Intelligent Transport Systems

6 Vehicle Interaction with Electromagnetic Fields and Implications for Intelligent Transport Systems (ITS) Development

Lester Low and Alastair R. Ruddle

MIRA Ltd, Nuneaton, UK

6.1 Introduction

The modern vehicle incorporates numerous electronic devices to provide communication, information and entertainment services for the driver and passengers [1]. All wireless devices communicate over a radio frequency (RF) channel via antennas. In the context of a vehicle environment, antennas are often found within the cabin or mounted to the exterior of the vehicle chassis. As externally mounted antennas are covered in another chapter of this book, this chapter focuses on the study of electromagnetic (EM) fields generated by antennas that are found mainly within the vehicle cabin.

For antennas placed within the confines of the vehicle cabin it is important to understand how the vehicle structure interacts with the EM field, as the vehicle interior is a partial cavity that introduces multiple reflections and indirect coupling that may degrade the quality of the communication channel [2]; for example, for real-time intra-vehicle control applications wireless data transmission must satisfy stringent requirements that include low latency and high reliability. The objective of this chapter is therefore to outline the behaviour of EM fields within such resonant environments and possible implications for intelligent transport systems (ITS). Related issues such as installed antenna performance ...