Time-critical MAC protocol based on IEEE 802.15.4 IR-UWB optimized for industrial wireless sensor networks

Communication in industrial applications like wireless factory automation demands high reliability and low latency. Since state of the art wireless sensor networks do not entirely meet the high requirements, new approaches have to be developed. An ultra-wideband system in combination with a suitable MAC protocol seems to be a promising approach. The proposed ultra-wideband system already provides reduced interference and coexistence issues. Nevertheless, the MAC protocol has to be optimized to guarantee the stringent real time requirements of factory automation. This paper introduces an optimized MAC protocol to be used in combination with the IEEE 802.15.4 impulse-radio ultra-wideband physical layer. Based on a realistic network scenario and physical layer simulations, both reliability and latency are examined.