US ITS-JPO selected four firms to provide roadside equipments for the Connected Vehicle Safety Pilot Program

Those four are

* Kapsch
* ITRI International, Inc
* Cohda Wireless and Cisco Systems Inc.
* Savari Networks

The original news came from: http://www.its.dot.gov/procurements/roadside_safetypilot.htm

From the news last Oct. there are 8 firms participated the test of DSRC equipments organized by US DOT: http://www.its.dot.gov/press/2010/hia_device_award.htm

* AutoTalks Ltd
* Cohda Wireless
* Cohda Wireless/TomTom
* Denso International America, Inc.
* DGE Inc.
* Industrial Technology Research Institute
* Savari
* Siemens Government Solutions.

This list could serve as a good reference but not complete supplier list of DSRC/802.11p equipments.

Cohda is Active in Car2X World

Trials are planned in South Australia, according to the press release from AAP. This news shows also the involvement of Cohda, the supplier for German field trial project SIM-TD and the potential supplier for the U.S. IntelliDrive project, will be active in the Australian trials of C2X technologies.

Further readings:
- Smart cars trialled in national first
- Connect Safe Project in Australia
- DSRC Interoperability Study
- NXP and Cohda teach cars to communicate with 802.11p, hopes to commercialize tech by 2014

U.S. DOT : Request for Quotation - Development and Production of Dedicated Short Range Communications at 5.9 GHz: "Here I Am" Devices

16th July, 2010, a solicitation from Department of Transportation ot the U.S. (solicitatoin details on FedBizOpps website) reveals the activities of the IntelliDrive program on Safety Pilot.

From the technical Appendix, one can see the intended device is exclusively elabrated for transmitting "Here I am" message (the SAE 2735 Basic Safety Message). From the standardization point of view, the device has to comply with IEEE 802.11, IEEE 802.11p, IEEE P1609.2, IEEE 1609.3, IEEE 1609.4, SAE J551, SAE J1211, SAE J2945-1 and SAE J2735-200911. To be noticed, the current technical requirements do not include any sentence regarding the positioning precision. However, there are quite stringent requirments on the PER and transmission range: "The overall device shall support vehicle-to-vehicle communication throughout a range of 1m to
500m with a maximum Packet Error Rate of 0.1%, in an open field."

Through this solicitation, the DOT would like to build up a Qualified Product List, which will be the exclusive vendor list that can participate in the procurement of the Safety Pilot.

The price of the initial devices response to the solicitation was limited to $50,000 each.

So far, there are three vendors listed on the FedBizOpps website as interested vendors. They are:
- Denso Internaltion America, INC.
- Bluemont Technilogy & Research, INC.
- Kapsch TrafficCom INC.

For the detailed information regarding the solicitation, please refer to the following links:
The official information page on the U.S. FedBizOpps website;

ITRI WAVE/DSRC Communication Unit (IWCU) Platform in Taiwan

Industrial Technology Research Institute of Taiwan released the first IWCU (ITRI WAVE/DSRC Communication Unit) in Taiwan. The IWCU serial products are meant to provide V2V V2R communciatio enabling ITS applications ranging from Safety to Infortainment, as reported in :

http://www.mem.com.tw/article_content.asp?sn=0909250006

Another kick on 5.9GHz DSRC Technology in the U.S.

according to the attendees at the ITS America annual conference at National Harbor Maryland, Obama administration officials are very interested in road pricing and other ITS technologies. Vehicle Miles Traveled (VMT) / road used charges are the major topics being discussed. Candidate technologies for such ITS programms include RFID, 5.9GHz DSRC, passive techonolgies, tec.

See the original article:
US officials very interested in VMT/road use charges - ITSA people

and the statement from Turnock, the CTO of Mark IV:
http://www.tollroadsnews.com/sites/default/files/Turnock.pdf

Vehicle-to-Infrastructure Platform Demostrated by European CVIS Project

11th Dec. 2008, Berlin, a large amount of participants have witnessed the live demonstration of the universal Vehicle-to-Infrastructure communication platform developed by the European Cooperative Vehicle-Infrastructure Systems (CVIS) project. The demonstration was performed at the test site of German Aerospace Center (DLR) in Berlin-Adlershof.

Two cars communicating with each other and with the road infrastructure have been demonstrated using a mobile router with multiple communication interfaces and innovative positioning techniques. The demonstration showed a seamless connection was maintained the communication interface switching between 3G/UMTS cellular network to WLAN, as well as a smooth handover between infrared and 3G cellular systems. Besides, the denonstration covered also the enhanced positing, real-time maps and location referencing, with precesion higher than one meter.

