Application of WLAN to Automatic Vehicles

Automated cars definitely are the future means of transportation. Existing system of transportation is simply not efficient owing to human errors. Thus, creation of a new system which is fully automated and efficient is need of the hour. In our system, we connect a car with those in its vicinity using WLAN or wireless LAN in order to transfer data about the specifications of the car, traffic conditions, lane shifting and its speed. The computer process this information obtained from other cars and uses parameter such as road rules obtained from the sensors placed along the road, the route map derived from the GPS database and radar scanning to maintain optimum distance between other vehicles and obstructions.

EXISTING SYSTEM:

 The Ohio State University Center for Intelligent Transportation Research (CITR) has developed three automated vehicles demonstrating advanced cruise control, automated steering control for lane keeping, and autonomous behavior including automated stopping and lane changes in reaction to other vehicles. Various sensors were used, including a radar reflective stripe system and a vision based system for lane position sensing, a radar system and a scanning laser range finding system for the detection of objects ahead of the vehicle, and various supporting sensors including side looking radars and an angular rate gyroscope. Whenever multiple sensors were available, data fusion and fault detection were employed to maximize functionality without driver involvement. 


Drawbacks:

The system which CITR has developed is applicable only for highways where there is a single road and constant speed. Such a system would fail if it is applied in a region of high traffic density such as a big city because of some many other factors such a taking turns and multiple destinations. For such a situation where you have different vehicles going to different destinations, communication between the vehicles is essential and WLAN plays an important role in overcoming this difficulty.

PROPOSED SYSTEM:

We propose to integrate the following systems in our Automated Vehicular System to overcome the difficulties faced in the drawbacks stated above.

WLAN:

A wireless LAN or WLAN is a wireless local area network, which is the linking of two or more computers or devices without using wires. WLAN uses spread-spectrum or OFDM modulation technology based on radio waves to enable communication between devices in a limited area, also known as the basic service set. This gives users the mobility to move around within a broad coverage area and still be connected to the network..SAN JOSE, Calif. Nov. 2003 Cisco Systems Inc. announced the results of a new study conducted by independent research firm NOP World Technology, which shows significant productivity gains and increasing financial returns to organizations adopting a policy of wider wireless local area network (LAN) deployment. Results from this current 2003 study demonstrate a rise in employee productivity, increased cost savings and other benefits. While wireless LANs [for healthcare organizations] have been postulated to represent a major area for potential growth, widespread deployment has yet to be realized. There remains a need to quantify the benefits offered by their implementation (including increased flexibility, productivity, and cost savings). This research has been designed to provide the required substantiation.

WLAN Penetration

Education has the highest WLAN penetration (at 29%), followed by manufacturing (23%), healthcare (13%) and government sectors (12%). Beyond these, most other sectors tend to be implementing WLANs at a relatively laggard pace (with an average 6% penetration).

Advantages:

The advantages of wlan are its portability, ease of installation, and practicality. The most appealing aspect of wlan is its convenience, it allows flexibility and roaming. A user is not tied down to a lan and can move around with relative ease while staying connected. Wlan are also easy to install, an entire network can be put together in a matter of hours rather than days. Finally, wlan may be installed where rewiring is impractical. Wireless systems can be installed in different environments and users can communicate with the existing wired network through access points or wireless adapters. The popularity of wireless LANs is a testament primarily to their convenience, cost efficiency, and ease of integration with other networks and network components. The majority of computers sold to consumers today come pre-equipped with all necessary wireless LAN technology.

These are the benefits of wireless LANs:

• Convenience: The wireless nature of such networks allows users to access network resources from nearly any convenient location within their primary networking environment (home or office). With the increasing saturation of laptop-style computers, this is particularly relevant.

• Mobility: With the emergence of public wireless networks, users can access the internet even outside their normal work environment. Most chain coffee shops, for example, offer their customers a wireless connection to the internet at little or no cost.

• Productivity: Users connected to a wireless network can maintain a nearly constant affiliation with their desired network as they move from place to place. For a business, this implies that an employee can potentially be more productive as his or her work can be accomplished from any convenient location.

• Deployment: Initial setup of an infrastructure-based wireless network requires little more than a single access point. Wired networks, on the other hand, have the additional cost and complexity of actual physical cables being run to numerous locations (which can even be impossible for hard-to-reach locations within a building).

• Expandability: Wireless networks can serve a suddenly-increased number of clients with the existing equipment. In a wired network, additional clients would require additional wiring.