The Internet of Very Big Things is Here

Now that Google has taken an interest in inter-vehicle communication with its recent patent filing (https://tinyurl.com/oacm6l6 - “Google Patents Technology for Car-to-Car Video Feed”) maybe we can come to grips with the meaning of an Internet of Things and particularly the Internet of Very Big Things (IVBT). We are moving rapidly toward a world where things will communicate location, identity, credentials, performance, speed, direction of travel, destination, size, and on and on.

This communication will enhance safety and efficiency, mitigate pollution and generate alerts as to the movement and arrival time of things.  And in the automotive industry, at least, LTE is the at the core of this transformation.

I’d like to think the foundational IVBT application is avoiding collisions. In the world of trains, airplanes, ships and cars, progress toward inter-vehicle communication is proceeding unevenly – but the initial objective is the same: avoiding collisions with other things.

Airplanes

The airline industry has the most complex array of collision avoidance technologies including (according to Wikipedia):

• Airborne radar
• Traffic Collision Avoidance System (TCAS)
• Portable Collision Avoidance System (PCAS)
• FLARM
• Ground Proximity Warning System (GPWS)
• Terrain Awareness and Warning System (TAWS)
• Synthetic vision
• Obstacle Collision Avoidance System (OCAS)

TCAS is the dominant wireless technology in use in the airline industry's process of avoiding collisions. All large airplanes are required to mount one of two kinds of TCAS device. Wikipedia says, “Each TCAS-equipped aircraft interrogates all other aircraft in a determined range about their position (via the 1.03GHz radio frequency), and all other aircraft reply to other interrogations (via 1.09 GHz). This interrogation-and-response cycle may occur several times per second.”

The system is also designed to warn pilots and negotiate a mutual avoidance maneuver between airplanes in danger of colliding based on extrapolated flight paths.

Ships

Large ships meeting certain specifications use something called Automatic Identification System transmitting messages via VHF with a range of 20-40 miles. This communication is enhanced by on-land communication resources which share the location information via satellite connections.

The communications with other ships are intended to avoid collisions. The communications with land are intended to aid ports in their preparations for the arrival of large ships which may have cargo or passengers to unload and may require assistance.

Trains

Controversy has emerged in the U.S. over the timing of implementation and the justification for Positive Train Control (PTC) which is intended to prevent trains from colliding with other trains or exceeding the speed limitations of certain stretches of track. The debate centers around funding, but some question whether the $1B+ cost of nationwide implementation is worth the outcome.

Wikipedia notes that, “The wireless infrastructure planned for use by all US Class I freights, most small freight railroads, and many commuter railroads is based on data radios operating in a single frequency-band near 220 MHz.” The application is designed to automatically slow or stop trains at imminent risk of a collision.

Something happens, though, once you move out of the air and off of the ocean and try to prevent collisions between vehicles on land. There are different protocols and systems in use for PTC within the U.S. and around the world. Additionally, the requirements of rail networks operating in dense urban areas are different from the demands on systems traversing wide open spaces.

PTC is controversial for its cost, interoperability challenges, different functional requirements and the fact that these systems are intended to automatically take control of trains in order to prevent collisions. There are even critics who suggest that the potential for saving lives is insufficient to justify the investment. Such an argument will be rejected by anyone living near railroad tracks.

Cars

Cars, today, have virtually no communication with one another. SO it is worth considering the different challenges represented by these four operating environments.

In the case of trains, planes and ships there is a need for any vessel to communicate with any other vessel regardless of who owns or manufactured it. In the fiercely competitive auto industry the idea of inter-vehicle communication between brands remains foreign.

Ships and airplanes must use the same protocols and wireless technology and spectrum to communicate since these vessels travel across the globe. Trains use a wide range of protocols and spectrum and as such, even within the same geography, have to provide for interoperability.

Cars may be made in the same factory but they are frequently shipped throughout the world and, as a result, must either be manufactured with different built-in connectivity systems or provide for those regional differences with different on-board systems for each market. In essence, cars are caught somewhere between the uniformity of the world of airplanes and ships and the heterogeneous connectivity environment of trains.

Airplanes, trains and ships can last for decades. Cars tend to last for a bit more than a single decade. The shorter product lifecycle means it is slightly easier to keep cars up to date, but it still means that older cars with older technology linger and often require aftermarket updates.

Cars generally lack off-board, live navigational assistance, unlike planes and ships. Trains have tracks.

Finally, TCAS and PTC are designed to take over control of airplanes and trains if necessary to prevent collisions.  Ship-based systems are not so equipped.  A not widely understood intention of U.S. regulators is that mandated 802.11p devices in cars are expected to eventually add vehicle control.

All four transportation environments have security requirements along with the safety and entertainment requirements, some of which are enabled by the technologies that also serve to avoid collisions. The unique circumstance of trains has highlighted the importance of interoperability.

The author, Thierry Sens, marketing director for Alcatel-Lucent, argues for the use of Internet Protocol/Multi-protocol Label Switching as the most suitable network technology for a mission critical application such as crash avoidance for trains. He notes the ability of IP/MPLS to be used in conjunction with microwave and LTE radio components for a converged solution.

A similar scenario confronts the automotive industry. Regulators in the U.S. are pushing unproven and vulnerable 802.11p Wi-Fi technology for inter-vehicle communication while LTE-based systems are emerging that will be capable of enabling inter-vehicle communication for a wide range of applications from safety to security to infotainment.

LTE (and eventually 5G) is rapidly emerging as a global automotive connectivity standard capable of immediately enhancing vehicle safety and enabling collision avoidance applications. The importance of LTE can be inferred from the wide range of applications enabled by the shipping industry’s use of AIS technology.

In the words of Jason Tieman, director of maritime operations for Oceaneering, and speaking at Spacecom in Houston, AIS allows for:

• Better resource allocation
• Optimization of assets and resources
• Competitive analysis
• Improved tariff collection (public and private)
• Forensic support for litigation or law enforcement
• Regulatory compliance monitoring
• Enhanced maritime domain awareness
• Improved decision-making and documentation

He notes AIS users access AIS data in real-time for map visualization; docks/terminals; vessel tracks; weather and customer fleet views. They use historical AIS data for five years of vehicle position history (2x/minute), historical playback, regional reporting (by terminal, dock, bridge, channel, etc.), point-to-point reporting, ad traffic density maps.

As the automotive industry comes to grips with its own collision avoidance challenges it is worthwhile to consider the challenges met and overcome by other transportation industries. Perhaps the single most important decision the automotive industry can take is to choose a technology already widely accepted throughout the world to ensure the widest life-saving impact. Clearly, that solution is LTE today and will be 5G in the future.