Call for Papers: Vehicular Networks and Autonomous Driving

A special issue of International Journal of Vehicle Autonomous Systems

Since the invention of the automobile, the driving task has relied in a significant manner on inter-vehicle communication. Turn signals, braking lights and vehicle horns are all examples of analogue car-to-car communication systems that have been designed to make driving simpler and safer.

This light- or sound-based conspicuity of vehicles is on the verge of an important revolution, as wireless inter-vehicle communication based on the IEEE 802.11p standard is soon going to be widely adopted by car manufacturers. This vehicular networking paradigm and the underlying technology will have a significant impact on the safety and comfort of human-driven vehicles, enabling the design of advanced driving assistance systems that collect information from sensors residing in neighbouring cars. In addition, vehicular networking holds tremendous potential for making autonomous driving a reachable goal in the near future.

This special issue aims at promoting vehicular networking as a major enabler for autonomous driving. This role as a major enabler is based on the impact of the digital conspicuity of vehicles, which will be achieved through vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) communications, and also through vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2I) communications, which envisions novel schemes of interaction between roadside infrastructures and autonomous vehicles.

Papers are invited that can demonstrate the innovative applications of vehicular networking as well as its enabling role for autonomous driving. Topics of interest include, but are not restricted to, the following:

• V2V communication protocols as enablers of automated driving functions (e.g. adaptive cruise-control, stop-and-go, emergency braking, etc)
• V2I (or I2V) communication protocols and their impact on autonomous driving (e.g. digital road signs, automated toll systems, etc)
• Distributed and self-organised traffic control methods
• Socially-optimised navigation based on real-time traffic information
• Security and privacy aspects of vehicular networking protocols
• Advanced driver assistance systems for semi-autonomous vehicles, enabled by vehicular inter-networking
• Mobility models and simulators incorporating concepts designed for vehicular networks and autonomous vehicles
• Cooperative sensing of the road (real-time usage of sensors from neighbouring vehicles)
• Relative positioning techniques supported by vehicular networks
• Analysis of inter-vehicular communication requirements to enable autonomous driving
• Car infotainment in the context of autonomous vehicles

Important Dates
Manuscript submission: 30 June, 2011
Reviewers' reports and decisions: 30 September, 2011
Revised manuscript submission: 15 November, 2011