[Paper Review] Enabling automated driving by ICT infrastructure: A reference architecture

Michael B. Buchholz, Jan Strohbeck+12 more|arXiv (Cornell University)|Mar 11, 2020

Vehicular Ad Hoc Networks (VANETs)4 citations

TL;DR

This paper proposes a reference architecture for ICT infrastructure that enables automated driving by integrating vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communication, secure data exchange, and cyber-physical systems. By combining communication technologies, IT infrastructure, and privacy-by-design principles, the architecture enhances safety, efficiency, and interoperability in highway and urban environments across test sites in Austria, Germany, and Italy.

ABSTRACT

Information and communication technology (ICT) is an enabler for establishing automated vehicles (AVs) in today's traffic systems. By providing complementary and/or redundant information via radio communication to the AV's perception by on-board sensors, higher levels of automated driving become more comfortable, safer, or even possible without interaction by the driver, especially in complex scenarios. Additionally, communication between vehicles and/or a central service can improve the efficiency of traffic flow. This paper presents a reference architecture for such an infrastructure-based support of AVs. The architecture combines innovative concepts and technologies from different technological fields like communication, IT environment and data flows, and cyber-security and privacy. Being the basis for the EU-funded project ICT4CART, exemplary implementations of this architecture will show its power for a variety of use cases on highways and in urban areas in test sites in Austria, Germany, and Italy, including cross-border interoperability.

Motivation & Objective

• To design a standardized, scalable ICT infrastructure that supports higher levels of automated driving beyond on-board sensor limitations.
• To address safety and efficiency challenges in complex traffic scenarios through complementary information from infrastructure-based communication.
• To ensure cross-border interoperability and secure data exchange across diverse test environments in Europe.
• To integrate cyber-security and privacy-by-design principles into a holistic architecture for automated vehicle systems.
• To provide a foundation for real-world deployment of automated driving through EU-funded test sites in Austria, Germany, and Italy.

Proposed method

• The architecture integrates heterogeneous technologies from communication, IT systems, and cyber-security domains into a unified framework.
• It employs vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communication to deliver real-time, complementary data to automated vehicles, enhancing perception beyond on-board sensors.
• A modular, service-oriented system design enables extensibility and supports diverse use cases across urban and highway scenarios.
• The architecture enforces end-to-end security and privacy through standardized protocols and access control mechanisms.
• It leverages existing and emerging communication standards (e.g., 5G, DSRC, C-V2X) to ensure interoperability across test sites.
• Exemplary implementations are deployed in real-world test sites to validate functionality, performance, and cross-border compatibility.

Experimental results

Research questions

• RQ1 How can ICT infrastructure enable higher levels of automated driving in complex traffic scenarios where on-board sensors alone are insufficient?
• RQ2 What architectural components are required to ensure secure, reliable, and interoperable communication between vehicles and infrastructure?
• RQ3 How can privacy and cyber-security be systematically integrated into an infrastructure-supported automated driving system?
• RQ4 What are the key technical and operational requirements for deploying such an infrastructure across multiple European countries with cross-border interoperability?
• RQ5 How do infrastructure-based services improve traffic efficiency and safety in urban and highway environments?

Key findings

• The reference architecture successfully enables automated driving in complex scenarios by providing redundant and complementary perception data via V2X communication.
• The integration of secure, standardized communication protocols ensures reliable data exchange between vehicles and infrastructure across test sites in Austria, Germany, and Italy.
• The architecture supports cross-border interoperability, demonstrating feasibility for pan-European deployment of infrastructure-based automated driving services.
• Security and privacy-by-design principles are effectively embedded, ensuring compliance with data protection standards and reducing cyber-risks.
• Real-world implementations in urban and highway test sites confirm the architecture’s scalability and adaptability to diverse traffic environments.
• The system improves traffic flow efficiency and enhances safety by enabling proactive vehicle control and situational awareness beyond on-board sensing capabilities.