Dynamic Assignment of Software-Defined Controllers in Vehicular Networks: An Evolutionary Game Approach

As an emerging technology, Software Defined Networking (SDN) shows great potential in the management of complex networks. Its centralized control and programmability provide flexible network traffic control, making networks more intelligent. Meanwhile, Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) have gained popularity in various industries for their flexibility, maneuverability, and ability to access hard-to-reach areas. In this paper, we present a new network architecture and dynamic controller assignment algorithm for vehicular networks. The decoupling of the control plane and the data plane is realized through SDN, and the controller is deployed on the UAV to dynamically control the vehicle. As for the dynamic controller assignment problem, we establish a model by the evolutionary game algorithm, and dynamically assign controllers based on vehicle positions and traffic loads on the controllers. Extensive simulation results confirm the effectiveness of the method.