A pesar de que las medidas de seguridad en los sistemas de transporte cada vez son mayores, el aumento progresivo del número de vehículos que circulan por las ciudades y carreteras en todo el mundo aumenta, sin duda, la probabilidad de que ocurra un accidente. En este tipo de situaciones, el tiempo de respuesta de los servicios de emergencia es crucial, ya que está demostrado que cuanto menor sea el tiempo transcurrido entre el accidente y la atención hospitalaria de los heridos, mayores son sus probabilidades de supervivencia. Las redes vehiculares permiten la comunicación entre los vehículos, así como la comunicación entre los vehículos y la infraestructura [4], lo que da lugar a una plétora de nuevas aplicaciones y servicios en el entorno vehicular. Centrándonos en las aplicaciones relacionadas con la seguridad vial, mediante este tipo de comunicaciones, los vehículos podrían informar en caso de accidente al resto de vehículos (evitando así colisiones en cadena) y a los servicios de emergencia (dando información precisa y rápida, lo que sin duda facilitaría las tareas de rescate). Uno de los aspectos importantes a determinar sería saber qué información se debe enviar, quién será capaz de recibirla, y cómo actuar una vez recibida. Actualmente los vehículos disponen de una serie de sensores que les permiten obtener información sobre ellos mismos (velocidad, posición, estado de los sistemas de seguridad, número de ocupantes del vehículo, etc.), y sobre su entorno (información meteorológica, estado de la calzada, luminosidad, etc.). En caso de accidente, toda esa información puede ser estructurada y enviada a los servicios de emergencia para que éstos adecúen el rescate a las características específicas y la gravedad del accidente, actuando en consecuencia. Por otro lado, para que la información enviada por los vehículos accidentados pueda llegar correctamente a los servicios de emergencias, es necesario disponer de una infraestructura capaz de dar cobertura a todos los vehículos que circulan por una determinada área. Puesto que la instalación y el mantenimiento de dicha infraestructura conllevan un elevado coste, sería conveniente proponer, implementar y evaluar técnicas consistentes en dar cobertura a todos los vehículos, reduciendo el coste total de la infraestructura. Finalmente, una vez que la información ha sido recibida por las autoridades, es necesario elaborar un plan de actuación eficaz, que permita el rápido rescate de los heridos. Hay que tener en cuenta que, cuando ocurre un accidente de tráfico, el tiempo de personación de los servicios de emergencia en el lugar del accidente puede suponer la diferencia entre que los heridos sobrevivan o fallezcan. Además, es importante conocer si la calle o carretera por la que circulaban los vehículos accidentados ha dejado de ser transitable para el resto de vehículos, y en ese caso, activar los mecanismos necesarios que permitan evitar los atascos asociados. En esta Tesis, se pretende gestionar adecuadamente estas situaciones adversas, distribuyendo el tráfico de manera inteligente para reducir el tiempo de llegada de los servicios de emergencia al lugar del accidente, evitando además posibles atascos. / Barrachina Villalba, J. (2014). Using Ontologies and Intelligent Systems for Traffic Accident Assistance in Vehicular Environments [Tesis doctoral no publicada]. Universitat Politècnica de València. https://doi.org/10.4995/Thesis/10251/39004 / TESIS

[EN] Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) can make transportation safer, more efficient, and more sustainable by applying various information and communication technologies. One of these technologies are \acfp{VN}. \acp{VN} combine different communication solutions such as cellular networks, \acfp{VANET}, or IEEE 802.11 technologies to provide connectivity among vehicles, and between vehicles and road infrastructure. This thesis focuses on VNs, and considers that the high speed of the nodes and the presence of obstacles like buildings, produces a highly variable network topology, as well as more frequent partitions in the network. Therefore, classical \ac{MANET} protocols do not adapt well to VANETs. Under these conditions, \ac{DTN} have been proposed as an alternative able to cope with these adverse characteristics. In DTN, when a message cannot be routed to its destination, it is not immediately dropped but it is instead stored and carried until a new route becomes available. The combination of VN and DTN is called \acp{VDTN}. In this thesis, we propose a new VDTN protocol designed to collect information from vehicular sensors. Our proposal, called \ac{MSDP}, combines information about the localization obtained from a GNSS system with the actual street/road layout obtained from a