Automated vehicle location

The main purpose of the AVL (Automated Vehicle Location) system is managing commercial vehicle fleets (passenger vehicles, cargo vehicles, special vehicles etc.), which is based on vehicle position and condition assessment and communication between the vehicle and control center. The term "fleet management" implies the possibilities of controlling, planning and analyzing vehicle fleet usage. The communication between the control center and the vehicle locators is conducted by GSM network, using GPRS, SMS and DATA service. The communication equipment in the control center consists of server computers, with GSM modem completes attached. The primary channel of communication is over GPRS network. The GPRS server picks up incoming messages from the locators and forwards them to the application server.

As far as vehicle control and surveillance are concerned, the user can obtain useful information in two different ways. The first way is direct system query that receives response in real time and comprises data containing position, speed and direction, time of data measurement and condition of individual vehicle sensors (motor, doors etc.). The other way is a self-initiative information transfer from the vehicle, initiated by predefined event.

Another important system feature is the possibility of initiating some actions on the vehicle from the control center, which contributes to the increase of the vehicle control level and vehicle safety. Those actions can be engine immobilizer activation, siren turning on, etc. As far as planning is concerned, the system offers a set of possibilities, such as defining the vehicle usage regime, or defining the geographic and time parameters that the vehicle should stick to.

The system can also be used in any application where the position assessment, vehicle condition and tracking may be significant.

The system software and hardware are significantly adjustable, which means that many specific users' requests can be easily fulfilled. It basically implies that sensors in the vehicles can be configured, as well as the events causing self-initiative messages generation and their transmitting from the vehicle to the control center, or the storage of the event, with the aim of further revision.