In 1994, the Ing. Ivo Herman, CSc. company started developing products designed for public transportation. The first one was a triple independent digital stop annunciator equipped with a voice switchboard, radio communication adapter and a radiomodem – EPIS 2.01. In 1996, the company successfully completed its first important contracts for supplying new types of digital annunciator to Brno Transportation Company plc. and later that year also to Ostrava Transportation Company plc.. This year our company has been taking part in supplying and developing public transportation for 20 years. During this time the company has become an important innovator and system integrator of transportation solutions. The company has introduced many new products to the market. These products have become the standard and are included in basic vehicle equipment of our customers.

In the scope of improving our complex solutions, we developed a contactless chip (standard and desfire) or bank card validation device – type EVK 5.0 – and thus we improved our public transportation checking system portfolio and utilized our experience with developing and producing our EPIS 5FC on-board computer with checking. Our new validation device meets the requirements placed on such systems and it’s equipped with a high performance processor ARM with the Linux OS.

The basic features of this validator include:

• Vehicle power supply with low consumption 7W.
• 5,7″ display with a durable touchscreen.
• Mifare card reader including desfire or bank cards.
• 4 slots for SAM modules.
• Black box for transaction data with output data backup for at least 31 days
• remote SW updates
• possibility of acoustic announcements
• easy installation into a vehicle

You can find more information about the validator and solutions of checking in public transportation vehicles here.

As a part of the „IPRM DOPRAVA II. – informační systém veřejné dopravy“ project, our company in cooperation with the AŽD Praha company supplied a complex information system for public transportation companies, i.e. equipment for trams, depots, dispatching and intelligent stops including stop signs:

• 47 EPIS 4.0B1 on-board computers with position surveillance and the ability to communicate with dispatching via a radio network for tram traffic produced by the RADOM company.
• Outer displays with a new generation of LED, e.g. VLP 20Dx128GI(see the information form CZECHBUS 2015).
• Combined side displays (outer LED/inner widescreen LCD) of the new type VCSP 20Dx128GIE/37 with high illumination 37″ LCD with 1920×549 resolution.
• Dispatching system SPRINTER 2015.
• 25 intelligent stop signs including LED panels with 5 (ELP 135) and 9 (ELP 139) lines,
• Sign support platforms with illuminated stop and line indication and illuminated schedule display cases in a brushed stainless rendering.
• Information stand with a 17″ touchscreen – type K717
• A large panel with 18 text lines and 280 LED columns (the biggest we have produced so far) – type ELP 696 produced using the assembled panel technology.

The supplied components had to be newly developed (mainly the features of the stop information system). We also connected our EPIS on-board computers to cash registers form the Mikroelektronika company that receive line information from on-board computers.

Between 24.11 and 26.11.2015 our company was presenting its products at the Czechbus 2015 exhibition in Prague:

• Stop assembled information panels ELP 683 including a text-to-speech converter
• Simple stop panels – ELP 203 .
• Checking with a credit card via EPIS 5FCx that had been adapted to Plzeň card.
• Vehicle LED panels VLP D Line with power consumption reduced by a half.
• Vehicle occupancy rate surveillance system– system APC.
• Dispatching solution – SPRINTER 2015 IDS.

Between 17.11 and 19.11.2015 our company was presenting our checking system using the Epis 5FC on-board computer at the stand of the MONENT+ company at the „CARTES“ international exhibition in Paris. Our main goal was to present a modern checking system for public transportation supporting credit card payments. This system was connected to clearing presented by our partner company Monet+. There is a credit card reader integrated in the cash register (of the checking system).

If you would like to see this new technology we will gladly welcome you at our stand at the CzechBus exhibition in Prague.

We are introducing a new generation of vehicle outer LED panels VLP xx line D with higher contrast (there are no white spaces), half power consumption at the same illumination and wider observation angles in comparison with other currently supplied panels. The new LED panels use new types of high quality LED (it is apparent that this technology has been developing very quickly) while the price of green LED remains the same (other colors possible). Their first presentation will take place at the CZECHBUS 2015 exhibition of transportation technology in Prague.

We took part in a study „Preference of public transportation vehicles in the city of Žilina“for the ALAM ltd. company. The preference management unit in the vehicle was ourcomputer EPIS 4.0B, a TAIT radio station and for intersections it was the RMU 10 communication unit. Preference data was created by the EPCOMP programand the new SW CRUX for solving intersection communication points. The presentation was successful and it significantly improved the traffic capacity for public transportation vehicles. All this has been proven by references in Slovak national TV (minute 39:18) and at the websites of DPMŽ, the city of Žilina and internet newspaper DNES.

