The Research of Applying Wireless Sensor Networks to Intelligent Transportation System(ITS) Based On IEEE 802.15.4

The intelligent transportation system (ITS) is envisioned by linking existing and emerging technologies of computers, wireless radio communications systems and sophisticated sensors to be used in vehicles and roads. IEEE 802.15.4 is a new standard designed for low rate wireless personal area networks (LR_WPANs) with a focus on enabling wireless sensor networks for vehicular, residential, commercial and industrial applications. This standard is characterized for its simplicity, low data rate, low power consumption and low cost in networks. The release of IEEE 802.15.4 is anticipated to make a significant contribution to the application of wireless sensor networks (WSNs) to ITS. In this article we first give a brief description of IEEE 802.15.4 standard and the characteristic of 802.15.4 for WSNs, then present a few application scenarios in vehicles and roads to show the potential applicability to which the new standard can be used to enable WSNs in ITS