Novel Clustering Algorithm Based on Minimal Path Loss Ratio for Medium Access Control in Vehicle-to-Vehicle Communication System

Emerging vehicular applications such as data transfer, maps, music data updates, and video downloads, pose a host of completely new set of requirements such as maintaining end-toend connectivity, packet routing, and reliable communication for internet access while on the move. One of the biggest challenges is to provide good quality of service (QoS) such as low packet delay while coping with the fast topological changes. In this paper, we propose a novel clustering algorithm based on minimal path loss ratio which combined with a MAC protocol will reduce data congestion. The resulting system demonstrated higher stability than the existing algorithms by measuring the rate of cluster head changes. In addition, it exhibited higher reliability and efficiency with DBTMA than with CSMA/CA in terms of throughput (with 10% increase), average access delay and packet loss ratio (half the packet loss ratio of CSMA/CA).