Emergency Vehicles to control Traffic Lights

22 July, 2020

Autotalks and Applied Information deploy V2X solution in Alpharetta, Georgia, that alters the position of traffic control devices in order to give priority to emergency vehicles

A cooperation between Autotalks from Israel and Applied Information from Atlanta, Georgia, may change many concepts regarding the role of V2X (Vehicle-to-Everything) communications. The two companies are carrying out a unique active V2X deployment, that allows emergency vehicles to control roadside units such as traffic lights.

Applied Information has developed a Dual-Mode/Dual-Active Roadside Unit to communicate with vehicles equipped with V2X On Board Units. The systems employs Autotalks’ dual mode chipsets, that supports both DSRC standards (802.11p/ITS-G5) and C-V2X (Cellular V2X based on 3GPP release 14 and 15 specifications) with embedded cyber-security functionality. The chipset allows customers to easily toggle between DSRC and C-V2X.

The initial deployment will take place in Alpharetta, Georgia. In Alpharetta, over 150 traffic control devices are connected. Applied Information has signed similar agreements in Texas and Hawaii, where the two companies are cooperating in similar deployments. During the Alpharetta pilot, the system will activate a signal preemption function which transfers the normal operation of the traffic control devices to a mode of operation which gives the right of way to emergency vehicles such as ambulances and firefighting vehicles, while all other traffic is brought safely to a halt.

Bryan Mulligan, president of Applied Information (left) and Yuval Lachman, VP of business development at Autotalks
Bryan Mulligan, president of Applied Information (left) and Yuval Lachman, VP of business development at Autotalks

As a result, these vehicles can arrive to their destination earlier and have better chances to save lives. The deployment is expected to include other use cases beyond emergency vehicles, such as transit bus priority, red light running alerts and “get ready for green” message to make traffic move more safely and efficiently through signalized intersections.

“Our work is another proof that the auto industry is determined not to wait until the US regulator will decide which V2X technology to deploy. Whether C-V2X or DSRC is selected, there is a move to deploy agnostic technologies,” said Yuval Lachman, VP of business development at Autotalks. “The AI/Autotalks solution enables roadway operators to confidently deploy V2X technology today,” said Bryan Mulligan, president of Applied Information.

Share via Whatsapp

Posted in: Automotive , IoT , News , Semiconductors , Wireless

Posted in tags: Autotalks , c-v2x , v2x