A Reference Design for a Spectrum Misbehavior Authority for Connected Vehicle Environments

Abstract

Connected Vehicle (CV) wireless networks based on DSRC, ITS-G5 and C-V2X technology are susceptible to interference from both unintentional emitters and non-CV devices that are authorized to share the same or adjacent bands. Such interference may lead to unreliable communication and disruption of CV services with particular impact on safety-related applications. In previous work, we proposed and demonstrated that interference and congestion (i.e., spectrum misbehavior) in DSRC and ITS-G5 networks can be detected simply and inexpensively using capabilities already incorporated into the IEEE 802.11p PHY/MAC standard. Furthermore, we suggested that the simplest way to report spectrum misbehavior to network operators or spectrum regulators would be through the IEEE 1609 Security Credential Management System (SCMS). The last step is to implement a central authority that collects the spectrum misbehavior reports, analyzes them, and takes action to ensure the reliability of the wireless medium. Because no such system currently exists, here we propose a reference design for a Spectrum Misbehavior Authority (SMA) that meets the requirements of connected vehicle networks. We have implemented and validated a proof-of-concept interference source localization scheme as one of the important elements and key features of the SMA.