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BMA - Operating manual

  • Document version: 1.0
  • Document status (date): March 16, 2026
  • Manufacturer: Bernard Technologies GmbH, Auweg 20, 6112 Wattens, Austria

The BMA is an intelligent optical detector for continuous detection of moving and stationary traffic.

1. Product overview

Product identification

  • Product name: BERNARD Mobility Analyser (BMA)
  • Models:
    • BMA-V3-27 (2.7 mm focal length)
    • BMA-V3-60 (6.0 mm focal length)
  • Hardware revision: v3

Short description

The BMA captures image data using an integrated camera and evaluates it directly on the device. Objects are detected and classified within the image area. Event triggers can generate events that are transmitted as JSON via MQTT. The BMA uses an integrated LTE modem for communication. Central management is handled via the Control Center.

Target group and qualification

Installation and commissioning may only be carried out by trained specialist personnel.
Operation is only permitted for instructed users.

Operator responsibility

The operator is responsible for integrating the BMA into a higher-level system and for evaluating the detection data and events provided by the device.

Intended use

The BMA may be used for continuous traffic detection, for example for:

  • traffic counting (cross-section)
  • turning movement counting
  • parking

Improper use

The BMA is not intended for:

  • safety-critical functions where incorrect or missing detection could lead to injury or property damage
  • legally binding evidence collection or surveillance in the context of public-authority tasks
  • operation outside the specified operating conditions or with an obstructed / unsuitable field of view

2. Safety

Signal words and symbols

DANGER

Hazardous situation which, if not avoided, will result in death or serious injury.

WARNING

Hazardous situation which, if not avoided, could result in death or serious injury.

CAUTION

Hazardous situation which, if not avoided, could result in minor or moderate injury.

NOTICE

Possible property damage or important additional information.

General safety

  • Installation only by qualified personnel.
  • Secure ladders or lifting platforms when working at height.
  • Secure the work area against falling parts during installation.

Electrical safety

  • Disconnect the power supply before installation and wiring; work on electrical connections must only be performed in a de-energized state.
  • Only establish the power supply in accordance with the product specification.
  • Check cables and connectors for damage before commissioning.
  • Take the BMA out of operation and contact support if cables or connectors are damaged.

Mechanical safety

  • Only install on suitable, load-bearing poles / substructures.
  • Ensure that detector and mounting bracket are firmly attached.
  • Tighten all fastening elements properly.
  • Perform a visual inspection after installation (secure fit, no loose parts).

IP protection and environmental conditions

  • To maintain the IP protection rating, point cable connections downward and fully lock all plug connections.
  • Route cables properly and ensure strain relief.
  • Operate the detector only within the specified operating conditions (see Technical data).
  • Do not open the device (no serviceable parts inside; opening voids the warranty).

3. Technical data

General
Function Continuous detection of moving and stationary traffic
Typical applications
Captured object classes
(model Traffic & Parking Accuracy+)
12+1 (see Traffic & Parking object classes)
Detection accuracy*
(model Traffic & Parking Accuracy+)

*) With optimal alignment and calibration
  • Parking monitoring
    • Counting accuracy: >99%
  • Traffic counting (cross-section)
    • Counting accuracy: >95%
    • Classification
      • Main classes >95%
      • Subclasses >90%
Speed estimation
*) With optimal alignment and a calibrated system over a 10 m section.
  • ±10% deviation at speeds <60 km/h
  • ±15% deviation at speeds <100 km/h
  • ±20% deviation at speeds <130 km/h
Object speed < 130 km/h
Day / Night Yes / Yes (with IR illumination)
Mounting parameters
Mounting type Pole mounting, clamping range diameter 60-150 mm
Mounting height 3.5 to 12 m

Note: A greater mounting height can help reduce occlusion of objects by large vehicles.

Horizontal mounting angle 0°-360°

Note: A mounting angle of approximately 15° generally provides better classification results because more object details become visible from the side, e.g. wheels and axles.