*Pictures from CVIS project

Orignal news release

Photo courtesy to CVIS Project

ITS Research at Tongji University, China

Thanks to Google web alert, I got a chance to learn the research performed at Broadband Wireless Communication and Multimedia Laboratory, Tongji University, China. There are some very impressive demonstrations showing their researches on Dedicated Short Range Communication system, Pedestrian and Vehicle Detection based on Video and Autonomous Driving Vehicle.

For the for information and the demonstration videos clips can be found at:
http://wm.tongji.edu.cn/research_areas.aspx

Have fun! :-)

Car-2-Car Communication System from University of Sourth Australia

Sydney, 13 Feb. 2009 -- A active safety system using Dedicated Short Range Communications (DSRC) technology has been developed by a team from University of South Australia. The system use DSRC combining GPS for car communication aiming at safety applications like danger warning. The field trails of this system developed by Cohda Wireless and University of SA have been conducted in the US and Europe, and a large-scale trial is planned for Adelaide, according to the news.

News sources:
- Talking cars alert to danger and may avert crashes at www.news.com.au
- Soon, cars will talk to each other to avert accidents at sindhtoday
- University Of South Australia Says Inter-Car Communication Could Be A Reality By 2012 at www.themotorreport.com.au
- Getting cars talking to reduce accidents at www.australianit.news.com.au
- Cars to become wireless nodes with DSRC radio tech at www.geek.com
- The Next Node on the Net: Your Car! at www.readwriteweb.com

Fully Integrated 5.8GHz Transmitter from RFMD(R) to Comply with China's Electronic Toll Collection Standard

Products targeting at Chinese Electronic Toll Collection market emerge... ...

Greensboro, N.C., Jan 20, 2009. RFMD(R) released industry's first fully integrated 5.8GHz transmitter to comply with China's electronic toll collection standard: "GB/T 20851.1-2007: Electronic Toll Collection - Dedicated Short Range Communication (DSRC) PartI: Physical Layer".

The transmitter from RFMD(R), ML5830, uses Amplitude Shift Key (ASK) and Frequency Shift Key (FSK) modulation schemes and operating on 5.8GHz ISM band for ETC applications including On Board Unit (OBU) and Road Side Unit (RSU). The FSK mode provides selectable data rates of 1 and 2 Mb/s.

Alastair Upton, general manager of RFMD's Broadband and Consumer Business Unit, said, "As the industry's first fully integrated 5.8GHz transmitter to comply with China's ETC standard, the ML5830 significantly accelerates time-to-market for original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) while allowing RFMD(R) to participate in a growing market segment for wireless data. Also, with the implementation of our proprietary FastWave(TM) microcontroller technology, the ML5830 delivers incremental benefits to designers and OEMs in time savings and simplified design."

The ML5830 is priced at $5.00 each in quantities of 10,000 units and is packaged in a 6 x 6 x 1 mm, 40-pin QFN package. Samples and pre-production quantities are available immediately, and volume production is expected to commence in the June 2009 quarter.

The original article is located at:
http://phx.corporate-ir.net/phoenix.zhtml?c=95468&p=irol-newsArticle&ID=1246252

Potential of Electronic Toll Collection Market in China

It is undoubted that there will be a huge market potential in China considering the growing vehicle population. According to Mr. Wang, from ISO Chinese secretary office, China started the investigation on the ETC technologies and deployed experimental spots at Beijing and Guangdong Province. However, due to the lack of coordination there is a requirement on a national wide standard for the Chinese ETC market. It is also addressed by Mr. Wang that the 5.8GHz European DSRC standard has been proposed as the basis of the national ETC standard since 1998. Currently, China is working on evolution from passive ETC towards active ETC system. [1]

[1]: Xiaojing Wang, Yi Guo, Strategy of Chinese ETC Standardization. 2009

OKI's World's First DSRC Inter-Vehicle Communication Attachment to Mobile Phone for Pedestrain Safety

TOKYO, Jan. 8, 2009 OKI announced the development of the world's first Dedicate Short Range Communication (DSRC) inter-vehicle communication attachment for mobile phones to connect the pedestrian and vehicles for road safety.


* Picture from OKI

The so named SPAN (Safety Personal Area Network) System utilizing the DSRC inter-vehicle communication with support of cellular system is aiming at improving road safety for the vulnerable road users, e.g. pedestrian and bicycle riders.

