Prototype V2X (Vehicle-to-everything) applications
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Porsche Engineering has developed three prototype V2X applications over the past twelve months. The software team in Lecce and the Nardò Technical Center play a key role in this. A state-of-the-art wireless infrastructure is available there.
The V2X (Vehicle to Everything) technology enables vehicles to communicate directly with their environment—even without an active internet connection. This allows them to exchange information with other vehicles, pedestrians, bicycles or the road infrastructure. “This direct communication offers a wireless range of up to 1,000 meters and end-to-end latency times in the millisecond range, which is particularly important for safety-critical applications,” explains Sai Praneeth Reddy Animireddy, Function Owner V2X Development at Porsche Engineering. “By using standardized messages, information can be exchanged between vehicles made by different manufacturers. This makes V2X technology an important component for current driver assistance systems and future autonomous vehicles.”
In the course of various feasibility studies, Porsche AG together with Porsche Engineering' have identified promising V2X applications over the past twelve months that are currently being implemented as prototypes. One of these aims to further improve pedestrian safety: When a vehicle turns in the city, the driver often cannot tell whether a pedestrian is crossing the road directly behind the turn-off due to restricted visibility. Another vehicle might provide important information in this case. If it has a better view of the pedestrian via one of its cameras, it can use V2X to send a notification to the turning driver. It would also be conceivable to automatically brake the turning vehicle in an emergency.
Vehicles in conversation: greater road safety thanks to V2X
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Scenario 1: Pedestrian protection
In the first scenario, a vehicle is turning right just as a person is crossing the road—but the driver cannot see them. The other vehicle is in a better position and can detect the person on the road with its camera. It sends a warning to the first vehicle to prevent an accident.
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Scenario 2: Prevention of rear-end collisions
In the second scenario, two cars and one truck are driving in a row. The front passenger car brakes, which the driver right at the back can’t see. The front passenger car sends a message to all vehicles behind it and informs them of the braking. This also enables the driver in back to brake in good time despite poor visibility.
Another V2X application could prevent rear-end collisions in the future: “For example, let’s think of three cars that are driving directly in a row. The driver of the first vehicle suddenly slams on the brakes because a child walks onto the road,” says Animireddy. “Then the vehicle can send a message to the other two cars behind it via V2X to warn them.” Even if the front vehicle was not equipped with V2X, a warning to the last vehicle would still be possible—if the middle vehicle is equipped with V2X. It could detect the brake lights coming on and then send a warning to the driver behind it.
Game changer for traffic
The communication of vehicles among each other as well as with the infrastructure could become a game-changer for traffic—also in terms of getting autonomous vehicles on the roads. “V2X communication is an important addition to on-board sensor technology,” explains Florian Zeiner, Product Owner for V2X at Porsche. The biggest challenges involved are the market penetration and the prevailing disagreement in Europe regarding the technology. The prototype V2X applications were developed in the southern Italian city of Lecce, where the Nardò Technical Center (NTC) has employed a team of software engineers since the beginning of 2023. They focus on five specializations: Energy (particularly battery management systems), ADAS (Advanced Driver Assistance System) functions and autonomous driving, big data analytics and cloud infrastructure, software quality and validation, and connectivity, which includes the new V2X applications. “By working closely with the universities in Lecce, Pavia and Turin, we have access to the latest technical developments and can involve many talented young people in our projects through master’s and doctoral theses,” reports Matteo Longo, who leads the team in Lecce. "Another great advantage for the development of V2X functions is the proximity to Porsche Engineering’s NTC. There we can test new applications under optimal conditions.”
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“We used a mix of simulations and prototype development to develop the Follow-Me app.”
Sai Praneeth Reddy Animireddy
Function Owner V2X Development at Porsche Engineering
This became particularly evident in another V2X project by Porsche Engineering, the ‘Follow-Me’ app. The idea behind it: Several Porsche vehicles drive in a convoy, for example as part of a joint excursion or on the way to an event. Or a group of developers are on the road with test vehicles. By using V2X data exchange, all participants see the position of the other vehicles on their displays as well as other information such as the respective distances between the vehicles or the best speed to be able to stay together as a group. “Any person can also send messages to the group, for example to suggest a coffee break or a stop for recharging the battery,” says Animireddy.
Multiple communication channels
The technical basis for this is what is known as ‘sidelink communication’, which wirelessly connects the vehicles directly to each other at a frequency of 5.9 gigahertz. It avoids the detour via the cellular network, which would incur costs and in which the data packets would take much longer to arrive. The underlying standards are ETSI Sidelink Messages (Europe), CN-SAE (China), and SAE (USA). In some cases, however, direct data exchange between the vehicles is not possible— for example, because the maximum range of roughly 1,000 meters has been exceeded or an obstacle interrupts the wireless link. In this case, the app automatically switches over and uses the cellular network to send and receive messages. The data exchange is then based on the Cellular-V2X standard.
“Automatic switchover between sidelink communication and data exchange using the cellular network was one of the challenges in this project,” as Longo reports. “In smart cities, vehicles can also communicate with the intelligent infrastructure, for example to find a parking space. There, the V2X applications must master up to three different data connections: The sidelink with other vehicles, V2X via the cellular network, and communication with the Smart City.” The team benefited from its close proximity to the Nardò Technical Center, particularly when testing the automatic switchover between the different communication channels. In addition to the private 5G network there, the developers also have roadside units at their disposal that simulate the infrastructure of a Smart City. “On the NTC test tracks, we tested the Follow-Me app extensively, later adding test drives on public roads in Germany and Italy,” says Longo.
1,000
Up to 1,000 meters can be bridged via sidelink between two vehicles for the exchange of messages.
The engineers also employed a variety of different development methods. “We used a mix of simulations and prototype development to develop the Follow-Me app while simultaneously ensuring compliance with V2X message standards,” says Animireddy. “It was also important to us for the app to access a backend as little as possible. This is the only way to guarantee its functionality even if there is no connection to the internet.” Unauthorized access to the data is prevented by a public key infrastructure (PKI) and ETSI ITS security architecture. “We ensure data protection through anonymization and pseudonymization technologies. As a result, personal data cannot be directly associated with individuals,” says Animireddy.
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PKI stands for ‘Public Key Infrastructure’. PKI uses a system of public and private keys to securely encrypt data and confirm the identity of people and websites. Digital certificates ensure that the keys are genuine, and that communication stays secure.
Porsche expert Zeiner is satisfied with the result: “The Follow-Me app is a great fit with the Porsche community. It also shows the possibilities that V2X will offer in the future. The new software team in Lecce was able to implement the prototypes in a very short time—from the development to the testing of the new functions.” The basis for their success was the international cooperation of several sites across national borders. “V2X is the basis for many future applications, which is why almost all OEMs are investing in the topic,” Longo concludes. “Our connectivity developers in Lecce have greatly expanded their expertise on V2X, and our strong results are mainly due to them. The feasibility studies show that we have the expertise and tools necessary for it. In short: We’re ready for V2X.”
Info
Text first published in the Porsche Engineering Magazine, issue 2/2024.
Text: Christian Buck
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