Harsh Event Setup

Matt Clark-Massera

Modified on: Mon, 8 Nov, 2021 at 1:11 PM

Harsh Driving Setup

Our hard-wired vehicle trackers can log accelerometer based harsh driving events.

Harsh Acceleration
Harsh Braking
Harsh Cornering

There are some important things to note when using these features.

Take special note of the System Parameter heading below. Different vehicle types require different thresholds for triggering events.

Devices and Firmware

Our hard-wired vehicle trackers support this feature:

Dart/Dart2
G60/G62
G100/G120
Bolt/Bolt2

Battery powered devices (Remora, Oyster, etc) are generally not suited to harsh event reporting because of their low power requirement. Instead they have High G Event detection features

Installation and Auto-Orientation

The devices can be mounted in any orientation. They will automatically figure out which way is forward/back, left/right, and up/down. This process requires 15 min of normal driving. For a more complete guide to this, view this support article.

System Parameters

The threshold for harsh driving vary between different vehicle types. A large truck and a motorcycle will require very different thresholds. The thresholds should be configured in system parameters on the OEM Server.

The G120 supports two thresholds - so parameters are slightly different, see below.

Find the harsh driving section in the Edit System Parameters dialog box. Enter acceleration thresholds in m/s^2 for each type of event. As a guideline:

Defaults: acceleration and braking 4.4m/s^2. Cornering 5.5m/s^2. These are set high to log a minimum number of events on most vehicles.
Testing: artificially low to generate events. Acceleration and braking 3.0m/s^2. Cornering 3.5m/s^2
In practice: choose levels between the defaults and the testing levels.

Notes on operation:

An event will be logged if the acceleration exceeds the threshold for at least 100ms. If the event lasts uninterrupted (stays above the threshold - 17% hysteresis) for more than 100ms, a single event is logged. A second event is logged if the acceleration drops below the threshold - 17% hysteresis for 100ms and then exceeds the threshold again for 100ms.

On the Bolt2, this duration is configurable.

G120 Parameters - 2 thresholds

Two thresholds are allowed on the G120, to allow for a setup as follows (among other potential configs):

Threshold A set at a certain level. The device will beep to provide in-cab feedback to the driver that they have breached a threshold.
Threshold B can then be set at a higher level, where the device will log this event as well.
Threshold A provides a warning to the driver, threshold B is is logged for reports in TG or another platform - and action can be taken to rectify these drivers behaviour.

Notes on Operation:

the harsh event can go off if the vehicle is on a steep enough incline (and threshold is low enough).
the log reason 'harsh accel/brake/corner' doesn't distinguish between thresholds A and B, so you may need to use digital inputs if you log both.
if you set beeps for both thresholds A and B, you can get an inconsistent number of beeps since both events can occur at the same time (or very close to each other).
- eg. 1 beep for A, 3 beeps for B. you will get between 1 to 4 beeps depending on the timing of the events.
- it may be better to set beeps for just the lower threshold because this must be crossed to reach the higher threshold.

Configuration in Telematics Guru

For TG users, Harsh Event Logging must also be configured in TG - to log these events into Harsh Driving Reports.

See Harsh Driving on Telematics Guru

Vehicle Installation

In contrast to many competing solutions, our devices do not require any special orientation or calibration procedure during installation.

Simply secure the device firmly to the vehicle chassis, in any location that will not see excessive vibration, and at any convenient angle. The unit should not rattle or change orientation during driving, so try to avoid cable ties to flimsy wiring harnesses, and installs that might impact nearby objects when vibrating.

Once power is applied, the unit will begin to continuously self-calibrate. It begins from an uncalibrated state, in which the harsh driving detection is disabled, and the accident detection is in a basic mode that ignores orientation. Once the vehicle begins a trip, each time it accelerates, brakes, or turns, the unit can compare the acceleration to the GPS velocity to determine its orientation. Each maneuver increases the accuracy of the orientation, and when the accuracy is high enough, harsh driving and advanced accident detection are enabled. This typically takes 10 to 15 minutes of driving.

Even after the initial settling period, the unit continues to self-calibrate, so it will adjust to small changes in position. Large changes will result in a few minutes of inaccurate data (~90 minutes if the direction of 'down' has changed), while it adjusts to the new conditions. When intentionally re-orienting the unit, you can reset it to its uncalibrated state by flipping it over for a few seconds. In addition to triggering an accident event for the rollover (if configured), this resets all orientation data, disabling the harsh driving and advanced accident detection until recalibration is complete. The unit will recalibrate faster if you reset it in this way.