* Picture from OKI

* Picture from OKI

Althrough it is the penetration rate of DSRC equippment on market for both automotive users and cellular phone users that determines the performance of the SPAN system, it is a very promissing technology by exploring the way to combine communication sysetm and transportation system, as well as reveal the potential of wireless communication in inter-connecting machines instead of only people.

The original press from OKI can be found at:
http://www.oki.com/en/press/2009/01/z08113e.html

Sirit Demonstrates 5.9GHz Broadband Wireless DSRC Packet Sniffer

"11/17/08 - Sirit Inc. (TSX: SI) announced during the ITS World Congress show in New York City that they will demonstrate a Dedicated Short Range Communications ("DSRC") Packet Sniffer at the ITS World Congress using the event's "11th Avenue Theatre" Vehicle Infrastructure Integration ("VII") technology demonstration area."

Freescale for Auto Electornics

Freescale progressed as the supplier for automotive electornics:

(The original article from John Day's Auto Electronics Blog )

"Freescale at Convergence 2008 Strategy Analytics’ report,”Automotive Microcontrollers: Market Demand and Product Directions,” predicts that 32-bit devices will account for 58% of the $7.6 billion automotive MCU market by 2015 and that high-end MCUs will be key enablers of future emissions-controlling powertrain technology, advanced safety and driver assistance systems, and multimedia entertainment products. So that’s what Freescale focused on at Convergence 2008:Freescale FlexRay and BMW

Freescale’s FlexRay controller technology was first implemented last year in the BMW X5 Sports Activity Vehicle, which was the first standard-production vehicle to use the FlexRay protocol. The Integrated Chassis Management (ICM) system in the BMW X6 Sports Activity Coupe, which manages the vehicle’s drivetrain and suspension functions, uses two 32-bit Freescale Power Architecture MCUs. As with the X5, Freescale FlexRay controller technology is used in BMW’s optional Adaptive Drive, which allows drivers to select a sporting or a more comfortable ride with the press of a button. Sensors in the vehicle continuously monitor vehicle speed, steering-wheel position, and the pitch and yaw forces acting on the BMW chassis. The FlexRay network carries that sensor data to the chassis control system, which automatically adjusts the vehicle’s stabilizers and dampers, changing their settings to counteract forces that might cause the body to roll or sway.Mobile web connectivity – and DSRC

Freescale and software developer G4 Apps unveiled a jointly developed, production-ready automotive platform for safety and telematics applications with mobile Web connectivity options including cellular, Wi-Fi, and DSRC (dedicated short-range communications), the protocol and radio interface used in the United States Department of Transportation’s VII (vehicle infrastructure integration) program for vehicle safety. The platform, based on Freescale’s MPC5121e multicore microprocessor, supports the mobility applications in the U.S. DOT’s SAFE TRIP 21 initiative and similar initiatives elsewhere. Freescale said it provides a reference design that OEMs and Tier 1 suppliers can use to develop higher volume products. i.MX35 multimedia

Richard Robinson, principal automotive electronics analyst for iSuppli Corp., predicts that the infotainment application processor market will more than double over the next six years, reaching $1.2 billion in 2014, up from $580 Million in 2007.Freescale said its new i.MX35 family of infotainment application processors, based on the ARM1136JF-S core, will enable OEMs to offer navigation capabilities and hands-free control of in-car audio as affordable options on all vehicles - not just on luxury models. The i.MX35 builds on the i.MX31, which powers Ford’s SYNC. Consumers can choose songs, retrieve text messages and get directions, all with simple voice commands.There are three pin-compatible devices in the i.MX35 family. The i.MX351 is for audio connectivity platforms, the i.MX355 for “cost-effective display-based systems,” and the i.MX356, which integrates an OpenVG 1.1-compliant graphics processing unit, for navigation services and other applications that call for higher levels of graphics content. The i.MX356’s OpenVG technology also supports applications like personal navigation devices, which require connectivity as well as high performance graphics.Connectivity options include two CAN modules, a Media Local Bus (MLB) to connect to MOST INIC transceivers, Ethernet, two MMC/SD/SDIO ports, a CE-ATA/SDIO port for external wireless modules, two integrated USB PHYs, and a 3.3V general purpose I/O interface. Freescale said the processors support lower cost memories like DDR2 and multi-level cell NAND.The i.MX35 family supports the Microsoft Auto platform and works with QNX Software’s Aviage family of middleware products and its Neutrino OS. An i.MX35 product development kit (PDK) is available as are board support packages for Windows Embedded CE and Linux operating systems, plus optimized audio and video codecs and digital rights management libraries. Samples are available now to tier one customers. Others will have to wait until Q1 2009. Volume production is planned for Q3 2009. Suggested resale prices for 2010 in 100K quantities range from $10 to $13.MPC5674F for “green” engine design

