POLICE EQUIPMENT NEWS FLEET MANAGEMENT SENIOR MANAGEMENT ADVERTISER INDEX PRODUCT SPOTLIGHT
InterMotive Vehicle
Controls
For the officer under stress, use
technology to make the job simpler.
InterMotive Vehicle Controls located in Auburn,
Calif. has been working with car makers for many
years to help engineer affordable technology
solutions. InterMotive was founded in 1994 by a small
group of former Ford and GM engineers. The company
specializes in reading the vehicle CAN bus and using the
data to control various equipment and functions.
InterMotive holds numerous U.S. patents on automotive technology. They work closely with several OEM engineering teams to provide unique solutions to meet specific market needs. Most recently,
InterMotive has been working with Ford on the new Police Interceptor Sedan and Utility. In conjunction with Ford Police Program
Engineer Randy Freiburger, InterMotive Vehicle Controls has taken
some innovative steps in the pursuit of a safer Police Interceptor.
Ford was first to market with optional steering wheel controls
that can be mapped to specific emergency vehicle needs. These
Police Interceptor-exclusive steering wheel switches are essentially 0.5 amp triggers that send a signal from the steering wheel
to the Ford Generic Function Module (GFM) behind the glove
box, which then goes on to the blunt cut wires under the IP center
stack. They are by factory design limited use “push on/push off”
switches that can be used for basic emergency lighting controls.
Interceptor Switch Module (ISM)
InterMotive saw these switches and the infinite possibilities they
could offer if they were more than just “push on/push off.” So
they created a module that takes those switches to the next level.
The Interceptor Switch Module (ISM) is a plug-and-play replacement for the GFM.
Once installed, the ISM allows the Ford switches to be programmed independently in one of three different operating modes,
latching, momentary, and timed (1 second to 30 minutes). InterMotive does this while still maintaining the visual indicator lights in the
Ford driver information center (DIC). Functionality and integration
with all the features available on today’s siren controllers are really
now only limited by the current design of the siren controller.
The factory-designed latching switches can still be primarily
used for instant-on emergency lighting where a single touch is for
on and then another touch for off.
Many agencies like to use a siren controller with a slide switch
that has position 1, 2 and 3. The typical setup is: Position 1 turns
on emergency lighting to the rear of the vehicle with no siren or
wig-wags and only half the lightbar on.
By Brad Brewer
www.intermotive.net
Position 2 turns on 360-degree full lightbar, all rear lights, but
no wig-wags or no siren, and a moderate flash pattern. Position 3
is full load everything, full lightbar lighting with fast flash pattern,
full 360 vehicle lighting, wig-wags and siren on a predetermined
tone. The ISM even has a mode that if you push “button 3” it will
turn off button 1 or 2 first, then turn on button 3.
Stress-Proof the Response
The issue with latching switches is that if the user wants to switch
between modes, turning position 3 on doesn’t simultaneously
turn off position 2. The user has to push off the position 2 switch
first, and then push on the position 3 switch. This might not sound
like a big deal when sitting in the vehicle without any external
stress. However, adding a little stress or external stimuli changes
everything because the officer’s fine motor skills deteriorate under
heavy stress. The whole concept is to use the technology to make
the officer’s job simpler, not more complex.
Momentary switching or a pulse touch can be used for siren
blast when entering an intersection. If your siren main controller
is set to wail and you want a timed burst of yelp when entering an
intersection, or a quick blast of light from an ally light, the ISM will
allow that programming. While programmable, the typical PushTo-Talk time out could be anything an agency wants. The ISM
switch control options are limitless with equipment like canine
alarms, radar/laser systems, mobile video activations, ALPR, gun
locks, or any other agency-specific equipment.
EcoLock Idle Reduction
Driver distraction mitigation isn’t all that InterMotive’s products
provide. The secured idle reduction system called EcoLock is a
module that automatically turns the engine off when specific conditions are met. The officer removes the key from the ignition, the
vehicle is in park, battery voltage is normal, and the interior temperature is within your preset range. All of the police equipment
can stay on but the engine is off. After about 5 seconds, the gun
lock and trunk release become locked and stay that way until the
ignition is turned back on. Bottom line, the vehicle is now secure.
