An Analysis of LOS Coverage in Vehicular Networks with Roadside Units and Relays

This paper analyzes the use of vehicular relays as a means to extend the Line-of-Sight (LOS) coverage from roadside units(RSUs) toward users on the streets in mmWave or visible light communications. In this paper, we consider the scenario where RSUs select vehicles within their LOS coverage as relays. As a result, the LOS coverage of those RSUs is extended by the LOS coverage newly provided by the vehicular relays. To account for the spatial relationship between vehicles and RSUs, we use Cox point processes. We assume that the LOS distances from RSUs or relays are independent and exponentially distributed. To address the spatial interactions between RSU LOS coverage and relay LOS coverage, we use the notion of mean area fraction to evaluate the LOS coverage.