For engine control in mainstream, high-volume automobiles, Freescale’s 32-bit MPC5674F powertrain MCU, built on 90 nm Power Architecture technology, offers 264 MHz clock speed and more than 600 million Dhrystone instructions per second (DMIPS) performance, which the firm claims is about 10 times better than conventional engine controllers. The chip includes on-chip digital signal processing, four A/D converters, 4 MB of on-chip flash, 256K data RAM, 64 and 32-channel DMA controllers, and a variety of interfaces, including four that support FlexCAN. Target applications include common rail diesel injection systems, gasoline direct injection engines, homogenous charge compression ignition (HCCI) systems, and hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs).Kevin Klein, global manager of automotive MCUs at Freescale, said the MPC5674F went from concept to sampling in just 12 months, and that on-chip integration and virtual sensing capabilities reduce the need for external components, helping to reduce system cost by nearly 30% over conventional systems. Klein noted that precise fuel control in common rail diesel injection systems requires complex calculations to determine fuel injection timing, air volume and pressure, engine temperature and battery voltage. The MPC5674F offers 64-channel dual enhanced timing units with 30K dedicated RAM to handle complex engine timing events. Tuning gasoline engines for maximum fuel efficiency requires precise control of spark and fuel, using advanced calculations to govern spray timing, air volume and temperature. Running engines leaner – with less fuel and more air – can help improve mileage but also can generate more knocking, especially when the engine is not producing torque. Knock detection techniques include in-cylinder pressure sensing, vibration sensors, and spark plug ionization, all of which require extensive digital filtering and calculations. Klein said pressure sensing, in particular, requires multiple A/Ds and large RAM and flash arrays to handle large quantities of data and complex algorithms.Klein said the MPC5674F’s high level of integration enables engine designers to implement virtual sensors and avoid using separate knock detection ASICs, further reducing system cost. Government standards and regulations, such as the Euro IV, V and VI emissions standards, require cleaner burning engines that curb greenhouse gas emissions. Higher-precision tuning calls for a higher number of calibration tables and diagnostic information, which results in a need for larger memory.

Klein said 4 MB of on-chip flash provides sufficient non-volatile memory to support computationally intensive modeling environments and auto code generation, eliminating the need for off-chip memory.The MPC5674F is packaged in a 416-pin PBGA. Pricing wasn’t available.Chrysler adopts Freescale VA tool suite

Chrysler is using VA-Harness and VA-Complexity Management, the first two commercialized components of Freescale’s Virtual Architect (VA) tool suite. Chrysler and Freescale will work together on other components of the suite expected to be released over the next 12 months from Freescale’s Virtual Garage program www.freescale.com/virtualgarage.
Freescale said the VA tools help to ensure synchronization of design data and product planning data to reduce complexity, reduce errors, improve accuracy of service diagnostics, and lower warranty costs. VA-Harness and VA-Complexity Management (VA-CM) enable a complexity driven wire harness design process to help ensure that every orderable vehicle has the required set of wire harnesses. Freescale senior VP Henri Richard noted that in the typical design environment, each domain – sensors, wiring harnesses, communications busses, electronic control units, actuators, etc. – operates semi-autonomously, thus a change in the architectural design of a component in one domain typically requires time-consuming manual coordination between engineers of different domains.As car companies add more electronic features for differentiation, they face not only system complexity but also product complexity, according to Richard. “This transition has put automobile manufacturers increasingly in the role of system integrator,” and the tool suite enables smoother systems integration.The VA tool suite lets system engineers specify vehicle level EE performance requirements, communicate and collaborate with other EE engineering design domains, and conduct performance requirement validations. “This helps to ensure synchronization of design specifications (harness, network and ECU) for the vehicle, reducing the likelihood of costly errors,” Richard said."

Big success with field performance evaluation of 5.9GHz DSRC based eToll collection system by Kapsch

An "extraordinary success" in a field evaluation of their 5.9GHz electronic toll system in trials on E470 in Colorado was reported by Kapsch. It was announced that the system successfully collected 100% of more than 10,500 DSRC sample passes during the evaluation test, which was conducted by an American nationally known, independent R&D laboratory.