Electrical characteristics
Power supply 12-48 V DC
Maximum power consumption 20 W
Average power consumption
  • Standby: 4.5 W
  • Operation, IR off: 7 W
  • Operation, IR on: 10 W
Connectivity
Technology LTE Cat-4
4G bands Global: B1, B2, B3, B4, B5, B7, B8, B8_US, B9, B12, B13, B14, B18, B19, B20, B25, B26, B28
SIM format Nano-SIM
Transmission protocol/format MQTT / JSON (Event schema)
Environmental conditions
Operating conditions -20° C to +50° C
Protection class IP65
Dimensions and weight
Device dimensions without bracket 17.8 cm x 11.9 cm x 10.9 cm (L x W x H)
Device weight with bracket 880 g
Packaging dimensions 32.5 cm x 23.5 cm x 23 cm (L x W x H)
Packaging weight 2.3 kg

Dimension drawing

Distances to objects

The following distance ranges show at which distances objects can be detected depending on focal length and alignment.

BMA-V3-27

Focal length (mm) Field of view H/V (°) Orientation Person/Bicycle (m) Car/Van (m) Truck/Bus (m)
2.7 93 / 61 Near range 0 — 15 0 — 15 0 — 15*
2.7 93 / 61 Far range 7 — 20 7 — 40 7 — 60

Example view for 2.7 mm focal length (range and field-of-view example).

BMA-V3-60

Focal length (mm) Field of view H/V (°) Orientation Person/Bicycle (m) Car/Van (m) Truck/Bus (m)
6.0 55 / 30 Near range 5 — 20 5 — 20 5 — 20*
6.0 55 / 30 Far range 10 — 40 10 — 60 10 — 90

Example view for 6.0 mm focal length (range and field-of-view example).

Legend:

  • *: Long trucks / buses may not be fully within the field of view.
  • Near range: BMA mounted with a downward tilt.
  • Far range: BMA mounted with an almost horizontal alignment.

Note

Installation height 6 m, clear line of sight, sufficient lighting available.

4. Scope of delivery

☐ 1 x BMA
☐ 1 x mounting bracket
☐ 2 x hose clamps (inner diameter 60-150 mm; width 9 mm)
☐ 1 x 15 m power cable (0.75 mm²)
☐ 1 x quick-start installation guide

Not included: installation tools or other accessories such as power supply or Ethernet cable.

5. Mounting and installation

Insert / replace SIM card (optional)

The device is supplied with a SIM card by default. In this case, this section can be skipped.

Electrical safety

Do not replace the SIM card during operation. The device must be de-energized before opening the service flap.

Recommendation

Replace the SIM card before installation in a clean, dry environment at room temperature, not in the field.

Required: tweezers, nano-SIM

  1. Open the service flap by carefully pulling out the rubber plug.

    Service flap / rubber plug

  2. If present, remove the SIM card. Unlock it by pressing it in and remove it with tweezers.

    Note

    Make sure the SIM card does not fall into the housing. The housing must not be opened.

  3. Insert the new SIM card using tweezers.

  4. Close the rubber plug carefully and ensure that it seals completely.

    Note

    An incorrectly inserted rubber plug can cause leakage and damage the device.

  5. If necessary, the APN must be configured in the network configuration of the Service Interface.

Mechanical mounting

Tools required for installation:

Tool Figure
5 mm hex key 5 mm hex key
7 mm spanner 7 mm spanner
PH2 Phillips screwdriver PH2 Phillips screwdriver

Working at height

Secure ladders or lifting platforms and secure the work area against falling parts.

Vertical pole

  1. Mount the BMA on the pole.

    • Feed 2× hose clamps through the two openings in the bracket and fasten them to the pole (PH2 Phillips screwdriver). Horizontal alignment is done by rotating the device on the pole.

    Mounting on a vertical pole. Horizontal alignment.

  2. Align the BMA.

    • Slightly loosen the 4× socket head screws (5 mm hex key).
    • Align the device vertically. Then tighten all screws.

