A Hybrid TDMA protocol based Ultra-Wide Band for in-car wireless communication

The use of wireless technology for intra-vehicle communication is becoming possible in replacing in-scalable, high weight and high manufacture cost automotive wired networks. Ultra-Wide Band (UWB) is emerging as an ideal alternative for implementing an Intra-Vehicle Wireless Sensor Network (I-VWSN) due to its very high data rate and low power consumption. However, the current IEEE MAC Layer Protocol for UWB, IEEE 802.15.3a using CSMA/CA technique, cannot support real-time requirements for in-vehicle applications. This paper presents a Hybrid TDMA MAC protocol that not only guarantees the stringent latency of in-vehicle sensors information, but also allows the integration of other high consumption bandwidth devices such as passenger entertainment electronics. Each cycle of the protocol is divided into two segments: Static Segment (StS) and Dynamic Segment (DyS). The static segment consists of several equal static slots which are allocated to every node sending data periodically. Meanwhile, the dynamic segment is used for event-trigger or noncritical-time information. The channel during the DyS is competed for by nodes with different priorities.