Complete architecture and demonstration design for a new combined WiMAX/DSRC system with improved vehicular networking efficiency

Abstract

This paper provides a detailed architecture and demonstration system for a new combined Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMAX) and Dedicated Short Range Communications (DSRC) network layer design for providing Internet access to vehicles. The overall design consists of subscriber station (SS) vehicles, cluster head relay station (RS) vehicles, WiMAX base stations (BSs), and Internet access gateways (IAGs). Here RSs serve as intermediate relays for serving virtual WiMAX connections to SS vehicles, relying on a WiMAX backend network for Internet connectivity. Simulation results show that our proposed system significantly improves the overall system efficiency as compared to the conventional WiMAX-only system, motivating a design of a complete WiMAX/DSRC Internet access architecture. The first main focus of this paper is on the layer 3 network protocol (L3NP) operating between the access concentrator (AC) in the SS instances and the Network Server (NS) component of an IAG, which provides Internet service to user applications. The second main focus of this paper is on the WiMAX backend network protocol (WBNP) and backend connection networking for handling traffic between the BS nodes and the IAG node providing the L3NP service to the vehicles. Finally, the third main focus of this paper is on the demonstration system design which takes all of the above mentioned elements, namely SS, RS, BS, and IAG modules, network entry functionality, to network protocol settings and behaviour, and implements them in an object-oriented design for accurate scenario performance and feasibility testing. The demonstration system implements tunnelling of protocols in the same way as an actual implementation, but uses virtual network devices for each module to facilitate communications. We provide example use cases for using our proposed architecture design with our provided demonstration system to serve as a useful tool to vehicular communications and networking engineers/researchers, that can be reconstructed and adapted as needed for derivative designs and scenarios.