o San Diego-based Qualcomm Incorporated and its subsidiary, Qualcomm Technologies, Inc., and LG Electronics (LG) have recently announced coordinated efforts to facilitate testing and adoption of 5G and Cellular-V2X (C-V2X) communications into vehicles. Qualcomm Technologies and LG expect to showcase these next-generation wireless technologies through trials during the first half of 2018. This work builds on the long-established relationship between Qualcomm Technologies and LG since the two Companies delivered their first telematics system in 2004.
On the path to 5G, LG is developing advanced automotive connectivity solutions based on Qualcomm Technologies’ connected car platform, which features support for Gigabit LTE speeds using the Qualcomm® Snapdragon™ X16 LTE modem, and is complemented by the QCA65x4 Wi-Fi 802.11ac solution. The connected car platform also supports 802.11p/DSRC and C-V2X, based upon 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) Release 14 specifications.
“The advanced wireless capabilities of 5G and C-V2X will usher in new use cases necessary to fulfill our vision for increasingly connected and autonomous vehicles,” said Kim Jin-yong, executive vice president, VC Smart Business Unit, LG Electronics. “As a leading inventor of 5G technologies and our key modem provider for telematics, Qualcomm Technologies is the company of choice for bringing the next-generation wireless solutions that leading automakers need and expect.”
With a strong evolution path to 5G, C-V2X technology is a key feature for safety conscious and autonomous driving solutions. C-V2X complements other Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) sensors, such as cameras, radar and LIDAR, to provide information about the vehicle’s surroundings, even in non-line-of-sight (NLOS) scenarios. In addition to allowing for 360 degree NLOS, C-V2X is also designed to allow for enhanced situational awareness by detecting and exchanging information using direct communications in the 5.9GHz ITS band with other vehicles, infrastructure and pedestrians’ devices, as well as network-based communications to cloud services using commercial cellular bands. Compared to current technologies, C-V2X is designed to deliver enhanced V2X direct communication range, reliability, latency and superior NLOS performance. The technology is supported by a broad ecosystem based on 3GPP Release 14 specifications, with trials expected to begin later this year.
“Wireless communications provide the vehicle with data that truly complements what other sensors deliver. For instance, C-V2X and its evolution to 5G can help the car discover what is around corners, detecting a pedestrian’s smartphone or a car approaching an intersection even when the object is obstructed by buildings or other large vehicles,” said Patrick Little, senior vice president and general manager, automotive, Qualcomm Technologies, Inc. “Building on our successful collaboration on telematics and infotainment systems, which have resulted in more than 25 million cumulative units shipped to date for carmakers throughout all key automotive regions, we are pleased to expand our relationship with LG in ushering in both C-V2X and 5G technologies in future vehicles.”
C-V2X evolution to 5G offers more wireless communication capabilities for autonomous vehicles, supporting advanced use cases such as high-throughput sensor data/map sharing among vehicles, see-through capabilities streaming camera information from one car to another, and wideband ranging for improved positioning – all while maintaining backward compatibility with 3GPP Rel. 14 C-V2X. With the ability to support multi-Gigabit speeds, mission-critical services with ultra-reliable low latency communication and massive number of nodes, 5G will support a unified connectivity platform to the always connected, autonomous vehicle of the future.