|
The
On Call 2000 GP Version is a self contained audio player with
a GPS antenna attached that has the ability to play audio WAV
files based on its proximity to specified locations. Locations
are specified by latitude, longitude and radius coordinates.
The On Call 2000 GPS is very flexible in the way audio files
can be played through configurable playlist options.
Instructions
in the form of a playlist and audio wave files are stored on
a smart media memory card. The only limit to the size or number
of audio files that may be stored on or played from a memory
card is size of the card itself. Cards up to 128 MB in size
are currently available - over 4 hours of continuous play time
on one card.
Apllications
Applications
for this product include bus tours, boat tours, helicopter or
plane tours, tram rides, etc. The On Call 2000 GPS player can
even be configured to give directions for self guided tours.
An example of this is once the vehicle is within a specified
radius of the site (location) to be viewed it will start to
play a prerecorded message explaining all about
the site or describing, the next turn to take. Additionally,
location based advertisements could be intermixed to provide
an additional revenue stream and to play ads that are relevant
to the current location.
The
Playlist
The
playlist file helps the On Call 2000 unit determine when to
play the sound files on the memory card. Each line in the play
list file corresponds to a wave file on the memory card.
A circular
zone is defined by specifying a latitude, longitude, and radius.
The file specified with that defined zone will only be played
when the On Call 2000 is inside the specified zone. A file can
be set to repeat continuously as long as the unit remains inside
the zone, or it can be set to play only once for each time the
zone is entered, or it can be set to play only once, even if
the zone is left and re-entered again later. Note: Once a file
has started playing, it will continue to play even after the
unit has exited the specified zone.
Buttons
There
are two buttons on the front of the On Call 2000 GPS. The left
button is Skip/Repeat, and the right button is Start/Stop.
If the
Skip/Repeat button is pressed while a wave file is playing,
then that file will stop playing and the next line in the play
list will be processed. It will be behave exactly as if it had
reached the end of that file normally. If the Skip/Repeat button
is pushed while no file is playing, then it will "re-enable"
all files inside that zone that have already played and would
not otherwise play again unless you left and re-entered the
current zone. Pressing the Start/Stop button will stop any wave
file that's playing and keep the On Call 2000 from playing any
more wave files. The On Call 2000 will remain stopped until
the start/stop button is pressed again or power is cycled. The
purpose for this button is to provide a way to stop files from
playing, without re-
Connections
The
On Call GP requires 10 - 30 VDC power input with only 200 ma
current draw. This is ideal for in vehicle applications where
12 or 24 VDC is available and comes with a cigarette style power
cord. An optional AC adaptor is available. Audio output is available
at 8 ohm (to drive a small speaker directly) or 600 ohm output
impedance (suitable for input to an external audio amplifier
or PA system). An RF modulator or a small FM transmitter could
optionally be connected to the On Call output to enable reception
on a standard FM radio.
Background Audio
A background
music input jack is also provided standard on the On Call player.
This allows music or other audio sources to be played when the
On Call is silent. When the On Call triggers a message to play,
the background audio is tapered down, the message is played,
and when the On Call message is complete, the background audio
is tapered back up to resume playing. The effect is a very gentle
transition from background audio to message, and back again.
Mulitiple Units
An OnCall
GP unit can be configured as a master unit. A special cable
is used to connect it to any number of lower cost OnCall OH
slave units. Each slave unit can have its own independent playlist
and WAV files. The master unit sends GPS positions to each slave.
Practical uses for this would include multiple language systems
to connect with multiplexed headphone systems.
|
