Distributed and Fair Beacon Power and Beaconing Rate Adaptation Based on Game Theoretic Approach for Connected Vehicles

Abstract

In vehicular ad hoc networks, vehicles regularly transmit information through beacons to raise awareness among nearby vehicles about their presence. However, as the number of beacons increases, the wireless channel becomes congested, resulting in packet collisions and the loss of numerous beacons. This paper addresses the challenge of optimizing joint beaconing power and rate in VANETs. A joint utility-based beacon power and rate game is formulated, treated both as a non-cooperative and a cooperative game. To compute the desired equilibrium, three distributed and iterative algorithms (Best Response Algorithm, Cooperative Bargaining Algorithm) are introduced. These algorithms simultaneously update the optimal values of beaconing power and rate for each vehicle in each step. Extensive simulations showcase the convergence of the proposed algorithm to equilibrium and offer insights into how variations in game parameters may affect the game's outcome. The results demonstrate that the Cooperative Bargaining Algorithm is the most efficient in converging to equilibrium.