Optimized vehicular connectivity and data exchange in a tree-structured VLC communication network based on optical codewords

Garai, Mouna; Sliti, Maha; Boudriga, Noureddine; Mrabet, Manel; Ayouni, Sarra; Elfikky, Abdelrahman; Boghdady, Ayman; Mohsan, Syed Agha Hassnain; Ammar, Lassaad Ben · 2025 · DOAJ

DOI: 10.3389/fphy.2025.1635345

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Summary

This study addresses the critical need for high-speed, low-latency communication in Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS), specifically targeting the limitations of traditional Radio Frequency (RF) technologies in dense urban environments. RF systems suffer from spectrum congestion and high infrastructure costs, prompting the adoption of Visible Light Communication (VLC) for Vehicular Ad Hoc Networks (VANETs). The authors propose a novel tree-structured communication architecture that utilizes hierarchical optical codewords to enhance data routing efficiency, manage vehicle identification, and mitigate the challenges of dynamic traffic mobility and line-of-sight constraints inherent to VLC. The proposed system employs a dual-layer framework: a VLC-based Vehicle-to-Vehicle (V2V) ad hoc layer for peer-to-peer communication and a Free-Space Optics (FSO) Vehicle-to-Infrastructure (V2I) layer serving as the network backbone. To manage node identification and routing, the authors introduce a hierarchical scheme using Optical Orthogonal Codes (OOCs). Vehicles are organized into virtual trees where unique identifiers are formed by concatenating parent and child codewords, ensuring orthogonality and minimizing interference. The architecture incorporates dynamic attachment and reattachment protocols driven by an adaptive Quality-of-Service (QoS) model. This model evaluates metrics such as path delay, packet loss, throughput, route lifetime, and Signal-to-Noise Ratio (SNR) to allow vehicles to dynamically select optimal communication trees. The performance of this architecture was evaluated through simulations comparing three distinct mobility models: the Intelligent Driver Model, Gipps, and Krauss. The simulation results reveal significant trade-offs between network complexity and performance metrics. More complex network trees were found to induce increased delays and lower effective SNRs. Conversely, mobility scenarios characterized by greater vehicular spacing generally resulted in reduced delays and enhanced SNR, though this improvement often came at the cost of reduced connectivity. The hierarchical optical codeword approach successfully minimized data collisions and streamlined routing by embedding path information directly into packet headers. The adaptive QoS mechanisms effectively maintained stable connections despite environmental changes and mobility-induced link disruptions, demonstrating the system's ability to balance latency, throughput, and reliability. The significance of this work lies in its contribution to scalable and efficient smart city infrastructures. By leveraging VLC’s immunity to RF interference and submillisecond latency, the proposed architecture offers a sustainable solution for next-generation ITS and Internet of Vehicles (IoV) applications. The integration of hierarchical optical codewords with adaptive QoS protocols provides a robust method for managing dynamic vehicular networks without requiring extensive hardware modifications or complex modulation schemes. This approach supports the advancement of safer, more efficient, and secure transportation systems by enabling reliable real-time data exchange between vehicles and infrastructure.

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• v2x connected vehicle