Advanced computing technology is necessary to improve the safety of bus and coach transport.
For communication to be effective in the commercial transport industry, it is important to ensure that there is a solid line of exchange between drivers and the vehicles they are operating.
Communication failures in vehicles not only causes a loss of efficiency and productivity but, most importantly, endanger the safety of the driver and others on the road. Even though buses are one of the safest forms of transport – bus crashes constitute less than one per cent of total traffic crashes in Australia – the threat of a crash cannot be undermined as buses have higher passenger carrying capacity than other vehicles on the road. For example, the Kempsey Bus Crash in 1989, which is the worst road accident to have occurred in Australia, saw two tourist coaches collide head-on while travelling at 100km/h on the Pacific Highway, leading to 35 deaths and 41 people being injured.
Likewise, communication is considered essential as buses are designed entirely differently to cars and are increasingly complex, being different in terms of dimensions, manoeuvrability and driver’s vision. This makes it imperative that communication is made the topmost priority for buses in order to prevent safety errors.
Adding to the risk of communication mishaps and safety hazards is the present condition of roads and increasing congestion in major cities. For example, drivers in Sydney spend 33 per cent of their travel time stuck in traffic. Buses are therefore on the road for longer in challenging driving conditions.
To strengthen communication and ensure safety, technology needs to be deployed to aid drivers in managing their vehicles. Backplane Systems Technology has an extensive range of in-vehicle rugged computing solutions that include various features which can help support drivers and communicate to them essential information required to function safely on the road.
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One of the most recent additions to the range is the Neousys NRU-52S computer. The main feature of the NRU-52S is that it supports four IEEE 802.3bt power over ethernet (PoE++) ports – one of the most advanced forms of PoE ports – which can supply up to 90W to internet protocol (IP) cameras or PTZ speed dome cameras for AI-based detection, tracking and recognition applications.
Through this, the bus can effectively communicate to the driver the precise conditions they are facing on the road, for example detection of other vehicles or obstacles. The NRU-52S can function under a wide temperature range and has low power consumption, making it ideal for Australian conditions with a limited power source.
Backplane Systems Technology also supports Neousys’s Nuvo-7100VTC, which is an in-vehicle fanless embedded computer. The highlight of the Nuvo-7100VTC is the isolated CAN bus for in-vehicle communication, enabling effective line of exchange between the vehicle and its control centre. Also, the Nuvo-7100VTC is specifically designed for vehicles as it is compliant with E-Mark and EN 50155/ EN 45545, making it certified for use in vehicles, ensuring connectivity in shock/vibration environments.
Without a doubt connectivity and communication is one of the most important factors in commercial transport such as bus and coach. As effective exchange is the core to ensuring safety, however, it is becoming increasingly challenging to keep an effective line of a communication in such a turbulent environment on the roads. Thus, measures need to be taken to deploy the latest in-vehicle technology to assist the efforts of drivers.