Distributed Topology Construction in ZigBee Wireless Networks

Topology control is one of the important techniques in wireless multi-hop networks to preserve connectivity and extend the network lifetime. This is more significant in ZigBee, since the address assignment scheme is tightly coupled with topology construction. For example, there can be orphan nodes that cannot receive the network address and isolated from the network due to predefined network configurations. In this paper, we propose a distributed topology construction algorithm that controls the association time of each node in order to solve the orphan node problem in ZigBee as well as construct an efficient routing tree topology. The main idea of the distributed topology construction algorithm is to construct primary backbone nodes by propagating the invitation packets and controlling the association time based on the link quality. Since the dynamically selected primary nodes are spread throughout the network, they can provide backbone to accept the association requests from the remaining secondary nodes which are majority in a network. In the performance evaluation, we show that the proposed topology construction algorithm effectively solves the orphan node problem regardless of network density as well as provides efficient tree routing cost comparable to the approximation algorithm for degree constrained minimum routing cost tree (DC-MRCT) problem.     

Commercial Applications of Wireless Sensor Networks Using ZigBee

After around a decade of active research on wireless sensor networks, recent standards released are stimulating the development of commercial products. One of these standards is ZigBee. This article highlights some of the lessons from the field that went into the standard. It also describes the ecosystem emerging around Zigbee, and the enabling trends in that ecosystem. New areas of activity in the ZigBee standards body are highlighted as well     

基于ZigBee无线传感器网络的智能仓储节点设计

针对传统仓储管理自动化程度不高、人工依赖性等问题,提出一种基于ZigBee技术的智能仓储管理。文章给出了协调器节点及终端节点的硬件框图及主要软件运行流程,并对节点的能耗进行分析,实现对仓储温度、湿度等环境参数进行无线传输和实时监测的设计。     

无线多媒体传感器网络QoS保障问题

 作为一种全新的信息获取和处理技术,无线多媒体传感器网络在军事、工业、商业、环保中具有广阔的应用前景.无线多媒体传感器网络感知媒体丰富、数据量大,处理任务复杂等显著特点,使其QoS保障问题的研究极具挑战性.本文就此问题,总结了无线多媒体传感器网络的QoS需求及其当前所面临的技术挑战.从MAC层、网络层、传输层、应用层、交叉层以及中间件六个方面,着重描述了无线多媒体传感器网络QoS保障的国内外研究进展.最后,分析了当前亟待解决的问题以及未来的研究趋势.     

The Beacon Movement Detection Problem in Wireless Sensor Networks for Localization Applications

Localization is a critical issue in wireless sensor networks. In most localization systems, beacons are being placed as references to determine the positions of objects or events appearing in the sensing field. The underlying assumption is that beacons are always reliable. In this work, we define a new Beacon Movement Detection (BMD) problem. Assuming that there are unnoticed changes of locations of some beacons in the system, this problem concerns how to automatically monitor such situations and identify such unreliable beacons based on the mutual observations among beacons only. Existence of such unreliable beacons may affect the localization accuracy. After identifying such beacons, we can remove them from the localization engine. Four BMD schemes are proposed to solve the BMD problem. Then, we evaluate how these solutions can improve the accuracy of localization systems in case there are unnoticed movements of some beacons. Simulation results show that our solutions can capture most of the unnoticed beacon movement events and thus can significantly alleviate the degradation of such events.     

