The Evolution of Onboard Vehicle Safety Communications and Driver Assistance Systems

The development of advanced sensors in vehicles has been a key contributor to the evolution of current driver assistance systems (e.g., anti-lock braking systems, adaptive cruise control, electronic stability programs, etc.), and will continue to play a crucial role as the next generation of driver assistance systems comes into being. While improved sensor technology has helped spur the evolution of driver assistance systems to date, wireless vehicle communications will be part of future efforts to improve vehicle safety and driver assistance systems. Wireless communications enable the collection of readings from the sensors of a large number of vehicles. This data can then be used to provide a broader near-real-time picture of the driving environment to help driver assistance systems perform better. Around the globe, government and industry are working to advance wireless-enabled safety communications. The U.S. is focused on the Vehicle Infrastructure Integration (VII) program, a follow-up to the U.S. Department of Transportation's (U.S. DOT) Intelligent Vehicle Initiative (IVI). The IVI program, concluded in 2005, undertook to reduce the number and severity of crashes through driver assistance systems, both vehicle and infrastructure-based. In its final report, the IVI identified three challenging areas of traffic safety and management: intersection collision avoidance, vehicle safety system integration, and vehicle-infrastructure cooperation. U.S. DOT undertook the Vehicle Infrastructure Integration effort to address these challenges. The VII initiative seeks to establish a two-way data conversation between the land-based systems and vehicles on the road. The purpose of this connection is to improve the safety and efficiency of the U.S. transportation system. Participants include members of the automotive, electronics, and communications industries along with federal and state partners. This public-private cooperation aims to develop and deploy a cost-effective national intelligent transportation system. A number of other initiatives, mostly spearheaded directly by industry, are working toward the same result. The European Commission is promoting a similar approach through the Cooperative Vehicle- Infrastructure Systems (CVIS) and SafeSpot projects. The automotive industry plans to use this technology to increase the efficiency and safety of road travel while also developing new commercial vehicle-oriented information services. European vehicle manufacturers are working to establish a European standard for wireless vehicle-to-vehicle communications through their Car-2-Car Consortium. In Japan, the Advanced Cruise-Assist Highway System Research Association (AHSRA) project has pioneered the exploration of vehicle-infrastructure communications. The Japanese government is now pursuing the initial rollout of an infrastructure communications capability for vehicle safety warnings. This paper reviews latest technological developments relating to: Driver assistance systems (anti-lock braking systems, electronic stability control, vehicle sensors);Vehicle communications; and Opportunities for two-way communication between vehicles and land-based stations. For the covering abstract see ITRD E139491.