A Vehicular Ad Hoc Networks Clustering Algorithm based on Position-Competition

The vehicular ad hoc networks(VANETs) presents uneven node density, fast moving speed and dynamic topology change etc. In order to improve the reliability of VANETs in information broadcasting and reduce the redundancy of multi-hop broadcast, a protocol based on the clustering position-competition of vehicular ad hoc networks is hereby proposed. Furthermore, the concept of connectivity-stability is introduced. In the paper, the road is divided into the segment model and the intersection model. The cluster head and the optimal nodes in the cluster are chosen as a radio relay node, which may reduce the broadcast redundancy and improve the broadcast efficiency. At the same time, for the isolated nodes in the network, the carryforwarding method is taken, which may improve the broadcast reliability in sparse areas and in "hole" areas. Finally, we use the NS2 simulation tool for analysis. The simulation results show that the proposed routing protocol features better comprehensive performance on successful delivery rate, average broadcast time delay and broadcast overhead.