While NEC and many other companies are engaged in research and development for autonomous driving, the reality is that performing trials on roadways where people and vehicles come and go is no easy task. This is especially true when it comes to expressways. Recently, NEC had the rare opportunity to conduct a field trial on an expressway under construction. This was the perfect environment for testing technologies as it is a real expressway minus the ordinary vehicle traffic. The site of this field trial was an approximately 3.1-kilometer section near the Shin-Gotemba Interchange of NEXCO Central Japan's Shin-Tomei Expressway. By successfully implementing our proprietary sensing and cutting-edge network technologies at this field trial site, NEC is making steady progress toward the realization of a safe and secure autonomous driving society.

Infrastructure-Cooperative Autonomous Driving System: Using information in real time—an idea unique to NEC

When you hear the term autonomous driving, the image that likely comes to mind is that of using vehicle-mounted sensors to detect obstacles on the road and avoid hitting them. This field trial, however, was focused on an Infrastructure-Cooperative Autonomous Driving System utilizing information from sensors installed on the side of the road in real time.

What sets this system apart is its ability to detect sudden traffic situations that occur anywhere from hundreds of meters to tens of kilometers away, something difficult to do with vehicle-mounted sensors, thereby improving safety and minimizing traffic congestion by constantly utilizing traffic information for the entire roadway. This could contribute significantly to safety and peace of mind in the era of autonomous driving.

Infrastructure-Cooperative Autonomous Driving System initiatives have been underway for quite some time. In NEC’s unique spin on it, the system has been designed to perform Infrastructure-Cooperative Autonomous Driving in real time by dividing the expressway into short sections measuring several hundred meters in length and independently processing them.

For example, by immediately relaying information such as "a car is slowing down one kilometer ahead" to vehicles following behind, the vehicles can respond accordingly by taking measures like changing lanes or adjusting their speed. Conventionally, information on all expressway routes was typically collected temporarily at a central road control center before being processed and responded to collectively. However, since the information is collected from various locations and periodically closed out before processing, time lags do occur.

With the system NEC is currently considering, the information necessary right then and there can be processed in real time because the processing is carried out independently at nearby locations. NEC envisions a future in which Infrastructure-Cooperative Autonomous Driving Systems can be achieved in accordance with the actual situations on all expressway routes by connecting shorter and shorter sections.

The infrastructure and trust cultivated by NEC: Envisioning a society with no accidents or traffic congestion

NEC delivered its optical fiber sensing solution to NEXCO Central Japan, which has jurisdiction over the Shin-Tomei Expressway, and optical fiber had already been installed on the side of the road in the section where this field trial was recently conducted. Conventionally, sensors have been installed at fixed intervals for spot monitoring. However, since optical fibers are all connected, they enable continuous detection and contribute to this new approach.

Hidetoshi Nagano of NEC's Transport System Department, who is leading this project, explained his vision for this system and likened it to the way drones flown in light shows never collide, saying, "By leveraging NEC's technologies, I believe we can accomplish something similar with cars on expressways in the future." Thanks to its highly advanced technologies and extensive track record in AI, telecommunications technology, sensor technology, and a wide range of other areas, NEC has been able to participate in invaluable trials like this one carried out on an expressway to improve accuracy as it moves toward the realization of this system.

As NEC builds on these field trials, Nagano stresses, "It will be possible to reduce the number of accidents and traffic congestion if more cars work together to maintain a safe distance from each other."

This recent field trial will certainly prove useful once the Shin-Tomei Expressway currently under construction is completed. Through creativity rooted in the latest technologies and many years of experience, NEC will continue doing its part to eliminate accidents and traffic congestion in anticipation of autonomous driving. And beyond that, NEC remains committed to achieving its Purpose of "creating the social values of safety, security, fairness and efficiency to promote a more sustainable world where everyone has the chance to reach their full potential."

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