Navigation System (NS) to define a new routing metric. Both analytical and simulation results prove that MSDP outperforms previous proposals. Concerning the deployment of VNs and VANET technologies, technology already left behind the innovation and the standardization phases, and it is about time it reach the first early adopters in the market. However, most car manufacturers have decided to implement VN devices in the form of On Board Units (OBUs), which are expensive, heavily manufacturer dependent, and difficult to upgrade. These facts are delaying the deployment of VN. To boost this process, we have developed the GRCBox architecture. This architecture is based on low-cost devices and enables the establishment of V2X, \emph{i.e.} V2I and V2V, communications while integrating users by easing the use of general purpose devices like smartphones, tablets or laptops. To demonstrate the viability of the GRCBox architecture, we combined it with a DTN platform called Scampi to obtain actual results over a real VDTN scenario. We also present several GRCBox-aware applications that illustrate how developers can create applications that bring the potential of VN to user devices. / [ES] Los sistemas de transporte inteligente (ITS) son el soporte para el establecimiento de un transporte más seguro, más eficiente y más sostenible mediante el uso de tecnologías de la información y las comunicaciones. Una de estas tecnologías son las redes vehiculares (VNs). Las VNs combinan diferentes tecnologías de comunicación como las redes celulares, las redes ad-hoc vehiculares (VANETs) o las redes 802.11p para proporcionar conectividad entre vehículos, y entre vehículos y la infraestructura de carreteras. Esta tesis se centra en las VNs, en las cuales la alta velocidad de los nodos y la presencia de obstáculos como edificios producen una topología de red altamente variable, así como frecuentes particiones en la red. Debido a estas características, los protocolos para redes móviles ad-hoc (MANETs) no se adaptan bien a las VANETs. En estas condiciones, las redes tolerantes a retardos (DTNs) se han propuesto como una alternativa capaz de hacer frente a estos problemas. En DTN, cuando un mensaje no puede ser encaminado hacia su destino, no es inmediatamente descartado sino es almacenado hasta que una nueva ruta esta disponible. Cuando las VNs y las DTNs se combinan surgen las redes vehiculares tolerantes a retardos (VDTN). En esta tesis proponemos un nuevo protocolo para VDTNs diseñado para recolectar la información generada por sensores vehiculares. Nuestra propuesta, llamada MSDP, combina la información obtenida del servicio de información geográfica (GIS) con el mapa real de las calles obtenido del sistema de navegación (NS) para definir una nueva métrica de encaminamiento. Resultados analíticos y mediante simulaciones prueban que MSDP mejora el rendimiento de propuestas anteriores. En relación con el despliegue de las VNs y las tecnologías VANET, la tecnología ha dejado atrás las fases de innovación y estandarización, ahora es el momento de alcanzar a los primeros usuarios del mercado. Sin embargo, la mayoría de fabricantes han decidido implementar los dispositivos para VN como unidades de a bordo (OBU), las cuales son caras y difíciles de actualizar. Además, las OBUs son muy dependientes del fabricante original. Todo esto esta retrasando el despliegue de las VNs. Para acelerar la adopción de las VNs, hemos desarrollado la arquitectura GRCBox. La arquitectura GRCBox esta basada en un dispositivo de bajo coste que permite a los usuarios usar comunicaciones V2X (V2V y V2I) mientras utilizan dispositivos de propósito general como teléfonos inteligentes, tabletas o portátiles. Las pruebas incluidas en esta tesis demuestran la viabilidad de la arquitectura GRCBox. Mediante la combinación de nuestra GRCBox y una plataforma de DTN llamada Scampi hemos diseñado y probado un escenario VDTN real. También presentamos como los desarrolladores pueden crear nuevas aplicaciones GRCBox para llevar el potencial de las VN a los dispositivos de usuario. / [CAT] Els sistemes de transport intel·ligent (ITS) poden crear un transport més segur, més eficient i més sostenible mitjançant l'ús de tecnologies de la informació i les comunicacions aplicades al transport. Una d'aquestes tecnologies són les xarxes vehiculars (VN). Les VN combinen diferents tecnologies de comunicació, com ara les xarxes cel·lulars, les xarxes ad-hoc vehiculars (VANET) o les xarxes 802.11p, per a proporcionar comunicació entre vehicles, i entre vehicles i la infraestructura de carreteres. Aquesta tesi se centra en les VANET, en les quals l'alta velocitat dels nodes i la presència d'obstacles, com els edificis, produeixen una topologia de xarxa altament variable, i també