Traffic aware dynamic node scheduling for power efficient sensor networks

The paper proposes a new medium-access control (MAC) protocol designed for wireless sensor networks. A wireless sensor network is an array of a large number of sensors interconnected by a multi-hop ad-hoc network. The primary objective for the sensor network is achieving low-power consumption while latency is usually less important compared to traditional wireless networks. This characteristic of a sensor network motivates the design of a new MAC layer so that power consumption is reduced. A novel traffic-aware algorithm based on distributed node schedule management (DMD) protocol is introduced that utilizes a distributed dynamic node scheduling strategy to increase energy saving dramatically, especially in intermediate devices inside a multi-hop network. Simulation results show noticeable power consumption improvements compared to 802.11-like, sensor MAC and dynamic SMAC protocols, especially on the large scale; this has been achieved at the expense of higher latency.