ARMOR Alarms (Crash, Harsh, Idle, Tow)

Modified on Fri, 27 Mar at 11:05 AM

This article explains how the ARMOR platform detects and reports four common operational alarms for tracked assets: Crash Detection, Harsh Behavior (Acceleration/Braking), Idle, and Tow. You’ll learn what each alarm means, how ARMOR detects it, which settings you can tune, what you’ll see in the UI, and best practices to reduce false positives.

Applies to: ARMOR-connected vehicles, trailers, powered and non-powered equipment using ARMOR-approved telematics devices and firmware profiles.

Quick Summary

Alarm	What it Means	Primary Signals	Common Uses
Crash Detection	High-severity impact detected; device captures pre/post sensor data.	High-rate accelerometer sampling, GPS, speed, ignition/voltage.	Safety alerts, incident reconstruction, insurance/claims support.
Harsh Behavior	Rapid acceleration or braking above configured thresholds.	Accelerometer (G-force), speed context, duration filters.	Driver coaching, risk scoring, fuel/maintenance cost reduction.
Idle	Engine on (or inferred on) with no meaningful movement for X minutes.	Ignition/voltage, motion threshold, GPS speed.	Fuel/energy waste reduction, policy enforcement, sustainability KPIs.
Tow	Asset moves while ignition is off (possible tow/unauthorized move).	Accelerometer motion, GPS displacement, ignition state.	Theft detection, asset security, after-hours movement alerts.

How ARMOR Detects Events

ARMOR ingests real-time telemetry from on-asset devices (accelerometer, GPS, voltage/ignition) and applies device-level rules plus ARMOR cloud logic to classify events. Depending on your firmware profile, some thresholds are evaluated on-device for immediacy, while others are evaluated in the platform for consistency across fleets.

Accelerometer multi-axis motion & shock
GPS speed, heading, displacement, location quality
Ignition/Voltage true or virtual ignition state
Duration/Hysteresis sustained time above/below thresholds to reduce noise

Crash Detection

Definition

ARMOR flags a Crash when the device reports a sudden, high-magnitude impact consistent with a collision. For supported profiles, ARMOR stores a short window of pre/post readings to help investigate the incident.

Detection Inputs

High-rate accelerometer spike above the crash threshold
Speed immediately before/after impact (when available)
GPS location at event time
Ignition/voltage context

Configurable Settings

Crash G-threshold: sensitivity to impact magnitude (configurable, default = 4G's)
Pre/Post buffer length: seconds captured before/after impact (if supported)

What You’ll See in ARMOR

Event History: Crash with timestamp, asset, location, severity fields (when available)
Maps: pin at crash location with red event dot
Alerts (optional): instant email/SMS/notification per your alert/notification rules
Reports: crash counts

Best Practices

Start with default thresholds; review false positives; then tighten.
Use speed context and/or ignition state to filter potholes/curb strikes.
For forklifts/off-road: apply a higher threshold due to normal jolts.

Troubleshooting

Too many crashes? Raise G-threshold or require minimum duration.
Missing events? Confirm configuration profile supports crash mode and that buffers are enabled.

Harsh Behavior (Acceleration/Braking)

Definition

Harsh Acceleration and Harsh Braking capture aggressive changes in speed. Events are generated when longitudinal G-force exceeds your configured threshold for a minimum duration.

Detection Inputs

Accelerometer (longitudinal axis)
Duration filter to avoid momentary spikes
Optional speed floor (ignore events below low speeds)

Configurable Settings

Accel/Brake G-thresholds (e.g., 0.25–0.50 g typical starting range)
Minimum duration (e.g., ≥ 300 ms) and speed floor (e.g., ≥ 10 mph)

What You’ll See in ARMOR

Event History: Harsh Acceleration, Harsh Braking with magnitude & duration (when available)
Alerts/Notifications: real-time or daily digest via your alert/notification policies

Best Practices

Apply a speed floor to ignore parking-lot nudges.
Coach using trends, not one-off events.

Troubleshooting

Too chatty? Increase thresholds or add duration/hysteresis.
Nothing firing? Lower thresholds slightly and verify accelerometer is enabled.

Idle (Idling Alarm)

Definition

Idle triggers when the asset is “on” but stationary for longer than your threshold. ARMOR can infer ignition from direct ignition input or virtual ignition (voltage + motion).