EcoLock will then automatically restart the engine if either the
battery voltage runs low or the interior temperature is outside
your preset levels, and it stays running until the voltage and/or
temperature are good again. Then it automatically shuts off the
engine and goes back to monitoring voltage and temperature. If
an unauthorized person gets inside the unoccupied vehicle and
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InterMotive specializes in reading the CAN bus
factory data stream, and then using modules to
control a variety of police functions. Ford’s Generic
Function Module connection is shown.
tries to shift the vehicle out of park, the vehicle is disabled and the
trunk and gun locks remain secured.
EcoLock allows law enforcement to comply with municipal
anti-idling regulations while saving money on fuel all while still
maintaining an operating emergency vehicle. With one hour of
idle the equivalent to 33 miles of driving, payback on the EcoLock
is very quick.
HawkEye Reverse Sense
Although most of the OEMs offer a reverse sense or backup alarm
system, InterMotive has a module in case these options were not
purchased from the factory. The HawkEye Reverse Assistance
System (HRAS) helps drivers avoid accidents when the vehicle
is in reverse motion. An audible alarm along with a digital readout alerts the driver that an object is in its path (7-foot range) and
which side the object is on. Four in-bumper sensors provide maximum coverage and are the same quality as OEM sensors.
InterMotive also has a way of handling low alternator output
at idle by increasing the engine idle speed if battery voltage drops
too low with their Advanced Fast Idle System (AFIS). It operates
entirely over the CAN bus and helps prevent battery drain at idle.
In most cases, it can even eliminate the need for a second battery.
There is an option to also have fast idle if the A/C is turned on and
there’s a version for both Police Interceptors as well as the older
CVPI for retrofit.
Upfitter Interface Module
The Upfitter Interface Module (UIM) provides upfitters with easy
access to the vehicle’s CAN bus data. This is especially helpful for
interfacing equipment like radar/laser that requires access to vehicle speed signal (VSS) data. Or if your agency uses a fuel monitoring system that takes info off the OBD II port, this interface will
provide better access to the same data. There is a UIM model for
the new Interceptors plus one for CVPI.
InterMotive technician programs the new Police
Interface Module (PIM).
In conjunction with the UIM, InterMotive also developed a Programmable Relay Power Center (PRPC). The PRPC communicates
with both Ford and Chevrolet CAN, as well as J1939 to provide realtime chassis data for enhanced programming. InterMotive offers
their own graphic user interface software to program the PRPC. The
software is intuitive, very easy to use with lots of drop-down menus.
The PRPC has eight programmable power relays, green LED
load indicators, momentary on/off switching, on/off two-speed
motor control, timed load on/off all through individually fused
(15A Max) loads with red “blown” indicators. Also, seven programmable low current outputs (0.5A each), nine digitals inputs,
and two analog inputs. Optional LIN port is available for displays
and an optional CAN port is available for vehicle communication.
The PRPC has an overall rating of 75A and has a non-MOSFET
design in order to generate less heat. One downside of MOSFETS
is that they have an “internal” resistance (R) when a load is turned
on that generates heat energy proportional to the “square” of the
current flowing through them. Higher current loads therefore require some method of dissipating the heat, usually through expensive or large heat sinks and/or fans.
Officer Safety: Surveillance Mode
The Surveillance Mode Module (SMM) was developed through a
collaboration of Ford engineers, the Ford Police Advisory Board
and InterMotive. Ford’s Freiburger had the idea to use existing
Ford retail features to notify an officer of a presence with the rear
camera activated and provide some increased security by raising
windows and locking doors. The SMM uses the existing Ford retail features such as Reverse Sense, Blind Spot Information System,
and Rearview Camera to provide a system that puts “eyes in the
back of the officer’s head.”
