Institute of Transportation, MOTC

• Date：2023-09-19
• Update：2023-09-23
• Department：IOT

 Project Overview

        In response to the trend toward digital media, and in order to strengthen company drivers’ identity, driving time (work hours) management, driving information storage, output format, and other subsequent business management, the Ministry of Transportation and Communications added one digital GPS regulation to No. 16 of Vehicle Safety Testing Basis on January 31, 2018, in accordance with European Parliament Regulation (EC) No 561/2006. Beginning January 1, 2021, new large passenger cars and large trucks must be equipped with conforming digital GPS, with full compliance required by January 1, 2023. As a result, by January 1, 2023, large passenger cars and large trucks will be equipped with conforming digital GPS.

       The plan proposed the “Advanced Bus Intelligent Operation Management Pilot Operation Project” from July 2021 to April 2022, based on the aforementioned digital GPS regulatory reform opportunities and in continuation to the “Applied Research of the On-Board Diagnostics (OBD) in Transportation Technology Management.” It is hoped that, in addition to the digital GPS required by the regulations, the vehicles’ built-in OBD system will be used to read real-time vehicle data. Engine speed, vehicle speed, water temperature, fault code, and other data, as well as sensors and mechanical statuses, are also analyzed in order to integrate the CAN Bus and ADAS system, determining vehicle and driver behaviors. Vehicle travel data is uploaded to the cloud system via the Internet of Vehicles (IoV) and blockchain records, achieving the goal of S.M.A.R.T smart highway bus operation management services.

Research Results

1. Specifications for integrated on-board network systems (OBD / CAN Bus) and blockchain-enabled on-board equipment hardware and software have been formulated. In addition, an integrated on-board network system (OBD/CAN Bus) and on-board equipment modules with blockchain capabilities have been developed and integrated.
2. The development of a “highway bus driving hour management system utilizing the blockchain on-board network system” has been completed. It includes a prototype on-board module as well as a cloud backend database and management interface.

• OBD, GPS, a 4G wireless network transmission module, a chip card reader, a steering wheel grip sensor, a camera, and other peripheral devices are included in the prototype on-board module. These devices can be used to perform driver identification and driving hours recording, store OBD vehicle driving information and fault codes, and transmit the aforementioned information via the mobile network to the blockchain system and cloud backend database.
• Managers can use the cloud backend database and management interface to query the driving hours and vehicle status of the monitored vehicles. There is also a vehicle failure warning feature. It can send out alerts for potential overtime work or malfunctioning vehicle drivers.

3. In the “Utilizing Blockchain On-board Network System in the Highway Bus Driving Hours Management System,” Taichung Bus and All Day Bus were chosen to conduct a road test of the OBD/CAN Bus and blockchain functions for highway bus driving hour management. Four buses were dispatched, with a total of sixteen drivers, four driving routes, and 397 driving trips. The total accumulated driving time was 615.11 hours. Multiple test outcomes indicate that the system is capable of achieving the specified objective.

Result Promotion and Benefits

• During the period of implementation, two companies, Taichung Bus and All Day Bus, conducted testing operations.
• On December 7, 2021 and March 7, 2022, two seminars with experts and scholars were held. Experts and scholars, highway business owners, and relevant competent authorities were invited to discuss new technological operation and management applied in the automobile transportation industry.

Summary of Research Results

The architecture of the driving hours s(time) management system architecture developed in the plan

Two seminars with experts and scholars were held

Research Result Report

• Advanced Bus Intelligent Operation Management Pilot Operation Project (1/2) -Research and Development of Integrated On-board Equipment Driving Hours Management System  (Published in April 2023)