Vehicle Connectivity

Modern vehicles have various electronic control units (ECU) such as the engine control unit, transmission, airbags, antilock braking and many more. These systems communicate using the Controller Area Network bus (CAN-bus), much like a modern computer network.

Trakm8 have developed advanced technology to connect into the CAN-bus system to make use of the vast amount of data available  to improve vehicle fleet performance.  By monitoring driver behaviour, gear usage, acceleration, harsh braking, fuel usage, CO2 emissions  and vehicle fault codes, the Trakm8 T6 CAN enabled solution is able to reduce overall costs of running vehicle fleets and also improve driver safety.

Fuel theft is also a problem with some fleets, so CAN-bus monitoring of the fuel volume before and after a journey can help to deter unauthorized losses.

Trakm8 have the technology to obtain precise engine and emission data by connecting to the vehicle CAN Bus.  This can enable a wide range of information to be monitored.

CAN-Bus data elements:

  • Vehicle Parameter ID’s (PIDS). Monitoring of Basic engine parameters  - over 70 parameters may be capable of being monitored and reported
  1. Exception Reporting
  2. Under Range
  3. In Range
  4. Over Range
  • CAN Threshold Monitoring FunctionsCAN_INSTALL_for_web
  1. Harsh Acceleration
  2. Harsh Braking
  3. RPM Over Threshold
  4. Accelerator Pedal Threshold
  • CAN Events
  1. CAN IDLE Start/End
  2. CAN PTO On/Off
  3. Excessive Acceleration (Rate of change in m/s2)
  4. Excessive Deceleration (Rate of change in m/s2)
  5. Sudden Stop (Rate of change in m/s2 resulting in zero speed)
  6. Rpm Over Threshold
  7. Throttle Over Threshold
  • CAN Summary Reports
  1. Journey Summary report with CAN Data
  • (Fuel Level, Fuel Idle, Start/End Journey Fuel, Journey CO2)
  • (True CAN Idle, Coolant Temp, Clutch count, Brake count,)
  • (CAN Max Speed, Max RPM, Max RPM Time, No of DTC’s)
  • ( Max Throttle, Max Throttle time)
  1. RPM Profile
  2. VIN Number
  3. CAN Capability

CAN Bus connectivity can also enable reporting on pending and current engine fault codes. Pending faults are those that have not been confirmed but where the  vehicle system  detects there could be a problem.  This information would warn fleet maintenance managers well in advance that a particular type of fault may be about to arise.  This knowledge could help prevent breakdowns or potential vehicle shortages that can ultimately impact profitability by a failure to meet customer fulfilment and delivery requirements.   When current faults are reported, fleet maintenance managers assess the fault criticality and where appropriate, order the relevant spare parts before the vehicle is even returned to base.

  • Vehicle Diagnostic Trouble Codes (DTC’s) - Warns of pending and current vehicle faults
  1. Event reporting of Pending Faults
  2. Event reporting of Current Faults

It should be noted that diagnostic system capabilities are dependent upon expert analysis and availability of all the potential data elements which are not always present across all vehicle makes. Applications engineers should carry out a range of checks to determine the suitability of CAN bus technology for the fleet.