Siemens, Iteris and Sirius XM have collaborated to demonstrate their latest dedicated short-range communications (DSRC) connected vehicle technologies on public roads, as part of the 27th ITS America Annual Meeting, which is taking place in Detroit, Michigan, this week (June 4-7).
The 12-minute demonstrations allow visitors to see vehicle-to-infrastructure apps, vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) apps and a bonus satellite radio app in action. The apps systems comprise three components: video detection sensors – located at the demo intersection – which enable pedestrian, vehicle and bicycle detection; Siemens roadside units positioned at various sites in the demonstration area; and satellite radio Sirius XM on-board units (OBU) inside each of the two demonstration cars.
The first and second demonstrations showcase a green signal phase and timing (SPaT) countdown that notifies the driver of how long red- or green- times at the intersection will last – in real time, as the vehicle approaches the lights; and a pedestrian detection (ped-X) system that notifies the driver if somebody happens to be crossing the road at that time.
Next, a V2V warning system is in place to send an alert to drivers via the OBU if there is a risk of collision between the two demonstration vehicles. A key advantage of this system is that it does not rely on ‘visual’ technologies to evaluate the risks surrounding the vehicles using it. Instead, it uses roadside units and OBUs inside the demonstration vehicles to calculate the distance between them and thereby assess the risk of collisions in incidents such as the vehicle in front suddenly making an emergency stop.
The fourth demonstration is a bonus traveler information message (TIM) that is sent via satellite (from the USDOT, for example) to the vehicle via its OBU. For the purposes of the demo, the TIM sent the vehicle information about a gas leak nearby. Other appropriate warnings include power outages – and the alerts can be configured to be sent to a specific, limited geographical area. Similarly (non-emergency) local alerts – standard or purposely configured – can be sent to vehicles via roadside units. Examples include variable speed limits that coincide with temporary roadworks.
The fifth and final demonstration is a wrong-way detection system. DSRC roadside units use maps that recognize the direction of traffic for each land *???* and road in the area. The roadside units identify the GPS movements of in-vehicle OBUs to determine if the vehicle is traveling in the wrong direction. If so, the OBU displays a warning message to the driver. The wrong-way detection system is similar to the Siemens-Iteris-Sirius XM system used in the USDOT’s Tampa Bay pilot in Florida, which is in place to detect vehicles traveling the wrong way in a reversible lane.
