Using ad hoc wireless networks to enable intelligent transport systems: the design and analysis of the TH(O)RP routing protocol

[摘要] With the rapid advancement of communication technologies and broadband communication, anera is starting to emerge where everything and everyone is always connected, regardless of geography.No other technology has made this more possible than over-the-air data communicationstechnologies such as Wi-Fi, WiMAX and cellular technologies.With the possibility of connecting more devices to a common communications network, moreand more applications become available and necessary. One such application is a concept designedto manage a different type of network; the traffic networks of large metropolitan areas. Thesenetworks carry more traffic with each passing year and the need to manage them fficiently hasbecome essential. A system to manage traffic networks is an intelligent transport system (ITS),which integrates all methods of transportation into a single manageable resource. Informationabout the current status of the traffic network can be relayed to road users, allowing them tomake informed decisions about alternative routes, or to emergency personnel to inform them ofaccidents that occurred on the traffic networks. In order to implement an ITS, a communicationnetwork is required.This thesis investigates different communication technologies, discussing their merits andshortcomings in an ITS implementation. A suitable technology is selected and a communicationssystem is conceptualised. The communications system is an ad hoc wireless network and a routingprotocol used to manage the network, is designed and tested through simulation.The TH(O)RP routing protocol was developed with a focus on scalability, stability and lowlatency in an ad hoc network. TH(O)RP was designed to operate in an ITS environment, wheretraffic intersection controllers (TIC) are monitored from a central entity, with optimal routesbetween the central entity and the TICs, that can be automatically configured and repaired.

[发布机构] Stellenbosch University