Characterization, Avoidance and Repair of Packet Collisions in Inter-Vehicle Communication Networks

This work proposes a combined and accurate simulation of wireless channel, physical layer and networking aspects in order to bridge the gaps between the corresponding research communities. The resulting high fidelity simulations enable performance optimizations across multiple layers, and are used in the second part of this thesis to evaluate the impact of fast-fading channel characteristics on Carrier-Sense Multiple Access, and to quantify the benefit of successive interference cancellation

Characterization, Avoidance and Repair of Packet Collisions in Inter-Vehicle Communication Networks

This work proposes a combined and accurate simulation of wireless channel, physical layer and networking aspects in order to bridge the gaps between the corresponding research communities. The resulting high fidelity simulations enable performance optimizations across multiple layers, and are used in the second part of this thesis to evaluate the impact of fast-fading channel characteristics on Carrier-Sense Multiple Access, and to quantify the benefit of successive interference cancellation

Understanding differences in MAC performance

The suitability and performance of medium access protocols in vehicular environments is already being investigated over a long period of time. Carrier Sense Multiple Access (CSMA) has been shown to perform sufficiently well in most situations and being able to support safety and efficiency vehicular applications. Recently, Self-organizing Time-Division Multiple Access (STDMA) is being considered as an alternative and has been shown to coordinate the channel slightly better under certain situations. However, when comparing both protocols the precise details of radio and network conditions and parametrization of the protocols are decisive on which protocol takes a slight lead. Consequently, scenarios can be constructed quite easily in which one protocol is superior over the other one. The focus of this work is thus not to absolutely compare both protocols, but rather to understand the strengths and weaknesses of both protocols in certain situations. In particular, we consider i) to which degree hidden nodes influence the coordination ability, ii) how an extended carrier sensing range is beneficial and iii) how temporary fading influences the performance of both MAC protocols. Our results show that while an extended carrier sensing range is only beneficial for CSMA, the existence and severity of fading is far less detrimental for STDMA than for CSMA

In-depth Analysis and Evaluation of Self-Organizing TDMA

Recent studies suggest that Self-organizing Time- Division Multiple Access (STDMA) might be a better medium access strategy in inter-vehicle communication networks than Carrier Sense Multiple Access (CSMA), especially when con- sidering safety focused applications. Although it is necessary to completely understand a protocol and the effect of its ‘turning knobs’ on performance before adoption, STDMA has not yet been subjected to such rigorous treatment in the literature. In order to address this shortcoming we perform and present an in-depth analysis and evaluation of STDMA’s fundamental principles. In particular, we contribute a detailed and complete description of the STDMA protocol, followed by the analysis and evaluation of two key questions: How can packet collisions occur in STDMA and whether packet collisions are ‘contagious’. We further perform a fair comparison with CSMA on the basis of which we provide recommendations on the configuration of STDMA. Our results show that STDMA coordinates multiple access effectively – even in highly congested situations – as long as all transmitted packets are decoded successfully. When non-decodable (but still carrier-sensible) transmissions are present, STDMA effectiveness drops below that achieved by CSMA due to the lack of control information. To ensure reproducibility and encourage further inquiry we release the STDMA implementation used in this paper to the wireless networks research community

Identifying and Harnessing Concurrency for Parallel and Distributed Network Simulation

Although computer networks are inherently parallel systems, the parallel execution of network simulations on interconnected processors frequently yields only limited benefits. In this thesis, methods are proposed to estimate and understand the parallelization potential of network simulations. Further, mechanisms and architectures for exploiting the massively parallel processing resources of modern graphics cards to accelerate network simulations are proposed and evaluated

Identifying and Harnessing Concurrency for Parallel and Distributed Network Simulation

Although computer networks are inherently parallel systems, the parallel execution of network simulations on interconnected processors frequently yields only limited benefits. In this thesis, methods are proposed to estimate and understand the parallelization potential of network simulations. Further, mechanisms and architectures for exploiting the massively parallel processing resources of modern graphics cards to accelerate network simulations are proposed and evaluated

Multiscale Modeling of Inter-Vehicle Communication

Within this thesis, different modeling approaches at different scales in the domains of urban radio propagation, decentralized channel coordination, and information dissemination in inter-vehicle communication networks are investigated. The contributions reveal the suitability of existing models for network-oriented research, propose a novel information-centric modeling approach, and identify characteristics of inter-vehicle communication systems which determine key dependability aspects

Rate-Adaptation Based Congestion Control for Vehicle Safety Communications

This thesis deals with the scalability of Vehicle Safety Communications (VSC), where vehicles exchange periodic status messages to support future driver assistance applications. We systematically develop a design methodology for congestion control in VSC and present a resulting protocol named PULSAR. While previous works typically focused on controlling channel load only, we thereby integrate a concept which allows the adaptation to operate within the limits defined by safety applications