Ford has followed Japanese automakers into infrastructure-car communications by unveiling of one of the first privately funded ‘smart intersections’ in North America.
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This is “a key step toward [using] GPS technology and wireless infrastructure-to-vehicle communications to reduce traffic accidents and ease congestion”, the automaker said.
The intersection, near the company’s research and development centre in Dearborn, Michigan, communicates with specially equipped test vehicles to warn drivers of potentially dangerous traffic situations, such as when a vehicle is about to run a stop light.
It is equipped with technology that can monitor traffic signal status, GPS data and digital maps to assess potential hazards, and then transmit the information to vehicles.
Once the in-vehicle computer receives data indicating a potential hazard, it can instantly warn drivers through visual and audio alerts.
“Ford has the most five-star safety-rated vehicles than any other automaker and we want to build on that by offering smart active safety solutions for drivers,” said Ford safety technical fellow Priya Prasad.
The company is working on its own active safety equipment as it continues work on a common architecture and standards for smart intersections together with General Motors, Honda, Daimler, Toyota, the federal government and local and county road commissions. The joint public-private effort is known as Crash Avoidance Metrics Partnership (CAMP).
Nissan last year announced two projects designed to make drivers aware of traffic light-controlled intersections and pedestrians in an effort to reduce collisions between vehicles and people. The research is conducted on a mix of public and private (technical centre grounds) roads and makes use of mobile phone signals to locate pedestrians.
“New technologies such as wireless communications and GPS-enabled navigation systems may enable us to offer more safety features in the future,” said Jeff Rupp, Ford’s manager of active safety, research and advanced engineering.
Research shows that 40% of all traffic accidents and 20% of crash-related fatalities occur at intersections. The issue is expected to become more pressing as the global population migrates to large urban areas, Ford said.
The smart intersection transmits data to the test vehicle, including a digital map of the intersection, six additional maps of surrounding stop sign intersections and pedestrian crossings, lane-specific GPS location, as well as traffic light status and timing information.
Once the information is received, the vehicle’s collision avoidance system may be able to determine whether the car will safely cross the intersection or if it needs to stop before reaching it. If the system determines the need to stop and senses that the driver is not decelerating quickly enough, it issues visual and audio warnings to the driver.
“This technology has the potential to augment vehicle navigation systems to enhance safety by helping people who are distracted, drowsy or cannot see the traffic light due to a visual obstruction,” said engineer Joe Stinnett. “Our research is helping to identify the kinds of warnings that drivers may find both more effective and easier to understand.”
Appropriately equipped cars could also help update traffic information systems already common in the US, Ford said, adding that the technology would require “significant” public funding to implement.
