University Of Glamorgan Supports Development of Innovative Vehicle Security System (VSS)

The Company

Sentel Technology Ltd, in collaboration with Heat & Combustion Ltd., had the idea for an innovative GSM text enabled Vehicle Alarm System, for which they required proof of concept support and a prototype demonstrator system developed. This would create an alarm system which would inform the owner of an alarm condition, for example intruder detection, via the owner’s mobile phone, using both a synthesised voice message and a text message.

The University

HELP Wales linked Sentel with the Centre for Electronic Product Engineering (CEPE) at the University of Glamorgan. CEPE is a WDA accredited Centre of Excellence for Technology and Industrial Collaboration (CETIC). The work involved design of a complex alarm system consisting of two independent battery-powered units. Both units featured an embedded system incorporating technologies such as GSM, RF communication, low-power design and multisensor detection circuitry. CEPE provided services in all stages of the design of the Vehicle Alarm System from selection and evaluation of appropriate technologies and outline system specification, to the design and build of the prototype units. Both embedded units required the development of low cost, low power consumption electronic solutions, and the development of embedded C code to process, receive and transmit mobile phone text messages, to synthesise appropriate voice messages and to implement the alarm functions. The design of the printed circuit boards (PCBs) was conducted in conjunction with the client’s mechanical design team to ensure the physical size and appearance of the final prototype product facilitated early market testing. The working prototype has undergone extensive testing in vehicles and meets all target requirements.

The Results

Keith Morris, Director, gave credit to HELP Wales and CEPE by stating: “We believe our Vehicle Alarm System offers our customers one of the most sophisticated and competitive product concepts available anywhere. This required a level of technical expertise which we could not provide. Fortunately, in CEPE, we have been able to access the appropriate knowledge to solve this dilemma. CEPE’s contribution to developing our product concept, along with the funding provided through theHELP Wales scheme, has been crucial”.

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