Project Introduction:
One of the key ingredients for successful urban development is public transportation but improving the city’s transport network is a daunting challenge. Since Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) which is a modern transit system with dedicated lanes, technologically advanced stations and GPS tracking systems, can be built during the construction phase to provide almost immediate relief. Also its initial implementation cost is much less than Light Rail Transit and many government agencies are planning to build or have started to build BRT so as to improve their transportation system.

In early of 2012, a bus company of Latin America adopted Advantech’s in-vehicle solution for its state-of-the-art BRT system. By implementing mobile onboard computing and back-office communications, the smart system not only offers rapid, punctual, secure and convenient services to riders, but also improves the operational efficiency for fleet management via real-time communication and response tracking. For the latest implementation stage, the bus company further used Advantech’s Ethernet switch as an extension mechanism for adding more signage displays to deliver instant information to passengers while connecting more surveillance cameras to enhance security by recording the interior view of the passenger compartment.

System Requirements:
After the Korean System Integrator won the BRT project in Colombia, Advantech helped them to the design e-Bus system which had a diverse set of needs through providing mobile data terminal computing system and professional knowledge. With the TREK-550 in-vehicle computing box and the TREK-303H smart vehicle display, our solution fulfilled the requirements of the metropolitan bus fleet. In 2013, the project needed to be upgraded and increase additional video surveillance and infotainment functions, making Advantech’s newest Ethernet switch the best choice to optimize the system architecture with a holistic design. In order to smoothly work in a moving bus, the new product has to offer the following features:

Support wide input voltage range and dual power input to prevent unstable power supply The faster data transmission rates with low latency to ensure speed and agility Sufficient bandwidth for media traffic to guarantee good quality of broadcasting service Compact size with effortless installation for space-constrained application Industrial grade design to ensure reliability and stability

System Description:
In addition to offering advanced and comprehensive fleet management through the TREK series of in-vehicle products, Advantech’s 5-port EKI-3525, which is installed in a mechanical and electrical box at the bottom of the vehicle, works as an extension device to link the TREK-550 in-vehicle computer, two signage screens and two IP cameras in order to complete monitoring tasks and provide entertainment information for passengers. A vehicles power supply is 12V DC, yet the continuing availability of power is unpredictable. Therefore, the EKI-3525 supports power input from 8.4 to 52.4 VDC to operate in rugged conditions even if the voltage is lower than 12V and providing redundant dual input to connect main and backup batteries can avoid transmission interruption. Its eco-design is able to automatically adjust power consumption, enabling the system to maintain the longest possible running time.

With the ability to transmit and receive data at 100Mbps, the EKI-3525 can easily process high-resolution audio and video signals. Additionally, its priority bandwidth setting provides a mechanism for implementing Quality of Service (QoS) to forward important data on the VIP port without delay as well as ensuring high-quality multimedia data streaming over a local area network. The compact EKI switch (28.5 x 120 x 85.3 mm) is suitable for tight space applications and offers optional mounting methods, DIN-rail mounting or wall mounting, to allow adjustable positioning of the device. The fanless and industrial-grade design enables it to meet the critical demands of harsh environments such as plastic and metal enclosure, wide temperature support, IP40 protection, etc.

Project Implementation:

Product	Description
EKI-3525	5-port 10/100Mbps Unmanaged Industrial Ethernet Switch
TREK-550	Intel Atom Industrial In-Vehicle Computing Box
TREK-303	7" Smart Vehicle Display

System Diagram:

Conclusions:
To increase mobility, BRT has become one of the priority strategies of public transportation and has been successfully applied in many cities throughout the world. For such smart Bus systems, one-stop shopping from Advantech can benefit System Integrators in eliminating compatibility issues and helping them to quickly deploy their solution. As part of this in-vehicle project, Advantech’s Ethernet switch provides the fastest data transmission speeds for high definition video streaming and the ability to sustain constantly high traffic loads. Due to its superior quality but cost-effective features, the EKI-3525 plays a key role in making system implementation flexible and easy.