depending
on time, distance, change of direction) in
Picotrack can be configured at will. The
integrated accelerometer, which is used as
motion sensor, can also be configured as an
anti-theft device. The device also contains
an integrated geo-fencing function. It gener-
ates a warning message as soon as the device
enters or exist a pre-defined area.
In view of the low current consumption,
Picotrack has a very long battery life. If data
is retrieved every 15 seconds, for example,
it can remain operational for around seven
hours. At five-minute intervals, this operating
time increases to around 12 hours, and at five-
hour intervals it is around a month. In sleep
mode with the wake-up option, it can oper-
ate for around six months. At the core of the
Telic Picotrack is the Telit GE865 quad band
GSM/GPRS module. Thanks to its compact
size (22x22x3mm) and extended tempera-
ture range, it represents an excellent solu-
tion for M2M applications and mobile data
devices. With BGA technology, product costs
are reduced considerably, since no additional
system connectors are needed.
n
Figure 2. Telic Picotrack is currently the
smallest GSM/GPS location device for
telematics projects. (Source: Telit)
