Stop Arm Camera 2: Overview

The Stop Arm Camera 2 supports school transportation safety by automatically recognizing, capturing, and storing evidence of vehicles passing a bus with an open stop arm.

Drivers making this illegal pass can be fined or face criminal charges if their actions result in injury or death. The Stop Arm Camera 2 works alongside the Ranger DVR to capture and store the required evidence to enforce these infractions and/or charges. 
 

How It Works 

The Stop Arm Camera 2 is installed on the driver's side of the bus, where it receives vehicle signal and visual input from the stop arm and has a clear view of the street. When the stop arm is deployed, the front wide-angle (180°) lens searches for passing vehicles and starts pre-recording, and the two (2) narrow-angle lenses buffer through HD images (>1080P) to capture the passing vehicle's license plate. 

When the camera recognizes a violation, the Stop Arm Camera:  

1. Generates a unique "Event ID" with the device serial number, date, and a sequential number for the event.
   • • For example, a camera with the serial number (2307SA0001) detecting a second vehicle (0002) on October 22nd, 2024 (20241022) would generate the "Event ID" 2307SA0001202410220002.
2. Creates a folder named after the Event ID. 
3. Searches buffered high-resolution images for a clear license plate image. 
4. Writes the event metadata file. 
   • • The file includes the event ID, bus number, date and time, time (in milliseconds) between stop arm deployment and infraction, GPS location, and the detected license plate.
5. Store a video of two seconds of pre-event and two seconds of post-event recording from the wide-angle lens view, as well as the license plate images from the high-resolution lenses. 

Event folders are written in the camera, copied and stored in a "/StopArm" folder on the Ranger DVR, then removed from the camera when the stop arm is closed.

Users can access the event folder through their Ranger storage or CloudConnect software. If automated ticketing is enabled through CloudConnect, the Pro-Vision cloud server will synchronize event folders to the server's ticketing partner when the DVR offloads video data. 

The Camera's Views: 

In the recorded camera image, the user will see a "SARM" label display in the bottom left corner to denote when the stop arm is active, and a "V" when the camera recognizes a violation. 

Wide-angle lens:

Narrow-angle lenses: 

The Camera

The Stop Arm Camera 2 is encased in a waterproof (IP67 rated) yellow and black housing so it may be securely mounted on the driver's side of the bus while remaining discreet. 

• Two (2) narrow-focus lenses to capture high-resolution (>1080P) images of vehicle license plates.  
• Two (2) infrared LEDs for low-light and night-vision performance. 
• One (1) wide-angle (180°) lens. The camera's artificial intelligence uses this lens for vehicle detection and pre- and post-event video recording. 
• A light sensor controls the infrared lights for low-light and night-vision performance. 
• A built-in microphone to capture audio for the wide-angle video feed.

The Connections

The Stop Arm Camera 2 has two (2) connections: a red trigger wire and an Ethernet cable.

1. The camera's red trigger wire connects to the Stop Arm's signal wire, activating the camera each time the Stop Arm is extended.
2. The Ethernet wire connects to a 15-foot Ethernet extension, which is routed within the vehicle to the Ranger DVR.
   1. • The Ethernet extension then connects to a Passive PoE Cable Assembly, which splits into Ethernet and a four (4) pin connector to connect to the Ranger DVR. 
      • This connection provides the camera with passive power (12 Vdc PoE) from the DVR and allows the transfer of event file folders.
        
        

Related Articles: 

• Please read the Stop Arm Camera 2: Installation article to understand the device and ensure accurate installation.
• See Stop Arm Camera 2: Viewing Events for detailed instructions on viewing the data captured by the camera.