Doppler Detection in IEEE802.11p Signals for Cooperative Awareness in VANETs

Abstract:
Cooperative awareness in vehicular networks describes a service that provides knowledge about the movement of neighboring vehicles via wireless communication. This is normally based on the exchange of location information that vehicles obtain using GNSS receivers. However, in some situations, positioning information is not available or inaccurate or might be maliciously forged in order to cause service interruption. In this paper, we propose a method that allows the receiver to test consistency of location data it receives from others. The concept is based on tracking the frequency offsets of received signals at baseband level. A following aggregation of multiple observations allows a derivation of movement indicators at the receiver (relative to the transmitter). Since characteristics of baseband signals are extremely hard to forge for multiple receivers at the same time, this method provides a trustworthy location indicator, completely independent of other security methods.