Energy efficient cross-layer architecture for wireless sensor networks

In this paper, we introduce a new asynchronous power saving architecture that provides an adaptive duty cycle, depending on the network load with no overhead. Our proposition is based on the combination of two novel protocols: a load balancing MAC protocol and a very simple, yet efficient, forwarding function. They achieve power saving by balancing nodes activity and eliminating any routing overhead while insuring fault tolerant communications. Preliminary simulation results demonstrate the effectiveness of our proposed approach in terms of mean residual energy and energy distribution compared to BMAC and Greedy geographic routing.