freqüents particions en la xarxa. Per aquest motiu, els protocols per a xarxes mòbils ad-hoc (MANET) no s'adapten bé. En aquestes condicions, les xarxes tolerants a retards (DTN) s'han proposat com una alternativa capaç de fer front a aquests problemes. En DTN, quan un missatge no pot ser encaminat cap a la seua destinació, no és immediatament descartat sinó que és emmagatzemat fins que apareix una ruta nova. Quan les VN i les DTN es combinen sorgeixen les xarxes vehicular tolerants a retards (VDTN). En aquesta tesi proposem un nou protocol per a VDTN dissenyat per a recol·lectar la informació generada per sensors vehiculars. La nostra proposta, anomenada MSDP, combina la informació obtinguda del servei d'informació geogràfica (GIS) amb el mapa real dels carrers obtingut del sistema de navegació (NS) per a definir una nova mètrica d'encaminament. Resultats analítics i mitjançant simulacions proven que MSDP millora el rendiment de propostes prèvies. En relació amb el desplegament de les VN i les tecnologies VANET, la tecnologia ha deixat arrere les fases d'innovació i estandardització, ara és temps d'aconseguir als primers usuaris del mercat. No obstant això, la majoria de fabricants han decidit implementar els dispositius per a VN com a unitats de bord (OBU), les quals són cares i difícils d'actualitzar. A més, les OBU són molt dependents del fabricant original. Tot això està retardant el desplegament de les VN. Per a accelerar l'adopció de les VN, hem desenvolupat l'arquitectura GRCBox. L'arquitectura GRCBox està basada en un dispositiu de baix cost que permet als usuaris usar comunicacions V2V mentre usen dispositius de propòsit general, com ara telèfons intel·ligents, tauletes o portàtils. Les proves incloses en aquesta tesi demostren la viabilitat de l'arquitectura GRCBox. Mitjançant la combinació de la nostra GRCBox i la plataforma de DTN Scampi, hem dissenyat i provat un escenari VDTN pràctic. També presentem com els desenvolupadors poden crear noves aplicacions GRCBox per a portar el potencial de les VN als dispositius d'usuari. / Martínez Tornell, S. (2016). Delay Tolerant Networks for Efficient Information Harvesting and Distribution in Intelligent Transportation Systems [Tesis doctoral no publicada]. Universitat Politècnica de València. https://doi.org/10.4995/Thesis/10251/68486 / TESIS

Le nombre de véhicules circulant sur les routes dans le monde est passé de 500 millions en 1986 à 1 milliard de véhicules en 2010. Un tel réseau routier immense a apporté un certain confort à de nombreux conducteurs mais d'un autre coté il a représenté environs 1,24 millions d'accidents en 2010. Avec ces chiffres vient l'augmentation du niveau des émissions de CO2 et des milliards d'heures perdues dans les embouteillages. Avec le progrès et le développement des technologies sans fil ces dernières années, les réseaux véhiculaires ont rapidement évolués. Beaucoup de constructeurs automobiles et de pays ont intégré et imaginé différentes applications dans les réseaux véhiculaires : des applications de sécurité routières, d'autres pour l'information sur le trafic, ainsi que des applications de divertissement. Cette dernière catégorie d'applications se distingue des autres par la quantité et le volume de données échangées, et constitue un réel problème dû à la nature des communications sans fil véhiculaires. Dans cette thèse, nous traitons le problème de la dissémination d'information dans les systèmes véhiculaires distribués. Notre objectif principal est de proposer des solutions pratiques et réalisables pour diffuser les données dans des environnements véhiculaires réalistes. Le concept de la diffusion des données est large et significatif. Dans ce contexte, nous nous référons à la diffusion de données chaque fois qu'il y a une certaine quantité de données qui doit être répartie sur un réseau distribué sans fil. Les données sont envoyées vers plusieurs destinations (même à tous les nœuds du réseau dans certain cas) qui sont intéressés pour récupérer la totalité ou une partie des informations générées. A titre d'exemples, nous pouvons considérer les applications de partage de fichiers, la diffusion de fichiers multimédia et ainsi de suite. Nous abordons dans cette thèse le problème de dissémination de données dans les réseaux véhiculaires, plus précisément la dissémination de grands volumes de données tel que le contenu multimédia. Avec l'évolution au cours de ces dernières années des réseaux véhiculaires notamment grâce au support de nombreux constructeurs automobiles (e.x. Toyota, Nissan, BMW, Ford, etc.), la quantité de données échangée a augmenté de manière exponentielle au fil des années. Malheureusement malgré l'avancement des technologies de communications sans fil, l'échange de grands volumes de