Wireless Communications for Automotive Applications

In the past decades, wireless communications has evolved from a circuit-switched voice call service to a ubiquitous communications network. Automotive is not just a service application anymore, but has grown into a large vertical tenant of new applications and services in the automotive domain. Technological progress in the automotive industry towards automated driving and development of advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) is propelling the fully digital transportation system. The Cooperative ITS (C-ITS) transportation system enables all road users including pedestrians to communicate and cooperate with each other and promises to increase efficiency and reduce road traffic fatalities and serious injuries.

Reducing road traffic accidents is the primary goal of government agencies around the globe. A mobile communications system is required that supports the reliable exchange of road traffic data even in scenarios where road users are traveling at high speed. Two major motivations and objectives are driving the technology evolution: enhanced comfort in vehicles thanks to sophisticated entertainment services and safety-related applications. Especially the latter is advancing several communications technologies such as the eCall introduction and the first direct communications scenarios.

Policymakers and the automotive industry are striving to improve vehicle safety. A new technology enables vehicles to directly communicate with each other and/or roadside units. This white paper describes the technical aspects of wireless communications with a focus on the automotive application segment. The objective is to outline the differences between the two communications paths, i.e., the network-oriented path and direct mode communications.

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