The largest field test for vehicle-to-vehicle and vehicle-to-infrastructure communication (car-to-X communication) worldwide is about to get under way. Scientists, auto makers and communication companies as well as public-sector institutions have teamed up to develop a system that allows cars to share information on traffic conditions and impending hazards. The aim is to promote a safer, more efficient flow of traffic. Researchers from the Technische Universität München (TUM) are currently involved in devising the test scenarios that 120 vehicles will use to put the system dubbed simTD through its paces on Germany's roads next spring.

Notice traffic blocks before theyare visible. Recognize risky situations before they get out of hand. Reach yourdestination on time, safe and relaxed. The “Safe and Intelligent Mobility – Test FieldGermany (simTD)” research project is pursuing these aims. Theidea is to electronically network vehicles and infrastructure by means of car-to-Xcommunication. A fleet of 120 vehicles fitted with the system developed by the simTD consortium is about to demonstrate how this works in practice on the highways, rural and urbanroads in and to the north of Frankfurt am Main over several months. “Over the past few years a multitude of car-to-Xtechnologies have been developed. The common standard should now allow us toinvestigate how drivers adopt this technology in everyday scenarios and to whatextent we can improve road safety, prevent congestion and reduce CO2 emissions,” asProf. Fritz Busch, TUM Chair for Traffic Engineering and Control outlines.

The simTD–System isusing wireless technology that was specifically developed for this automotivefield of application. The technology is based on the well-known WLAN standard.Information can either be transferred directly to other vehicles or to RoadsideStations installed along the road. If the communication partner is not locatedin close vicinity to the sender, other vehicles can transmit or store andforward information.

The vehicles transmit information on the trafficconditions to the control station, which can then predict and manage trafficdevelopments. A display provides drivers with recommendations on the bestroute. The system also assists drivers at intersections or traffic lights by providinga timely display of the right lane for the next turn, or the optimum speed toride a “wave of green traffic lights.”

The system also alerts drivers to imminenthazards. An emergency braking lamp in the display, for instance, warns thedriver if a vehicle ahead brakes heavily – well before the driver is physicallyable to react to the situation. Where rescue services are responding to anincident, the system shows the direction and the lane taken by the emergencyvehicles, enabling the driver to know precisely where they are. If obstacles, suchas lost cargo, are blocking the road, drivers receive timely advice on alternativeroutes.

What kind of formations, at what times, and whichroutes do the individual vehicles in the test fleet have to take to producereliable results? Scientists from the TU München are looking at all thesequestions. Their remit is to prepare the field test and subsequently to analyzethe huge amounts of data produced. Together with the University of Würzburg,they also run the simTD simulation laboratory. Here, the trafficengineers from the TUM simulate what impact the introduction of the technologywould have on the entire traffic in the test area if a certain proportion ofcars were fitted with this technology. The Würzburg-based traffic psychologistsare using a driving simulator to investigate driver behavior particularly wheresafety concerns prevent certain scenarios from being tested on the road.

The Federal Ministry of Economics and Technology(BMWi), the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) and the FederalMinistry of Transport, Building and Urban Development (BMVBS) provide fundingfor simTD, because thisconsortium has the potential to promote a new dimension of foresighted driving,traffic control, and accident avoidance. The ministries are convinced that acommonly agreed standard is essential for the commercial deployment of thispace-setting technology. “With the simTD-system, we are presenting atrend-setting technology that will allow vehicles from leading Germanmanufacturers to network with one another and with the traffic infrastructure,”explains project coordinator Dr. Christian Weiss.“Car-to-X communication willmake driving safer, more convenient and more efficient. The results of the simTD projectrepresent an important component for the mobility of the future.”

simTD is a joint project initiated byleading German automakers, automotive suppliers, communication companies andresearch institutes, together with assistance from the public sector. Projectpartners are as follows: Adam Opel AG, AUDI AG, BMW AG, BMW Forschung undTechnik GmbH, Daimler AG, Ford Forschungszentrum Aachen GmbH, Volkswagen AG,Robert Bosch GmbH, Continental, Deutsche Telekom AG, Fraunhofer- Gesellschaft zur Förderung derangewandten Forschung e.V., Deutsches Forschungszentrum für KünstlicheIntelligenz GmbH (DFKI), Technische Universität Berlin, Technische UniversitätMünchen, Hochschule für Technik und Wirtschaft des Saarlandes, UniversitätWürzburg, Hessisches Landesamt für Straßen- und Verkehrswesen, Stadt Frankfurtam Main. The project is also promoted and supported by the federal state ofHesse, the German Association of the Automotive Industry and the Car 2 CarCommunication Consortium. BMWi, BMBF and BMVBS support simTD with approximately 40 million euros;the other project partners contribute approximately 31 million euros.

More information:
www.simTD.de

Photos:
http://mediatum.ub.tum.de/?id=1084087

Contact:
presse@tum.de

• Intelligent cars alert each other to hazards