Connected Vehicle Technologies
Connected and autonomous vehicles namely self-driving cars have the potential to radically transform the world, changing the ways in which people and things move. Autonomous cars can drastically cut the number of car accidents that occur because they eliminate the root problem: human error. They can also facilitate independent mobility, as they offer people young and old like better ways to travel. They likewise can also boost people’s productivity, create new travel experiences and new role opportunities for the upcoming work force, and allow planners to repurpose valuable urban land (e.g. parking lots). CDMMobil offers both suitable technological alternatives to connect objects, as well as autonomous vehicles.
Connected car technology refers to any car equipped with an Internet connection and WLAN network, thus allowing them to communicate with other units (also fitted with the Internet) via a certain series of protocols. This technology can also be referred to as connected vehicles, as it also includes other types of vehicles.
Connected vehicle technology is an important aspect of IoT (Internet of Things), and features many different modes of communication. While they may vary according to which units they happen to be in contact with, they loosely include:
V2I - Vehicle-To-Infrastructure
Vehicle-to-infrastructure communication as the name suggests implies that vehicles are in constant communication with various road peripherals (e.g. RFID readers, cameras, traffic lights, lane lines, signs, and parking ticket machines). It takes in the data it is in interaction with and can “instantaneously” trigger changes to things such as speed limits on highways, or how frequently traffic lights change or stay red/green for.
V2V - Vehicle-To-Vehicle
Vehicle-to-vehicle communication aims to prevent traffic accidents. Using an ad-hoc mesh network, it transmits information about the present location and speed of vehicles (etc.) to surrounding vehicles. V2V is expected to become even more efficient than what’s already available in modern cars (e.g. lane tracking, blind spot warning, and reverse vision systems).
V2C - Vehicle-To-Cloud
Vehicle-to-cloud communication transmits vehicle data to, and processes it for cloud services. Cloud services are ideal for storing large quantities of vehicle data for further use, and thus constitute an important pillar of IoT. V2C also offers automobile manufacturers critical data, such as usage habits, fuel consumption, and emission values. This likewise makes it possible for them to update the vehicle software remotely without requiring the car to be physically serviced.
V2P Vehicle-To-Pedestrian
Vehicle-to-pedestrian communication ensures pedestrian safety and minimizes accidents involving them. It warns both them and drivers alike using a V2V-like model. For example, let’s say that a pedestrian is in danger of getting crushed because they are caught in blind spot of a high vehicle. The system warns them, and thus sways them out of harms way. In the future, V2P is expected to predict collision in advance and plan precautions accordingly.
V2X - Vehicle-To-Everything Vehicle-to-everything communication means that vehicles are in constant interaction with any external factors that could potentially impact them namely airplanes, trains, and warning units (e.g. traffic lights and signboards). It encompasses all other V2 models. In short, connected vehicle communication technology is still undergoing a lot of fine-tuning, but still could enter commercial use sooner than later. That said, many a leading automotive manufacturer and supplier are focusing much of their R&D efforts on it.
