25-08-2017, 09:32 PM
Wireless Automotive Communications
Abstract
This paper presents an overview of wireless automotive
communication technologies, with the aim of identifying the
strong candidates for future in-vehicle and inter-vehicle au-
tomotive applications. The paper first gives an overview
of automotive applications relying on wireless communi-
cations, with particular focus on telematics. Then, the
paper identifies the key networking technologies used for
in-vehicle and inter-vehicle applications, comparing their
properties and indicating future challenges in the area of
wireless automotive communications, with a focus on real-
time aspects.
Introduction
Nowadays the two areas that are getting most attention
in automotive communications are protocols and technolo-
gies supporting x-by-wire applications, e.g., Flexray [3],
and protocols and technologies for telematics and wireless
applications. Automotive telematics refers to any kind of
vehicle information or communication service that relies on
a wireless communication link.
There are several applications pushing for the adoption
of wireless communications in automotive systems, both
within the vehicle (in-vehicle communications) and be-
tween the vehicle and its surroundings (inter-vehicle com-
munications). Looking at in-vehicle communications, more
and more portable devices, e.g., mobile phones, portable
GSM devices and laptop computers could exploit the pos-
sibility of interconnection with the vehicle. Also, several
new applications will exploit the possibility of inter-vehicle
communications, e.g., vehicle-to-vehicle [2] and vehicle-to-
roadside communications.
Telematics
Automotive telematics enables the deployment of a num-
ber of new services and applications integrating wireless
communication technology into a vehicle. As a result, the
vehicle acquires new capabilities and offers more services
to its users. Examples of telematics services and applica-
tions are:
• Navigation and traffic information systems - A vehicle
equipped with a telematics unit can direct a driver to a de-
sired location, while providing real-time traffic information
for a given route.
• Voice recognition and wireless Internet connection -
Drivers and their passengers can receive and send voice-
activated e-mails while on the road.
Summary and way forward
This paper has presented existing and upcoming automo-
tive wireless networking technologies, and identified basic
wireless applications relying on these technologies. There
are several open issues to be addressed. First, which wire-
less automotive applications rely on real-time systems and
how existing research on wireless real-time communica-
tions can provide support for these applications. Other im-
portant points are related with the integration of wireless
networking technologies and with the interoperability prob-
lems which could be expected in the automotive domain.
Finally, it should be discussed how these wireless technolo-
gies should be integrated in the existing communications ar-
chitecture comprising several network protocols, e.g., CAN,
LIN and MOST, and if such an architecture should be ex-
tended with a wireless infrastructure