Application ready set of building blocks for ticketing, fleet management and communication in public transportation: Kontron Venturo Vehicle Management System

The EN50155-compliant Kontron Venturo Vehicle Management System for buses and light rail trains consists of three elements. First is the Kontron Venturo CBox, central management and communication computer, second is the Kontron Venturo HMI driver and passenger display unit with integrated ticket printer and third is the Kontron Venturo GBox, an audio and emergency call unit.. The high flexibility and open x86 architecture makes the Kontron Venturo Vehicle Management System a powerful integrated platform for public transportation. Compared to most other platforms, which concentrate on decentralized in-vehicle applications, the integrated Kontron platform centralizes all tasks such as ticketing, passenger information, location identification, data acquisition, vehicle and system diagnostics, as well as internal and external communications management on a single platform. This simplifies system integration and makes administration and maintenance extremely convenient, therefore reducing the total cost of ownership (TCO) of public transportation services . The rugged, fan-less design with a high mean time between failure (MTBF) of 80,000 hours and a temperature range of -25 °C to +60 °C plus the intelligent cabling with minimized connector count for easier installation and improved Mean-Time-To-Repair (MTTR) pave the way for smooth operation, further enhancing reliability and TCO.

The Kontron Venturo CBox at a glance
The Kontron Venturo CBox is the central computing device to maintain the vehicle management. Based on the energy-efficient Intel Atom processor Z5xx with 1.1 GHz or 1.6 GHz and 1 to 4 GByte RAM, it centralizes all communication and computing tasks. For communication flexibility, it features an internal UMTS module (HSxPA, UMTS, GPRS and EDGE), a WiFi module for wireless networking with IEE 802.11/a/b/g WLANs plus a GPS module with gyroscope and odometer interface for dead reckoning. A rugged, 90 pin, automotive connector handles all I/Os (CAN-Bus, 12 isolated railway EN50155-compliant serial ports, 4 x RS232 and 12 EN50155-compliant digital I/Os) as well as the power supply. Up to four IP-based peripherals can be connected via four Fast Ethernet M12 connectors and a 50-pin DSUB connector bundles all communication signals and the power supply to the Kontron Venturo HMI.

The Kontron Venturo HMI at a glance
The Kontron Venturo HMI is the central driver interface. It features a sunlight readable 8.4 inch SVGA (800 x 600 pixel) touch screen for intuitive handling and operational safety. A ticket printer and a two-line fluorescent display for customer information (i.e. for displaying fares) are integrated into the driver console, both centrally controlled by the Kontron Venturo CBox via serial RS-422 interfaces (American EAI-422). With a rugged IP64-protected enclosure, and operational temperature range 0 °C to +50 °C, it can withstand the demanding environments in the cabin. An optional RFID badge reader for driver identification/authorization allows two ISO 14443A/B-compliant RFID cards (e.g., Mifare DESFIRE) to be simultaneously read. The cards can remain permanently and securely inserted without any risk of destruction or accidental detachment due to shock and vibration during operation of the vehicle.

The Kontron Venturo GBox at a glance
Designed as an independent system, the EN50155-compliant Kontron GSM-voice and audio box Venturo GBox combines emergency call functionality with an integrated audio switch. It can be placed anywhere near the audio sources to minimize the amount of wiring. Independently from the board computer, the audio box takes over key security functions. Activation of one of a total of two connectable emergency switches automatically initiates a voice connection via an integrated quad band GSM module for mobile communication. To control these fundamental security options, as well as the switching tables for five different audio sources on three audio outputs including one amplified output, the fan-less Kontron Venturo GBox offers an embedded JAVA processing unit based on an ARM 9 processor architecture.