Comprehensive Vehicular Networking Platform for V2I and V2V Communications within the Walkie-Talkie Project

Communication architectures integrating vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) and vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2I) communications will be the key of success for the next generation of cars. Nevertheless, the integration of these communication partners in the same platform is a challenging issue because most of the literature is focused on individual parts, such as V2V routing protocols or specific safety services. The Walkie-Talkie project was proposed to fill this gap, focusing on the integration of V2V and V2I systems to equip vehicles with a set of intelligent services addressing safer, smarter, and sustainable driving. This paper describes the developed communications platform. The network design is based on IPv6 to support middleware and applications executed on both the vehicle and infrastructure sides. Whereas V2I is focused on the usage of IPv6 network mobility, V2V is provided by means of a hybrid solution based on intelligent delivery and delay tolerant networks. On top of the networking protocols, a service access middleware exploiting concepts from next generation networks is proposed, together with a proper on-board application management based on the open service gateway initiative. A prototype of the network and real evaluations are also presented as a proof of concept of our platform.