V2X solutions accelerate the arrival of autonomous driving

One of the solutions includes the R-Car W1R 760MHz band wireless SoC for the Japanese market, and the R-Car W2H SoC that features a high performance security engine that is indispensable for V2X systems designed for the Japanese, US and European markets. The other solution consists of the W2H SoC combined with the R-Car W2R 5.9GHz band wireless communication SoC developed for US and European markets.

By combining these new SoCs, system developers can now easily develop systems that support the corresponding V2X standard for the Japanese, US and European markets. Renesas also delivers development starter kits that will enable system developers to immediately start application software development, leading to significant reductions in the development period for V2X systems.

In October 2015, Renesas launched the R-Car W1R, which conforms to Japan's wireless communications standards, and is adopted in the ITS Connect (Note 1) V2V and V2I communications system. It is the only device in the world with a proven track record that is currently commercially deployed in the V2X wireless SoC market. The R-Car W1R was adopted in Denso Corporation's in-vehicle ITS units. These units are also used in Toyota's Crown, Prius, and Lexus RX models for displaying traffic signal violation, cross traffic, and pedestrian warnings at traffic signals using car and infrastructure communications to warn drivers about approaching emergency vehicles and to assist cruise control and other functions.

In addition to the current V2X activities led by Japan, steady progress is being made in US and European investment plans due to legislation and implementation of V2X technology. At the same time, the countries’ differing communication frequencies, communication standards, and security standards have made optimizing devices for each region and the associated software development into significant challenges for V2X system development. To ease these burdens, Renesas delivers V2X kit solutions that combine either the R-Car W1R or R-Car W2R with the R-Car W2H. These kit solutions make it possible to construct optimal systems for each region at low cost.

Key features of the V2X solutions:

1) Kit solutions conform to Japanese, US and European standards to support user system development

Systems that conform to the ARIB STD-T109 Japanese wireless communications standard as well as the ITS Connect security and communications standards can be implemented by combining the R-Car W1R, which is designed for the Japanese market, with the R-Car W2H. Similarly, systems that conform to the North American standards (IEEE 801.11p, IEEE 1609.x, and others) or the European ETSI standards, can be implemented by combining the R-Car W2R, which is designed for the European and US markets, with the R-Car W2H.

Lineup of Renesas wireless communications SoC kit solutions:

• R-Car W1R: Wireless communications SoC that supports the Japanese communications standards (760MHz band)
• R-Car W2R: Wireless communications SoC that supports the European and US communications standards (5.9GHz band)
• R-Car W2H: V2X communications processor SoC that supports the Japanese, US and European security standards
• R-Car W1R + R-Car W2H kit: Implements V2V and V2I communication systems for the Japanese market
• R-Car W2R + R-Car W2H kit: Implements V2V and V2I communication systems for the European and US markets

2) V2X starter kits support rapid development and faster time-to-market

Renesas provides starter kits that support the Japanese, US and European standards, and provides Basic Software Packages (BSP: products that include operating systems, drivers, firmware, and middleware) for V2X communication processors, which will simplify user development of application software. To lower barriers to entry to the market, Renesas also provides wireless communication evaluation tools. These tools support a wide range of evaluation and testing for the system developer’s complex wireless communication characteristics evaluations, from the system development prototyping stage to wireless communication tests in the mass production stage to in-vehicle testing at the OEM manufacturer's site.