Stop Arm Camera Gen2: Overview

The Stop Arm Camera Gen2 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 camera captures, stores, and securely transfers the required evidence to the Ranger DVR for enforcement of these infractions and/or charges.
 

How it Works

The Stop Arm Camera Gen2 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 camera:  

1. Generates a unique "Event ID" from the device's serial number, date, and a sequential event number.
   • 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. Stores video of two seconds of pre-event and two seconds of post-event recording from each lens and the license plate images from the high-resolution lenses.

When the vehicle's stop arm is closed, the event folder(s) are transferred from the camera's storage to the "/Stop Arm" folder in the Ranger DVR.

If the DVR is registered to CloudConnect, all captured events are automatically transferred to the storage software when the vehicle is off, and the unit is connected to a Wi-Fi network. If CloudConnect's automatic ticketing is enabled, the transferred data will synchronize with Pro Vision's ticketing partner in real time.

The Camera's Views: 

The camera’s recorded footage displays an "SARM" label in the bottom-left corner to indicate 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 Gen2 is encased in a waterproof (IP67-rated) yellow-and-black housing, allowing it to be securely mounted on the driver's side of the bus while remaining discreet. 

• Two (2) narrow-focus lenses to capture high-resolution (>1080P) views of vehicle license plates.  
• Two (2) infrared LEDs for low-light and night-vision performance. 
• One (1) wide-angle (180°) lens, used by the camera’s AI for vehicle detection.
• A light sensor to control the infrared lights for low-light performance. 
• A built-in microphone to capture audio for the wide-angle video feed.

The Connections

The camera 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. 
   • 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 Gen2: Installation article to understand the device and ensure accurate installation.
• See Stop Arm Camera: Viewing Events Gen2 for detailed instructions on viewing the camera's captured data.