The World's First Commercial ITS Verification Test Carried out in Changchun City, China

TOKYO-(Business Wire)-September 29, 2009 - Renesas Technology Corp. and the city of Changchun, China have jointly carried out a verification test of the world's first commercial ITS¹ using public busses in Changchun City, China this month. The test was completed successfully. Renesas provided the WAVE terminal platform that implements WAVE² communication, a new wireless communication technology, and confirmed the realization of WAVE communication used in public busses.

Currently, there are many efforts underway globally to implement ITS that connect vehicles and the roads they drive on with a network to resolve road and transportation problems such as traffic jams and road accidents. High-capacity data communication between vehicles (car to car) and between traffic signal equipment, road information management systems, and other roads/vehicles (road to car) are required to implement the ITS services such as ETC³, GPS for car navigation systems, safe driving support systems, and public transportation management services. Since last year, at locations around the world, there have been efforts to promote ITS verification testing aimed at practical implementation of ITS using the WAVE technology. This is because WAVE can implement, in real time, the high-speed/high-capacity communication required for image transmission, and it is regarded as the next-generation wireless technology capable of supporting car to car and road to car connections.

Now, a WAVE verification test has been carried out in Changchun City, using WAVE terminals located in three public busses, eight bus stops and an intersection on the main street that connects Changchun station with the Changchun municipal government. This was the first time that such a test has been carried out using public busses that were actually operated commercially, with bus stops on an ordinary street used for the bus route. Renesas’ WAVE terminals were installed in the busses, bus stops, and at intersections, where information, including image information acquired with cameras at the various sites, was exchanged between the WAVE terminals. The scenes at the intersections were projected on the monitor within the bus next to the driver’s seat, and the bus driver was able to determine the state of traffic congestion. Similarly, by showing the scene inside the bus to the Changchun Transit Authority (CTA), they could see the degree of crowding, as well as use the information for crime prevention. Also, by collecting this terminal data and acquiring bus position information in real time, it will be possible for the CTA to estimate the bus arrival times and display such information at bus stops, and to achieve stable bus operations control by optimizing the bus arrival intervals.

Renesas developed a WAVE evaluation system in 2008 and has participated in ITS verification testing at many locations. The Chinese government has been promoting the construction of ITS infrastructure in major cities, and Changchun City has been developing its ITS infrastructure since 2007. Changchun City is the home of the First Automobile Works Group, which is one of the three major car manufacturers in China where automotive-related industries are concentrated. Here, Renesas, partnering with FAW Qiming Information Technology Co., Ltd., which is part of the First Automobile Works Group in Changchun, has been participating in ITS infrastructure construction planning since June 2007. Renesas and Changchun National Optoelectronics Industry Base Development Co., Ltd., co-hosted this current test with the support of the Changchun Bureau of Industry and Information along with Changchun Public Transport Group Co., Ltd., and Changchun Information Center for building the verification test infrastructure system. Renesas provided the WAVE platform integrating WAVE technology and related software, including software for the bus control system.

Renesas confirmed from the results of the verification test that the WAVE technology will be able to apply to safety monitoring of roads and public transportation systems. The results can also be applied to traffic control systems, traffic information service systems, and safety driving assistance at intersections and with public transportation systems. Renesas will provide an ITS terminal platform system with key devices and technological support to Changchun City, which is aiming at full deployment of a WAVE system. By providing ITS solutions, including the latest WAVE technology, not only in Changchun City but to other sites as well, Renesas contributes to safety, security, and comfort in the automotive society. In addition, Renesas will contribute to the standardization of WAVE, which IEEE 801.11p⁴ and ETSI⁵ have now studied to standardize WAVE as a unified specification, by providing feedback obtained from ITS verification tests using Renesas’ advanced WAVE evaluation system and developing a SoC incorporating WAVE technology.

Note 1: ITS (Intelligent Transport Systems): A new transportation system that aims at resolving problems such as traffic accidents and congestion by mutual exchange of information between users, roads, and vehicles using information, communications, and control technologies.

Note 2: WAVE (Wireless Access in Vehicular Environments): WAVE is a wireless LAN technology that conforms to the IEEE 802.11p standard and can provide the previously impossible high-speed/high-capacity communications required for image transmission.

Note 3: ETC: Electronic Toll Collection.

Note 4: IEEE802.11p: A wireless LAN standard using 5.9GHz band based on IEEE802.11a.

Note 5: ETSI: European Telecommunication Standard Institute

About Renesas Technology Corp.

Renesas Technology Corp. is one of the world's leading semiconductor system solutions providers for mobile, automotive and PC/AV (Audio Visual) markets and the world's No. 1 supplier of microcontrollers. It is also a leading provider of LCD Driver ICs, Smart Card microcontrollers, RF-ICs, High Power Amplifiers, Mixed Signal ICs, System-on-Chip (SoC), System-in-Package (SiP) and more. Established in 2003 as a joint venture between Hitachi, Ltd. (TOKYO:6501)(NYSE:HIT) and Mitsubishi Electric Corporation (TOKYO:6503), Renesas Technology achieved consolidated revenue of JPY 951 billion in FY2007 (ended March 2008). Renesas Technology is based in Tokyo, Japan and has a global network of manufacturing, design and sales operations in 17 countries, with 26,800 employees worldwide. For further information, please visit http://www.renesas.com.

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