Disclaimer for the usage of the Fleximodo vehicle detector (radar version)

For proper function of the Fleximodo IoT vehicle detectors, following constraints and conditions must be respected:

A) Sensor requirements

1. IoT network coverage (namely signal strength - RSSI ) at the location of the parking slots must be:

   1. at least -100 dBm for the NB-IoT version and Enhanced Coverage Level (ECL) must be better than number 2.

   2. at least -110 dBm for the LoRa or Sigfox version

2. The surrounding magnetic field must be stable in the vicinity of the detector (i.e. not changing frequently). If this condition is not met, the detector will not be able to calibrate itself (i.e. continues to indicate the NOT_CALIBRATED status or switches to a less precise “radar only” mode). Therefore you should avoid installation near high-voltage power cables, transformers, etc.

3. To avoid detector irritation, the installation of the detector shall be

   1. at least 170 cm away from any frequented road.

   2. at least 100 cm away from any large metallic object such as a canal hatch.

4. Water in any form blocks the onboard radar. This means that snow, ice or floodwater that covers the detector decreases its detection accuracy from 99 % to 95 %. Rain is not a problem if the water can freely flow away from the detector (which is not the case when for example tree leaves cover the sensor).

5. We also recommend to inform any snow-plough drivers about the presence of the detectors, so they can proceed with care, to prevent the lense of the nanoradar of being damaged. Otherwise, depending on the damage, the sensor can become less reliabile or totaly useless.

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   A sensor seriously damaged by careless snow-plough drivers

6. The sensor shall be installed parallel to the parking angle. This is mostly the natural case, because cars usually do not park with one wheel on the road and another wheel on the sidewalk. If they do, the sensor shall not be used.

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B) Parking requirements

1. The car shall remain in place for at least 15 seconds to be notified by the system. Cars that leave the slot earlier than 15 seconds are detected, but not reported by the detector.

2. Vehicles with a very weak magnetic response (motorbikes, bicycles) might not be detected by the system.

3. All vehicles must park properly, i.e. inside the demarcation lines of the slot. Vehicles that cross the demarcation lines might not be detected by the detector, as they might fail to park directly above the detector. This happens e.g. when lines are not visible for the drivers, e.g. when fresh snow is present.

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   Img. 1: This car failed to park over the detector.

4. The sensor contains an anti-spam filter on its communication interface: if more than 10 messages are sent within 5 minutes, further communication will be blocked. Another message will be allowed after 5 minutes of inactivity.

C) iPermit cards requirements

1. Our iPermit card - if used - shall be placed inside a standard passenger car (i.e. not a bus, truck or similar) behind the windshield or on the dashboard, in order to be able to communicate with the vehicle detector.

2. Our iPermit card works on Bluetooth. Therefore the radiofrequency spectrum at 2.4 GHz shall not be jammed (e.g. by too many WiFi’s or other BLE devices), in order to allow for proper communication between the card and the detector.

Calibration

A) Automatic calibration

Sensor will perform auto-calibration during normal parking lot traffic. If you want to calibrate it faster, the minimal required events for proper sensor calibration are as follows:

1. After installation of the detector, it shall indicate the status NOT_CALIBRATED.

2. Park the vehicle above it and stay parked at least 30 seconds.

3. After >30 sec, unpark the vehicle, and let the slot vacant for >30 sec.

4. Repeat again, i.e. park for >30 sec, then unpark and leave vacant for >30 sec.

5. The detector shall now indicate a FREE status.

B) Manual calibration:

There is also a possibility to calibrate sensors manually i.e. at a given point in time, when the parking slot and it’s vicinity is free of any vehicles or other large metallic or magnetic objects. In such a case, please contact us to schedule a proper timeframe, when we shall perform the manual calibration.