Inter-Vehicle Communication / Vehicular Ad Hoc Networks

General Overview; Possible Applicationes; Vanet Challenges

General Overview

Vehicular ad hoc networks (VANETs) represent a field that has a big potential for the future automotive technology. VANETs are also known as inter-vehicular communication (IVC) or vehicle-to-vehicle communication (V2V).

The aim of IVC is the exchange of information via a wireless communication system between vehicles while they are moving. Before the development of VANETs, the information about the surrounding of a vehicle was reduced to the data obtained by sensors located on it. An ad hoc network between the vehicles moving on a road provides the opportunity of exchanging information about the conditions on and besides the road. Therefore all vehicles can obtain knowledge about their in environment in larger areas than through their onboard sensors.

There are two possibilities of communication: Nodes can communicate directly through a wireless connection and when no direct link exits. In this last case, the packets sent from one car to others have to be routed following a multi-hop path until arriving to the destination node. The packet is forwarded from one car to another following the optimum path up to the destination according to the implemented routing protocol.

Literature

There are lot's of applications that are based on a vehicular network. The main goal is definitely the increase of safety in the vehicular traffic. This means by the use of VANETs driving can become safer and the number of accidents can be reduced.

Driver assistance systems can be implemented, such as overtaking assistance, security distance warning, and support for optimal driving strategy. Vehicles platooning, that is the cooperation between a group of cars in coordinated maneuvering can also be implemented. The traffic situation can be obtained via the network and in case of congestion or an accident on the road a new route can be selected and traffic jam situations can be avoided.

But besides the safety and driver assistance purposes also a lot of comfort and entertainment facilities can be provided. For example: electronic payment in petrol stations or road tolls is possible by the uses of a VANET.

On the other hand, Internet access can be provided through gateway stations distributed along the road.

Many other applications related to entertainment and comfort can be quoted, such as inter vehicle chatting, multiplayer games, advertisement precedent from sites located along the route, mobile commerce, reception of news, weather forecast and so on.