    Vertical alignment

Horizontal pole

  1. Prepare the mounting bracket for horizontal pole mounting.

    • Loosen the 4× hex nuts on the back (7 mm spanner).

    Prepare bracket for horizontal pole mounting

    • Rotate the bracket by 90°.
    • Reattach the bracket (4× hex nuts, 7 mm spanner).

    Torque

    Observe a maximum tightening torque of 1.3 Nm.

  2. Mount the BMA on the pole.

    • Feed 2× hose clamps through the two openings in the bracket and fasten them to the pole (PH2 Phillips screwdriver).
    • Align the BMA vertically by rotating it on the pole.

    Mounting on a horizontal pole. Vertical alignment.

  3. Align the BMA.

    • Slightly loosen the 4× socket head screws (5 mm hex key).
    • Align the BMA horizontally.

    Horizontal alignment

Visual inspection

Perform a visual inspection after installation (secure fit, no loose parts).

Alignment / IP protection

Point the device upward, cable connections downward.

Electrical connection

Electrical safety

Disconnect the power supply before installation and wiring; work on electrical connections must only be performed in a de-energized state. Only connect the power supply according to the product specification (12-48 V DC) and check cables / connectors for damage before commissioning.

  1. Connect the supplied cable directly or via an extension to a 12-48 V DC power supply (not included). To minimize voltage drop, 48 V is recommended.
  2. Brown = V+ (positive supply voltage), Blue = V- (negative supply voltage) (12-48 V DC)
  3. Connect the power plug to the device until an audible click is heard.

    Power connector on the detector (insert until an audible click is heard)

Note

Connect the mounting bracket to the local grounding point using the shortest possible cable to optimize interference immunity.

6. Commissioning

  1. Energize the power supply.
    • Expected LED behavior:
      • Power LED (left) lights red at first, then flashes red and then turns solid green. Time until the LED remains solid green: < 1 minute.
      • Connectivity LED (right) flashes blue at first and then turns solid green. Time until the LED remains solid green: < 3 minutes.
    • If the actual behavior differs, see Troubleshooting.
  2. Setup

7. Operation / use

7.1 Operation via Control Center

During normal operation, the BMA is managed centrally via the Control Center.

  1. Perform device configuration: model selection, event triggers, and rule definition. See: Device configuration in the Control Center.
  2. Monitor device status and connectivity and create alerts: Monitoring & Status, Monitoring Alerts
  3. Apply updates regularly: Device update

7.2 Service Interface

The Service Interface is intended for local commissioning and on-site diagnostics.

Requirements

  1. Notebook with Windows 11, macOS, or Linux; Google Chrome is used as the browser (mDNS must be supported).
  2. Ethernet cable with M12 plug (D-coded, 4-pin) and RJ45 plug.

Access steps

  1. Connect the M12 plug to the BMA (remove the protective cap from the M12 socket on the BMA first).
  2. Insert the RJ45 plug into the notebook.
  3. Under Linux, you may need to select the IPv4 method “Link-Local only” for the network interface.
  4. Open the browser and call http://bma.local (direct notebook ↔ BMA connection).
    • If mDNS is not available for the direct connection, use http://169.254.42.1 as fallback.
    • If the BMA is integrated into the network via DHCP, access is via http://<serial-number>.local, e.g. http://G-A2603-0001.local.
  5. After disconnecting the cable, reattach the protective cap to the M12 socket on the BMA.

Change password (mandatory)

Standard login for the Service Interface: username admin, password = first segment of the device ID (shown in the Control Center up to the first -).

Example: device ID 39b7b668-c7fd-4e91-9d65-b3ab96ebe3f2 → initial password 39b7b668.

The initial password is device-specific and should be changed on first login. Password policy: see Account in the Service Interface.

Note

The Service Interface is intended for on-site service. In normal operation, management is performed via the Control Center.

Functions in the Service Interface

The Service Interface supports service technicians during commissioning, on-site checks, and troubleshooting.

Overview

Overview with device, status, and modem information.