données dans des réseaux véhiculaires reste un réel défi, à cause des caractéristiques de communications sans fil et celles spécifiques aux réseaux véhiculaires. / The number of vehicles on the roads in the world increased from 500 million in 1986 to 1 billion vehicles in 2010. Such a huge road network has brought some comfort to many drivers but on the other hand it represented around 1.24 million accidents in 2010. With the progress and development of wireless technologies these recent years, vehicular networks quickly evolved. Many car manufacturers and countries have built and imagined different applications in vehicular networks: road safety applications, others for traffic information, and entertainment applications. This last category of applications is distinguished from others by the quantity and volume of exchanged data, and represents a real problem due to the lossy nature of vehicular communications. In this thesis, we address the problem of data dissemination in distributed vehicular systems. Our main objective is to provide practical and workable solutions to disseminate data in realistic vehicular environments. The concept of data dissemination is large and significant. In this context, we call data dissemination each time there is a certain amount of data which must be distributed on in wireless network. The data is sent to multiple destinations who are interested to recover all or part of the information. As examples, we can consider the file sharing applications, streaming multimedia files and so on. We discuss in this thesis the data dissemination problem in vehicular networks, specifically the dissemination of large volumes of data such as content distribution. With the evolution in recent years of vehicular networks thanks to many car manufacturers support (eg Toyota, Nissan, BMW, Ford, etc.), the amount of exchanged data has increased exponentially over the years. Unfortunately, despite the advancement of wireless communications technologies, exchange large volumes of data in vehicular networks remains a challenge because of wireless communications features and those specific to vehicular networks.

No description available.

Future mines will benefit from connected intelligent transport system technologies. Autonomous mining vehicles will improve safety and productivity while decreasing the fuel consumption. Hence, it is necessary for Scania to increase the know-how regarding the design of vehicular communication systems for the harsh mine environment. The scope of this work is to examine the requirements for the antenna placement of a future autonomous mining truck and propose suitable antenna types and positions. By using the electromagnetic simulator suite CST Microwave Studio, the research estimates the impact of a simplified autonomous mining vehicle geometry on basic antenna radiation patterns. Some simulated antenna configurations are assessed with radiation pattern measurements. In order to radiate enough power towards the area surrounding the vehicle and guarantee reliable communications, the truck requires omnidirectional antennas in centered locations, or alternatively one patch antenna for each side. The method used to solve the problem is also assessed: flexibility provided by the simulation method is emphasized, whereas some relevant limitations are discussed. Hardware requirements, availability of the models and limited results provided by the software can make the simulation phase not suitable to evaluate the antenna placement. / Framtidens gruvor kommer att gynnas av sammankopplade, intelligenta transportsystem. Autonoma gruvfordon kommer att förbättra säkerhet och produktivitet, och samtidigt minska bränslekonsumtion. Därför är det nödvändigt för Scania att öka kunskapen om design av kommunikationssystem för fordon i hård gruvmiljö. Målet för detta projekt är att undersöka kraven för antennplacering hos ett framtida autonomt gruvfordon och att ge förslag på passande antenntyper och -positioner. Det elektromagnetiska simuleringsverktyget CST Microwave Studio används för att uppskatta påverkan från en förenklad fordonsgeometri på grundläggande antennstrålningsmönster. Utvalda antennkonfigurationer utvärderas genom undersökningar av dess strålningsmönster. För att kunna stråla ut tillräcklig effekt i området kring fordonet och garantera tillförlitlig kommunikation krävs centralt placerade runtstrålande antenner, eller alternativt en patchantenn till varje sida. Problemlösningsmetoden utvärderas också: Flexibiliteten simuleringsmetoden ger betonas, medan några relevanta begränsningar diskuteras. Hårdvarukrav, tillgängligheten av modeller och begränsade resultat från mjukvaran kan bidra till att göra simuleringen olämplig för att utvärdera antennplaceringen.

