Data Uploading in Hybrid V2V/V2I Vehicular Networks: Modeling and Cooperative Strategy

Supporting data dissemination in vehicular networks is difficult due to high mobility of vehicle traffic, limited communication resources, and dynamic communication requirements. In this paper, we investigate data dissemination in hybrid vehicular networks, where messages generated at vehicles should be uploaded to the roadside unit (RSU) assisted by vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) communications, using vehicles traveling in both directions as relays. The objective is to optimize the resource utilization and reduce the data delivery delay. We first analyze the data uploading capacity and delivery delay in hybrid vehicular networks with the store-carry-and-forward mechanism. Applying the analytical results and given the traffic and data information, a distributed multisource scheduling algorithm is proposed. Extensive simulations are conducted to verify the correctness of the analysis. It shows that the proposed algorithm significantly improves the data dissemination efficiency compared with the existing solutions.