Hitchin’ a Ride
5G will take autonomous driving to the next level.
By Joe Toppe
While most of us are looking to smartphones
for the possibilities of 5G technology, the
automotive industry is gearing up for a free ride.
Self-driving vehicles were already on the scene
before a fifth-generation innovation promised
industry pros and academics a complete
realization of autonomous driving.
“The benefits of autonomous driving will be
fully realized with supporting wireless
communication offered by 5G,” Mashrur
“Ronnie” Chowdhury said, Ph.D. and professor
of transportation at Clemson University.
The technology will enable vehicle-to-
everything (V2X) communication, which
includes vehicle-to-vehicle, vehicle-to-
infrastructure, and vehicle-to-vulnerable road
users, he said. An autonomous vehicle is
equipped with different sensors such as camera,
lidar, and radar, which can generate data at a rate
of multi-gigabits per second.
Currently, the telecommunication industry,
which includes AT&T, Verizon, and Sprint have
already deployed 5G as a fully operational
network in major cities like Atlanta, Boston,
New York, Chicago, San Francisco, and
Houston.
The coverage will be expanded to other areas
and become the key motivator for the
connected and automated vehicle’s widespread
deployment. Commercial use is also centering
its focus on wireless communication and
increasing autonomy.
Steve Rober, Head of Advanced Technology,
at Fiat Chrysler Automobiles, told Innovation &
Te c h To d a y “5G’s lightning-fast connection
speeds and increased bandwidth will trigger a
number of new automotive technologies,
especially when linked to advanced vehicle
control systems and communication networks.”“The information carried over the faster
network won’t just improve direct-to-consumer
features, it will unlock updates with more off-
board capability, creating a channel to improve
vehicle quality, durability, and efficiency,” he
said. “As 5G comes online, it will also enhance
higher levels of autonomy.”
How will it work?
According to Clemson University, the
presence of 5G can aid an autonomous vehicle’s
(AV) leverage computing capabilities offered by
roadside infrastructure, which can reduce the
computational load on the vehicle itself. The
external computation capability can be furtherenhanced by cloud computing, while 5G is an
enabler of future scenarios where numerous
AV’s will be coordinated with cloud-based, city-
wide traffic control, and management.AV operations will vary based on location and
time. To cover varying scenarios, 5G offers
different types of base stations (like LTE
towers) for different regions, such as low band
base stations in rural areas or millimeter-wave
micro base stations in dense urban areas. AV’s
can also switch between different 5G base
stations based on application requirements and
locations.
However, solely relying on
AV sensors could pose risks
when sensors cannot
perceive approaching
objects like other vehicles
and pedestrians. AVs with
V2X technology are
considered the best solution
to make driving safer and
more reliable with less
dependency on the in-
vehicle sensors.Pierre Lefevre, CTO at
Coast Autonomous, said
5G’s most obvious impact
on autonomous driving would be the
communication between vehicles allowing an
ease in traffic flow while enhancing safety.
“The infrastructure must communicate with
vehicles for signals and traffic lights, even if
cameras and AI can recognize road signals, they
can be temporarily out of sight behind a truck or
other obstruction,” he said. “This technology
will provide a complementary perception layer
coming from smart poles instrumented with
cameras, radars, and lidars to enhance
perception. This will impact traffic flow and
safety.” Q5G’s lightning-fast connection speeds and increased bandwidth will trigger a number of new automotive technologies, especially
when linked to advanced vehicle control systems and communication networks.techtech
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