The course treats in detail the topic of Vehicular Networks (VANET, V2I, V2V, V2X, ... and all the different acronyms and names given to a communication network interconnecting vehicles) with specific focus to the support of safety applications and cooperative driving of autonomous vehicles.
The course starts from Short Range Direct Communications standards (802.11p and similar) tackling the problems inherent to a networking environment where association and registration of terminals to the network is impossible. Next it overviews other possibilities for local, point-to-point communications exploiting modulated radars and VLC (Visible Light Communications). To conclude the networking part, cellular-based vehicular communications in 4G and 5G networks are discussed, highlighting the potential, but also the inherent limitations of these technologies.
The second part of the course is devoted to cooperative driving, seen as a distributed and networked control/consensus application. Starting from emergency braking, through platooning and intersection collision avoidance as exemplificatory cases the course analyzes the requirements and potential performance of these applications in reducing casualties and crashes as well as improving the efficiency of infrastructure usage.
The lab/experimental part of the course is done using the SUMO/Veins/PLEXE simulation tools.