Combination of DSRC and Driverless Car to Improve Traffic Condition

Haixia Liu, Meijun Liu Department of Transportation Studies, Texas Southern University

Development of driverless car

Since 198 s, peop!e had "e#un studyin# driver!ess car$ Unti! no%, some automa&ers have announced their products such as driver!ess 'M(, )oo#!e*s driver!ess car$ +n , 8, )enera! Motors stated that they %ou!d "e#in testin# driver!ess cars "y , 1-, and the cars cou!d "e on the road "y , 18$ +n , 1 , the .isLa" +ntercontinenta! /utonomous 0ha!!en#e 1.+/02 ran from 3u!y ,4, , 1 to 5cto"er ,8, , 1 , invo!vin# four driver!ess vehic!es on a 1-, +ta!y to Shan#hai, 0hina$ So driver!ess car has a promisin# future$ &m trip from 6arma,

Technologies used in driverless car

The major techno!o#ies used in driver!ess car inc!ude Anti-lock brakes, traction or sta"i!ity contro!, 6re7safe systems, /daptive cruise contro!, /dvance 6ar&in# )uidance System, 8ree 9an#in# 5n )rid techno!o#y 1895)2$ Throu#h these techno!o#ies, driver!ess car can prevent itse!f from #oin# into an out7of7contro! s&id or ro!!in# over$ /!so the driver!ess car can anticipate crashes and prepare the car to &eep occupants safe "y s!o%in# the en#ine or providin# air"a#s and ti#htenin# seat"e!t$ Usin# radar sensors on the front of the car, adaptive cruise contro! can detect o"ject and its speed in front of it: the car cou!d stop or chan#e !anes to avoid conf!ict %ith the o"ject$

Advantages of DSRC
DS90 has "een dedicated "y the 8edera! 0ommunications 0ommission 18002 to "e used for vehic!e safety and other mo"i!ity app!ications in , ;$ DS90 has ro"ust characteristics in radio communication and stron# performance durin# adverse %eather conditions$ /ccordin# to 800, DS90 can "e used in severa! areas, such as traffic mana#ement, maintenance construction

operations, pu"!ic transit mana#ement, e!ectronic payment, commercia! vehic!e operations, emer#ency mana#ement, et a!$ Usin# DS90 in vehic!es and infrastructures %i!! #reat!y improve traffic safety$

Feasibility of combining DSRC and driverless cars

Driver!ess car has !imited detection covera#e$ 8or examp!e, "oth static and movin# pedestrians can "e detected to a ran#e of around < meters usin# .)/ reso!ution ima#ers$ The road condition "eyond this ran#e is hard to detect, especia!!y under disastrous %eather or %ith "i# traffic con#estion mi!es ahead, so driver!ess car %ou!d "e una"!e to reroute in advance "ased on its o%n techno!o#y$ DS90 has a much %ider ran#e 1=1 meters2$ So "y com"inin# driver!ess car and DS90 system,

the car can receive information out of its detection ran#e$ DS90 system cou!d send ur#ent information %hich is on the car>s route to the driver!ess car$ Then "y specific computer pro#rammin#, driver!ess car %ou!d ta&e action "eforehand$ 'esides, %ith the net%or& of DS90 systems, the information of road condition cou!d propa#ate even further a%ay$

Benefits
Reduce traffic collisions Driver inattention and driver error are the major cause of traffic accidents$ / statistics sho%s that drivin# drun& causes more than <,? of fata! crashes, and distracted driver ta!&in# inf!uences 81? of auto crashes$ (ithout human operatin# factors in the trave! process, driver!ess vehic!es %ou!d successfu!!y #et rid of these "ad drivin# manners$ (ith the he!p of DS90, driver!ess car can discern and avoid co!!isions %ith random o"stac!es or non7cooperative road users, %hich is hard for the car to detect "y itse!f$

The net%or& of DS90 system can a!so send %eather information to the driver!ess cars and he!p these cars ta&e effective action$ 8or examp!e, if there is a tornado hundreds of mi!es a%ay, DS90 system %ou!d send information such as tornado>s speed, direction and po%er to driver!ess car,

then the car cou!d decide %hether to stop and find a safe p!ace or continue #oin# "ased on its route$ Improve roadway capacity Driver!ess car can trave! at shorter head%ay "y communicatin# %ith other vehic!es and infrastructures$ This cou!d #reat!y improve road%ay capacity$ DS90 net%or& can a!so provide traffic con#estion information to driver!ess car, %ith the #uidance of DS90 system, driver!ess car cou!d "e a"!e to choose most optima! route$ a!e individual"s #ourney more en#oyable

DS90 can he!p driver!ess vehic!es choose optima! route, "ased on the o%ner*s favorites, !i&e #ood si#ht vie%, shortest trave! time$ (ith safe operations, driver!ess cars cou!d ma&e it possi"!e for peop!e to enjoy their journey, save time for "usinessman to do more va!ua"!e thin#s %hen trave!in#$ a!e city greener by enhancing bus$ride e%perience 'y communicatin# %ith DS90 system, driver!ess "us cou!d provide its exact position to %aitin# passen#ers "y disp!ayin# this information in a L@D screen$ DS90 cou!d provide the num"er of %aitin# passen#ers and their position to driver!ess "us and the "us contro! center, "y ana!yAin# these data, "us contro! center cou!d optimiAe "us schedu!e or ma&e dynamic "us schedu!e$

'us si#na! priority %i!! "e provided %hen detectin# the existence of "uses approachin# intersections$ /utomatic fare co!!ection %ou!d ma&e ridin# a "us much more efficient and convenient$ +n addition, driver!ess "us %ou!d automatica!!y co!!ect rider information "y usin# a specia! "us card, %hich %ou!d ma&e ridin# "uses much safer$ Reduce business transportation cost and improve business competition Driver!ess truc& %ou!d he!p companies save a !ot money "y not hirin# exc!usive drivers, reducin# emp!oyees dea!in# %ith !o#istics, and #uarantyin# their de!ivery Bua!ity$ Driver!ess truc& trave!in# under DS90 system %ou!d "e much easier to "e trac&ed and companies cou!d use the de!ivery information, such as path and time, to improve their !o#istics$

Ris!s and challenges

The "i##est cha!!en#e in the future %ou!d "e pu"!ic acceptance$ +t is not a simp!e thin# for peop!e to trust driver!ess car %ith their !ives$ 0ertain time is needed for peop!e to &no% specia! functions of driver!ess car and DS90$ /dvertisement may "e a usefu! %ay to convert peop!e>s opinion$

References
8edera! 0ommunications 0ommission, 800 <7<,;$ 8e"ruary 1 , , ;

0ar accident advice$ httpCDD%%%$car7accident7advice$comDcar7accident7causes$htm! .is!a"$ httpCDDen$%i&ipedia$or#D%i&iD.isLa"