Skip to main content

Toyota engineer awarded patent for V2V system

Toyota Technical Center’s (TTC) general manager of the Integrated Vehicle Systems Department, Hideki Hada, has been awarded a patent for the development of vehicle speed indication using vehicle to infrastructure technology. The idea behind vehicle speed indication using vehicle-infrastructure is to improve traffic flow by dynamically adjusting posted speed limits on highways using vehicle to vehicle communication. The system uses Dedicated Short Range Communication (DSRC) to transmit vehicle speed t
July 11, 2014 Read time: 2 mins
1686 Toyota Technical Center’s (TTC) general manager of the Integrated Vehicle Systems Department, Hideki Hada, has been awarded a patent for the development of vehicle speed indication using vehicle to infrastructure technology.

The idea behind vehicle speed indication using vehicle-infrastructure is to improve traffic flow by dynamically adjusting posted speed limits on highways using vehicle to vehicle communication.

The system uses Dedicated Short Range Communication (DSRC) to transmit vehicle speed to the highway infrastructure management system, which collects that data and calculates an optimal speed of vehicles on that highway based on the traffic condition in the area.  This optimal speed is sent to vehicles using DSRC wireless communication.  By these vehicles following this suggested speed, the flow on the highway is improved.

For example, if there is congestion five miles ahead, by slightly slowing the vehicle speed, say from 70mph to 67mph, the arrival time of vehicles to the congested area can be delayed. This will prevent worsening congestion and can potentially resolve it, while also improving safety for drivers.

Hideki said “It is an exciting time for us because both the industry and government are working together to realize this vehicle-to-infrastructure wireless communication technologies in the US (i.e. 5.9GHz DSRC). Toyota has been contributing a large scale field operational test of this 5.9GHz DSRC technology at our Ann Arbor campus and proven the feasibility of this technology which can contribute to the improvement of vehicle safety and create the foundation for future connected-and-automated driving systems.”

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • Active traffic management - challenges and benefits
    April 12, 2013
    Minnesota DoT has built one of the most intensive Active Traffic Management (ATM) systems on the road today. Like many ITS deployments, the state has gained benefits but also faces many challenges, as Pete Goldin reports. Smart Lanes is the brand name of Minnesota Department of Transportation’s (MnDoT) ATM system on I-35W in the Twin Cities Metro Area. The original system covered 16 miles of I-35W south of Minneapolis starting in 2009, and was extended by two miles in 2011. Additional ATM equipment was inst
  • Improving urban traffic control in Atlanta
    January 27, 2012
    Hugh Colton, Georgia DOT details move to improve urban traffic control in the Atlanta area. With a significant proportion of traffic using freeways and toll-ways, along with a significant investment in roadway infrastructure, urban arterials are often the poor relation when it comes to ITS investment. Hitherto the primary means of Urban Traffic Control (UTC) has been the ubiquitous traffic signal. Many traffic signals still operate in a standalone mode and traffic detection is often broken, leaving the sign
  • Cooperative infrastructure systems waiting for the go ahead
    February 3, 2012
    Despite much research and technological promise, progress towards cooperative infrastructure system deployment is still slow. Here, Robert Cone and John Miles take a considered look at how and when it might come about. From a systems engineering viewpoint it looks logical and inevitable that vehicles should be communicating between themselves and with the road infrastructure. But seen from a business viewpoint the case is not proven.
  • Towards common standards for cooperative road infrastructures
    July 23, 2012
    Michael Noblett of Connexis discusses international progress towards common standards for cooperative road infrastructures. Will vehicle safety communications standards be able to support ITS on the international level, or will we settle once again for regional interoperability only? The answer lies in the current status of the draft standards themselves, and the requirements users and authorities are placing on the people who draft them.