Most advanced vehicle control and safety systems (AVCSS) currently under development are autonomous, making use only of the information that they can derive from their onboard sensing systems. This paper describes the possibilities for improving the performance of AVCSS by adding cooperative capabilities. These include communication of information from other vehicles and/or from roadside infrastructure. The cooperating elements on the other vehicles and infrastructure may be either passive or active. Examples are given to show how the cooperative systems can reduce the cost and complexity of sensor systems, reduce the occurrence of false or nuisance alarms, and improve the overall AVCSS performance. The significant deployment complexities incurred by cooperative systems are also addressed.
Abstract