A Feedback-Based Power Control Algorithm Design for VANET

We consider the problem of adjusting transmission power for vehicle-to-vehicle broadcast safety communication in vehicular ad hoc networks. Given a target communication range designated by a vehicle safety application, the power control algorithm is designed to select a transmission power no greater than necessary for the targeted range. The power control algorithm results in higher communication reliability since collisions are minimized for safety communications. Our main idea is to add a power tuning feedback beacon during each safety message exchange. Our simulation results show that the power control algorithm can reduce the transmission power significantly to achieve higher packet reception rate than the case without any power control. This algorithm is mainly applied to communications-based vehicle safety applications but could be useful for other applications as well.