Gimaex International choses straton - Copalp

SUCCESS STORY STRATON EMBEDDED HMI
Gimaex International
choses straton
GIMAEX International, specializing in the production of emergency
vehicles, has chosen straton to continue the innovative development
of its products.

The Gimaex International group, after several mergers between
national and international companies, has today a widened
experience that began in the 20th century. Over time, the group
has become enriched with a unique know-how that can be found
in each of its vehicles.
Today, the company continues to innovate, moving to a solution
that allows the preservation of important and indispensable
features of its products while optimizing their performance and
handling: Customization. A simple and effective concept that
allows each user to have a specific and adapted interface. Once
the model is chosen, the customer can request customization
of the different elements their screen: change colors, space,
direction, etc. «In our industry, it is imperative to have good
quality products. Rescue teams must be reactive and their success
depends mainly on the material used. So we decided to propose
to our users that we customize their vehicles to make them as
intuitive as possible» said Marcel Dumas, Head of Electrical and
Automation Department at Gimaex.
However, up to now, customization was only dedicated to
external components of the vehicle. Gimaex decided to offer
its customers customization to all key elements, not only on
the outside, but also the electronic components, specifically the
monitors.
Efficient concept
The concept is based on an essential need: vehicles have a lot of
services, but during an incident it is unacceptable to lose time
searching for commands. The Gimaex team solves this by placing
indicators and pictograms where they seem most obvious to each
user.
To achieve this aim, it was necessary to find a solution that
allowed the creation of graphical tools to show information and /
or commands on the screen, while adapting to the specific needs
of each customer.
To meet the requirement, Gimaex chose the straton Embedded
HMI solution from COPALP, associated with screens and boards
from ADISON.

Ideal HMI solution
The straton Embedded HMI solution attracted Gimaex for its
ability to adapt to every device and its intuitiveness. Straton
supports a wide list of communication protocols and is easy to
integrate.
The process is very simple: the straton embedded HMI allows
the creation of graphic windows. The user simply has to choose
each element that should appear on the screen (the information,
its position on the screen, how it will be represented, etc.). In
parallel, a straton soft PLC is integrated in the screen of the
vehicle. It constantly communicates with the vehicle systems,
using the CAN protocol, to collect real time information. «What
led us to choose the straton software is the diversity of options
that exactly match our business model.»Added Marcel Dumas.
Thanks to its partnership with COPALP and ADISON, Gimaex is
now able to customize not only the outside elements (bumpers,
structures, etc.) of its vehicles, but every electronic component
(screens and the information they provide).
The Gimaex equipment
In the system developed by Gimaex, the fire vehicle may have a
screen (5.7’’) and a control pump screen (12.1’’). Other screens
can be added to multiple cockpits (left, right, platform, etc.).
These screens are composed of basic elements through which it
is possible to add all the required information for operational
use.
During operational use, these screens are running through a
single display to avoid having to navigate between different
menus and risk being temporarily without essential information.
The front screen contains various specific commands (beacons, 2
tones, lights, etc.) but also the levels of tanks, reversing camera
and detected alerts.
The rear screen (with day / night mode) consists of five blocks:
• The left dial contains the display tank levels in bar graph
and percentage.
• The central dial is dedicated to the pump suction pressure
and discharge, pump water temperature, setpoint control
and pump safety.
• The dial on the right contains all the information about the
motor: speed, water temperature, oil pres-sure, fuel level,
PMT, etc.
• An area with various warning lights allows to the driver
to visualize defects before he returns to the cabin (open
curtain, mat deployed, hose carts, ladder rack, etc.).
• An area containing all the features of the metering system
(flow, pressure, choice of dosage, etc.).

An additional page for the maintenance system provides the
status information and the output from each sensor in order to
aid diagnosis. In addition, a RJ45 connection is used to connect
the vehicle to the Internet for a diagnosis or a change in the
software.
Advantages
For users, this innovation represents a real revolution. Screens
are more intuitive, modern, and offer excellent visibility,
allowing the user to obtain at any time an overview of the
important points.
Thanks to this innovation, Gimaex customers can adapt
their vehicles to their specific needs for an optimal working
environment.
«Choosing straton has been crucial for this step of our evolution,
and the development opportunities it offers encourage us to
continue our innovation.» Marcel Dumas, Head of Electrical and
Automation Department at Gimaex.
Contact
GIMAEX: www.gimaex.com
COPALP: www.copalp.com
ADISON: www.adison.fr