Spatially Synchronized Sensing in Vehicle Platoons via Common Driving-Behavior-Dependent Noise

This letter utilizes the mechanism of noise-induced synchronization to enable spatially synchronized data collection using non-interacting smartphones mounted on vehicles in a platoon. We demonstrate that ambient environmental factors, specifically ambient light and the magnetic field, fluctuate coherently with the common driving behavior of the vehicles. The spatial correlation of this noise achieved a median of up to 0.97. Using those observed noise signals, we then simulate cooperative sensing by two vehicles and show that this spatial synchronization technique reduces the median distance between the independently sensed locations by up to half of that obtained without synchronization.