Reliable Waste Truck Camera Solution Built on Lanner V6S

Waste truck drivers face constant challenges.

These drivers need to go through tight streets, dodge parked cars, mailboxes, deal with heavy traffic, uneven and shaky roads, and sometimes even pick up trash during heavy rain, scorching heat, and deep snow.

Lanner’s V6S is an in-vehicle computer and NVR appliance designed especially for rugged and harsh conditions. V6S provides the backbone for reliable waste/refuse operations and higher productivity using mobile video surveillance.

The in-vehicle NVR supports up to ten IP-based video cameras that feed in the cabin’s monitor or are transmitted through LTE to a remote fleet management system. Among its benefits are reduced liability costs, evidence, driver’s monitoring, truck monitoring, driving aid, and more.

Everyday Challenges of Waste Trucks

Picking up the trash is no easy task.

Garbage trucks need to stop by every house, pick up the trash bin, throw it back in the loading hopper, compress, and then move on to the next home. Although you might still see the traditional rear loaders where the sanitation worker literally hangs from rails in the back, things have changed.

Now, the waste collection and refuse operations are handled by a single individual known as “the sanitation truck driver.” The fully-equipped waste trucks now come with automated side loader arms that pick up the trash bins without hardly having the driver get down.

But to fulfill the job successfully, the driver needs a pair of extra eyes around the truck. They need to avoid hitting other cars or obstructions like mailboxes or trees, and second to point the side loader arm right straight to the bin and to avoid accidentally dumping the garbage in the street.

On top of that, these large trucks need to be driving through tight neighborhoods and frequently dodging cars parked along the narrow streets.

Waste trucks and fleet management centers are faced with major challenges, such as:

  • Heavy traffic.
  • Bad weather and rugged roads.
  • Obstacles and tight streets.
  • Constant, breaking, shock, vibration, and wide temperatures.
  • Trucks going off-route.

The Reliable Waste Truck Camera Solution: V6S NVR

The reliable waste truck camera system depends on multiple components for its functionality, the hi-definition exterior (and interior) cameras, the cabin monitor, the rugged surveillance NVR, the radio communications, and the fleet management center.

Hi-Definition Cameras and Monitor

The solution requires high definition video cameras (both exterior and interior) and a monitor. Video cameras help drivers monitor their trucks and surroundings. The monitor allows them to see video input from the exterior high definition cameras located on the side of the truck, on the tailgate, on the hopper, on the front, and inside the cabin.

These on-board camera systems also help fleet managers, monitor drivers, trucks, and the environment remotely in real-time from a centralized fleet management platform.

Rugged Vehicle Surveillance NVR

V6S is a next-generation rugged and fanless vehicle surveillance NVR. This Network Video Recorder is designed to record video from harsh vehicle conditions and save it to a removable SSD. The SSD comes with 2 Terabytes to securely store HD recorded footage on the garbage truck.

What role does V6S play in the Waste Truck Camera solution?

  • V6S NVR recorder receives the pure digital signal from the cameras deployed around the garbage truck, stores then and then transmits it into the live feed of the cabin’s monitor or to a remote fleet management platform.
  • To provide mobile surveillance, the V6S NVR solution creates a VAN (Vehicle Area Network), that supports up to 10 IP-based high definition cameras. The cameras connect to the NVR via PoE (Power over Ethernet) ports or via WiFi (with a module).
  • The V6S solution also provides a gateway to the Internet via dual SIM card readers and support for the 4G/LTE module.

Features:

  • 7th Generation 14 nm Intel® Core™ i7-7600U SoC. The perfect fit for vehicle computing, because it is power efficient and graphics-accelerated.
  • V6S can operate under a wide range of temperatures and is resistant to shock and vibration.
  • NVR is IP-based. It can receive data from up to 10 cameras via 10xPoE and one Gigabit Ethernet port.
  • Support for LTE and WiFi module.
  • And more.

Radio Communications

Waste trucks are constantly on the move. To be able to transmit data and to communicate with the fleet management center, these trucks rely on low latency mobile wireless broadband connections such as 4G/LTE.

The V6S NVR also supports PGN-600 and PGN-300, which are two 4G/LTE radio modems for mission-critical communications.

The Fleet Management Center

The fleet management center is a critical component of the solution. Before forwarding the large data sets of raw video footage from the waste truck, the V6S in-vehicle computer can pre-process and aggregate all this data using edge intelligence. This data can be used by the driver right in the vehicle. For example, to avoid obstacles, as a location tracking system, and more.

This pre-processed (or raw) data can also be sent to the fleet management center for additional analysis.

Reaping the Benefits

The most important aspect of the V6S solution is that it is designed to not overwhelm waste truck drivers, as they have enough with their daily tasks. On the other hand, the solution enhances their work, by providing better operations, productivity, safety, and reliability.

What are more benefits?

  • Train drivers and promote safer driving. Having tons of hours of driving footage can be useful when training new drivers. In the same way, having cameras recording footage in real-time can encourage safe driving practices.
  • Exonerate drivers of false accusations. Having evidence of accidents can help reduce large liability fees and financial threats. Video footage is indisputable evidence when a waste truck had an accident. It can help hold someone responsible and at the same time avoid false claims.
  • Wider visibility to reduce accidents. Waste trucks are bulky vehicles. Drivers have to take them through tight streets and dodge cars parked all around which makes the job more difficult. Having cameras around the truck can help the driver be aware of the environment and its obstacles, and thus avoid accidents.
  • Monitor driver’s behavior. Constantly monitoring the driver’s behavior can ensure the safe operation of the vehicle. Reduce aggressive driving, by identifying hard brakes, sharp turns, excessive speeding, etc.
  • Turn the garbage trucks into a force multiplier for police. Having 24/7 video recording all around the vehicle turns garbage trucks into police mobile surveillance units. Waste trucks can collaborate with local police in providing valuable historic video footage or a real-time feed, so police can use it as evidence and investigation.
  • Improve operations and productivity. Fleet managers and drivers can instantly validate their job’s productivity by looking through video at the underfilled or overfilled containers. This information along with routes and timing can help fleet managers improve operations.
  • Help garbage collection. Without a camera in the hopper and on top of the side loader arm, waste truck drivers couldn’t remotely pick up the trash bins from their cabin. Using a monitor and positioning the truck right next to the bin, drivers can control the arm with the help of the extra IP-based cameras located behind.
  • Keep trucks on-route and within a virtual fence. With the help of an LTE module, solutions like the V6S can also help keep track of the location of trucks. V6S is a vehicle computer that provides a certain level of analytics. Knowing the location, via the 4G wireless broadband network, the in-vehicle computer provides tracking information to the fleet management center. The management center can then run additional analytics on the location, such as running virtual fences.

Final Words

The V6S is the gateway for intelligent waste management in smart cities.

This rugged NVR is designed for public transit video surveillance, recording, and analytics. And it is a perfect solution for waste truck camera systems. The V6S can withstand harsh temperatures and resist to frequent vibration.

The video camera solution compromises external hi-definition video cameras, the V6S NVR, an LTE module, and a fleet management center.

It helps truck drivers and the fleet management know what’s behind the tailgate and what’s happening in the hopper. It also shows the drivers what’s to the side when they are pulling out from the traffic. But that’s not all; the V6S unifies the entire truck fleet, its stations, and central facilities.

For more information on the V6S, start a chat or request a quote.


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Lanner and Genetec Enable Intelligent Fleet Monitoring

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