Vehicle Computing Platform

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INDUSTRIAL COMPUTING

February 2010 24

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The trend in vehicle computing platformsfor end users has moved from office-based PC

platforms to rugged industrial PC (IPC) prod-

ucts. IPC adoption is projected to increase at

an above average rate in the traffic and trans-

portation sectors. A significant driving factor

of this growth is the increasing popularity of

panel and box computer use on trains, buses,

and at rapid transit terminals. In-vehicle digital

signage and customer information displays

are the most popular applications in these en-

vironments. The increasing availability and re-

liability of the vehicle computing platform is a

significant source of stimulation to the growth

in rugged IPC deployment in the traffic andtransportation sectors. Rugged IPCs are well

suited to harsh environments and are therefore

well suited to the in-vehicle environment.

So what are the requirements of a vehicle

computing platform for the traffic and trans-

portation sectors? Vibration and shock are

commonplace, as are additional demands such

as extended temperature operation, conformal

coating support and automotive power design.

Also required are system enclosures designed

to meet IP Codes (International Protection

Rating) with the degree of protection againstthe intrusion of particulates and water that is

necessary for the specific application. In addi-

tion to the ruggedness provided by an IPC, ve-

hicle computing platforms may also have spe-

cific video requirements. Digital signage is abooming application in retail, education, hos-

pitality and transportation. In-vehicle digital

signage is increasingly in demand. With mod-

ern video technology, high definition video

content is becoming the default standard in

digital signage applications. However, main-

stream embedded platforms generally do not

have sufficient performance for HD video

playback as their primary focus is low power

consumption applications. Therefore, a vehicle

computing platform will also require a high

definition video decoder to support video

playback at resolutions from QCIF to Full HD.

An often asked question is - how rugged is

rugged? The balance of cost and performance

is always a dilemma to manufacturers. A true

vehicle computing platform should be rugged

by design and not just ruggedized. In order to

support the extremes of shock, vibration, hu-

midity and temperature, care must be given to

component selection, circuit design, PCB layout

and materials, thermal solution, enclosure de-

sign, and manufacturing processes. Robust

test methodologies including highly accelerated

life testing (HALT) help to ensure that the

platform is optimized while still in the designphase and meets MIL-STD shock and vibration,

the ISO-7637 automotive EMC standard, and

other reliability requirements. The automotive

EMC environment is one of the most severe

and the most unpredictable. The key areas forconsideration are as follows: broadband radi-

ated emissions, narrowband radiated emissions,

conducted transient emissions, conducted tran-

sient immunity, radiated immunity, and ESD.

Conducted transient emissions and immunity

are well known as critical phenomena to power

in the automotive environment. Control of

conducted transients in a vehicle is not covered

by legislation in the same way as transients in-

ternal to systems in other environments. The

ISO-7637 standard covers tests for conducted

transients, as well as tests for transients induc-

tively and capacitively coupled into adjacent

wires from the vehicle battery. Both 12V and24V systems are covered by the standard. In

order to meet ISO-7637, a power design for

real automotive environment is required, not

just a wide range of power input. In a vehicle

computing platform, the power unit should

have reverse battery protection, surge and over-

voltage protection, and a DC/DC converter.

Furthermore, the automotive power design

must have the ability to run on a wide range

of vehicle power inputs, and ensure the plat-

form can operate during load dump or cold

crank situations. Use of a high efficiency buck-boost controller in the automotive power unit

is recommended to provide the platform with

the required voltage supplies to the vehicle

computing platform. Another factor to be

Rugged vehicle computing platforms

design considerationsBy Benson Chiu, ADLINK

Vehicle computing platformsare systems for mobile

applications in the harsh

environments of the trafficand transportation sectors.

The ideal platform should bespecifically designed to

meet these requirements andnot just be a ruggedized

office-based system.

Figure 1. Based on an Amproby Adlink ReadyBoard EPIC

form factor SBC, the airportshuttle bus information systemcan drive two displays: onedigital video output with HDvideo decoder for an in-vehicledigital signage application,and an analog output fordriver navigation and dispatchinformation.


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25 February 2010

PCAN-miniPCI

CAN interface for Mini PCI slots.

Optionally with galvanic isolation.

Available as Single channel or Dual

channel version.

