Vehicle condition monitoring
Description/Objective
Vehicle condition monitoring allows the driver, dispatchers and support personnel to become aware of defects or emerging problems on the vehicle. They can take proactive steps to repair the defect or to substitute the vehicle or the defective piece of equipment. Condition monitoring includes:
- Engine diagnostics
- Fuel, oil, brake fluid, water levels
- Status of ITS equipment
- Status of fare collection equipment
- Other information provided by the driver
Technologies, data and resources
Monitoring of engine diagnostics and vehicle mechanical problems are provided as standard and are displayed on the driver’s dashboard. No additional ITS is required for this.
The ITS-related content for vehicle condition monitoring, over and above what is provided as standard in the vehicle, includes:
- Interface between the engine/vehicle diagnostic systems and the on-board computer of the CAD/AVM system or the fare collection system
- Diagnostic and self-reporting capability included in the ITS, fare collection and customer-facing devices installed on the vehicles
- Preset buttons or touchscreen options on the drivers’ display unit, allocated to fault or condition messages initiated by the driver
- Inclusion of vehicle condition and fault messages in the data transferred during the polling cycle of the CAD/AVM system.
Advantages and Cautions
The primary advantages of Vehicle Condition Monitoring applications are to:
- improve the response time to equipment defects and vehicle breakdowns
- minimise occasions when service is interrupted due to detective vehicles or equipment
- identify vehicles with critical conditions and intervening before serious damage occurs
The principal cautions in relation to Vehicle Condition Monitoring are:
- procedures are required at the dispatch centre and at maintenance support to ensure that reported faults are acted upon promptly, and in a manner that minimises service disruption
Relevant Case Studies
Florence, Zurich