<p>Smart downlink scheduling can be used to reduce infrastructure-to-vehicle energy costs in delay tolerant roadside networks. In this thesis this type of scheduling is incorporated into ON/OFF roadside unit sleep activity, to further reduce infrastructure power consumption. To achieve significant power savings however, the OFF-to-ON sleep transitions may be very lengthy, and this overhead must be taken into account when performing the scheduling. The OFF/ON sleep transitions are incorporated into a lower bound on energy use for the constant bit rate air interface case. An online scheduling algorithm referred to as the Flow Graph Sleep Scheduler (FGS) is then introduced which makes locally optimum ON/OFF cycle decisions. This is done by computing energy estimates needed both with and without a new OFF/ON cycle. The energy calculation can be efficiently done using a novel minimum ow graph formulation. We also consider the fixed transmit power, variable bit rate, air interface case. As before, a lower bound on RSU energy use is computed by formulating and solving an integer program. Results from a variety of experiments show that the proposed scheduling algorithms perform well when compared to the energy lower bounds. The algorithms are especially attractive in situations where vehicle demands and arrival rates are such that the energy costs permit frequent ON/OFF cycling.</p> / Master of Science (MSc)

Vehicular communication networks are essential to the development of intelligent navigation systems and improvement of road safety. Unlike most terrestrial networks of today, vehicular networks are characterized by stringent reliability and latency requirements. In order to design efficient networks to meet these requirements, it is important to understand the system-level performance of vehicular networks. Stochastic geometry has recently emerged as a powerful tool for the modeling and analysis of wireless communication networks. However, the canonical spatial models such as the 2D Poisson point process (PPP) does not capture the peculiar spatial layout of vehicular networks, where the locations of vehicular nodes are restricted to roadways. Motivated by this, we consider a doubly stochastic spatial model that captures the spatial coupling between the vehicular nodes and the roads and analyze the performance of vehicular communication networks. We model the spatial layout of roads by a Poisson line process (PLP) and the locations of nodes on each line (road) by a 1D PPP, thereby forming a Cox process driven by a PLP or Poisson line Cox process (PLCP). In this dissertation, we develop the theory of the PLCP and apply it to study key performance metrics such as coverage probability and rate coverage for vehicular networks under different scenarios. First, we compute the signal-to-interference plus noise ratio (SINR)-based success probability of the typical communication link in a vehicular ad hoc network (VANET). Using this result, we also compute the area spectral efficiency (ASE) of the network. Our results show that the optimum transmission probability that maximizes the ASE of the network obtained for the Cox process differs significantly from that of the conventional 1D and 2D PPP models. Second, we calculate the signal-to-interference ratio (SIR)-based downlink coverage probability of the typical receiver in a vehicular network for the cellular network model in which each receiver node connects to its closest transmitting node in the network. The conditioning on the serving node imposes constraints on the spatial configuration of interfering nodes and also the underlying distribution of lines. We carefully handle these constraints using various fundamental distance properties of the PLCP and derive the exact expression for the coverage probability. Third, building further on the above mentioned works, we consider a more complex cellular vehicle-to-everything (C-V2X) communication network in which the vehicular nodes are served by roadside units (RSUs) as well as cellular macro base stations (MBSs). For this setup, we present the downlink coverage analysis of the typical receiver in the presence of shadowing effects. We address the technical challenges induced by the inclusion of shadowing effects by leveraging the asymptotic behavior of the Cox process. These results help us gain useful insights into the behavior of the networks as a function of key network parameters, such as the densities of the nodes and selection bias. Fourth, we characterize the load on the MBSs due to vehicular users, which is defined as the number of vehicular nodes that are served by the MBS. Since the limited network resources are shared by multiple users in the network, the load distribution is a key indicator of the demand of network resources. We first compute the distribution of the load on MBSs due to vehicular users in a single-tier vehicular network. Building on this, we characterize the load on both MBSs and RSUs in a heterogeneous C-V2X network. Using these results, we also compute the rate coverage of the typical receiver in the network. Fifth and last, we explore the applications of the PLCP that extend beyond vehicular communications. We derive the exact distribution of the shortest path distance between the typical point and its nearest neighbor in the sense of path distance in a Manhattan Poisson line Cox process (MPLCP), which is a special variant of the PLCP. The analytical framework developed in this work allows us to answer several important questions pertaining to transportation networks, urban planning, and personnel deployment. / Doctor of Philosophy / Vehicular communication networks are essential to the development of intelligent transportation systems (ITS) and improving road safety. As the in-vehicle sensors can assess only their immediate environment, vehicular nodes exchange information about critical events, such as accidents and sudden braking, with other vehicles, pedestrians, roadside infrastructure, and cellular base stations in order to make critical decisions in a timely manner. Considering the time-sensitive nature of this information, it is of paramount importance to design efficient communication