Introduction

Over the road transportation of goods is a vital link in the global supply chain. With a growing emphasis on environmental and road safety, transportation providers are looking for solutions to ensure their cargo is delivered on time and as efficiently as possible. This is especially true with tanker trucks used in the transportation of bulk liquids, such as oil, ethanol and more.

One company is designing a system to help monitor bulk liquid cargo in tanker trucks, especially ethanol and ethanol-based liquids. The system is designed to solve many of the problems faced by bulk-liquid carriers by monitoring various sensors placed throughout the truck. Sensors connected to the valves and pump can provide accurate accounting of how much liquid is loaded and unloaded, while sensors used to monitor tank pressure, temperature and other environmental factors can determine if there is a leak. The system can also alert the driver if it detects a potentially dangerous situation.

To power the system, the company needed an embedded computing solution up to the task. Providing an embedded solution capable of working on a liquid tanker truck comes with many challenges. With a reputation for industry leading embedded computing solutions, and our manufacturer support, the company turned to AAEON to provide a solution.

Challenges

Designing an effective monitoring system for tanker trucks comes with several challenges, including the need for a reliable and stable platform, as well as the ability to handle multiple sensor inputs. The company had also spent a long time developing their software, and needed a system which could be easily tailored to run their software reliably.

Stable Platform

Operating on-board a vehicle in a wide range of conditions requires a computing solution that is above all else stable and not prone to crashing. This ensures data accuracy and accuracy of measurements, prevents loss of data, and above all else ensures driver and cargo safety.

Support Sensor Input

The system needs both the processing capabilities and the I/O features to support the various sensors for measuring in-flow and out-flow of liquid cargo, as well as various monitoring sensors, such as temperature, pressure, weight, and more.

Proprietary Software

The company has worked hard on their software package and want a hardware solution that doesn’t require reconfiguring or reprograming of the company’s software. Having an operating system which can also be easily modified and adjusted can help achieve the platform stability required.

Solution

By working closely with the company, AAEON determined the best solution for their application to be the RICO-3399 PICO-ITX RISC board. Utilizing the latest in RISC and ARM technology, the RICO-3399 offers a stable and reliable platform, rich I/O and expansion support, and features open-source software that is easy to configure. Additionally, with manufacturer support, AAEON was able to provide software customization to meet the company’s needs and maximize performance by removing unnecessary programs from the operating system.

RISC Technology

The RICO-3399 utilizes RISC architecture to create a SoC that is stable, rugged, and able to operate in a wide range of temperatures and environmental conditions. Its low-power consumption and fanless design provides the RICO-3399 with a long mean-time-before-failure, meaning the RICO-3399 is designed to provide long lasting reliability and durability for any embedded application.

Open Source OS

The RICO-3399 is powered by Android, offering our customers not only a budget friendly solution, but giving flexibility to configure, customize or even redesign the operating system to suit their needs. From adding functionality or removing unneeded applications, the RICO-3399 operating system can be quickly reconfigured to ensure compatibility with proprietary software, reducing downtime and shortening time to market.

AAEON Manufacturer Support

AAEON provided our end-to-end manufacturer support, helping to configure the OS to provide compatibility with the company’s software, and assisting the company in integrating the board into their system, ensuring the company could easily connect the RICO-3399 PICO-ITX RISC board to their sensor inputs and carrier boards.

Impact

With the RICO-3399 PICO-ITX RISC board and manufacturer support from AAEON, the company was able to build and deliver their liquid tanker monitoring system with confidence that the system was stable, reliable, and able to provide the full capabilities of their system. Transport companies are able to ensure accurate delivery and accounting of bulk-liquids, and provide preventative maintenance of their vehicles as soon as a problem is detected. Tanker drivers are also able to drive confidently, knowing that an accurate and reliable system is helping to ensure both their safety and the safety of their cargo.

Product

The RICO-3399 PICO-ITX single board computer is a RISC platform armed with the innovative Rockchip RK3399 ARM hexa-core processor. The Rockchip RK3399 ARM hexa-core processor is a SoC which combines two processors into one, creating a system that offers higher performance with low power consumption. The RICO-3399 also features onboard 16GM eMMC storage, and 2GB LPDDR3 memory, giving it the intelligence to power AI and Edge Computing applications. The RICO-3399 supports Android 7.1 which can be configured to your project needs.
The RICO-3399 utilizes RISC architecture to create a stable, durable, and reliable platform for any embedded application.

The RICO-3399 combines fanless design and the PICO-ITX form factor to provide a compact platform that is stable, reliable, and durable. The RICO-3399 also features a wide array of I/O interfaces, including USB 3.0 and MIPI camera support. The RICO-3399 also features both a nano-SIM and a mini-PCIe slot to provide 3G and 4G capabilities for mobile applications. AAEON’s manufacturer services offer both hardware and software customization options that ensure the RICO-3399 fanless SBC will be ready to go the moment you open the box.