Source: TOLLROADSnews 2008-10-28

"Kapsch report accuracy of 100% in electronic toll tests with 5.9GHz - SwRI tests

Posted Tue, 2008-10-28 21:44

The American offices of Kapsch are reporting "extraordinary success" in a performance evaluation of their 5.9GHz electronic toll system in trials on E470 in Colorado recently. In a press statement they say a nationally known, independent R&D laboratory evaluated the system and determined that it collected "100%" of more than 10,500 DSRC sample passes.

The transponder/reader or DSRC system was tested by a fleet of 27 vehicles which made approximately 11,000 passes under the Kapsch readers. Comparing the transponder reads with a count of vehicle passes using a separate GPS system the independent laboratory concluded that the system obtained 100% accuracy.

On request Kapsch provided us a copy of the report of the testing by the independent laboratory minus the cover page, and with the name of the laboratory blacked out. They said the laboratory demanded a non-disclosure agreement.

We discovered independently of Kapsch that the laboratory was the Southwest Research Institute (SwRI) in San Antonio Texas, so we'll refer to the report as the SwRI report.

E470 Public Highway Authority allowed them to mount their readers, vehicle detection and classification lasers, cameras, and lights on a beam over one set of open road toll lanes at the Parker Road or Toll Plaza A on the far southern end of tollroad. Their equipment was set up without interference to the 915MHz Title 21 toll system that takes tolls routinely there. The plaza services about 17k vehicles/day.

SwRI says the tests were also of the Kapsch laser vehicle detection and classification (LVADC) compared to loop-based VDAC, a Kapsch automatic license plate reader as well as the 5.9GHz reader/transponder communications. Test specifications are to be published separately.

Tests were conducted weekdays over two weeks Aug 25-29 and Sept 1-5, 8am to 6pm. During the first week the test drivers drove only in lanes, but in the second week they did straddles of lanes, including the shoulder lane.

Kapsch personnel mounted the transponders in the test vehicles. They used mounting brackets with two different angles for differently angled windshields.

In some tests three transponders were fitted to the one vehicle to simulate closely spaced vehicles.

10,000 passes were the target sample size, SwRI says because Kapsch believed they could meet a 99.9% accuracy.

SwRI mention in several places in their report that the test drivers were under strict instructions to drive safely and a proper distance from other vehicles. For example: "The safety and security of the drivers and equipment... was given the highest priority. Drivers were instructed to stop if hazardous weather conditions occurred."

SwRI indeed reports 100% read results for all 27 drivers in both single tag and triple tag (called "Over Equipped") tests for a total of around 11,000 passes.

COMMENT: 100% is an extraordinary read rate! Perfection. We've heard claims of 99.95% and above in tests, but never 100%, at least not in test samples this large.

97 or 98% is considered good for transponders in actual use, and some do only 95 to 96%.

The SwRI test had the advantage of transponders mounted in cars by Kapsch staff, versus the norm of customer mounted transponders in the real world of electronic tolling, at least in the US. Customers make mistakes in mounting transponders. Some end up just holding them to the windshield and storing them in the glove box the rest of the time.

Also on real roads a proportion of drivers don't obey the safety rules of the kind SwRI laid down for their test drivers. Some tail-gate and get close to high trailers whose metallic mass can scramble the RF signals.

Real drivers keep driving in nasty weather where SwRI testers called it a day.

How far the three tag per vehicle set-up simulates close-spaced vehicles, we're unsure.

5.9GHz transponders are designed to be factory installed whether made by Kapsch or any other manufacturer so all brands would have a mounting advantage over present models.

All that said 100% accuracy for transponder reads in nearly 11k passes can't be beat.

VDAC detection accuracy of 99.74%, classification 88.62%

SwRI reports the Kapsch laser vehicle detection and classification system (LVDAC) in the same 11k+ test drives had a 99.74% rate. Only 31 out of 11,912 vehicle passes were not detected.

The detection rate plays into all the other operations since it is usually a 'trigger' for the reader, for classification, and the camera. Tou don't read if you don't first detect.

Loops, apparently Idris loops, in use by E470 had a tad better detection rate, SwRI reports - 99.76% But the difference, 99.76 and 99.74 is probably not statistically meaningful.

SwRI did two sets of classification tests of the Kapsch LVDAC units. The more stringent test required separation of Class 2 and 3 vehicles, the less stringent accepted them grouped as one class. Results were 88.62% accuracy and 96.86%. (FHWA F-series classification)

The loops do better in FHWA-F classification than the LVDAC - 92.32% and 98.07%. This is not surprising since the vehicle classes are based on axle count, and loops located where they are in the roadway seem inherently more suited to counting axles than any kind of overhead equipment which has real problems getting a useful angle of view of the wheel set.

