Eco Compteur

Our sensors transpose real events into computing data. In electronics, this poses a considerable challenge as it straddles the border between the (unpredictable) real world and that of electronics (definite and precise).

We have:

Invented the acoustic PAVING STONE.

Created a wholly watertight PYRO unit, due to our using a plastic injection mould.

Invented and applied for the patent of the PYRO DUAL DIRECTION unit which works in any temperature.

Integrated the ZELT selective bike detection loop into our system (developed and patented by CETE southwest in Toulouse).

Our electronic boards have been conceived so as to make our Eco-compteur loggers 100% interchangeable, irrespective of the type or number of sensors used.

We have lowered the level of consumption for the whole piece of equipment when used at extreme levels whilst maintaining very useful functions for the user, such as: The infrared link or the Bluetooth module which allow automatic data retrievals to be made without needing connection. This was made possible due to our using the very latest generation of components to have emerged from the mobile phone industry.

We have created a software link between the Eco logger/pocket computer/PC which greatly facilitates the user's work. In order to do this we have invested in development tools which are worlds away from the do-it-yourself aids available on Excel!

The data retrieval software installed on the Pocket PC allows one to collect a whole year's worth of data in just 2 clicks whilst transporting only a small pocket computer weighing barely more than 100 grams, with no risk of losing said data. This system is suitable for complete computing novices, even for those people who are allergic to computing ...

The Eco-PC software and more recently the new on-line Eco-visio platform were conceived to create an easy and professional method of counting data.

Simple, ergonomic and intuitive, the Eco-visio analysis tool is fun to use and allows the user to share the on-line information. Its development is the fruit of 3 years' collaborative work between an agency specializing in IT ergonomics, our own computing engineers, client partners and novice users.

Sourcing a logger capable of housing an electronic board is usually a simple affair. For us, it presented yet another challenge:

A hygrometer housed in a plastic logger and placed in a damp environment shows that the latter will absorb humidity until condensation occurs, which of course is totally incompatible with electronics. To be reliable beyond 1 - 2 years, basic plastic must therefore be avoided.

We conceived a specifically molded logger combined with a patented guided light system, thus allowing the data to be read by infrared or Bluetooth without compromising on the absolute necessity for total waterproofness..

We also found that basic screwed joints were also to be avoided, as over the years they allow damp to penetrate and generate electronic breakdowns. We therefore conceived perfectly watertight joints which were closed off at the factory, this being made possible due to the exceptional longevity of our batteries which come with a 10-year working life guarantee.

One can find connectors on the market which are guaranteed IP 68, which is to say, waterproof even when submerged. However, these connectors are often inadequate when used for counters which spend years in water, mud, ice ... only connectors provided to the military generally guarantee usage in such severe conditions as those to which eco counters are subject, the problem being that their cost is close to that of a whole counter!

We therefore had to innovate to be able to supply connectors which we then modify or protect by a using a special gel (as we do when the loggers are placed in particularly severe conditions).

This extreme resistance to severe climatic conditions allows us to offer a standard 2-year guarantee and to confidently offer 5 and 10 year extensions.

Developing and perfecting material to work under lab conditions is not sufficient for our activity. Our equipment has to be capable of resisting the damage the outside environment can cause during several years. We have therefore perfected tests which simulate accelerated ageing:

These lab tests simulate long time outdoor exposure and the equipment also spends several weeks submerged in water so as to simulate several years' exposure to damp. We also build robots which simulate people walking or bike wheels passing over and thus subject the material in a few weeks to the thousands of passages that normally would take 10 years.

Field tests are also carried out. Each new system is set up under difficult conditions, then we carry out both manual and automatic test countings to be absolutely certain that the equipment and its software are working perfectly.