Portable FOREMMS Work Station
Portable FOREMMS Work Station
Description of the work
Modify Handheld PCs to be suitable for field Work Stations, including GPS receiver, GSM phone, their antennas and power supply.
We have to deal with three different scenarios one of which must be chosen in later stage of the project:
- First scenario
Handheld device, detached from the rest of the equipment and connected to via two RS-232 serial communication ports with a cable cord.
The equipment detached from the handheld should be integrated into an IP65 housing with the GPS and GSM antennas inside.
This equipment should be carried on the operator's back possibly inside a rucksack.
- Second scenario
GPS receiver, GSM phone, their antennas and power supply integrated inside an IP65 box and attached to the handheld for ease of handling.
- Third scenario
GPS receiver and antenna integrated inside the handheld PC.
Docking Station with GSM phone, antenna and power supply installed in car, truck or fixed base.
Portable Work Station integrated components
Features to be considered for each portable Work Station's component:
Handheld PC
- Rugged Ergonomic design.
- Optimised size and weight.
- Operating System (Windows CE, Windows 95/98, DOS, ...)
- CPU, Memory and Storage.
- RS232 ports, PCMCIA card adapter and IrDa interface support.
- Built-in Keyboard.
- Display visibility in both bright and dark environments.
- Operating and Storage temperature range.
- Wireless and Phone capabilities.
- Water resistant IP65 and Shock protection.
- Battery life on a single charge.
- Battery and Power management.
- Accessories and Peripherals availability.
- Customisation facilities.
- Availability and price.
Some Handheld PC's with similar features: Husky FEX-21, Fujitsu PenCentra 130, ROCKY Fieldnote, ...
One which is well adapted is the Husky FEX-21
GPS receiver
- 12 Channel.
- Standard NMEA-0183 output.
- Diferential RTCM-SC104 input.
- Reduced dimensions.
- Power management.
- Cold start, hot start and re-acquisition times.
- Operating temperature range.
- Availability and price.
- Some GPS receivers with similar features: u-Blox PS1, Jupiter GPS Receiver, Sony GXB 2000, ...
GSM phone
- Duald band.
- Voice support.
- Reduced dimensions.
- Power management.
- Operating temperature range.
- Disponibility and price.
- Some GSM phones with similar features: Siemens M20, Wavecom WM2C, Falcom A2D, ...
Battery and Power supply
- Internal handheld power supply
- Input direct current power supply with a range of voltages from 10,8V to 31,2V
- Operating voltages should be generated from the battery by means of DC/DC converters
- The batteries should be recharged from car or truck batteries (12Vdc or 24Vdc)
- The peripheral's power supply should be switched on and off from the handheld computer