When activated through the steering wheel controls, SMM enhances officer safety by turning on the reverse sensors in the rear
bumper, along with the blind spot sensors in the rear quarter panels and alerts the driver of anything approaching from the rear.
The system also turns on the rearview camera to allow the officer
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POLICE EQUIPMENT NEWS FLEET MANAGEMENT SENIOR MANAGEMENT ADVERTISER INDEX PRODUCT SPOTLIGHT
he Surveillance Mode Module (SMM) is a joint
T
effort between Ford Fleet and InterMotive. SMM
uses existing Ford features to give the eyes-down
officer “eyes in the back of the officer’s head.”
to see what exactly is approaching from the rear.
SMM also automatically raises the driver’s door window if it’s
down and locks all the doors when someone is detected approaching from the rear. Keep in mind this is all done while the vehicle is in
park and the officer only has to activate one button before any stress
elevation occurs. This alerting can buy the officer a few vital seconds
if an ambush attack is imminent from the rear in a scenario like a
traffic stop on a desolate highway with no ambient lighting. InterMotive’s goal is to provide the technology that creates a situation
where the officer has a better tactical advantage than the bad guy.
The SMM has the capability to expand not only what it does
with Ford’s OEM vehicle features but as well what it does with aftermarket equipment suppliers. What if the SMM could also turn
on rear-facing lightbar white light to blind an attacker approaching from the rear, or a side alley light if approaching from a specific
side? What if it could turn on in-car audio/video and record that
video, or record rear-camera video of a rear-approaching ambush?
What about if that video was auto sent to the dispatcher’s screen
with a GPS data stamp centering the officer’s unit on a dispatcher’s
map? The options are limitless; it’s all a matter of just how much
over watch an agency wants. The difficult balance facing all agencies is how much is too much in the name of officer safety?
Most Features in One Module
With all these separate features in many different modules, what
if you wanted most of these features in a single module? The Police Interface Module (PIM) is the newest edition to the InterMotive lineup. This sort of “all in one” InterMotive module puts many
features in one single little package: programmable steering wheel
switches (ISM), surveillance mode (SSM) and high idle (AFIS) plus,
daytime running light control, chime kill, and “Dark Car” all in one.
Tactical lighting is key to law enforcement vehicles; the PIM
provides daytime running light kill (DRL), and as well the Dark
Car feature that all the OEMs offer now as an optional feature.
InterMotive’s newest module is the Police Interface
Module (PIM). This combines the features of most
InterMotive modules into one module.
Part of InterMotive’s Dark Car feature is a silent car mode that
disables chimes associated with doors open, keys in ignition, and
headlights left on.
Even though a tactical lighting solution is already available,
InterMotive has the ability to provide a complete “Black Out”
feature. Black Out is a completely dark car with absolutely no illumination inside or out even when the vehicle is in motion. While
federal law does not allow the OEMs to make this available, InterMotive has provided a solution for government agencies that have
permission to use this Black Out feature.
InterMotive is constantly evaluating safety concerns as a primary factor when using technology to provide features like Black
Out. So they engineer in safety with controls. For example, if the
Black Out feature is activated, the vehicle CAN bus sends the
module VSS information. When the vehicle moves faster than a
predetermined speed, the lights automatically come back on. The
system is simple, effective and yet highly intelligent.
InterMotive knows emergency personnel are often at maximum
cognitive load with the stress of the job and external stimuli. They
don’t need more things to remember while dealing with a suspect in an emergency situation. The solution to making them safer
should be accomplished by using technology in a way that doesn’t
add to that load.
Providing these safety enhancements with technology should
be almost invisible to the user. InterMotive products allow seamless integration between the emergency services personnel, the
vehicles they use, and the systems designed to protect them.
Sergeant Brad Brewer is a 22-year member of the Vancouver Police Department.
He sits on the Ford Police Advisory Board and regularly gives presentations at law
enforcement conferences on mobile computing, wireless technology and police
vehicle ergonomics. He can be reached at sgt1411@gmail.com.
LaO
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