Research Article
A Cross-Layer Congestion-Aware Routing Protocol for UAV-Aided VANETs with Enhanced Line-of-Sight Communication
@INPROCEEDINGS{10.1007/978-3-031-96146-5_10, author={Prangya Priyadarshini and Lopamudra Hota and Arun Kumar and Peter Han Joo Chong}, title={A Cross-Layer Congestion-Aware Routing Protocol for UAV-Aided VANETs with Enhanced Line-of-Sight Communication}, proceedings={Smart Grid and Innovative Frontiers in Telecommunications. 8th EAI International Conference, EAI SmartGIFT 2024a, Santa Clara, United States, March 23-24, 2024, Proceedings}, proceedings_a={SMARTGIFT}, year={2026}, month={9}, keywords={Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Vehicular Ad-hoc Network Routing Congestion Control}, doi={10.1007/978-3-031-96146-5_10} }- Prangya Priyadarshini
Lopamudra Hota
Arun Kumar
Peter Han Joo Chong
Year: 2026
A Cross-Layer Congestion-Aware Routing Protocol for UAV-Aided VANETs with Enhanced Line-of-Sight Communication
SMARTGIFT
Springer
DOI: 10.1007/978-3-031-96146-5_10
Abstract
Vehicular Ad-hoc Network (VANET) is a pivotal factor in an Intelligent Transportation System (ITS) that improves traffic management, road safety, and infotainment features. Routing in VANET is impeded by frequent link disconnection due to roadblocks, high mobility, and rapid topological changes. An Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) with three-dimensional movement capacity may significantly enhance a VANET’s routing experience by boosting the likelihood of a line-of-sight, improving connection, and implementing an effective store-carry-forward mechanism. This also enables efficient data transmission by minimizing free-space path loss, a key contributor to signal degradation. The proposed approach addresses connectivity and congestion issues in vehicular networks by utilizing UAVs as relay nodes and implementing a congestion-aware routing protocol based on Q-learning. This method leverages vehicle density patterns, network state monitoring, and hierarchical packet routing to ensure continuous connectivity, reduce communication overhead, and enhance packet delivery reliability. The results show that the proposed approach significantly enhances packet survivability and packet delivery ratio (PDR).