cens logo

ITRI Sets up Taiwan's First Telematics System Testing Platform

Not only a convenient lab but also helps collect data to improve technologies

2013/04/10 | By Quincy Liang

The Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI), a major industrial-technology R&D body in Taiwan, recently announced having inaugurated the island's first integrated testing platform for telematics, which can provide comprehensive testing for local carmakers, makers of telematics equipment, networking cards, and related application products.

ITRI’s staff check the telematics OBU (onboard unit).
ITRI’s staff check the telematics OBU (onboard unit).

Synchronized
The telematics testing site, according to the ITRI, is synchronized with the WAVE (Wireless Access in Vehicular Environments) / DSRC (dedicated short range communications) of the United States and ETSI (European Telecommunications Standards Institute) of Europe, hence able to inform local makers all the testing procedures and requirements of these standards in advance, which effectively cut certification/testing costs and time to tap telematics markets in Europe and the United States.

Wu Chen-wen, ITRI's vice president and general director of Information and Communications Research Laboratories (ICRL), says the testing platform is designed to handle telemateics equipment radio frequency (RF) spectrum analysis, compatibility certifications with international telematics standards, equipment communication capability tests, equipment performance analysis and real-road tests etc. The site, Wu says, not only provides a much more convenient lab, but also helps collect data for makers to improve technologies and products.

DOT Approved
In addition to the testing environment, Wu adds, ITRI's newly developed IWCU 4.0 (ITRI WAVE/DSRC Communication Unit) series products, including both onboard unit (OBU) and roadside unit, have passed tests and inspections of the Connected Vehicle Plan being carried out by the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT), as well as meet standards set up by the European Union. With experience and know-how in meeting global telematics standards, Wu says, ITRI is fully capable of offering the local telematics industry integrated testing environment and testing/certification information.

According to ITRI, its IWCU 4.0 adopts vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) and vehicle-to-roadside (V2R) technologies to enhance driving warning, transmit real-time traffic information, and provide electronic-toll functions, making the system the technological mainstream in next-generation telematics systems.

Real-road telematics-system tests conducted by ITRI.
Real-road telematics-system tests conducted by ITRI.

The ITRI has announced its cooperation with the Hsinchu County government in northern Taiwan to set up technologies on traffic-light control systems for public buses and will soon start feasibility tests. In 2013, the ITRI will also cooperate with the Taiwan Area National Freeway Bureau to set up the IWCU system in weighing stations for freeway vehicles.

Then, the ITRI says, it will work with automakers, parts suppliers, and automotive-electronic companies.

After years of effort, Wu says, the ITRI has successfully developed the Smart Vehicle Information Gateway (SVIG) and remote service platforms. Built-in sensors in a SVIG system, he explains, enables effective, easy collection of driving information for better fleet management, including driver behavior, road conditions etc.