Video surveillance equipment
The functionality of this terminal is to feed all video and audio signals into it and then process and transmit them to the control facilities.
Product requirements
The starting requirements for product development were as follows:
- Achieve IP 65 sealing rating
- Pass vibration test
- Heat dissipation in the absence of openings and fans for recirculation
- Grounding of the mechanical case to protect the electronics
- A high level of security against intrusion
- Accessibility to the electronics for the assembly and maintenance phases
Solution created for application in the military-paramilitary field. Subsequently, the requirements were relaxed/declassified in order to reuse the project in the civil sector.
The product is designed to be placed on passenger vehicles (bus, subways), placed in a compartment above the driver’s head.
Accessibility
The case is designed to be easily accessible during assembly and subsequent maintenance thanks to the use of 2 structures made from a single extruded profile with an “L” shape that when joined together form a parallelepiped.
By removing the cover, the inside of the device is fully accessible to the operator.
Vibrations
Installation in vehicles means that the device must be designed to withstand the vibration levels typical for the application. To do this, specific measures were used to achieve this:
- Fewer mechanical couplings possible
- Fasteners with screws tightened with chemical threadlockers
- Isolation of the hard disk from the rest of the case by means of plastic supports and/or dampers
Protection against external agents
The application required an IP65 sealing rating in order to ensure protection against the ingress of dust and liquids. In addition to the use of special connectors, polyester films were used to cover the physical keys embedded in the front panel to ensure sealing.
The electronics and connectors were fixed to the mechanical case using specially made stainless steel press-fit inserts with a non-passing hole and thread to ensure sealing. The front and back panels feature EPDM gaskets housed in a groove around the perimeter, which was milled to provide the necessary precision and ensure the correct compression ratio.
Heat dissipation
The design requirements in terms of IP sealing, given the application context, did not allow the use of internal fans and slots on the mechanics to facilitate ventilation. Heat dissipation was to be guaranteed solely by the aluminium metal structure. The electronic components with the highest heat output were interfaced with the metal structure by means of thermal bridges formed by milled aluminium blocks with controlled roughness to maximise transmission losses.
The blocks then interfaced with the external structure via thermally conductive pads to ensure contact. The geometry of the extruded section used for the external casing was designed to increase the interchange surface and the colouring obtained by anodising minimised the radiation effect of the heat generated by the electronics.
Grounding
Security
Materials and technologies used
This system consisted of 6 different materials (aluminium, stainless steel, polyester, polycarbonate, EPDM gaskets, assembly adhesives [formerly Loctite].
The result was achieved using 13 different technologies (extrusion, profile cutting, deburring, thread turning, milling, laser cutting, bending, satin finishing, turning, mounting and applying pressure inserts, screen printing, anodising treatments), 4 of which were obtained via our trusted network (extrusion, turning, screen printing, oxidation).
6 Materials
13 Technologies
4 Core processing
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