Detection Inputs

Ignition/voltage state (true or inferred)
Motion or GPS speed below threshold (e.g., < 1 km/h)
Idle timer exceeding configured minutes

Configurable Settings

Idle Start (common start: 5–10 minutes)
Motion/speed threshold to tolerate creep and GPS drift
Time windows/zones where idling is allowed (loading bays, cold-chain)

What You’ll See in ARMOR

Event History: Idle Start / Idle Stop with duration and location
Reports: idle time by asset/site
Alerts: notify when active idle exceeds a policy limit

Best Practices

Use different policies for on-road vehicles vs. stationary equipment.
Exclude geo-fenced service bays to avoid nuisance alarms.

Troubleshooting

False idles? Raise speed threshold slightly; verify ignition source, turn feature off.
No idles? Lower timeout or verify ignition wiring/virtual ignition settings.

Tow Alarm

Definition

A Tow alarm occurs when an asset is moved while ignition is off—often an indicator of towing or unauthorized relocation.

Does not work in Accelerometer ignition mode

Detection Inputs

Ignition state: off
Accelerometer motion exceeding movement threshold
Optional GPS displacement (moved more than X meters)

Configurable Settings

Movement threshold (accelerometer sensitivity)
Displacement threshold (e.g., > 25–50 m)
Delay to ignore small bumps/vibrations

What You’ll See in ARMOR

Event History: Tow Start/Stop with location(s) and movement details
Maps: last known vs. new position with breadcrumb
Alerts/Notifications: high-priority notifications to security/ops lists

Best Practices

Combine with geo-fences (“should not move outside this perimeter”).

Troubleshooting

False tows? Increase displacement and add a short hold-off.
No detection? Verify ignition logic (true off), and motion threshold not too high.

Configuration & Governance

Where to Configure

ARMOR UI → Asset: set device-level thresholds (when supported by firmware).
ARMOR UI → Notifications: choose who is notified and when (real-time vs. digest).

Suggested Starting Points (Adjust to Your Fleet)

Asset Class	Harsh Accel	Harsh Brake	Idle Timeout	Tow Displacement	Crash
Light Duty (cars/vans)	≥ 0.30 g, ≥ 300 ms	≥ 0.35 g, ≥ 300 ms	5–10 min	≥ 25–50 m	4 G-force
Medium Duty (box trucks)	≥ 0.35 g, ≥ 300 ms	≥ 0.40 g, ≥ 300 ms	5–10 min	≥ 35–75 m	5 G-force
Heavy / Off-Road	≥ 0.40–0.50 g, ≥ 400 ms	≥ 0.45–0.55 g, ≥ 400 ms	10–15 min	≥ 50–100 m	7 G-force

These are baseline recommendations. Use your historical data in ARMOR Reports to fine-tune for environment, load, and operator behavior.

Operations: What to Do When an Alarm Fires

Crash

Confirm location and contact on-site lead for safety check.
Capture photos and notes; preserve pre/post data in ARMOR.

Tow

Verify ignition was off; check geo-fence breach.
Call site security or driver; locate via ARMOR Live Map.
Escalate to law enforcement/asset recovery if unauthorized.

Harsh Behavior

Review trend vs. peers; avoid single-event discipline.
Coach with context (weather, traffic, load).
Set Goals and monitor improvement weekly.

Idle

Validate allowed zones/time windows.
Coach operators; adjust policy by asset class.

FAQ

Do I configure thresholds on the device or in ARMOR?

Both exist. Device-level thresholds (where supported) ensure immediate edge detection. ARMOR policies normalize behavior across mixed fleets and drive alerting, notifications, and reports.

How does ARMOR reduce false positives?

We combine multi-signal context (accelerometer + GPS + ignition), apply duration/hysteresis, and let you set speed floors, geo-fence exceptions, and quiet hours.

Does this work for EVs/hybrids and non-powered assets?

Yes. For EVs/hybrids, rely more on motion and speed context than engine noise/voltage alone. For non-powered assets (trailers), tow relies on motion/displacement while “ignition off.”

Can I receive emails or daily summaries?

Yes. Use Notifications for real-time notifications and Daily/Weekly Reports for scheduled summaries to distribution users.

Change Control

Updating thresholds may require contacting ARMOR Support device check-in or profile publish. For large fleets, roll out to a pilot group first, review results, then apply broadly.

© ARMOR. This document describes ARMOR platform capabilities at a high level. Exact signals and fields vary by device model, firmware, and default configuration. For assistance, contact ARMOR Support with the asset ID, event timestamp, and a brief description of the scenario.