LVDAC are usually used - as in 407ETR Toronto - for classing based on vehicle dimensions and size and distinguishing cars, straightbody trucks, and articulated or combination vehicles.

License plate reads 93.84% rear, 91.28% frontal

The Kapsch automatic optical character recognition expressed as a percentage correct of humanly readable plates with roughly the same 10k+ passes got results of 91.26% accuracy for frontal reads and 93.84% for rear camera reads.

SwRI make the unexceptionable assessment that results in use of the Kapsch gear should be similar in similar traffic conditions, on similar roads, using similar equipment, under similar environmental conditions.

BACKGROUND: Kapsch is a leading supplier of 5.8GHz European standard transponder/reader systems in Europe, Australia and South America. Headquartered in Vienna Austria it is a public company traded on the Vienna stock exchange and has grown in part by acquiring leading Swedish and Germany toll systems companies.

In June Kapsch bought up the Mobility Solutions division of TechnoCom Corp of Encino Califoprnia which has been a leader in 5.9GHz communications for the federal government supported Vehicle Infrastructure Integration (VII) program aimed at using the most modern technology for vehicle-to-vehicle and vehicle-roadside for a whole range of safety, convenience and commercial applications, including tolling.

Kapsch reports it has 200 projects working in over 30 countries with over 13 million transponders and other on-board units and over 11,000 equipped lanes. This includes parking payment lanes, access control lanes, special telematics lanes as well as toll lanes.

Kapsch TrafficCom US Corp, the American operation now has establishments in Sterling VA near Washington Dulles Airport and in California. They seem to be making a major push for business and represent a strong competitor for Raytheon, TransCore, ETC/Autostrade, Telvent/Caseta and other established US groups.

TOLLROADSnews 2008-10-28"

Related readings:

• First 5.9 GHz DSRC VII Network and Toll System Established on New York City Streets and Highways
• First 5.9 GHz DSRC VII Network and Toll System Established on New York City Streets and Highways: Kapsch TrafficCom United States Installs 40 Units
• Kapsch deploys wireless roadside system in New York
• Big Success with the Performance Evaluation of the New 5.9 GHz Tolling Technology from Kapsch TrafficCom at the Trial Facility in Denver, Colorado.
• Kapsch deploys wireless roadside system in New York

ITS America Announces Finalists for the 2008 Best of ITS Awards

To best review the activities of American ITS society in year 2008 before the ITS world conference 2008 in New York, this might be a good reference:

(Original released can be found at http://www.itsa.org/press_release_content/c217_d2541/News/Newsroom/Press_Releases_.html)

ITS America Announces Finalists for the 2008 Best of ITS Awards

"The Intelligent Transportation Society of America (ITS America) announces the finalists for the 2008 Best of ITS Awards.

Presented by ITS America, the Best of ITS Awards is the only program in the world that honors the most innovative, effective, and influential achievements in the Intelligent Transportation System (ITS) industry. This highly competitive program recognizes the organizations whose projects have demonstrated specific and measurable outcomes and exemplified innovation by establishing a “new dimension” of performance.

The finalists were selected from among more than 40 entries by an expert panel of judges. The categories and finalists are:

Best New Innovative Product or Service:

• IdaTech - iGen Power System

• CalTrans - Sensys Wireless Vehicle Detection System

• CalTrans District 7 - Route 210 Conjestion Relief Project

• Florida DOT - iVEDDS: Inter-Agency Video and Event Data Distribution System

• CATT at the University of Maryland - Operations Academy Senior Management

• Kapsch - Multiband Configurable Networking Unit (MCNU)

• Nissan North America - Nissan Safety Shield 2007

• Visteon Corporation - The Visteon Light Vehicle Integrated Vehicle Based Safety System

• MTC and SAIC - San Francisco Bay Area 511

• San Diego Association of Governments/ California DOT - San Diego Region's 511 Advanced Traveler Information System

Best New Innovative Practices:

• New York City DOT - The Applied Solid-state Traffic Controller

• CalTrans - The VII California Program

• CalTrans - Infotek Demonstration Project

• Kapsch - ITS World Congress 2008 VII Partnership

• NAVTEQ - NAVTEQ- Missouri DOT Advanced Traveler Information Services Project

• Utah DOT - Partnership with Utah's Telecommunications Companies

• BMW of North America - The Next Generation Telematics Protocol (NGTP)

