Rugged Computing for Mobile Utility Inspection Vehicles

DISCLAIMER:

“Due to our commitment to stringent Non-Disclosure Agreements (NDAs), we are unable to disclose specific company or project names in our customer case studies. However, we are excited to share the valuable insights and success stories from these partnerships while maintaining our clients’ confidentiality.”

Introduction

Company:

Confidential public infrastructure organization

Segment:

Utilities

Client Brief:

Mobile utility inspection vehicles require reliable computing for video capture, sensor integration and field data handling.

A public infrastructure organization operates mobile inspection vehicles equipped with camera, sensing, and data-storage systems. Its field teams required industrial computing platforms that could support dependable high-resolution video capture and data handling while operating from vehicle-based power. The deployment also needed to accommodate different equipment-rack layouts without compromising reliability or serviceability.

Challenge

The Problem:

Field Reliability: Legacy off-the-shelf computers were not designed for the vibration, temperature variation, and continuous field operation associated with mobile inspection work.

Vehicle Power: The systems needed to operate efficiently using vehicle-based DC power rather than depending solely on conventional AC power.

Video and Data Handling: Inspection operations required stable capture and processing of high-resolution video and sensor data during field use.

Installation Constraints: Some vehicle racks could accommodate a full 4U chassis, while other installations required a lower-profile system with equivalent core computing capabilities.

The Need:

Industrial Reliability: Purpose-built computing hardware for sustained use in mobile field environments.

DC Power Compatibility: Power-supply options compatible with vehicle-integrated electrical systems.

Video and Sensor Connectivity: Modern I/O and expansion capacity for cameras, sensing devices, storage, and related inspection equipment.

Flexible Rackmount Options: A choice of 3U and 4U systems so the computer could be matched to the available rack height.

Serviceability and Expansion: Accessible, configurable platforms that could support maintenance and future system requirements.

How Stealth Helped

The Solution:

Rugged PCs for Mobile Utility Inspection

SR-4500B 4U Rackmount PC: Used where the vehicle rack could accommodate a 4U chassis and the installation required a flexible, serviceable platform for video, sensing, storage, and other inspection-system components.

SR-3500 3U Rackmount PC: Selected instead of the 4U SR-4500B where rack height was limited. The 3U chassis saves one rack unit, approximately 1.75 inches of vertical space, while retaining a similar core processing, memory, connectivity, and PCIe expansion platform.

System Integration: Both Stealth systems were installed in mobile inspection vehicles and integrated with onboard camera, sensing, and storage systems.

Configuration Flexibility: Using two rackmount form factors allowed the organization to match each computer to the available installation space while maintaining a consistent approach to field data acquisition and handling.

Results

The Outcome:

Reliable Field Performance: Field testing indicated that the installed systems performed reliably within the mobile inspection application.

Stable Video and Data Handling: The platforms supported dependable high-resolution video capture and inspection-data processing.

Improved Installation Flexibility: The 3U and 4U options allowed the computing platform to fit different vehicle-rack layouts.

Industrial Serviceability: Rackmount construction provided a maintainable foundation for the integrated inspection system.

Future-Ready Platform: Modern processor, storage, networking, I/O, and expansion options provide room for evolving application requirements.

Conclusion

The Summary:

Stealth supplied two rugged rackmount computing platforms for a mobile utility inspection application. The SR-4500B provided a 4U solution for installations with sufficient rack space, while the SR-3500 was selected over the 4U model where a lower-profile 3U chassis was required.

Together, the systems supported reliable video capture, sensor integration, data handling, vehicle-power compatibility, and serviceable field deployment without disclosing the customer, project, or location.

Explore Stealth’s Rackmount PCs & Servers for reliable industrial and mobile computing applications.