Global connected car technology company, Cohda Wireless announced a new 360-degree sensor for driverless cars today. The new sensor is designed to complements and enhances traditional sensors, allowing driverless cars to ‘see’ the world even better.
Cohda Wireless says their technology enables connected cars to interact with the world using vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) communication or vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2I). Cohda’s V2X-Radar provides a new sensor for driverless cars that can detect buildings, road signs and even older (dumb) vehicles, not equipped with car-to-car communications. The key breakthough here is that unlike current technologies, Cohda’s V2X-Radar is unaffected by rain, snow or fog, and the effective result can be enough information delivered to the vehicle to allow it to make decisions outside the line of sight, or ‘see’ around corners.
The V2X-Radar technology could be used to assist drivers, or assist in the operation of driverless vehicles. Cohda Wireless intends to demonstrate V2X-Radar for delegates at the International Driverless Cars Conference, running in Adelaide on Thursday and Friday this week, by offering them rides in cars equipped with the system on roads around the Torrens Parade Ground.
CEO of Cohda Wireless, Dr Paul Gray describes V2X-Radar as a ‘disruptive technology’.
“It’s a low-cost addition to a standard V2X system that adds radar functionality to the V2X connected car,” he said. “V2X systems are essential for driverless cars, extending their view of the world beyond that of traditional sensors. V2X-Radar pushes this even further, allowing driverless cars to sense the environment in ways not previously imagined.”
SA Premier Jay Weatherill, praised Cohda Wireless for this latest advance.
“SA is leading the world with its driverless vehicle trial, so it’s great to see a smart South Australian company like Cohda Wireless leading the world with its innovative technology.”
V2X-Radar uses the IEEE 802.11 compliant wireless signals of current V2X systems to share sensor information between vehicles and infrastructure. These radio signals bounce off many surfaces – walls, road signs and other vehicles – as they travel from transmitter to receiver. V2X-Radar can use these radio waves to identify objects within that environment, including non-V2X equipped vehicles.
In combination with a 3D map, V2X-Radar can provide highly accurate positioning, even in ‘urban canyons’. It can also instantly detect vehicle speeds via Doppler measurements and obtain 360-degree sensing from a single antenna. As such, V2X-Radar is an important new sensor for autonomous (driverless) vehicles.
Cohda’s V2X-Radar is a software application that works with standard transmissions from any V2X system, whether it’s on a vehicle or on the roadside. Compatible with both US and European standards, the V2X-Radar software needs to be fitted only in the receiving vehicle. V2X-Radar already works with the NXP Roadlink chipset.
More information at Cohda Wireless.
