Analysis of CSMA based broadcast communication in vehicular networks with hidden stations

This thesis studies the congestion problem at the Medium Access Control (MAC) layer of the IEEE 802.11p system in highway scenarios using an analytical approach. Using the Carrier Sense Multiple Access/Collision Avoidance (CSMA/CA) protocol, the IEEE 802.11p system suffers from the hidden station problem. This thesis provides formal definitions for the hidden station condition and the hidden station problem and develops an analytical methodology for CSMA protocols to investigate the interaction between stations in mutual channel sensing range and hidden to each other. Analytical models are developed for broadcast communication using the generic CSMA protocol and the IEEE 802.11p MAC protocol with a one-dimensional (1-D) homogeneous network topology. Simulation studies prove the accuracy of the models in analyzing the reliability performance and the efficiency performance of CSMA broadcast communication with hidden stations.