Rugged in-vehicle computing/display system for mobile resource management applications

The TREK-303, however, is meant to be used as part of a vehicle display system that also includes one of Advantech's suitable in-vehicle industrial computers, in this case the TREK-550.

As is, the TREK-303 touch panel, which measures 9.5 x 6.3 inches and is 1.6 inches thick, is compact enough for tight spaces, yet the display is large enough to be useful and easy to use in all sorts of fleet management and dispatch applications. It also has a tough but lightweight housing that is compatible with RAM mounting solutions so that customers can easily install it according to their requirements.

Below you can see the Advantech TREK-303 smart display (here the lower-res version running Windows CE) from the front and all sides. 

Vehicle computers and displays are often subjected to very wide temperature ranges, and so Advantech made sure the TREK-303 meets the requirements for automotive grade working temperatures with an exceptionally wide -22 to 158 degrees Fahrenheit (-30 ~ 70 degrees Celsius) operating temperature range. And while most TREK-303 displays will be mounted inside vehicles away from rain or splashing, the TREK-303 does carry an IP43 rating (protected against solids larger than 1 mm in diameter and against water spray to the front) for the whole device, with everything but the I/O ports actually sealed to IP54 standards (protected against dust and also against water spray from all directions). The unit has also been vibration-tested in accordance with MIL-STD-810G, SAE J1455 4.9.4.2.

The TREK-303 was designed from the start with drivers in mind. For example, powering up the system or waking up can easily be done from a switch in the back of the TREK-303 (see picture to the right); there is no need to go through software and complex sequences. For night driving, the display has an auto-detecting light sensor to automatically adjust brightness for optimal viewing.

But now on to the second part of this system, the Advantech TREK-550 in-vehicle computer.

The Advantech TREK-550 In-Vehicle Computer

If the TREK-550 looks a lot like one of Advantech's industrial PCs, it's because in many respects that is what it is. Many of the same requirements apply to a vehicle computer as do to an industrial PC. It must be compact for easy placement. It must be rugged enough to withstand abuse. It must be reliable enough to operate 24/7/365 with minimal maintenance and maximum up-time. It must provide targeted performance, generate a minimum of heat and noise, and support the standards and connectivity required for the task.

"Targeted" performance means as much as is required, no more and no less. With the TREK-550, Advantech provides just that. The system is powered by an Intel Atom XL Z510PT running at 1.1GHz, and optionally with the slightly faster 1.3GHz Z520PT. That's enough to allow the TREK-550 to run a variety of operating platforms, including Windows CE 6.0, Microsoft's equally unassuming workhorse mini-OS that's been used for embedded industrial applications for almost 15 years; Windows XP Embedded, or even Ubuntu Linux. Everything is designed to do the job, no more and no less. Systems such as these are not burdened with the unneeded complexity of a full OS such as Windows 7.

As you can see above, the TREK-550, which measures just 10.35 x 5.9 x 2.75 inches and weighs 4.4 pounds, is a very compact unit. It has a gray alluminum chassis, black plastic end caps, and an integrated a finned aluminum heatsink on top. For access to the interior of the unit, remove a few small Philips head screws. The inside is neat and clean and well designed, as we'd come to expect from Advantech. The motherboard measures roughly 200 x 140 mm and has all of its external ports mounted right on the board. Note the CF Card slot on the bottom. You can also see is the small Wavwecom WMP100 WWAN board that is mounted to separate I/O board of the unit that also includes a SIM card caddy for GSM-based data communications.

For I/O, the TREK-550 offers ample onboard connectivity for just about any task.

On the front, the TREK-550 has:

On the back side are:But what about applications that do not require full Windows XP or even Windows Embedded? For those, Advantech offers a very similar setup with the TREK-510 on the computer side, and a lower-res version of the TREK-303 smart display. And for an overall look at Advantech TREK hardware see here.