The Impact of Blocking Cars on Pathloss Within a Platoon: Measurements for 26 GHz Band

TL;DR

This paper presents measurement results at 26 GHz showing how blocking cars affect signal attenuation within a platoon, highlighting significant variability and the mitigating effect of two-ray propagation.

Contribution

It provides empirical data on signal attenuation caused by blocking vehicles at 26 GHz, informing reliable communication strategies for autonomous platooning.

Findings

Attenuation can reach tens of dB with 2-3 blocking cars

Two-ray propagation can mitigate blockage effects in some locations

Blocking cars significantly impact high-frequency signal strength

Abstract

Platooning is considered to be one of the possible prospective implementations of the autonomous driving concept, where the train-of-cars moves together following the platoon leader's commands. However, the practical realization of this scheme assumes the use of reliable communications between platoon members. In this paper, the results of the measurement experiment have been presented showing the impact of the blocking cars on the signal attenuation. The tests have been carried out for the high-frequency band, i.e. for 26.555 GHz. It has been observed that on one hand side, the attenuation can reach even tens of dB for 2 or 3 blocking cars, but in some locations, the impact of a two-ray propagation mitigates the presence of obstructing vehicles.