• Delcan - Lake County Passage Project

• Telegra Inc - Fuel Cell-Powered Trailer-Mounted LED Signs

• Michigan DOT- MDOT VII Model Deployment

• CalTrans District 7 - District 7 Adaptive Traffic Signal Project

• Mississippi DOT - Reconnecting Mississippi's Coastal Communities Through ITS

• Western Transportation Institute at Montana State University- Partnerships for Deploying Animal Vehicle Crash Mitigation Strategies

• CalTrans - Mobile Century: A Novel Approach to Traffic Data Collection from GPS-Equipped Mobile Phones

• ITS Midwest - Safety Assistance for Freeway Emergencies Patrol

• CalTrans District 4 - Commuter Travel Time Information System

Outstanding ITS America State Chapter:

• ITS California

• ITS Florida

• ITS Georgia

• ITS Minnesota

• ITS Virginia

Awards will be presented in each category on Monday, Nov. 17 in a special ceremony during at ITS America’s 2008 Annual Meeting & Exposition held in conjunction with the 15th World Congress on ITS in New York City.

More information on the award programs and ITS America’s 2008 Annual Meeting & Exposition and the 15th World Congress on ITS is available at www.itsa.org.

About the Intelligent Transportation Society of America:

The Intelligent Transportation Society of America (ITS America) is the leading advocate for ITS development and deployment in the United States. ITS America was established in 1991 as a not-for-profit organization to foster the use of advanced technologies in surface transportation systems. Members include corporations, public interest groups, universities and research laboratories, and government agencies at all levels. ITS America works closely with the U.S. Department of Transportation in support of the National ITS Program and serves as an invaluable resource to its members in the areas of technology, domestic public policy, international relations, and business development. For more information, visit www.itsa.org."

C2C communication with MIMO...

Berkeley tested the MIMO system (from LitePoint) in vehicular environments.

See the original article:
"
Berkeley Researchers Exploring DSRC Channel with LitePoint MIMO Test System

They're using IQnxn^plus to better understand channel characteristics and to test innovations

BERKELEY, CA — October 22, 2008 — Using one of the first LitePoint IQnxn^plus units to be shipped, Connectivity Lab researchers at University of California, Berkeley, are delving deeper into the channel characteristics of vehicles in motion communicating via dedicated short-range communications (DSRC) based on IEEE 802.11p. Using a 4x4 MIMO configuration, the team is now able to "see" multiple incoming waves, their directions and angles, and their interactions.

"Before, we were looking at the composite effects of the multipath signals but had no way to examine the various wave contributions. IQnxn^plus, using separate antennas, VSAs, and VSGs lets us better understand what’s going on in the physical channel," explained Ian Tan, a Berkeley graduate student and team member.

In addition, Tan said, the IQnxn^plus is being developed into a software-defined-radio (SDR) test bed. "It will provide a hardware platform for rapid prototyping of any improved communications schemes or beam-forming algorithms our group proposes. Naturally, seeing performance improvements with real hardware and software is much better than just simulations."

About DSRC

DSRC refers to one-way or two-way, short- to medium-range wireless communications methods intended specifically for automotive applications. Some applications envisioned using DSRC include: emergency warning system for vehicles, cooperative adaptive cruise control, cooperative forward collision warning, and intersection collision avoidance.

IEEE 802.11p is associated with DSRC. It is a draft amendment to the IEEE 802.11 standard that adds wireless access targeted for the vehicular environment, and defines enhancements to 802.11 aimed at supporting Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) applications. This includes data exchange between high-speed vehicles and between the vehicles and the roadside infrastructure in the licensed ITS band of 5.9 GHz (5.85-5.925 GHz).

Prior DSRC Work by Berkeley

The Connectivity Lab, working under the guidance of Professor Ahmad Bahai, had completed an earlier phase of DSRC exploration that looked at the effect of channel impairments on communications efficiency. "A lot of 802.11p specifications are based on 802.11a, which, in turn, targets primarily indoor wireless applications with stationary or slowly-moving radios," Tan explained. "At highway speeds, with multipath signals under both line-of-sight and non-line-of-sight conditions, it is possible that 802.11p specifications could fall short on avoiding inter-carrier interference. Our work, using IQview VSAs and omni-directional antennas produced data from over 200 locations and required 50 GBs of storage. We found that, for the most part, 802.11p was suitable to the DSRC automotive environment for short packets. However, with longer packets, channel variance over the longer transmission times will exacerbate inter-carrier interference. As a result, we believe there are opportunities for enhanced performance with improved processing."

