iCAN Applications
iCAN works just as effectively as a stand alone system as it does interfaced into and existing CAN-Bus and offers the following advantages to motor vehicle body builders, including truck, emergency service vehicles, RV and motor home manufacturers, as well as automotive custom body builders.
Case Study #1 - Basic System applied to a Tilt Tray Vehicle
iCAN in its simplest implementation would involve only two components, 1x Controller Module and 1x Output Module, a second controller module can be attached that mimics the first for a remote location to further reduce loom requirements. Note that this system could also be implemented using miniCAN.
This would provide you with:
- 6 remote outputs
- 9 Digital Inputs and (8 On Controller)
- 3 Analogue Inputs (2 On Controller)
If this example was applied to a tow truck it may be laid out as follows:
In this scenario the vehicles hazard beacons would need to be on, engine temp and oil pressure at normal levels, Park brake engaged and the Gearbox in neutral before power could be applied to the tilt tray hydraulics. This prevents engine damage while the operator is engaged in other activities and prevents the possibility of forgetting to switch on the hazard beacons.
If Oil Pressure, Engine Temp or Hydraulics Pressure deviates from predefined tolerances an Audible Alarm will sound to warn the driver to take action.
Hazard lights cannot be switched off until the Tilt tray is in its home position and the hydraulics motor is off. If the driver attempts to move the vehicle with the tilt tray not in its home position the alarm will sound, this will also serve to warn bystanders if this action is intentional.
Case Study #2 - Complex System as applied to a Fire Appliance
iCAN applied to a Fire appliance would involve:
- One Controller Module
- Multiple Output Modules
- Multiple Input Modules
- Display Modules
- CAN Bus Interface Module
- Custom Designed Switch Panels
A Complete Fire Appliance Application is far too complex to go into detail here, however a broad outline of typical inputs and outputs is listed below
Digital Inputs (Switches, Limit Switches etc):
|
On Off |
Body Indicator |
|
Siren |
Step Position |
|
Wail Yelp |
Ladder |
|
Scene / Travel |
Mast |
|
Beacons |
Valve |
Analogue Inputs (Levels, Temp etc):
|
Foam Level |
Water Level |
|
Ambient Temperature |
Water Pressure |
|
PTO RPM |
Aux Motor Temp |
|
Aux Motor Oil Pressure |
Ladder Position |
Alternate Inputs (Via CAN-Bus Interface to vehicle CAN):
|
Gear Select |
Neutral |
|
Park Brake |
Oil Pressure |
|
Water Temperature |
Fuel Level |
|
PTO Status |
RPM |
|
Engine Hours |
PTO Hours |
|
Lights/Park Lights Status |
Horn |
|
Service Due |
Engine Problem |
Outputs are based on the above inputs and are a mixture of Analogue, Digital and Direct CAN Bus signals. Most outputs are simple relay based on/off; but to tell the Lights to Flash when in Travel Mode would be activated directly over the CAN Bus.
Case Study #3 – Taxi Metering
Taxi metering systems rely on distance pulses, usually supplied from the transmission, to enable the Taxi meter to accurately calculate the distance travelled. On the current model VE Commodore, there is no place on the vehicle that this information can be retrieved.
The ‘distance travelled’ information is not sent out as a distance pulse but as a digital stream sent over the CAN-Bus to the Instrument Cluster and Engine Control Unit. In order to fit a Taxi meter to the VE Commodore a separate CAN-Bus to Analogue Converter is first required.
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