ZigBee for Intelligent Transport System applications

Wireless communication technologies are expected to be widely employed in the near future in Intelligent Transport System applications. The important innovations in wireless and digital electronics will support many applications in the areas of safety, environmental and emissions control, driving assistance, diagnostics and maintenance in the transport domain. It is evident that wireless communication technologies can be used in-vehicle, inter-vehicle and between vehicle and infrastructure in transport applications. Among the different possibilities, Bluetooth is currently the most widely used automotive wireless technology for in-vehicle communication while Wi-Fi is used for vehicle to vehicle communication by several pilot research projects. ZigBee also has a role, mainly in the interconnection of wireless sensor with vehicles and infrastructure. The Embedded Middleware in Mobility Applications project (EMMA) is funded under the Information Society Technologies (IST) Priority of the 6th Framework Programme of the European Commission. Intelligent Transport System applications will be taken as a pilot example where EMMA will foster cost-efficient ambient intelligence systems with optimal performance, high confidence and faster deployment. It is necessary to find suitable communication technologies to integrate heterogeneous devices such as sensors inside the vehicle level up to motes belonging to the infrastructure. The paper will focus on our experience of using ZigBee protocol for the infrastructure and vehicle sensor network in the EMMA project. Mainly, how communication between the vehicle (highly mobile) and the infrastructure can be handled using ZigBee as the most suitable communication technology in the EMMA project validation applications.