networks that can support the exchange of this information with reliable and high-speed wireless links. Typically, prior to actual deployment, any design of a wireless network is subject to extensive analysis under various operational scenarios using computer simulations. However, it is not viable to rely entirely on simulations for the system design of highly complex systems, such as the vehicular networks. Hence, it is necessary to develop analytical methods that can complement simulators and also serve as a benchmark. One of the approaches that has gained popularity in the recent years for the modeling and analysis of large-scale wireless networks is the use of tools from stochastic geometry. In this approach, we endow the locations of wireless nodes with some distribution and analyze various aspects of the network by leveraging the properties of the distribution. Traditionally, wireless networks have been studied using simple spatial models in which the wireless nodes can lie anywhere on the domain of interest (often a 1D or a 2D plane). However, vehicular networks have a unique spatial geometry because the locations of vehicular nodes are restricted to roadways. Therefore, in order to model the locations of vehicular nodes in the network, we have to first model the underlying road systems. Further, we should also consider the randomness in the locations of vehicles on each road. So, we consider a doubly stochastic model called Poisson line Cox process (PLCP), in which the spatial layout of roads are modeled by random lines and the locations of vehicles on the roads are modeled by random set of points on these lines. As is usually the case in wireless networks, multiple vehicular nodes and roadside units (RSUs) operate at the same frequency due to the limited availability of radio frequency spectrum, which causes interference. Therefore, any receiver in the network obtains a signal that is a mixture of the desired signal from the intended transmitter and the interfering signals from the other transmitters. The ratio of the power of desired signal to the aggregate power of the interfering signals, which is called as the signal-to-interference ratio (SIR), depends on the locations of the transmitters with respect to the receiver. A receiver in the network is said to be in coverage if the SIR measured at the location of the receiver exceeds the required threshold to successfully decode the message. The probability of occurrence of this event is referred to as the coverage probability and it is one of the fundamental metrics that is used to characterize the performance of a wireless network. In our work, we have analytically characterized the coverage probability of the typical vehicular node in the network. This was the first work to present the coverage analysis of a vehicular network using the aforementioned doubly stochastic model. In addition to coverage probability, we have also explored other performance metrics such as data rate, which is the number of bits that can be successfully communicated per unit time, and spectral efficiency. Our analysis has revealed interesting trends in the coverage probability as a function of key system parameters such as the density of roads in a region (total length of roads per unit area), and the density of vehicles on the roads. We have shown that the vehicular nodes in areas with high density of roads have lower coverage than those in areas with sparsely distributed roads. On the other hand, the coverage probability of a vehicular node improves as the density of vehicles on the roads increases. Such insights are quite useful in the design and deployment of network infrastructure. While our research was primarily focused on communication networks, the utility of the spatial models considered in these works extends to other areas of engineering. For a special variant of the PLCP, we have derived the distribution of the shortest path distance between an arbitrary point and its nearest neighbor in the sense of path distance. The analytical framework developed in this work allows us to answer several important questions pertaining to infrastructure planning and personnel deployment.

The success of the Internet-of-Things (IoT) paradigm relies on, among other things, developing energy-efficient communication techniques that can enable information exchange among billions of battery-operated IoT devices. With its technological capability of simultaneous information and energy transfer, ambient backscatter is quickly emerging as an appealing solution for this communication paradigm, especially for the links with low data rate requirements. However, many challenges and limitations of ambient backscatter have to be overcome for widespread adoption of the technology in future wireless networks. Motivated by this, we study the design and implementation of ambient backscatter systems, including non-coherent detection and encoding schemes, and investigate techniques such as multiple antenna interference cancellation and frequency-shift backscatter to improve the bit error rate performance of the designed ambient backscatter systems. First, the problem of coherent and semi-coherent ambient backscatter is investigated by evaluating the exact bit error rate (BER) of the system. The test statistic used for the signal detection is based on the averaging of energy of the received signal samples. It is important to highlight that the conditional distributions of this test statistic are derived using the central limit theorem (CLT) approximation in the literature. The characterization of the exact conditional distributions of the test statistic as non-central chi-squared random variable for the binary hypothesis testing problem is first handled in our study, which is a key contribution of this particular work. The evaluation of the maximum likelihood (ML) detection threshold is also explored which is found to be intractable. To overcome this, alternate strategies to approximate the ML threshold are proposed. In addition, several insights for system design and implementation are provided both from analytical and numerical standpoints. Second, the highly appealing non-coherent signal detection is