As an advanced wireless communication technology currently applied in ITS (Intelligent Transportation Systems), C-V2X can not only address the problem of over one million deaths annually from road traffic accidents, but also extend the blind spot detection capabilities in autonomous driving coverage. Its technical standards and application modes are as follows:
I. Technical Advantages: C-V2X can aggregate information collected in collaborative sensing, update maps using precise road structure information, and distribute localized high-definition (HD) maps based on vehicle location. These enhanced advanced services, such as blind spot detection, remote sensing, remote driving, and platooning, all benefit from C-V2X technology. It can improve road capacity, driver safety, and comfort; as shown in Figure 1, these are the advantages that C-V2X technology brings to autonomous driving.
Figure 1. Schematic Diagram of C-V2X Technology Integration and Application
II. Standard Mode: Using 3GPP (3rd Generation Partnership Project) 4G (LTE) or 5G (NR) connections for signal transmission and reception, it operates in two complementary transmission modes;
III. Application Prospects: With technological evolution and deployment, fatal accidents caused by human error or road conditions, and serious traffic congestion caused by special circumstances or accidents will no longer be a problem. Through vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) and vehicle-to-pedestrian (V2P) technologies in C-V2X, risks can be detected before they become threats, and through C-V2X vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2I) and vehicle-to-network (V2N) technologies, warnings can be issued before traffic congestion occurs. These technologies are being put into use successively. The collaborative application of C-V2X, intelligent transportation systems, and 5G will help achieve safer roads and more efficient travel.
IV. Technology The integrated low-latency, high-reliability C-V2X technology enables vehicles to communicate with other vehicles (V2V), pedestrians (V2P), roadside infrastructure (V2I), and the network (V2N), regardless of whether a cellular network is used, thereby improving road safety and traffic efficiency. Autonomous vehicles are typically equipped with advanced sensors: cameras, LiDAR, radar, Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS), and Controller Area Network (CAN). So why is C-V2X technology still needed for intelligent transportation systems? This is because C-V2X can detect potential hazards and road conditions over long distances. Even fully equipped autonomous vehicles cannot detect non-line-of-sight (NLOS) objects. C-V2X can overcome the NLOS problem by using PC5 interface sidelink communication or cellular networks to provide additional safety features. Vehicle sensors provide the basic functions of autonomous driving; this will not change in the future and is crucial for safety. However, the automotive industry has realized that connectivity is essential for further improving the safety and comfort of L3 (Level 1: Conditional Automation) or L4 (Level 2: High Automation) driving; to achieve higher levels of autonomous driving, vehicles must be interconnected through C-V2X technology.
