BeHarmony: Blockchain-Enabled Trustworthy Communication and Legitimate Decision Making in Multi-Party Internet of Vehicles Systems

Abstract

The rapid development of the Internet of Vehicles using centralized systems faces significant challenges, including reliability and security vulnerabilities and high latency. This paper introduces a blockchain-enabled authentication and communication network for scalable IoV to enhance security, reduce latency, and relieve the dependency on centralized infrastructures. The network applies blockchain-enabled domain name services and mutual authentication for fault tolerance consensus, such as PBFT and RAFT, featuring a primary layer of road side units and edge servers for inter-vehicle communication and a sub-layer within each vehicle for intra-vehicle communication. The study evaluates various scenarios and assesses roadside unit availability based on random distribution along vehicle routes. This paper also discusses the legal issues involved in the proposed model, highlighting that the IoV system should be governed by a contract-based decentralized IoV system comprising both smart contracts and traditional contracts. This model offers a novel approach to developing a decentralized, secure, efficient, and ethical IoV ecosystem, advancing autonomous and reliable vehicular networks.