A swarm algorithm for collaborative traffic in vehicular networks

TL;DR

This paper introduces a swarm intelligence-based distributed congestion control method for vehicular ad hoc networks, enhancing message delivery reliability and network stability in intelligent transportation systems.

Contribution

It presents a novel swarm algorithm for congestion control in VANETs, improving throughput, channel usage, and communication stability over existing strategies.

Findings

Increased network throughput

Reduced packet loss and delays

Enhanced communication stability

Abstract

Vehicular ad hoc networks (VANETs) allow vehicles to exchange warning messages with each other. These specific kinds of networks help reduce hazardous traffic situations and improve safety, which are two of the main objectives in developing Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS). For this, the performance of VANETs should guarantee the delivery of messages in a required time. An obstacle to this is that the data traffic generated may cause network congestion. Data congestion control is used to enhance network capabilities, increasing the reliability of the VANET by decreasing packet losses and communication delays. In this study, we propose a swarm intelligence based distributed congestion control strategy to maintain the channel usage level under the threshold of network malfunction, while keeping the quality-of-service of the VANET high. An exhaustive experimentation shows that the proposed strategy improves the throughput of the network, the channel usage, and the stability of the communications in comparison with other competing congestion control strategies.