explored in the context of ambient backscatter for a time-selective channel. Modeling the time-selective fading as a first-order autoregressive (AR) process, we implement a new detection architecture at the receiver based on the direct averaging of the received signal samples, which departs significantly from the energy averaging-based receivers considered in the literature. For the proposed setup, we characterize the exact asymptotic BER for both single-antenna (SA) and multi-antenna (MA) receivers, and demonstrate the robustness of the new architecture to timing errors. Our results demonstrate that the direct-link (DL) interference from the ambient power source leads to a BER floor in the SA receiver, which the MA receiver can avoid by estimating the angle of arrival (AoA) of the DL. The analysis further quantifies the effect of improved angular resolution on the BER as a function of the number of receive antennas. Third, the advantages of utilizing Manchester encoding for the data transmission in the context of non-coherent ambient backscatter have been explored. Specifically, encoding is shown to simplify the detection procedure at the receiver since the optimal decision rule is found to be independent of the system parameters. Through extensive numerical results, it is further shown that a backscatter system with Manchester encoding can achieve a signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) gain compared to the commonly used uncoded direct on-off keying (OOK) modulation, when used in conjunction with a multi-antenna receiver employing the direct-link cancellation. Fourth, the BER performance of frequency-shift ambient backscatter, which achieves the self-interference mitigation by spatially separating the reflected backscatter signal from the impending source signal, is investigated. The performance of the system is evaluated for a non-coherent receiver under slow fading in two different network setups: 1) a single interfering link coming from the ambient transmission occurring in the shifted frequency region, and 2) a large-scale network with multiple interfering signals coming from the backscatter nodes and ambient source devices transmitting in the band of interest. Modeling the interfering devices as a two dimensional Poisson point process (PPP), tools from stochastic geometry are utilized to evaluate the bit error rate for the large-scale network setup. / Doctor of Philosophy / The emerging paradigm of Internet-of-Things (IoT) has the capability of radically transforming the human experience. At the heart of this technology are the smart edge devices that will monitor everyday physical processes, communicate regularly with the other nodes in the network chain, and automatically take appropriate actions when necessary. Naturally, many challenges need to be tackled in order to realize the true potential of this technology. Most relevant to this dissertation are the problems of powering potentially billions of such devices and enabling low-power communication among them. Ambient backscatter has emerged as a useful technology to handle the aforementioned challenges of the IoT networks due to its capability to support the simultaneous transfer of information and energy. This technology allows devices to harvest energy from the ambient signals in the environment thereby making them self-sustainable, and in addition provide carrier signals for information exchange. Using these attributes of ambient backscatter, the devices can operate at very low power which is an important feature when considering the reliability requirements of the IoT networks. That said, the ambient backscatter technology needs to overcome many challenges before its widespread adoption in IoT networks. For example, the range of backscatter is limited in comparison to the conventional communication systems due to self-interference from the power source at a receiver. In addition, the probability of detecting the data in error at the receiver, characterized by the bit error rate (BER) metric, in the presence of wireless multipath is generally poor in ambient backscatter due to double path loss and fading effects observed for the backscatter link. Inspired by this, the aim of this dissertation is to come up with new architecture designs for the transmitter and receiver devices that can improve the BER performance. The key contributions of the dissertation include the analytical derivations of BER which provide insights on the system design and the main parameters impacting the system performance. The exact design of the optimal detection technique for a communication system is dependent on the channel behavior, mainly the time-varying nature in the case of a flat fading channel. Depending on the mobility of devices and scatterers present in the wireless channel, it can either be described as time-selective or time-nonselective. In the time-nonselective channels, coherent detection that requires channel state information (CSI) estimation using pilot signals can be implemented for ambient backscatter. On the other hand, non-coherent detection is preferred when the channel is time-selective since the CSI estimation is not feasible in such scenarios. In the first part of this dissertation, we analyze the performance of ambient backscatter in a point-to-point single-link system for both time-nonselective and time-selective channels. In particular, we determine the BER performance of coherent and non-coherent detection techniques for ambient backscatter systems in this line of work. In addition, we investigate the possibility of improving the BER performance using multi-antenna and coding techniques. Our analyses demonstrate that the use of multi-antenna and coding can result in tremendous improvement of the performance and simplification of the detection procedure, respectively. In the second part of the dissertation, we study the performance of ambient backscatter in a large-scale network and compare it to that of the point-to-point single-link system. By leveraging tools from stochastic geometry, we analytically characterize the BER performance of ambient backscatter in a field of interfering devices modeled as a Poisson point process.

