|
Stuttgart – In future, motorists will be able to detect danger even if
the danger spot lies around the next bend or over the horizon. This has now been
successfully verified by DaimlerChrysler experts and their partners in a field
test conducted at the conclusion of the "WILLWARN" (Wireless Local Danger
Warning) European research project. During the course of this test, five
vehicles equipped with WLAN-based radio technology used the "Car-2-X
Communication" system to radio details of critical situations detected by their
on-board sensors – fog, black ice or obstacles on the road such as broken-down
vehicles – to following cars. These early warnings enabled the drivers of the
cars behind to prepare for the danger and adapt their speed in plenty of time.
DaimlerChrysler had already tested this technology some six years ago – a
world first at the time – by sending the first ever inter-communicating vehicle
fleet out onto the road as part of the "FleetNet" research project. This field
test demonstrated that WLAN (Wireless Local Area Network) technology, which had
already proven a success when used for wireless Internet access, also allowed
vehicles to communicate with each other. One of the key benefits is that
expensive, fixed-installation transmitting and receiving devices are not
required, since the cars themselves act as both transmitters and receivers. The
cars establish an ad-hoc radio network and send any necessary warnings to all
other vehicles within a radius of around 500 metres. For vehicles outside of
this radio range, the cars act as relays and pass on any warnings in much the
same way as a relay runner would hand over a baton. No additional sensors are
required to detect critical situations, since the necessary information is
provided by the anti-lock braking system (ABS), the Electronic Stability Program
(ESP®), the steering-angle sensors, the outside thermometer or the navigation
system.
The DaimlerChrysler engineers incorporated the key groundwork laid during the
course of the "FleetNet" project into the subsequent "NOW" (Network On Wheels)
programme (a German cooperation project) and the current "WILLWARN" project.
Their aim was to use the experience gained to work together with partners from
the automotive components and electronics industries in order to further develop
and standardise this promising technology whilst also securing the rights to use
the required frequencies. The DaimlerChrysler specialists also supplied
information to partners who only joined the project at a later stage, quickly
realising that the only way to establish a fully-functioning WLAN radio network
that would benefit all road users was to cooperate with other car manufacturers
and the relevant authorities. After all, for an ad hoc radio network to be of
any use, enough vehicles have to be equipped with the necessary technology.
Radio beacons at the side of the road are required in order to ensure that
the first vehicles to be equipped with such a system benefit immediately. These
stationary radio nodes could also be used to provide traffic control centres
with additional and better information. However, direct contact with the
Internet and its numerous fields of application is also possible. In addition to
warning motorists of critical situations in advance, the new radio network could
therefore also be used to improve the flow of traffic: communicating cars could
guide their occupants away from traffic congestion or even prevent traffic
gridlock from occurring at all.
DaimlerChrysler was also one of the instigators behind the European "Car2Car
Communication Consortium" and is involved in the American Vehicle-Infrastructure
Integration Initiative. These projects lay the political foundations for vehicle
communication in Europe and America and have the aim of accelerating the process
of standardisation.
|
