Adaptive Network Segmentation and Channel Allocation in Large-Scale V2X Communication Networks

Abstract

Mobility, node density, and the demand for large volumes of data exchange have aggravated competition for limited resources in the wireless communications environment. This paper proposes a novel MAC scheme called segmentation MAC (SMAC), which can be used in large-scale vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communication networks. SMAC functions to support the dynamical allocation of radio channels. It is compatible with the asynchronous multi-channel MAC sub-layer extension of the IEEE 802.11p standard. A key innovate feature of SMAC is that the segmentation of the network and channel allocations are dynamically adjusted according to the density of vehicles. We also propose a novel efficient forwarding mechanism to ensure inter-segment connectivity. To evaluate the performance of inter-segment connectivity, a rigorous analytical model is proposed to measure the multi-hop dissemination latency. The proposal is evaluated in network simulator NS2 as well as the standard IEEE 1609.4 and two asynchronous multi-channel MAC benchmarks. Both analytical and simulation results demonstrate better effectiveness of the proposed scheme compared with the existing similar schemes in the literature.