Vehicular Communication for Safety-critical Applications

Research Project, 2019 – 2020

Inter-vehicle communication can provide safety-critical information to drivers beyond the horizon of local sensors. Current technologies are either based on WiFi (e.g., ITS-G5) or occur via a base station (e.g., LTE) and will thus not be suitable in time-critical and safety-critical conditions. In this project, we will collaborate with Autoliv, a leader in automotive safety worldwide, to investigate two alternative technologies, both operating in very high frequencies (above 24 GHz, compared to 6 GHz for ITS-G5), offering advantages in terms of data rate, latency, and the ability to combine sensing and communication.

Inter-vehicle communication can provide safety-critical information to drivers beyond the horizon of local sensors. Current technologies are either based on WiFi (e.g., ITS-G5) or occur via a base station (e.g., LTE) and will thus not be suitable in time-critical and safety-critical conditions. In this project, we will collaborate with Autoliv, a leader in automotive safety worldwide, to investigate two alternative technologies, both operating in very high frequencies (above 24 GHz, compared to 6 GHz for ITS-G5), offering advantages in terms of data rate, latency, and the ability to combine sensing and communication.

The first technology is automotive radar, operating at 77 GHz. Based on ongoing research activities, radar hardware can be repurposed for inter-vehicle communication, providing a low-power, high-rate link between vehicles. The second technology is 5G millimeter-wave communication, which is part of the next mobile communication standard and is currently being considered for vehicular communication.

Based on use cases and requirements set by Autoliv, we will assess to what extent and under which conditions both technologies are viable for safety-critical communication. Based on realistic propagation models and operating parameters (vehicle speeds, density), we will evaluate the communication performance and sensing performance and determine synergies between both. In a final stage, we will also consider a hybrid system, combining radar, 5G, and ITS-G5 to optimize communication and sensing, while minimizing mutual interference. If successful and either radar or 5G turn out to have potential for the considered use cases, this project can serve as an input for further development in larger projects, in collaboration with Autoliv, as well as Ericsson and Volvo.