Path Loss Analysis and Modeling for Vehicle-to-Vehicle Communications in Convoys in Safety-Related Scenarios

Detailed understanding of vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) channels is a prerequisite for the design of V2V communication systems. An important application of such communications systems is automated control of vehicles driving in convoy formation, which improves transportation efficiency and reduces traffic jams. In this paper, we analyze and model the path loss characteristics for V2V communications in safety- related convoy scenarios based on a series of channel measurements at 5.9 GHz. The measurements focus on two types of safety-related scenarios. In the first scenario, the convoy formation is broken due to changing traffic lights at an intersection. In the second scenario, the convoy link is obstructed temporarily by trucks or pedestrians. We analyze the signal power (pathloss and shadowing) for both of these scenarios. It is found that street signs, trunks, pedestrians or bushes can bring additional signal attenuation, with trucks providing some 15 dB attenuation and pedestrians providing 7 $\sim$ 10 dB attenuation.