Current DSRC Work

The next phase of the Connectivity Lab’s research is to explore innovations, such as multi-antenna beamforming, that increase the communications robustness of 802.11p in environments with increased RF congestion, harsher multipath, and greater inter-vehicle distances "Here is where the MIMO tools of IQnxn^plus, and its use as an SDR test bed, will help us propose ways to improve DSRC communications," Tan concluded.

About LitePoint Corporation

LitePoint Corporation, based in Sunnyvale California, designs, develops, markets, and supports advanced wireless test solutions for: developers and marketers of branded wireless products; consumer electronics and contract manufacturers; and wireless IC designers. Through its in-house expertise in the design of wireless systems and ICs, LitePoint has developed innovative test solutions to assure products conform to specifications, interoperate with other compliant products, and perform as described. LitePoint's test products address both development and high-volume production, providing its customers with superior return on investment, accelerated time-to-market, improved manufacturing yields, improved product quality, and increased profitability. For more information, visit LitePoint at www.litepoint.com. "

As well, see here:
Berkeley Researchers Exploring DSRC Channel with LitePoint MIMO Test System
(Business News & Technology News, 23 Oct 2008)

Companies join for advance automotive safety platform

G4App cooperates with Freescale on active vehicle safety product with emphases on 3D image processing and mobile communications:

Original article:

Companies join for advance automotive safety platform

"Joint platform brings dedicated short-range communications with Web connectivity to mainstream vehicles.

Freescale Semiconductor and G4 Apps are soon to announce availability of a jointly developed, production-ready automotive platform for safety and telematics applications. Designed to support a full range of mobile Web connectivity options including cellular and WiFi, the platform features an industry-proven module for dedicated short-range communications (DSRC).

DSRC is the protocol and radio interface used in the United States Department of Transportation (USDOT) VII program for vehicle safety, using bandwidth set aside by the U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) exclusively for use in real-time vehicle safety and mobility applications. The platform’s cellular and WiFi connectivity and software services enable general-purpose mobile Web connectivity and support the mobility applications underway in the USDOT SAFE TRIP 21 initiative, as well as similar safety and mobility initiatives around the world.

Based on Freescale’s MPC5121e multicore microprocessor, the production-ready automotive safety and telematics platform enables a full-featured solution designed for implementation in volume trials under continuous use. The platform provides a comprehensive reference design that automotive OEMs and Tier 1 suppliers can use to develop higher volume products. “Multiple wireless technologies and exceptional processing power are available today to improve vehicle mobility and safety systems,” said Mike Bryars, manager of Freescale’s Infotainment, Multimedia and Telematics Operation. “Our goal with this platform is to enable automotive manufacturers and suppliers to immediately undertake large-scale trials in everyday use and fine-tune their applications for ubiquitous roll out. The platform is based on the an automotive processor for telematics, enabling fast time to volume production of automotive-grade systems.”

The MPC5121e device provides an ideal processing platform for a wide range of automotive telematics and safety applications. Based on Power Architecture technology, the MPC5121e includes an advanced graphics accelerator required for high-resolution 3D processing, along with sufficient capability to support personal device and Web-based infotainment applications and real-time safety capabilities.

“The reduction of traffic fatalities through passive safety systems, such as passenger restraints and air bags, seems to have reached its limits,” said Bob Burrows, CEO of G4 Apps. “To help reduce fatalities even more, the automotive industry is moving to minimise accidents through the use of vehicle-to-vehicle and vehicle-to-infrastructure communications and real-time collision warnings. These same technologies enable us to streamline drive time, improve fuel economy and reduce emissions. With DSRC-based safety applications already running and a host of proven mobility and navigation products now available, our jointly developed platform is designed to provide a visible, reliable and cost-effective solution for the auto industry.”"

Other expresses:
Freescale and G4 Apps Jointly Develop Automotive Safety and Telematics Platform [October 16, 2008]

Big Step Forward for 5.9 GHz Tolling - MARK IV

A successful story from MARK IV IVHS about their solution of electronic toll collection (ETC), in North America. (pdf)

MARK IV IVHS is an important player in North America ITS market. OTTO is its new generation of technology based on 5.9GHz DSRC that is also the near term viability of VII.

Nov. 19, 2008, New York -- MRRK IV IVHS, the largest supplier of electronic toll collection equipment in northeastern U.S., stated that mileage-based user fee is possible through 5.9GHz DSRC technology. (pdf)