Qualcomm intros C-V2X reference design for autonomous vehicles

Qualcomm Technologies has introduced its first Cellular Vehicle-to-Everything (C-V2X) commercial solution based on 3GPP Release 14 specifications for PC5-based direct communications.

The Qualcomm C-V2X reference design features the 9150 C-V2X chipset with integrated GNSS capability, as well as an application processor running the Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) V2X stack and a Hardware Security Module (HSM).

C-V2X’s overarching technologies encompass two transmission modes of direct communications and network-based communications, which are designed to serve as key features for safety conscious and autonomous driving solutions, while complementing other Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) sensors, such as cameras, radar and LIDAR, to provide information about the vehicle’s surroundings, including non-line-of-sight (NLOS) scenarios.

C-V2X direct communications detects and exchanges information using low latency transmission in the globally harmonized 5.9 GHz ITS band for vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V), vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2I) and vehicle-to-pedestrian (V2P) scenarios without the need for a SIM, cellular subscription or network assistance. Complementing direct communication transmissions, the network-based communications is designed to utilize the wireless operator’s 4G and emerging 5G wireless networks for vehicle-to-network (V2N) and operates over licensed operator spectrum to support telematics, connected infotainment and advanced informational safety use cases.

The C-V2X standards include both the global 3GPP specifications at the radio layers and reuse the established service, and application layers, defined by the automotive industry, including the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) and European Telecommunications Standards Institute ITS (ETSI-ITS), who utilize investments made by the ITS community allowing for evolution of the upper layers to support new and enhanced capabilities.

The 9150 C-V2X chipset is designed to offer the industry enhanced V2X capabilities, including extended communication range, improved reliability and NLOS performance to expand support for safety and autonomous driving use cases, said Nakul Duggal, vice president of product management, Qualcomm Technologies.

“With its strong synergy with telematics and an evolution towards 5G, C-V2X offers benefits to the automotive industry by developing new capabilities for improving road safety, and enhancing autonomous driving and advanced connected services, while building on the ITS momentum and investments made over the last decade,” Duggal said.