Camera-based Vehicle-to-Vehicle Visible Light Communication - A Software-Only Solution for Vehicle Manufacturers

In platooning, multiple vehicles driving in succession on the road virtually connect to each other and reduce the distances between them. The platoon leader transmits data to the other platoon members, so they are all able to accelerate and decelerate simultaneously. Here, it is crucial to verify the identity of the communication partner. This paper proposes a camera-based vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) visible light communication (VLC) system as a software-only solution for vehicle manufacturers that does not require additional hardware components. To transmit the data, the taillights of a vehicle are modulated in a frequency spectrum not perceivable by the human eye, but common cameras can be used to receive the signal. The received data and the transmitting vehicle can be associated with each other because both are visible in the camera's footage. This is proven by test drives in real-world scenarios on public roads in various weather conditions. By using this camera-based V2V-VLC system as an out-of-band channel, it is possible to transmit a 16-byte verification key and establish a fast and secure communication link on a radio frequency (RF) channel in less than 10 seconds, even under difficult conditions.