GPS Controlled Multichannel Audio + Video Player
Application: Automated audio + video-guided tours for sightseeing trains & busses with multiple language and video support.
The GPS controlled multichannel audio/video player is intended for sightseeing vehicles that carry tourists through a mainly outdoor area (e.g. city). At each point of interest, a GPS trigger point can be set to enable the play back of an associated voice/music and/or video-clip announcement. The player works fully autonomously and thus relieves the driver from hazardous actions.
Separate AV player modules with individual memory cards are available for each supported audio and audio/video channel(s). The system can be ordered with any number of audio and video channels. The system consists of a hidden player box that contains the power supply (9 - 36 VDC) circuitry, the GPS receiver and the AV player modules. An active GPS antenna is included and should be mounted on the vehicle's roof. For monitoring purposes an internal audio multiplexer selects one of the channels and feeds it via an internal amplifier to loudspeaker terminals. The selected channel and volume can be adjusted with push-buttons.
The player box is connected to a control box at the driver's seat via a thin flexible and shielded 5-pole cable of up to 4m length. Via this control box, the driver can operate and monitor the audio/video players.
There are two modes of operation, push-button selectable:
- In GPS mode audio/video tracks are played in a random order according to the current geographic postion of the vehicle
- In Manual mode the player is controlled by four push-buttons (play/pause, stop, next and previous track)
The current track number and the elapsed time are displayed in two 4-digit 7-segment LED displays. Up to 126 audio/video tracks can be accessed on each AV player.
The GPS circuitry is able to track with up to 50 channels simultaneously with a position update of two times per second. A proprietary algorithm is used to decide whether a pre-determined programmed position is actually reached in order to achieve the best compromise between position accuracy and reliable triggering under adverse GPS reception conditions. The system works without local maps and can be used in all geographic areas with adequate GPS reception.
The operator himself can easily program the GPS trigger points by driving along the route and storing the desired positions under push-button control. All positions are stored in a non-volatile flash memory inside the control unit. A variety of triggering options like "trigger on entering a zone", "trigger on leaving a zone" or "trigger track X only if previous track was Y" etc. can be implemented to cope with complex routes with overlapping segments.
The system is available in several versions with options for analog or digital audio as well as analog (composite) or digital (DVI/HDMI) video. Video standards include MPEG2 and H.264 with SD (PAL/NTSC) and HD resolutions up to 1920x1200 pixels.
For further inquires please don't hesitate to contact us. Since we are specialized in electronic design all products can be adapted to customer requirements.
We speak English, French, German and Luxembourgish.