VLC Network Design for High Mobility Users in Urban Tunnels.

Edmundo Torres-Zapata,Martin Luna-Rivera,Rafael Perez-Jimenez,Jose Rabadan,Victor Guerra

doi:10.3390/s22010088

Edmundo Torres-Zapata, Martin Luna-Rivera + Show 3 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.3390/s22010088

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Abstract

Current vehicular systems require real-time information to keep drivers safer and more secure on the road. In addition to the radio frequency (RF) based communication technologies, Visible Light Communication (VLC) has emerged as a complementary way to enable wireless access in intelligent transportation systems (ITS) with a simple design and low-cost deployment. However, integrating VLC in vehicular networks poses some fundamental challenges. In particular, the limited coverage range of the VLC access points and the high speed of vehicles create time-limited links that the existing handover procedures of VLC networks can not be accomplished timely. Therefore, this paper addresses the problem of designing a vehicular VLC network that supports high mobility users. We first modify the traditional VLC network topology to increase uplink reliability. Then, a low-latency handover scheme is proposed to enable mobility in a VLC network. Furthermore, we validate the functionality of the proposed VLC network design method by using system-level simulations of a vehicular tunnel scenario. The analysis and the results show that the proposed method provides a steady connection, where the vehicular node is available more than 99% of the time regardless of the number of vehicular nodes on this network. Additionally, the system is able to achieve a Frame-Error-Rate (FER) performance lower than 10−3.

Highlights

In the last decade, the use of the Internet has improved, simplified, and brought new services to many sectors of the economy
The main contributions are twofold: firstly, we develop a promising Visible Light Communication (VLC) network topology that restructures the uplink connection process to ensure the reliability of the handover decision
This study provides a better understanding of the challenges VLC networks face to support the implementation of vehicular communication

Summary

Introduction

The use of the Internet has improved, simplified, and brought new services to many sectors of the economy. In the specific case of the vehicular industry, we expect that Internet-connected vehicles will enable safer driving and enhance passenger experiences. With the connected vehicle market becoming the standard for new cars, they will require the capability to receive real-time information from other vehicles and the roadside infrastructure provided by local authorities. Vehicle Safety Communications (VSC) has defined safety applications to work under the Dedicated Short Range Communication (DSRC) technology [1]. This active vehicle-based safety system has been tested, standardized, and approved by the United States Department of Transportation (USDOT)

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