Collaboration over IEEE 802.11p to enable an intelligent traffic light function for emergency vehicles

With the advent of cooperative automated functions a host of novel functions becomes feasible - cooperative driver assistance systems (CoDAS). We present an example for a novel collaborative vehicle-2-infrastructure interaction with the "automated emergency vehicle green-light" (AEVGL) function. In our approach we combine traffic light infrastructure with Dedicated Short Range Communication (DSRC) over IEEE 802.11p to address a serious issue: accidents containing emergency vehicles at intersections. In AEVGL we utilize communication to preemptively switch traffic lights to red for crossing traffic to allow safe passage of the approaching emergency vehicle even in low communication penetration scenarios. This function can serve as blueprint for other novel lightweight CoDAS functions with a very specific scope. GLOSA and AEV are currently tested in the TEAM IP project to facilitate AEVGL.