Approaching Vehicle Alert System

Recently, a new problem arises that ambient noise of the Electronic Vehicle (EV) or plug-in Hybrid Vehicle (pHV) is too small especially for the visually-challenged and the aged when these vehicles approach to pedestrians or start moving.
YRP Ubiquitous Networking Laboratory, the University of Tokyo, Hachinohe Institute of Technology, and Aomori prefectural government are developing Approaching Vehicle Alert System using wireless technology with the help of Mitsubishi Motors Corporation and Aomori Mitsubishi Motorsales Co, Ltd. In our system, radio wave marker on a car emits signals and a mobile terminal called Ubiquitous Communicator (UC) receives the signals. The system uses license-free weak power wireless radio at 429MHz, and the other is UWB (Ultra Wide Band).
The system with license-free weak power wireless radio uses RSSI (Received Signal Strength Indicator) to estimate the distance between vehicle and human. The system with UWB uses RTT (Round Trip Time) of the pulse which is emitted from the UC to the vehicle to estimate the distance.
In the demonstration, an electronic vehicle, i-MiEV, is displayed and the system using the vehicle and the terminal is operated. Please come to our booth.