A fundamental instrument for the monitoring, control, and operational optimisation of vehicle fleets in urban mobility, passenger and freight logistics, vehicle tracking, and generally in all ITS (intelligent transportation systems) applications is a versatile IoT network that can be integrated with a variety of vehicles, and customised to certain functional and operational requirements as regulations shift and consumer demands change. The IoT network must also work flawlessly with a data platform for the collection, presentation, and analysis of network-wide mobility data.
Our DataMote IoT sensor/actuator nodes and the Locomopt IoT/Edge GIS Data Platform together form an IoT network to provide fleet operators exactly with such instruments for tracking vehicle locations and monitoring other relevant vehicle parameters with the collected and analysed data displayed conveniently on GIS (geographical information system) maps with routing capabilities for the interaction of fleet operators, vehicle users, and other stakeholders.
Besides the satellite-based geographical positioning, the system is able to collect various other parameters from a vehicle in accordance with the integrated sensors. The DataMote-Locomopt system was integrated with light electric vehicle fleets (e.g. scooters, bicycles), monitoring parameters such as battery charge level, motion/fall status, and vehicle lock status, and was tested successfully in the field as an electric vehicle rental/sharing application reaching technology readiness level (TRL) of 7.
The system with its current configuration could also be used for the tracking and monitoring of other urban mobility vehicles, and could be utilised for the optimisation of passenger and freight logistics with its integrated GIS maps, routing and data analysis capability built into the Locomopt data platform. Moreover, the DataMote-Locomopt system is an expandable sensor, processing, analysis, and cellular/wireless communication component to be incorporated in other mobility and intelligent transportation (ITS) applications such as vehicle-to-everything (V2X), and driver monitoring systems (DMS).
Tyre failure is pronounced especially in freight transportation, where such an incident might result in road accidents, vehicle rollovers, loss of lives, and long and costly interruptions in logistics. Heavy load, road surface and environmental conditions cause tyre wear and deterioration resulting in the failure of the entire tyre structure.
In spite of intensive research, a clearly defined solution is not available on the market or reported in the scientific literature. Since the real operational environment contains high noise and interference, and the application scenarios vary within a wide spectrum, an adaptive high-performance solution is needed.
Our solution is based on an advanced analysis of the signals collected by appropriately placed sensors integrated with our DataMote sensor platform, and monitoring the tyre continuously throughout its life cycle, and detect/diagnose tyre wear and related anomalies before a failure actually occurs. In our tests, we achieved very early detection of tyre failure, and highly accurate identification of tyre deterioration. The solution extends to heavy passenger vehicles such as buses as well as autonomous vehicles, and applies anomaly detection, predictive maintenance, and structural health monitoring techniques to mobility, logistics and ITS. Our solution has a technology readiness level (TRL) of 6 and is currently being prepared for field tests.