BMW is working to create an Open Source based telematic systems with Connexis and WirelessCar. Telematics is the hot term for telecommunication & informatics. This project will permit BMW to update services to a vehicle without requiring additional equipment purchases. In a previous blog posting I suggested BMW was supporting IPv6 technologies and the telematics projects is a natural advantage for IPv6.
Under development since 2003 BMW’s ConnectedDrive research vehicles can communicate to one another exchanging information on traffic, weather and road conditions directly from car to car by means of WirelessLAN communication technology.
Traffic information of this kind will supplement telematics services in the future, connecting cars with one another in ad-hoc networks. By adopting an open source model, BMW can now further this technology to other vehicle manufactures.
Through its calculated speed and local coordinates determined by the navigation system, the car acts as a sensor registering and monitoring the flow of traffic. Whenever such a vehicle runs into congested traffic, it recognizes the situation immediately and can transmit a local traffic report by WirelessLAN to other vehicles in the surrounding area, requiring no driver intervention. All other vehicles approaching the congested roadway are therefore able to choose another route in good time, using dynamic navigation to redirect them onto less-congested routes.
This can optimize the flow of traffic not only on the highways, but also on side roads and through small towns. The advantage of ConnectedDrive is the use of ad-hoc networks, as it would not require any kind of communications infrastructure. The vehicles themselves will make up the network and provide the “multi-hopping” of data, allowing unlimited range. Each vehicle, depending on the situation, effectively takes on the role of the sender, receiver, and/or router of information.
Aside from transmitting its location and speed, the ConnectedDrive cars can also send a wide range of additional information. This includes the current status of the low and high beams, the foglamps and hazard warning flashers, as well as the brake lights. More complicated data provided by the anti-lock brake system (ABS), Dynamic Stability Control (DSC), as well as the ambient temperature can also be sent. This data provides a clear reference to local road or weather conditions that would suggest slippery road surfaces, dense fog, wet conditions or a sudden change in traffic patterns.
Tags: BMW, IPv6, network, Open Source, trends