Distributed EDCA bursting: improving cluster-based communication in IVC

Cluster-based communication is a staple topic in vehicular networks. Clustering communication nodes promise to reduce channel contention, enable building backbones and might improve spatial reuse. In this paper we propose a seemingly simple, yet unexplored idea: extending 802.11 frame bursting MAC access to multiple stations aggregated into a cluster. The focus of the paper is thus not building a cluster, but exploring what is the gain that can be achieved by the standard 802.11p channel access if we introduce the principle of frame bursting (presently not allowed in 802.11p standard, but the key factor for the efficiency of 802.11n/ac WiFi channel access). The key scientific question is if we can extend the frame bursting mechanism so that only the cluster leader contends for the channel reserving a Transmission Opportunity that is used by all the vehicles in the cluster transmitting a coordinated burst of frames. We describe in detail the idea, highlight the problems that can be encountered in its implementation (the devil, as usual is in details), and present some preliminary results for a special class of clusters: Cooperative driving platoons of cars.