EU's CVIS project helps cars to talk

Right: CVIS uses a range of communication technologies including mobile cellular and wireless local area networks, short-range microwave and infrared to ensure that drivers avoid congestion

A cooperative vehicle infrastructure system (CVIS), which could help to reduce traffic jams, has been launched in Berlin today. The CVIS system allows drivers to interact directly with local traffic management systems, and receive recommendations on the quickest route.

It uses a range of communication technologies including mobile cellular and wireless local area networks, short-range microwave and infrared to ensure that drivers avoid congestion (see: Cooperative vehicle comms project chooses integration site).

Paul Kompfner, Ertico’s CVIS project manager says, “The deployment of such technologies holds the promise of many new benefits. It is expected to lead to the development of many and enhanced in-car and cooperative services for increased road safety efficiency and convenience. When communicating vehicles and infrastructure can produce and share real time traffic and environment information, we expect to see fewer traffic accidents, lower congestion delays, and reduced fuel consumption and pollutant emissions.”

Among other things, the CVIS project is expected to produce the following results:

• a multi-channel terminal capable of maintaining a continuous internet connection over a wide range of carriers, including cellular, mobile WiFi networks, and infra-red or short-range microwave channels, ensuring full interoperability in the communication between different makes of vehicle and of traffic management systems;
• an open architecture connecting in-vehicle and traffic management systems and telematics services at the roadside, that can be easily updated and scaled up to allow implementation for various client and back-end server technologies;
• techniques for enhanced vehicle positioning and the creation of local dynamic maps, using satellite positioning, radio triangulation and the latest methods for location referencing;
• extended protocols for vehicle, road and environment monitoring to allow vehicles to share and verify their data with other vehicles or infrastructure nearby, and with a roadside service centre.

11 December 2008