Future of international transport.

The Swedish company Einride, a leader in autonomous trucks, has announced a breakthrough success - its driverless truck has for the first time completed an international route in Europe without a driver in the cab. The crossing of the Norwegian-Swedish border at Ørje is a significant step towards the future of modern freight transport.

The transport was commissioned by PostNord, one of the leading logistics players in the Nordic region, handling hundreds of millions of parcels annually. The whole project took place as part of the Modi project, co-funded by the European Union, which aims to implement innovative solutions for automated mobility and shared transport. This proves that autonomous trucks are no longer a vision of the future, but are becoming a real part of modern logistics, ready to operate in everyday operational conditions.

A demonstration at the border between Sweden and Norway, which was crossed by a driverless vehicle.

Crossing the border between Norway and Sweden is a particular challenge for autonomous transport systems, as it involves complying with various national regulations and infrastructure - from road markings to customs procedures. Until now, these barriers have significantly limited the applicability of autonomous vehicles in international transport. A key element of this success has been advanced digital integration. Einride used its own Driver operating platform and Control Tower management system, which interacted with the Norwegian customs system Digitoll. With the support of technology partner Q-Free, it was possible to fully automate the customs clearance process. The cargo was declared in advance, allowing for a smooth border crossing without the need to stop the vehicle or human involvement.

The test would not have been possible without the support of public institutions. The Norwegian customs administration, Tolletaten, not only agreed to the project, but also emphasised that border clearance automation is a key development in the area of future logistics. It is worth mentioning that Einride's technology goes beyond the vehicle itself - it is a comprehensive ecosystem including digital tools for route planning, traffic monitoring and fleet management. This makes it possible not only to increase transport efficiency, but also to reduce CO2 emissions and improve safety - aspects that are increasingly important to both customers and EU regulators.

Winners of the DIPOL photo contest!

Thank you to all the participants in the competition for the many entries and for sending in your wonderful photographs. This is another year during which we prove together that art can be created with antennas.

Congratulations to the winners and honourable mentions, and we invite you to send us your works in next year's jubilee edition of the "Engagingly about Antennas" competition. Below is a gallery of the winners:

1 place - Waldemar - Antenna under the Nest

2nd place Daniel - No morning TV again

New SMART COMBO antenna in offer.

The Dipol company has extended its COMBO (dual-band: VHF + UHF) antenna range. The DVB-T2 Y3 PASSIVE COMBO TV antenna with H/V polarisation A2120 has been designed for demanding users who expect high-quality reception of DVB-T2 terrestrial TV signals, both in the VHF and UHF bands. The Y3 PASSIVE COMBO model is characterised by high energy gain (14.1 dBi for the UHF band and 7.2 dBi for the VHF band), which results into stable reception even in more difficult terrain conditions or at greater distances from the transmitter. The antenna operates in passive mode only (without additional signal amplification).

DVB-T2 Y3 PASSIVE COMBO TV antenna with H/V polarisation A2120

The DIPOL Y3 PASSIVE COMBO A2120 antenna belongs to the family of SMART antennas, which are characterised by aesthetically pleasing appearance and very quick and easy installation. Importantly, the compact dimensions of the Y3 PASSIVE A2120 model make it a good choice for installation in places such as balconies, building elevations, etc.

Dead zone in the ULTIMODE OR-20 OTDR.

Dead zone in the OTDR is created when measuring any reflectance, or reflective, event. In a fiber optic system, such events are usually connections. This zone is located behind the connector and includes a section of the fiber where the OTDR will not be able to record any events (other connectors, splices, bends, etc.).

Ultimode OR-20 L5830 OTDR

The size of the dead zone of the Ultimode OR-20 L5830 OTDR is 3 m (event dead zone, i.e. one in which the OTDR will not recognize another event of reflectance nature, such as connectors) and 12 m (attenuation dead zone, i.e. one in which the OTDR will not recognize and measure an event of purely attenuation nature, such as splice). In the case of an event dead zone, the mere recognition of a subsequent event is not the same as measuring its parameters. It can be roughly assumed that, in order for a subsequent connector to be measured, it must be outside the attenuation dead zone.

