Cooperative Vehicle-Infrastructure System (CVIS)

Definition and Technical Philosophy

The Cooperative Vehicle-Infrastructure System (CVIS) refers to an intelligent transport system that facilitates comprehensive real-time data exchange and coordinated control among vehicles, roadside infrastructure, other road users, pedestrians, and cloud platforms using next-generation communication and Internet technologies. Its core philosophy centres on eliminating the traditional transport bottleneck where vehicles operate as isolated "data islands". By leveraging roadside infrastructure, it provides vehicles with a high-level "bird's-eye view" perception network, enabling the transition from standalone vehicle intelligence to a holistic "vehicle-road-cloud" ecosystem. A fitting analogy is that whilst smart connectivity provides the vehicle with an intelligent "brain", CVIS provides this brain with an all-seeing "eye in the sky" overlooking the entire roadway.

Core Components and Technical Architecture

CVIS operates on an integrated four-tier architecture: "Vehicle-Road-Cloud-Network". At the Roadside Perception Layer, junction-mounted cameras, millimetre-wave radars, and LiDAR sensors capture dynamic real-time data on vehicles, pedestrians, and obstacles within a 500-metre radius, effectively eliminating perception blind spots of on-board sensors during torrential rain, heavy fog, or line-of-sight obstructions. At the Communication Network Layer, the system harnesses C-V2X (Cellular Vehicle-to-Everything) technology to deliver ultra-low latency data transmission at millisecond levels. At the Decision and Control Layer, roadside edge computing nodes process and fuse massive perception data locally, whilst the cloud platform manages macro traffic optimisation and AI model training, seamlessly bridging macroscopic management with localised response.

Application Scenarios and Practical Benefits

The practical value of CVIS spans traffic safety, traffic flow efficiency, and autonomous driving capabilities. In terms of Active Safety, the system provides beyond-line-of-sight safety features such as junction collision warnings and emergency braking alerts. Pilot data from Wuxi indicates a 28% reduction in traffic accidents following deployment. Regarding Traffic Flow Efficiency, smart traffic lights dynamically adapt signal phasing to real-time traffic volumes, enabling "green wave" corridors. Wuxi has implemented 147 green wave routes spanning 589 km, slashing return-trip travel times by 25%. In Autonomous Driving Enablement, CVIS serves as a vital redundancy layer for standalone vehicle intelligence, significantly streamlining automated navigation through complex junctions; Baidu Apollo's Robotaxis recorded a 35% efficiency boost at complex intersections using this infrastructure.

Industry Landscape and Future Outlook

As of 2026, the take-up rate of new vehicles equipped with Level 2 and above driver assistance systems in China has surpassed 60%, accelerating the industry's shift from standalone vehicle intelligence to system-wide intelligence. In 2024, five Chinese government bodies, including the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, jointly unveiled the nation's first 20 pilot cities for "Vehicle-Road-Cloud Integration" applications. In terms of standardisation, the Chinese Association of Automation rolled out the "Cooperative Intelligent and Connected Vehicles Based on Advanced Mobile Communications" standards series in March 2026, establishing the first systematic technical framework for vehicle-road-cloud cooperative driving. Moving forward, large-scale vehicle-road-cloud roll-outs are steering CVIS from isolated smart junctions toward network-wide optimisation, with the ultimate vision of fully driverless, autonomous mobility.

Technical Limitations and Safety Parameters

CVIS serves as foundational infrastructure designed to support autonomous driving and intelligent transport networks. The reliability and real-time responsiveness of its data services depend heavily on cellular network coverage and stability, roadside sensor health, and cloud computing capacity. During network outages, extreme weather conditions, or hardware failures, system performance may degrade or experience service interruptions. Drivers must not compromise their active situational awareness or road vigilance by over-relying on CVIS-fed hazard warnings or speed advisories, and remain solely responsible for ultimate driving safety at all times.