Demo shows: cooperative driving ready for deployment

DRIVE C2X powers the joint cooperative mobility demonstration by CAR 2 CAR Communication Consortium and Testfeld Telematik at the ITS World Congress in Vienna. 

Using communication technology to send warnings and useful information directly from vehicle to vehicle or between vehicles and the roadside infrastructure is no longer science fiction. Getting the current speed limit transmitted directly and wirelessly to one’s dashboard receiving a warning before one can see the tail end of a traffic jam learning about bad weather or obstacles on the road from the vehicles that first notice them are among the various functions that can make driving safer greener and more efficient. The Vienna demonstration powered by DRIVE C2X technology illustrates how close to deployment cooperative driving is.

A major step to a safe and smart mobility 

Cooperative driving is the vision that traffic and transportation can become safer more efficient and more environmentally friendly if vehicles communicate with each other and the roads they are moving on. Then they can exchange information warnings and advisories about weather road and traffic conditions. For instance a vehicle approaching the end of a traffic jam can warn all following drivers in real time about the hazard a construction site can signal its position to approaching vehicles and advise them on possible speed limits and lane blockages or when approaching a traffic light drivers receive recommendations on the optimal speed in order to pass without a stop. Cooperative driving marks the next major step to a safe and smart mobility. A real-time and comprehensive Car2X communication network leads to a significant increase in the predictive capability of vehicles and in the value of driving information systems.

The DRIVE C2X reference system: a common ‘language’

To make this happen a common language needs to be developed together with a suitable technological platform. DRIVE C2X a project co-funded by the European Commission DG CONNECT takes a big step towards this goal. The reference system developed in DRIVE C2X is a prototype for a European Car2X communication system. The system consists of software functions for wireless transmission of information and warnings and the necessary hardware units in the vehicles and on the roadside. The communication system is based on the ITS standards currently under completion by the ETSI Technical Committee ITS. The DRIVE C2X reference system uses WLAN-related technology communicating at 5.9 GHz the frequency band that is reserved Europe-wide exclusively for vehicle safety applications. Currently the reference system is being implemented at seven European ITS test sites where its impact on traffic safety and efficiency will be evaluated in closed-track conditions and on public roads. The DRIVE C2X reference system makes it possible for the first time to create a harmonised testing environment for cooperative systems across Europe. Harmonization is necessary to make test results comparable under the different circumstances that occur within Europe. This is an important step to give decision-makers in industry and public authorities the much-needed certainty about the benefits of cooperative driving – and crucial for investing in the deployment of such systems.

Real-life driving demonstration at the ITS World Congress 2012 in Vienna powered by DRIVE C2X technology 

Recently validated for its performance the DRIVE C2X reference system will power the joint cooperative mobility demonstration at the ITS World Congress 2012 in Vienna from 22 to 26 October. This joint demonstration conducted by the European CAR 2 CAR Communication Consortium (C2C-CC) and Austria’s Testfeld Telematik (TT) will prove that cooperative driving is mature for deployment on Europe’s urban and interurban roads and delivers on its promise to make driving safer more convenient and more environmentally friendly.

“The use of the DRIVE C2X reference system in the joint driving demo shows the outreach of the DRIVE C2X developments on European level and beyond and will create a significant push towards the deployment of cooperative communication systems as they are currently standardised in ETSI Technical Committee ITS” says Matthias Schulze Senior Manager Driver Support at Daimler AG and coordinator of DRIVE C2X.

The demonstration gives a worldwide audience an in-depth view of the technology on public roads. In a 30-minute demonstration tour they will experience how the vehicles and infrastructure elements warn each other of potential traffic hazards or provide information on speed limits or optimal driving speed. On display is also the new interface which shows three levels of notification depending on the urgency of the situation from advisory to alert. In addition to the demonstration visitors can also get a view of the data collection and test management process and monitor the movement of the demonstration vehicles on the road at the DRIVE C2X test management center installed at the DRIVE C2X stand of the European Commission exhibition area (Hall B C20). 

DRIVE C2X: a cooperation of many different stakeholders

 

DRIVE C2X is a research project that brings together car manufacturers research institutes authorities and information technology providers to provide a pan-European reference for the communication among vehicles and between vehicles and the infrastructure. The project started in 2011 with 33 full partners and 13 support partners coordinated by Daimler AG and will end in June 2014. It has an overall budget of 18.6 million Euros with 12.4 million Euros funding from the European Commission’s Directorate General for Communications Networks Content and Technology (DG CONNECT) under the seventh Framework Programme (FP7) for research and technological development

With its seven associated European ITS test sites in Finland France Germany Italy Netherlands Spain and Sweden DRIVE C2X lays the foundation for rolling out cooperative systems in Europe. 

The DRIVE C2X consortium consists of the automotive manufacturers Adam Opel Audi BMW Forschung und Technik* Centro Ricerche Fiat Daimler AG Ford Forschungszentrum Aachen Honda Research Institute Europe* Peugeot Citroën Automobiles Renault Volvo Personenvagnar Yamaha Motor*; the electronics and automotive suppliers Continental* Delphi Delco Electronics Europe Denso Automotive Deutschland* Hitachi Europe Neavia Technologies NEC Europe Renesas Technology Europe Robert Bosch*; the software developers Testing Technologies* Vector Informatik* Ygomi Europe; the traffic engineers PTV Planung Transport Verkehr; the universities and research institutes Bundesanstalt für Straßenwesen Centro Tecnológico de Automoción de Galicia Chalmers University Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt Facit Research Fraunhofer Institute FOKUS Hochschule für Technik und Wirtschaft Saarland* Institut français des sciences et technologies des transports de l’aménagement et des réseaux Institut Nationale de Recherche en Informatique et en Automatique Interuniversity Microelectronics Centre Karlsruhe Institute of Technology Technische Universität Graz The Netherlands Organization for Applied Scientific Research Universitatea Tehnica Cluj-Napoca University of Surrey VTT –  Technical Research Centre of Finland; the road operators Autostrada del Brennero City of Tampere* Hessen Mobil – Road and Traffic Management Rijkswaterstaat –  Dutch Ministry of Infrastructure and the Environment*; as well as the partners EICT ERTICO – ITS Europe ETSI Centre for Testing and Interoperability* and Nokian Renkaat* (*support partners). 

For more information visit DRIVE C2X website.

Link to original Article

http://www.ertico.com/drive-c2x-at-its-world-congress/

Original Publication Date: Thu 18 Oct 2012