  • View device information (e.g. serial number, OS version).
  • Device status:
    • Application status (Curiosity): status of video processing.
      • Error: application error (see 8. Troubleshooting).
      • Standby: the application is currently inactive.
      • Running: application active, processing and rule evaluation operate normally.
    • Connectivity status:
      • None: no active connection (see 8. Troubleshooting).
      • Internet: Internet connection available.
      • Control Center: connection to the Control Center active.
    • Remote support:
      • Available: remote support is possible.
      • Not available: remote support is currently not possible.
  • Modem status:
    • signal strength
    • network operator
    • access technology
    • connection duration
    • transferred data (RX = received, TX = transmitted)
  • Perform a controlled restart of the device if required.
Live video
  • Select available streams and use the camera image for visual inspection and alignment.
Network

Network and APN configuration in the Service Interface.

  • Configure the APN settings of the SIM card.
  • Check / adjust Ethernet settings (DHCP, IP, subnet mask, gateway, DNS).
Diagnostics

Diagnostics view with ping / DNS test and log collection.

  • Perform connectivity tests via ping and DNS.
  • Use latency as well as ping / DNS status for troubleshooting.
  • Collect logs and provide them for support cases.

Account

Account management for changing the local service password.

  • Change the local service password.

Password policy

At least 8 characters, at least one uppercase letter, one number, and one special character.

8. Troubleshooting

Symptom Probable cause Action
Power LED does not light up No or insufficient power supply - Check with a multimeter whether 12-48 V DC is present at the device.
- Ensure the required output of the power supply is available.
Power LED remains permanently red System not started Contact support
- Power LED flashing red
- Application status = Error
Application error / system application not running correctly - Collect log files in the Service Interface and provide them when contacting support.
- Connectivity LED flashing blue
- Service Interface connectivity status = None
No active data connection (SIM/APN/network) - Check signal strength in the Service Interface.
- Check the APN settings of the network operator in the Service Interface (leave empty for supplied SIM cards).
- Check whether the SIM card is inserted correctly.
- If necessary, test the SIM card in another device.

9. Transport and storage

  • If possible, transport the detector in its original packaging and protect it from shocks, vibrations, and moisture.
  • Protect protective caps / connectors from contamination; avoid tensile load on cables / connectors.
  • Store dry and low-dust, storage temperature: -40 °C to +85 °C.

10. Maintenance and service

The detector is maintenance-free. If necessary, clean the lens / rain hood and check the mounting (hose clamps / screws) regularly for tight fit.

Cleaning:

  • Clean the lens / rain hood with a soft, lint-free cloth (slightly moistened if necessary).
  • Do not use aggressive cleaning agents, solvents, or abrasive aids.
  • Do not use a high-pressure cleaner / no direct water jet on plug connections.

11. Decommissioning and disassembly

DANGER

Switch off the power supply before disassembly and make sure the detector is de-energized.

CAUTION

The metal plate on the rear of the device may become hot during operation.

  1. Switch off the power supply.
  2. Disconnect the connector(s) and remove strain relief / cables.
  3. Secure the detector against falling and loosen the hose clamps.
  4. Remove the detector with bracket and pack it for transport / storage (see Transport and storage).

12. Conformity and disposal (EU)

Data protection

The detector is intended for the collection of anonymized traffic data. The operator is responsible for compliance with data protection requirements (e.g. GDPR) in the respective deployment context.

Conformity

The product is intended for use in the EU. The device contains a radio module (LTE); therefore requirements of the Radio Equipment Directive (RED, 2014/53/EU), among others, may apply. The EU Declaration of Conformity (DoC) and information on CE marking are available from support.

Disposal

  • Collect packaging materials separately and dispose of them in accordance with local regulations.
  • Do not dispose of waste electrical equipment in household waste; collect separately and send for environmentally sound recycling.

13. Contact

If you have questions or problems:

  • Support Center: Support
  • Email: service@bernard-gruppe.com
  • Phone: +43 5223 5840 10160, +49 221 222825 60
  • For quick processing, please provide: serial number, hardware revision, installation site, brief description of the fault