On Residual Path Lifetime in Mobile Networks

Abstract

In this letter, we investigate the residual link lifetime (RLL) in a mobile ad hoc network, such as a vehicular network. Although, owing to the underlying mobility of the network nodes, the RLLs of adjacent links are highly correlated, yet previous works typically neglected such correlation. In contrast, our study is based on an accurate modeling of the relative distances and speeds between neighboring mobile nodes. Firstly, a scenario is presented that demonstrates the dependence of RLLs of two adjacent links. We then derive the joint probability distribution of the RLLs of two adjacent links in terms of their parameters. Our model shows that neglecting the correlation between adjacent links results in serious overestimation of the path's lifetime. Simulation is used to verify our model.