The following reflectograms were generated with an OTDR L5830 by increasing the width of the measurement pulse from 5 ns to 1 μs. A wider pulse increases the dynamics of the OTDR, making it possible to measure longer optical fibers. It can be perfectly seen that, as the width of the measurement pulse increases, the noise of the reflectogram is reduced. The consequence, however, is an increase in the width of the initial peak. This width corresponds to the initial dead zone.

Also, the connector of the reflectometer (OTDR) generates a dead zone. The size of this zone depends primarily on the width of the measurement pulse, the condition and cleanliness of the connector in the OTDR and the connector plugged into it (both should always be clean). Manufacturers, when declaring the size of dead zones for their devices, always specify them for the shortest measurement pulse. This is, of course, the most favorable case – the zones will then be the smallest.

The size of the dead zone immediately downstream of the measuring device does not necessarily correspond 100% to the dead zone generated by any connector occurring further along the line. This one can depend on the distance of the connector from the OTDR and, most importantly, its reflectance – connectors that are more reflective can generate larger dead zones. Dirt on the connectors or their poor mutual alignment will have an even greater negative effect.

Care should be taken when configuring the OTDR. You should use the shortest possible pulses, but still provide the right level of dynamic range for the specific situation. The launch fibre is also important. It allows you to eliminate the dead zone behind the OTDR, and this makes it possible to measure the parameters of the first connector in the system. As can be seen from the above reflectograms, the length of such a fibre, especially when measuring the shortest lines, could be 20 m, but the production of launch fibers no shorter than 150 m has been accepted as a certain standard. It is also worth remembering that by taking a measurement from the other side of the fiber, the installer has the opportunity to see the events that occurred in the dead zones during the first measurement.

Antennas for 5G campus networks.

5G campus networks (5G campus networks) are private, local wireless networks based on 5G technology that are set up for a specific area - a so-called campus. This could be, for example, an industrial plant, university, airport, port, logistics centre or stadium.

Unlike public mobile networks, campus networks are customised - offering high security, low latency, high bandwidth and the ability for the owner to control the entire infrastructure. This makes them ideal for industrial applications where reliable and fast communication is crucial (e.g. production automation, robotics, IoT).

Unlike public operator networks, campus networks can be built using private frequency bands (e.g. the 3.7 GHz band in the EU), allowing them to be fully isolated and the parameters tailored to the needs of the specific environment.

DIPOL offers 5G antennas specifically designed for campus networks operating at higher frequencies - C-band. The range includes base station transmit antennas as well as terminal antennas.

Hikvision IP cameras with hybrid illuminator.

Hikvision IP cameras with the designation -LI in the model name have a hybrid illuminator (Smart Hybrid Light), which combines the advantages of white light and IR illumination. Traditional cameras have an IR illuminator that illuminates the scene, allowing night-time image recording at the expense of colour loss. ColorVu cameras, can record colour images around the clock, but the use of white light illumination is not always expected. To meet these requirements, Hikvision offers intelligent hybrid cameras with three scene illumination modes: classic infrared, white LED light and smart mode. In smart mode, the camera triggers white light when a human silhouette or vehicle is detected, providing a colour image. Once the object leaves the detection zone, the camera switches back to IR mode. In addition to illuminating the scene to provide a colour image, the LED light has the additional function of deterring an intruder. The user decides which mode the camera will operate in.

Cameras with Smart Hybrid Light technology available in Dipol's store can be found here.

Diode LEDs in SIGNAL PRO multiswitches. SIGNAL PRO series multiswitches have been designed with the installer's convenience and reliability of the whole multiswitch installation in mind. One of the important conveniences is the use of LED indicators assigned to individual subscriber outputs...>> more

LEDs in the SIGNAL PRO multiswitch.

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