Traktix: telematics based fleet monitoring and diagnostics

Project Title

Traktix: telematics based fleet monitoring and diagnostics

Project Area of Specialization Electrical/Electronic EngineeringProject Summary

The logistics and transport industry is facing a severe issue when it comes to keeping track of their finances and the amount of resources spent on fuel and maintenance.

Many drivers attempt to cheat their employers by overcharging them with regards to the amount of fuel used. Moreover,deception and fraud is also a common issue with mechanics and repairmen when they intentionally miss-inform their clients and over scale the amount of problems with their vehicles.

To counter this issue we have decided to make a fleet management system. In that system we are targeting the transport industry. For now, there is a system which can track the buses but it can’t monitor the fuel consumption and faults in the vehicles. 

Our system has three main features:

1. Live Tracking

2. Fuel Monitoring 

3. Predictive Maintenance 

So our system will help the transport industry by reducing the fuel and maintenance cost. The fuel consumption will be monitored remotely. The mechanics and repairmen will not be able exploit the bus owners as the faults can be diagnosed remotely.

Project Objectives

In the transportation and logistics industry, there is no efficient way to monitor fuel consumption
of vehicles. Some mechanics heavily charge their customers by upselling and repairing
components which don’t need fixing. Fleet operators face huge maintenance and fuel costs
because they can’t monitor and diagnose their vehicles in real-time.
Our objective is to design a system which can help in:
1. Fuel Cost Reduction
2. Live Vehicle Tracking
3. Maintenance Cost Reduction by detecting faults in vehicle

Project Implementation Method

Traktix comprises of both hardware and software. To achieve the objectives our method is as follows
Hardware
In hardware we are using microcontroller, CAN Transceiver, OBD-II to DB15 cable, Flash
memory and GPS+GPRS module. The OBD-II to DB15 cable connects with the OBD-II socket that
comes in every EFI vehicle. As we can not directly connect this cable with the microcontroller so
we are using a CAN transceiver as a channel. We have built a PCB that has CAN transceiver,
Flash memory and DB15 connector. The cable connects with our PCB that further connects with
the microcontroller.
Using CAN transceiver as a communication channel between controller and vehicle, our product
gets the speed of vehicle and mass flow rate. Using these parameters our system then
computes the mileage and distance traveled. It also checks for faults in the vehicle by sending
request to the vehicle.
GPS+GPRS module connects with the microcontroller that helps in getting vehicle’s live location
and also provide internet for sending data form vehicle to AWS IoT core. The Flash memory is
mounted on our PCB that makes our system more reliable. In case of internet unavailability, our
system stores the data into the external Flash memory.
Software
We have built a web app where admins or the fleet operators can login and keep track of each
vehicle in the fleet. This app is based on Vue JS and the backend is linked with Google Firebase.
The operators can add and remove vehicle into the fleet.

Benefits of the Project

This project has following benefits

• You can track your vehicle remotely
• You can scan your vehicle to identify faults
•  You can check for any rule violation like over speeding
• You can estimate the fuel and maintenance costs easily that also save you from scammers
• Its live tracking feature makes it an antitheft product for your vehicle

Note: this project can help in many other ways if we expend its scope

Technical Details of Final Deliverable

Technical Specifications

• LPC1768 32-bit ARM Cortex M3 microcontroller
• CAN Transceiver TJA1051T-3
• 16MB Flash W25Q128JVS
• SIM808 GPS and GPRS module

Microcontroller reads data from On board Diagnostics (OBD2) port using CAN Transceiver IC and sends data to the AWS IoT Core using GPRS module. If the Internet is not available, it stores data in the Flash memory. A web application has been developed where the fleet operators can keep track of each vehicle in the fleet. The frontend of web application has been developed using Vue JS and the backend is connected with Google Firebase.

Final Deliverable of the Project HW/SW integrated systemCore Industry TransportationOther IndustriesCore Technology Internet of Things (IoT)Other Technologies Cloud InfrastructureSustainable Development Goals Responsible Consumption and ProductionRequired Resources

Item Name	Type	No. of Units	Per Unit Cost (in Rs)	Total (in Rs)
			Total in (Rs)	44000
OBD2 to DB15 Cable	Equipment	2	1500	3000
PCB Manufacturing and Assembly	Equipment	1	6000	6000
SIM808 Module	Equipment	2	5000	10000
LPC1768 Microcontroller	Equipment	2	10000	20000
Others	Miscellaneous	1	5000	5000