The 5G autonomous driving test used infrastructure deployed by TIM, Magenta and Deutsche Telekom
The 5G-CARMEN project, funded by the European Commission and coordinated by the Bruno Kessler Foundation, demonstrated the outcomes of an autonomous driving pilot that connected low latency, autonomous and assisted driving vehicle functions using a 5G mobile network.
Via 5G connectivity and edge computing infrastructure deployed by the project’s network operators TIM, Magenta and Deutsche Telekom, as well as by technology partners such as Nokia, Qualcomm Technologies, NEC Laboratories Europe and INWIT, vehicle automated functions were developed leveraging 5G as a sensor of the traffic environment to extend the capabilities of vehicle automation from SAE Level 2 up to 4, according to a press release from the 5G-CARMEN organization.
Tests were conducted not only within each country, but also across the borders from Italy to Austria and Austria to Germany.
5G-CARMEN showcased “smooth service continuity” for all drivers moving from one country to another, providing roaming connectivity to the users with the same level of service quality granted to users connected to their home networks, the release said, adding that 5G service continuity for cars driving along the corridor was coordinated by edge computing platforms.
“Two Stellantis-CRF vehicles demonstrated the ability to perform cooperative lane maneuvers and lane changes using connected, assisted and automated driving along the 5G corridor and at the borders between Italy-Austria and Austria-Germany,” the organization said in its release. “Cooperative maneuvers are enabled by an extended perception of the vehicle, sharing speed and position of the vehicle itself and of the other vehicles, that are monitored by the on-board sensors. Data sharing with surrounding vehicles takes place thanks to the 5G cellular network and also to the C-V2X direct communication.”
5G-CARMEN also said that centralized connected and automated lane change was also tested in the Kufstein border between Germany and Austria. In this specific test, three BMW vehicles sent their position, speed and intention of a lane change maneuver via a 5G network to a BMW Maneuvering Service which monitors the state of the traffic, manages the distance between vehicles, generates recommended speed for all of them and determines the most suitable moment to execute a lane change, the organization reported.
“The 5G-CARMEN project represents a milestone for the evolution of connected and automated vehicles,” said Matteo Gerosa, 5G-CARMEN project coordinator. “The real added value of 5G-CARMEN project has been the synergy and the competences put into the system: companies and research centers have been working side by side for the construction and development of the new business scenario for the future ecosystem of digital mobility and intelligent transport system enabled by 5G connectivity and Edge-Cloud infrastructure”.
Focusing on the Bologna-Munich corridor, the objective of 5G-CARMEN is to leverage on the most recent 5G advances to provide a multi-tenant platform that can support the automotive sector delivering safer, greener, and more intelligent transportation with the ultimate goal of enabling self-driving cars.
The key innovations are centered around developing an autonomously managed hybrid network, combining direct short range V2V (vehicle to vehicle) and V2I (vehicle to infrastructure) communications with long-range V2N (vehicle to network) communications.