As a part of the „On-board system for public transportation“ project for DPO plc., we switched the FD NET radio networkto a new mode of communication that brings 3x faster contacting of vehicles and 9x bigger data transfers than before and we managed to do it in 12 hours. The basic vehicle calling cycle is 20 seconds or 10 seconds depending on the number of vehicles. The new radio network is able to transfer full vehicle position data even during dispatching announcements and to send data to public transportation vehicle preference at intersections.

In connection with this almost all the provided transportation company information system SW was replaced – dispatching SW SPRINTER, FW of the central radio switchboard,FW of individual radio bases, SW of the control computers in depots and all vehicles (more than 600), SW of EPIS 4.0B on-board computers and the TAIT radio station configuration. All the communication protocols connected with controlling the radio network were also replaced by new ones i.e. a complete change of all rates in the system that could only be tested in live operation took place.

At the end of June, we supplied stop panels for the newly built terminal Hulváky in Ostrava. One large 15 line panel ELP 602 and two departure 6 line panels ELP 332 including connecting them to the dispatching from ODIS, s. r. o. at Svinovské mosty were supplied.

The large arrival panel is placed at a crossroads among a number of stops. It also serves as a navigation feature for passengers as there is an arrow indicating from which stop the connection departs.

A high illumination LED technology with 5mm spacing was chosen for this realization. They are able to display 36 signs on one line of the large panel and 33 signs on one line of the small panel. The panels also include a command receiver for vision impaired Epnev 1.13.

We are preparing a possibility of displaying vehicle door areas on the driver display of the EPIS 4.0x on-board computer.Vehicle door areas are monitored by stereo-camera passenger counting sensors UCP-01. This allows the driver to monitor what is happening in vehicle door areas when the doors open which allows the driver to determine when the doors can be safely closed. The APC system not only monitors the number of passengers but also increases safety.

New features also include the possibility of remotely replacing the program of the UCP 01 sensor unit by using the remote vehicle service and the possibility of directly setting the unit by using the EPIS on-board computer without having to use a notebook.

We managed to unify the data processing system:

• for on-board computers, dispatching and vehicle occupancy monitoring – all this is done by the EPCOMP II program,
• data creation in EPIS on-board computers in the form of operation logs including passenger counting
• program for processing data from the APC system – program ADA
• SW for remote system supervision – dispatching program SPRINTER, depot surveillance RADON.

From 13.05. until 15.05. we were presenting our products and technological solutions at the „Elektrotrans“ international exhibition in Moscow where we shared a stand with the Techniserv company, our commercial representative. We presented our important technical solutions:

• on-board computers EPIS 4.08B including their control SW,
• touchscreen LCD terminal EPT 4.08B,
• passenger counting unit UCP 01,
• new line of Ethernet switches ECU
• dispatching control system SPRINTER in various versions for municipal public transportation, regional public transportation and for controlling stop panels.

Our presentation also included a new product, the digital LCD sign ELP 819W that can be embedded into various mechanical constructions and contains an industrial PC, a UMTS modem and a 19″ LCD suitable also for sunny weather.

Even though the US dollar rose by 25% against to the Czech crown increasing initial costs, we have decided to keep the long term selling prices of LCDs at the same level and not to transfer the initial costs to our customer. Despite this unfavorable situation we keep preparing new solutions and innovations. These include further development of customer oriented screens and solutions – e.g. for IDS JMK. As a part of improving the functioning of vehicle LCDs for passengers, we are preparing new ways of installing LCDs in vehicles, namely a “master” and “slave” rendering, where one LCD in a vehicle is superordinate of the others including high resolution LCDs.

Presently we are producing (more than 700 pieces) a new type of on-board system, EPIS 4.08B with many improvements compared to the preceding versions:

• a new type of the EPT 4.08B LCD terminal EPT with capacity touchscreen and H=7 hardness of the front screen, it also includes a card reader with the possibility of using a SAM module
• a new rendering of its integrated power supply unit with significantly higher performance and an integrated voltage transformer for vehicle radio stations.
• New ways of controlling the EPIS 4.0B on-board computer and vehicle LCDs for passengers functioning as dynamic vehicle signs .

