Car-to-X: It’s good to talk

Feature

Whilst some see Car-to-X technologies as the first step towards driverless motoring, their importance in reducing road accidents cannot be underestimated, writes Miriam Leibovitz

Back in 2008, it was estimated there were more devices connected to the Internet than people on the Earth. Networking giant Cisco predicts some 25 billion devices will be connected by 2015, and 50 billion by 2020. One of the most technologically challenging elements to this rapid expansion of connected devices could be spearheaded by Car-to-X – a collective concept for many different research and development activities which aim to enhance safety, improve traffic efficiency and satisfy the need for convenience. It studies functions that can be better implemented, or are only made feasible in the first place, by communication between vehicles or between vehicle and infrastructure.

In its various guises, Car-to-X establishes a communication connection between a car and a different unit (such as infrastructure, other cars and even pedestrians) in order to avoid accidents. Car-to-X systems utilise Wireless Local Area Network radio technology, which enables them to rapidly transmit warnings. These systems will be based on networks using Dedicated Short Range Communication (DSRC), as defined by the IEEE 802.11p automotive WiFi standard and operating in the 5.9GHz band.

The use of such Car-to-X communication will greatly expand a vehicle’s visual field. According to the US Department of Transportation, the technology has the potential to affect 81 per cent of all crash scenarios: “Car-to-X communication allows drivers to see around corners in every sense of the word,” explains Dr Bernhard Klumpp, head of the Passive Safety & Sensors business unit at Tyre manufacturer Continental’s Chassis & Safety division.

By allowing vehicles to reliably interact with each other when travelling at high-speeds, each vehicle can give drivers warnings about potential hazards and allow them to avoid accidents, or even automatically respond to changing driving conditions faster than typical human reaction times. Warnings about traffic blockages ahead also allow early re-routing to avoid traffic congestion. Consumption can also be lowered – the more data is available about traffic flow and density, the more efficiently a vehicle can be guided through the traffic with as little braking and acceleration as possible.

In January this year, networking giant Cisco and NXP Semiconductors both announced heavy investments in Cohda Wireless, a specialist in wireless communication for automotive safety applications.

Onboard and road side units developed using technologies from the three companies have been tested to global standards in major field trials. In August 2012, the “Safety Pilot Model Deployment” trial by the US Department of Transport was initiated, and other major field trials include simTD in Germany, ScoreF in France, and ERP2 in Singapore.

The three companies will apply their collective expertise and technologies to help automotive OEMs, suppliers, enterprises and consumers to connect vehicles with ITS infrastructure. This will be spearheaded by producing the first automotive-qualified IEEE 802.11p products for onboard and road‑side units that are ready for C2C and C2I deployments across the globe.

Cohda’s technology enhances wireless communications to quality levels far beyond commercial off-the-shelf IEEE 802.11p transceivers, allowing cars to more effectively ‘see’ through obstacles or around corners. NXP, as global supplier of car radio semiconductors and security chips, brings its software-defined radio platform and ensures industry-ready data security, cost efficiency, form factor, power consumption, and performance. Together, Cisco, NXP and Cohda will develop a complete market-ready solution for the automotive and ITS industry.

NXP will exclusively license the Cohda 802.11p technology together with its chipsets as a one-stop shop to automotive customers. Cohda will be NXP’s preferred partner for automotive 802.11p reference designs. Cisco is helping the automotive and transportation systems industries deliver new functionality, enhanced safety and driver experience.  
By incorporating an intelligent network, OEMs, suppliers, enterprises and consumers can benefit from intelligent transportation systems, connected commercial fleets and smart connected vehicles.

Cohda Wireless ceo Paul Gray: “Combining our special expertise in wireless automotive communication with that of long-established automotive companies like NXP and a global player like Cisco is a logical next step to further grow our reach into the automotive industry.”

NXP and Cohda Wireless have built a solution for onboard-units based on Cohda’s existing advanced radio and NXP’s market‑proven software-defined radio technology. This makes it a key element to connect to Cisco’s vision of a highly-secure ‘Internet of Everything’. Cisco defines this as: Bringing together people, process and data to make networked connections more relevant and valuable than ever before‑turning information into actions that create new capabilities, richer experiences, and unprecedented economic opportunity for businesses, individuals, and countries.

“We believe that amazing things can happen when you connect the previously unconnected, and smarter vehicles are one of the many ways in which we will fully experience the Internet of Everything,” says Maciej Kranz, vice president of the Connected Industries Group at Cisco.

In April, NXP and Cohda Wireless signed the CAR 2 CAR Communication Consortium Memorandum of Understanding (MoU). The memorandum aims at implementing and deploying harmonised technology for the wireless communication between cars, or between cars and traffic infrastructure, in Europe. NXP and Cohda are the first automotive electronics suppliers to sign the MoU, following twelve major car manufacturers in October 2012. The Consortium’s aim is to create common standards for vehicle‑to‑vehicle and vehicle‑to‑infrastructure communication ready for series production in 2015.