PCAN-Explorer 5

Universal CAN monitor,

symbolic representation, VBSinterface, integrated data logger,

functionality upgrades with add-

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High-speed USB 2.0 interface withgalvanic isolation for connecting

up to 2 CAN and 2 LIN busses.

CAN/LIN interface

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CAN bus applications

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Otto-Roehm-Str. 6964293 Darmstadt / GermanyPhone: +49 6151 8173-20Fax: +49 6151 8173-29

[email protected]


aware of is that in the near future, 42V systems

could replace current 12V and 24V automotive

systems. As more electronic devices are installed

in vehicles, 42V systems can provide more

than twice the power efficiency of 12V/24V

systems. This should be considered for future

vehicle computing platform development.

Conformal coating is a method of providing

protection against moisture, contaminants,

dust, abrasion, corrosion and short circuits,

and is especially effective for in-vehicle envi-

ronments. Conformal coatings also can protect

circuits and components from solvents, and

maintain the insulation resistance of the circuit

board. The selection of coating material is an

important consideration. Preferred coating

materials are fast drying and easy to repair,

have high moisture resistance and superior di-

electric properties, and contain a UV safetytracer for ease of inspection under a blacklight.

Conformal coating are generally applied in

thin layers (typically 1~3 mils) onto the PCB

assembly and in accordance with MIL-I-46058

and IPC-CC-830 standards. Temperatures in

automotive environments can change drasti-

cally, rising as much as 20C ~ 30C within 15

minutes with exposure to direct sunlight. Upper

extremes of 50C inside a car are not uncom-

mon. The ideal vehicle computing platform is

specifically designed to withstand high tem-perature and rapid temperature changes. It is

also critical for vehicle computing platforms

to undergo thorough temperature testing to

ensure reliable operation under these temper-

ature conditions. An example of the screening

profile from such a test is shown below.

An example of a typical vehicle computing

platform application is in an airport shuttle

bus information system for use by an interna-

tional airline running a city-to-airport transit

bus service. To implement this system, a rugged

vehicle computing platform with shock andvibration-resistant design, flexible expansion

interfaces for communications, low power con-

sumption, HD video decoder, and automotive

power design is required. Based on an Ampro

Figure 2. In a vehicle computing platform, the power unit should have reverse battery protection,surge and over-voltage protection, and a DC/DC converter.

Figure 3. Ampro by Adlink Extreme Rugged products screening profile
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www.moxa.com

Moxa EuropeTel: +49-89-3 70 03 [email protected]

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Embedded Computing

DA-600 / 700 Series

Industrial x86 Based Rackmount Server

Embedded Computing

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Embedded Computing

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by Adlink ReadyBoard EPIC form factor SBC,

the airport shuttle bus information system

can drive two displays: one digital video output

with HD video decoder for an in-vehicle digital

signage application, and an analog output for

driver navigation and dispatch information. A

flexible expansion interface, such as mini-PCIe

or PCI-104, supports a WiFi/WiMAX/3G

telecommunication module to receive real-time

information, such as flight arrival and departure

information, news, and advertising content for

the signage display. Other expansion options

include a digital I/O module, GPS, or video

grabber module. Automotive power design al-

lows reliable operation of the airport shuttle

bus information system and avoids damage

from conducted transient emissions in the au-

tomotive environment. The security of public

transportation systems has become an increas-

ing concern in recent years. City buses, railways,

subways and other transit systems are imple-

menting intelligent platforms to monitor publicareas and ensure riders safety. Stationary CCTV

systems can handle the requirements at stations,

but rail carriages are still blind spots. A rugged

vehicle computing platform plus intelligent IP

cameras is required to extend the range of the

security system to the entire transit system. A

mass transit rail carriage needs a rugged system

to fit into limited space that is able to withstand

the dust, shock, and vibration encountered in

the operating environment.

Such a platform could be based on an Ampro

by Adlink RuffSystem, which meets MIL-STD-

810 shock and vibration standards and hasIP50 rating. Dual Gigabit Ethernet ports can

interface with IP cameras and operate with in-

telligent surveillance software combined with

built-in GPIO or digital I/O functionality to

automatically detect potential threats, or objects

on the tracks to aid emergency management

and response. This intelligent system could

also be used to increase operational efficiency

and performance. n


Figure 4. A system for a mass transit rail carriage could be based on an Ampro by Adlink

RuffSystem, which meets MIL-STD-810 shock and vibration standards and has IP50 rating.
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Vehicle Computing Platform