From 19.11. to 21.112014 we were presenting at the stand LK-60 at the Czechbus 2015 exhibition in Prague, Holešovice. At this exhibition we presented:

• new types of stop information panels ELP 350 for DP Bratislava and for the DP of the city of Brna – ELP 150,
• a new rendering of the EPIS 5FCx passenger checking unit including an installation in a regional public transportation vehicle with homologation for the Plzeň s card and for an IDP dispatching,
• new ways of controlling the EPIS 4.0A on-board computer and vehicle LCDs functioning as dynamic vehicle signs,
• a new compact on-board computer with an SW application of the MSP 5.0 position surveillance module

In less than two months we developed, manufactured and installed a new type of double faced information panels ELP 350 controlled via Tetra radio network as demanded by Bratislava transportation company. We supplied 10 double faced graphic information LED panels including support columns that we also installed at the stops of the newly reconstructed Dúbravka line. The spacing of yellow high illumination LED diodes is 6 mm, the surface is 48 x 192 points and the casing is rendered in black color. These panels are equipped with command receivers for the vision impaired.

We installed and put into operation a new type of the double faced graphic 6-line ELP 330 panel in the scope of Prague integrated transportation (PID). This panel updates the displayed information by itself in real time. It uses the MPV NET application to be able to do that and it is the first panel to work with this application in a new control mode under ROPID. This panel is able to display a bottom line with moving information and it also has a separate line displaying the date and time. The spacing of its high illumination LED diodes is 5 mm, its surface is 60 x 280 points and the color is yellow.

Between 23.9. – 26.9. 2014 we successfully presented our products at the international transportation technology fair in Berlin – InnoTrans 2014 - hall 7.1 stand 226. We presented our new products such as complete public transportation vehicle equipment in accordance with the IDP standard (integrated transportation of the Plzeň region), i.e. the EPIS 5FCC on-board computer with checking, a complete set of LED panels of the VLP 24 series and the VCS 185 passenger LCD. There was another completely new exhibit, the MSP 5.0 compact on-board computer (a new generation position surveillance module) that can be used not only for position surveillance and communication with the dispatching but also as a new type of on-board computer for public transportation and there are other uses as well. Other exhibits included an on-board computer set for public transportation – EPIS 4.0A in 2014 rendering and the newest version of the SW SPRINTER 2014 for transportation companies. We also presented a new type of the ELP 150 digital stop sign. We have been a part of this fair for the third time (2010 and 2012).

We started the realization of the biggest transportation information system project in the Czech Republic in the last 10 years for Ostrava Transportation Company plc.. This project includes delivering and installing 624 pieces of the EPIS 4.0B on-board computer, communication system equipment for 6 depots, a new dispatching including the newest version of the SW SPRINTER 2014 and the newest version of the EPIS FD-NET radio network serving at least 25 radio channels on 3 radio bases including roaming. The project also includes equipment for a driver training centre with a vehicle and dispatching simulator. Chosen vehicles will be equipped with passenger counting systems. We are working on this project in cooperation with the Master IT plc. company.

We are testing a position surveillance module prototype – MSP 5.0 – for IDS JMK. The production of this module should start at the beginning of September 2014. This module can be described as an on-board computer with a high-performance ARM processor (1 GHz, up to 4 cores, micro SD 8 GB / 1 GB RAM), a GSM module for 3G/UMTS/GSM networks, a GPS module with 2.5 m accuracy including control busbars Ethernet, IBIS (both MASTER and SLAVE renderings) or RS 485. An independent 3-channel stop annunciator with 1-bit outputs/inputs is included as well. MSP 5.0 can also control passenger LCDs in vehicles including transportation information and advertisements and it provides WIFI for passengers and all this with only one SIM card. This concept is based on the EPIS 5 FC public transportation checking unit.s

We have realized a new type of combined text information departure panels – type ELP 450 – for the newly opened bus and train terminal in Náchod (4.7.2014). In this panel, two-color LED diodes (red, yellow) are used for the bus transportation information field. The color of the text line depends on the type of connection – i.e. an arriving regional transportation bus connection displayed in red color and a municipal public transportation connection displayed in yellow color can be displayed simultaneously on the same line. The municipal public transportation connection is displayed below the regional public transportation bus connection. These lines move up depending on departure times. There are also two lines with white diodes displaying train connections at the near train terminal. The panel also includes a tasteful roof protecting it from intensive rain. The roof is mostly an architectural feature since these panels are resistant to unfavorable weather conditions.