TACRP: Traffic-Aware Clustering-Based Routing Protocol for Vehicular Ad-Hoc Networks

Abstract

On account of the highly dynamic topology of vehicular networks, network congestion and energy utilization are greatly increased, which directly affects the performance of VANETs. So, managing traffic and reducing energy consumption in the network becomes a challenging task in such huge mobility-based VANET networks. Thus, in this paper a new traffic and cluster-based network method is introduced, namely, Traffic-Aware Clustering based Routing Protocol (TACRP). The main aim of the approach is to improve traffic management in the network as well as to reduce energy consumption in it. In the constructed network, a Traffic Management Unit (TMU) is introduced to control the entire network traffic with the help of RSUs. Vehicles with similar speed and direction are grouped into a cluster to increase the network stability and help to reduce the energy consumption of the network. The clustering model provides principles associated with vehicles leaving the clusters, joining the clusters, cluster updates and inter-cluster communication, which makes the network more stable and reliable. For instance, in the proposed work the CH selection is based on centralization, weight, distance, and energy calculation. Such network settings facilitate successfully clustering of vehicles on the road. Simulation experimental analysis showed that the proposed TACRP routing protocol achieved better results in terms of energy efficiency, throughput, packet delivery ratio, and end to end delay of the network when compared with earlier methods, such as ECHS and NRHCS.