I2EASE

Intelligence for efficiently electrified and automated driving through sensor networking

Automated driving functions for highway and parking scenarios are already available in series production and have reached an advanced status in research for higher automation level. In these scenarios the available vehicle sensors can perceive the environment sufficiently for the driving function. In urban scenarios, especially at intersections, the currently used vehicle sensors can only perceive the required information of the traffic environment, e.g. due to occlusions, insufficiently. The infrastructure-side sensors can also evaluate only estimates for traffic condition at a few selected locations today. An intelligent networking of all sensors in the area of an urban intersection, including moving objects and road users, provides the conditions for the implementation of automated driving functions and customized intelligent traffic control systems with the aim of increasing energy efficiency and road safety. Thereby the emissions and the total energy demand of traffic can be significantly reduced and moreover the range of electrified vehicles will be significantly increased.

In the upcoming three years, the project partners will concentrate on linking the sensors at traffic lights, street lighting, charging stations and mobile sensors of vehicles and pedestrians altogether intelligently. The networking enables an at most complete description of the traffic environment in real-time. Various users can access this description and depict it in their preferred perspective in order to increase energy efficiency and traffic safety. Concepts for an efficient integration of charging station infrastructure at the lighting infrastructure are a part of I2EASE as well. Finally, public acceptance of the system is also investigated in the project.

The I2EASE project has the overall goal of developing and validating electronic systems for electric vehicles, which enable automated driving functions and efficient traffic management to increase energy efficiency and traffic safety of electric vehicles in urban traffic. This objective is achieved by the informational networking between charging stations, street lighting and electric vehicles as well as networked intelligent sensor technology, which expands the perception horizon of an electrified vehicle and infrastructure-side traffic control.