Hybrid Vehicle-to-X Communication Network by Using ITS-G5 and LTE-V2X

Vehicle-to-X communication enables vehicles and other road users to exchange information in order to increase traffic efficiency and safety. All participants build a decentralized ad hoc network that can operate without the need for additional communication infrastructure. Two competing transmission technologies are available for this purpose. The WLAN-based approach ITS-G5 and the cellular-mobile-based LTE-V2X both enable the direct exchange of information between participants. Each of these technologies has individual advantages and disadvantages that recommend a specific technology for specific use cases. The hybrid usage of the two technologies in a common network can help to improve the reliability of transmissions for safety-critical applications by providing suitable transmission features for every use case, including dissemination range, latency, and channel throughput. The proposed hybrid V2X network approach provides participants with various options for selecting the transmission path to better adapt to the requirements of the specific use cases. The investigation is based on measurements of the transmission properties of ITS-G5 and LTE-V2X in real traffic environments as well as on simulations of hybrid V2X networks in a combined simulation environment for traffic and communication behavior. An important part of this investigation is the development of suitable dissemination models that describe the transmission behavior of both technologies. Initial results show that both technologies can be constructively combined to improve the reliability of communication for safety-critical applications in decentralized V2X networks.