A cluster-based routing method for D2D communication oriented to vehicular networks

The combination of Device-to-Device (D2D) Communication in 5G Cellular Networks and vehicular networks will not only increase the performance of vehicular networks, but also increase the revenues for network operators and services providers. This paper proposes a 5G D2D routing method oriented to vehicular networks, which can increase the connectivity and scalability of vehicular networks while alleviating the traffic load of 5G base stations. Vehicular nodes are clustered according to their communication range, the speed and direction of the movements. Data are transferred among vehicles in the same and neighbor clusters in the D2D mode, only certain data packets are needed to be transferred through the 5G base stations. In this way, the traffic load of 5G based stations can be reduced greatly, whereas the data transmission delay of the vehicular networks can also be guaranteed. Simulation results show that our cluster-based routing mechanism is stable and inexpensive, and is suitable for the vehicular networks.