An Enhanced Multi-Channel MAC for the IEEE 1609.4 Based Vehicular Ad Hoc Networks

Abstract

This paper proposes a multi-channel MAC scheme for Vehicular Ad Hoc Networks (VANETs), which dynamically adjusts the intervals of Control Channel (CCH) and Service Channels (SCHs). Markov modeling is conducted to optimize the intervals based on the traffic condition. The scheme also introduces a multi-channel coordination mechanism to provide the contention-free access in SCHs. Theoretical analysis and simulation results show that the proposed scheme is able to help IEEE 1690.4 MAC improve the saturation throughput of SCHs significantly, while maintaining the prioritized transmission of critical safety information on the CCH.