Rede Ad hoc Veicular (VANET) é um subconjunto singular das redes ad hoc móveis (MANET), com o diferencial de que os nós são veículos providos de tecnologia própria de comunicação e que interagem para formar redes espontâneas, valendo-se de pouca ou nenhuma infraestrutura estabelecida previamente. VANETs admitem a integração de diferentes tecnologias sem fio na pretensão de mitigar adversidades, agregar segurança e eficiência ao tráfego. Na disseminação de dados, um salto único é suficiente para orientar os elementos ao alcance do sinal de rádio, e nós intermediários sustentam a comunicação aos demais, em encaminhamento multihop. Amparados em dispositivos embarcados, os veículos produzem registros, detectam sinais, trocam advertências e métricas. Avaliações dessas informações permitem ao condutor decisões ou reações antecipadas em situações adversas, a exemplo dos acidentes ou congestionamentos. Nesse contexto, a execução deste trabalho trata questões para elaborar estratégias adaptativas inteligentes de disseminação de dados, uma vez que as mesmas se consolidam como lastros da comunicação em VANET com condições adversas de operação. A abordagem proposta se utiliza de sistemas fuzzy para a detecção de congestionamento, com o propósito de agregar autonomia e adaptar a estratégia de disseminação às condições de tráfego identificadas. A convergência nos desenvolvimentos realizados se reflete na estratégia eFIRST, uma solução robusta para a detecção autônoma da condição atual de congestionamento que resguarda a disseminação adaptativa de alertas e abranda o problema da interrupção no tráfego. A abordagem se sustenta apenas na comunicação entre veículos e nos registros de identificação da vizinhança local, agregados em uma estratégia fuzzy e no ajuste adaptativo da potência do sinal de transmissão. Em conformidade com as tendências de condução e com os sistemas inteligentes, este desenvolvimento contribui com subsídios para ratificar a aproximação fuzzy como estratégia adaptativa às flutuações na densidade veicular, em diferentes cenários e regimes de tráfego. As avaliações comparativas do eFIRST respaldam concluir que a estratégia oportuniza o equilíbrio otimizado das perdas, colisões e cobertura, com superior alcance de propagação e redução dos congestionamentos. / Vehicular Ad hoc Network (VANET) is a unique subset of mobile ad hoc networks (MANET), with the difference that nodes are vehicles provided with their own communication technology and interact to form spontaneous networks, with little or no infrastructure previously established. VANETs support the integration of different wireless technologies in order to mitigate adversities, add security and efficiency to traffic. In the data dissemination, a single hop is sufficient to guide the elements within reach of the radio signal, and intermediary nodes support the communication with the others in multihop routing. Supported by embedded devices, vehicles produce records, detect signals, exchange warnings and metrics. Assessments of this information allow the driver to make decisions or react beforehand in adverse situations, such as accidents or traffic congestions. From the observations in this context, this work deals with questions to elaborate intelligent adaptive strategies in data dissemination, since they consolidate themselves as ballast communication in VANET with adverse operating conditions. The proposed approach uses fuzzy systems to detect traffic congestion, with the purpose of aggregating autonomy and adapting the dissemination strategy to the identified traffic conditions. The convergence in the developments performed is reflected in the eFIRST strategy, a robust solution for the autonomous detection of the current traffic congestion condition that protects the adaptive dissemination of alerts and reduces the problem of the interruption in the traffic. The approach is supported only by communication between vehicles and in local neighborhood identification records, aggregated in a fuzzy strategy and in the adaptive adjustment of transmission signal power. In accordance with the driving trends and with the intelligent systems, this development contributes with assistance for ratify the fuzzy approach as an adaptive strategy to fluctuations in vehicular density in different scenarios and traffic regimes. Comparative evaluations of eFIRST support the conclusion that the strategy favors the optimal balance of losses, collisions and coverage, with a greater range of propagation and reduction of congestion.

The super collision between the Internet phenomenon and the wireless communication revolution gives birth to a wealth of novel research problems, design challenges and standardization activities. Within this domain, spontaneous wireless IP networking are probably the most extreme example of new ''particles'' born from the collision. Indeed, these particles defy the laws of the Internet in many ways. The absorption of such peculiar particles in the global IP network has already started thanks to pioneering algorithmic and protocol work -- for instance OLSR -- and through the deployment of wireless mesh networks around the world, such as urban community wireless networks. With the recent revolutions in North Africa, and movements such as Occupy Wall Street, the prospect of spontaneous wireless IP networking has become even more attractive on social and political grounds. Dedicated conferences have recently been organized, and as a result, ambitious, multi-million dollar initiatives have been launched (e.g. the US Government-funded project Commotion Wireless, or the EU-funded initiative CONFINE). However, spontaneous IP wireless networks are not yet widely deployed because pioneer work such as OLSR is vastly insufficient to fully bridge the gap between the Internet and these new networks. This thesis presents work that analyzes this gap and proposes some solutions as to how to bridge it. The focus is put on three domains: a first part presents work in the domain of wireless mesh and ad hoc networks. A second part presents work on sensor networks and in the Internet of Things. And the last part presents work in the domain of delay tolerant networking and vehicular networks.