Ground Vehicle Platform

Hardware for Ground Vehicle Fleets

Ground vehicles—cars, trucks, AGVs, and autonomous platforms—use the same fleet architecture as drones but with vehicle-appropriate hardware, protocols, and safety models.

Protocol Options

Ground vehicles communicate using industry-standard protocols:

CAN Bus

CAN bus provides:

• Direct access to vehicle systems (engine, transmission, brakes)
• Real-time telemetry (speed, RPM, fuel, temperatures)
• Diagnostic trouble codes (OBD-II / J1939)
• Aftermarket device integration

J1939 (Heavy Vehicles)

For trucks, buses, and heavy equipment:

J1939 provides:

• Standardized parameter groups (PGNs) across manufacturers
• Fleet-wide telemetry consistency
• Integration with telematics platforms
• Compliance with regulatory requirements

ROS 2 (Autonomous Platforms)

For purpose-built autonomous vehicles:

ROS 2 provides:

• Native sensor integration (LiDAR, cameras, IMUs)
• Standard message types for robotics
• Direct topic bridging to NATS
• Simulation compatibility (Gazebo, CARLA)

Hardware Stack

Compute Platform

Ground vehicles typically use ruggedized industrial compute:

Compute responsibilities:

• Vehicle Gateway (CAN/ROS 2 to NATS)
• NATS leaf node
• Edge AI inference (optional)
• Store-and-forward during connectivity loss

CAN Interface

Connectivity

Vehicle Types

Passenger Vehicles (Cars)

Use cases: Ride-sharing fleets, rental cars, delivery vehicles

Commercial Vehicles (Trucks)

Use cases: Long-haul logistics, delivery fleets, service vehicles

Autonomous Ground Vehicles (AGVs)

Use cases: Warehouse logistics, mining, agriculture, port operations

Safety Model

Ground vehicle safety differs from drones but follows the same principles:

Authority Hierarchy

Manual Override (highest authority)
    │
    ├── Steering wheel / brake pedal (driver present)
    ├── E-stop button (AGVs)
    └── Remote operator console
    │
    ▼
Autonomous System (software control)
    │
    ├── Perception → Planning → Control
    └── Geofencing, speed limits, operational domain
    │
    ▼
Fleet Management (lowest authority)
    │
    └── Mission assignment, routing, monitoring

Failsafe Behaviors

Network Safety

Same principle as drones: NATS is never in the control loop.

The vehicle’s onboard systems handle all safety-critical functions. Network loss means loss of monitoring, not loss of vehicle control.

Gateway Implementation

The Vehicle Gateway bridges vehicle-native protocols to NATS:

┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│                    GROUND VEHICLE GATEWAY                        │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│                                                                  │
│   CAN Bus ─────► DBC Parser ─────► Telemetry Subjects           │
│                                                                  │
│   J1939 ───────► PGN Decoder ────► Telemetry Subjects           │
│                                                                  │
│   ROS 2 ───────► Topic Bridge ───► Telemetry Subjects           │
│                                                                  │
│   Commands ◄───────────────────── Command Subjects              │
│                                                                  │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
                              │
                              ▼
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│                      NATS JETSTREAM                              │
│   fleet.prod.veh.{vehicle_id}.state.*                           │
│   fleet.prod.veh.{vehicle_id}.evt.*                             │
│   fleet.prod.veh.{vehicle_id}.cmd.*                             │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

Gateway responsibilities:

• Protocol translation (CAN/J1939/ROS 2 → common telemetry format)
• State downsampling (reduce high-frequency CAN to manageable rate)
• Event extraction (detect state changes, thresholds)
• Command validation (safety checks before execution)
• Store-and-forward (buffer during connectivity loss)

Subject Mapping

Ground vehicles use the same subject hierarchy as drones:

The subject structure is vehicle-agnostic. A fleet mixing drones and trucks uses identical patterns.

Integration Patterns

ELD Compliance (US Trucks)

Electronic Logging Device requirements:

• Hours of Service tracking
• Driver identification
• Location logging
• Data transfer to authorities

The gateway captures J1939 engine data and integrates with ELD compliance systems.

Telematics Integration

Existing telematics platforms can connect via:

• NATS grants (subscribe to specific vehicles)
• REST API (query historical data)
• Webhook events (real-time alerts)

Fleet Management Systems

Integrate with enterprise TMS/FMS:

• Vehicle assignments
• Route optimization
• Fuel management
• Maintenance scheduling

Summary

Related Documentation

• Supported Platforms — Overview of all vehicle types
• Drone Platform — UAV hardware and MAVLink
• Vehicle Gateway — Protocol bridging architecture
• Safety Model — Vehicle-agnostic safety principles
• Subject Naming — Telemetry subject hierarchy

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