Cohda Launches Innovative Radar for V2X Connected Vehicles

Cohda Wireless has reached a huge milestone after launching its low-cost, 360-degree radar for vehicles equipped with V2X connected car systems at the recently concluded ITS World Congress in Bordeaux, France in October. The company’s V2X technology enables connected vehicles to interact with roadside infrastructure (V21) or with other vehicles (V2V).

The all-new V2X-Radar is touted as a game-changing product that will deliver value for drivers of V2X-equipped vehicles, specifically in the early days when V2X connected vehicles have low penetration rate. It delivers a pioneering 360-degree sensor that can spot road signs, buildings and even older vehicles not fitted with V2X technology. Unlike any modern technologies, it is not affected by fog, snow or rain, and can even “see” around corners. Combined with a 3D map, V2X-Radar offers highly precise positioning even in urban canyons. It can quickly spot speeds via Doppler measurements and get 360-degree sensing from a single antenna. As such, the product is a crucial new sensor for autonomous vehicles.

According to Cohda Wireless CEO Dr. Paul Gray , V2X-Radar solved the ‘chicken-or-egg problem’ of providing value to motorists in the early days when V2X still has low deployment rates, noting that the challenge of deploying V2X is realizing clear benefits for early adopters.

“Cohda Wireless, a V2X pioneer, developed V2X-Radar to solve this issue for the V2X business case. V2X-Radar uses standard V2X radio signals to sense the surrounding environment, transforming a standard V2X communications system into a 360-degree car radar.”

The revolutionary V2X-Radar takes advantage of existing V2X systems that utilize IEEE 802.11-compliant wireless signals to share sensor information between vehicles and infrastructure. These radio signals bounce off several objects—road signs, walls and other vehicles—as they travel from the transmitter to receiver. V2X-Radar can utilize these radio waves to spot objects within that environment, including non-V2X equipped vehicles.

Dr. Gray calls the V2X-Radar a disruptive technology. “It’s a low-cost addition to a standard V2X system that adds radar functionality to the V2X connected car.”

He went on to explain that V2X-Radar is standards-compliant, and does not require extra hardware in a V2X-equipped vehicle and additional on-air messages. Gray continued that all it needs is their software in the receiving vehicle, and it currently works with the NXP Roadlink chipset.

The highly innovative V2X-Radar is a software application compatible with standard transmissions from any V2X system, whether it is on a vehicle or on the roadside.