On the Design Problem of Cellular Wireless Networks

In this paper, we deal with the problem of how to design cellular networks in a cost-effective way. We first propose an optimization model that deals with selecting the location of the base station controllers (BSCs) and mobile service switching centers (MSCs), selecting their types, designing the network topology and selecting the link types. In order to find a “good” solution, we propose a tabu search algorithm. Numerical results show that the tabu search algorithm produces solutions close to a proposed lower bound.Steven Chamberland received the Electrical Engineering degree from the École Polytechnique de Montréal in 1994 and the Ph.D. degree in Operations Research in 1998 also from the École Polytechnique. From 1998 to 1999, he was with the network architecture group of Bell Canada and from 1999 to 2001, he was a professor at the École de technologie supérieure. Since 2001, he has been an assistant professor of Computer Engineering at the École Polytechnique de Montréal. His research interests include telecommunication network planning and design and network architecture. Dr. Chamberland is a member of IEEE and ACM. E-mail: steven.chamberland@polymtl.caSamuel Pierre received the B.Eng. degree in Civil Engineering in 1981 from the École Polytechnique de Montréal, the B.Sc. and M.Sc. degrees in mathematics and computer science in 1984 and 1985, respectively, from the Université du Québec, the M.Sc. degree in economics in 1987 from the Université de Montréal and, the Ph.D. degree in Electrical Engineering in 1991 from the École Polytechnique de Montréal. He is currently a professor of Computer Engineering at the École Polytechnique de Montréal where he is Director of the Mobile Computing and Networking Research Laboratory and the NSERC/Ericsson Industrial Research Chair in Next- Generation Mobile Networking Systems.Dr. Pierre is the author of four books, co-author of two books and six book chapters, as well as over 200 other technical publications including journal and proceedings papers. He received the Best Paper Award of the Ninth International Workshop in Expert Systems & their Applications (France, 1989), a Distinguished Paper Award from OPNETWORK’2003 (Washington, USA). One of these co-authored books, Télécommunications et transmission de données (Eyrolles, 1992), received special mention from Telecoms Magazine (France, 1994). His research interests include wireline and wireless networks, mobile computing, performance evaluation, artificial intelligence, and electronic learning. He is a Fellow of Engineering Institute of Canada, senior member of IEEE, a member of ACM and IEEE Communications Society. He is an Associate Editor of IEEE Communications Letters and IEEE Canadian Review. He also serves on the editorial board of Telematics and Informatics published by Elsevier Science. E-mail: samuel.pierre@polymtl.ca     

Cross-layer network formation for energy-efficient IEEE 802.15.4/ZigBee Wireless Sensor Networks

In IEEE 802.15.4/ZigBee Wireless Sensor Networks (WSNs) a specific node (called the PAN coordinator or sink) controls the whole network. When the network operates in a multi-hop fashion, the position of the PAN coordinator has a significant impact on the performance: it strongly affects network energy consumption for both topology formation and data routing. The development of efficient self-managing, self-configuring and self-regulating protocols for the election of the node that coordinates and manages the IEEE 802.15.4/ZigBee WSN is still an open research issue. In this paper we present a cross-layer approach to address the problem of PAN coordinator election on topologies formed in accordance with the IEEE 802.15.4. Our solution combines the network formation procedure defined at the MAC layer by the IEEE 802.15.4 standard with a topology reconfiguration algorithm operating at the network layer. We propose a standard-compliant procedure (named PAN coordinator ELection – PANEL) to self-configure a IEEE 802.15.4/ZigBee WSN by electing, in a distributed way, a suitable PAN coordinator. A protocol implementing this solution in IEEE 802.15.4 is also provided. Performance results show that our cross-layer approach minimizes the average number of hops between the nodes of the network and the PAN coordinator allowing to reduce the data transfer delay and determining significant energy savings compared with the performance of the IEEE 802.15.4 standard.     

Distributed Borrowing Addressing Scheme for ZigBee/IEEE 802.15.4 Wireless Sensor Networks

This paper proposes a distributed borrowing addressing (DIBA) scheme to solve problems of failure in address assignments resulting from limited tree depth and width when the distributed address assignment mechanism is used in a ZigBee/IEEE 802.15.4 wireless sensor network. DIBA is a method of borrowing addresses from neighbor nodes for newly entering nodes and assigning the borrowed addresses. Its network or sensing coverage can increase with almost the same overhead as the existing method. DIBA is a simple and lightweight means of addressing and routing, making it suitable for wireless sensor networks. Simulations showed that DIBA is a distributed addressing scheme with consistently excellent performance.     

消防350M无线通信网存在问题及解决办法浅析

消防350MHz超短波常规无线通信网,受手持对讲机本身因素及阻挡物影响,存在着通信距离受限及盲区问题,要解决这些问题,普遍应用"背靠背"通信方式、采用直放机和功率分配法.     

无线传感器网络能量空洞问题研究进展

本文分析了无线传感器网络特征和能量空洞产生的主要因素,总结和评估了近年来提出的能量空洞避免策略,同时对该领域的尚存问题以及发展趋势进行了讨论。     

A Backbone-Aware Topology Formation (BATF) Scheme for ZigBee Wireless Sensor Networks

In a tree-structured ZigBee wireless sensor network, nodes close to the root of the tree (i.e., hot-spot nodes) may exhaust their power earlier than those distant from the root due to heavy loads on packet forwarding. This hot-spot problem is inherent in tree-structured networks and may demand extra energy to recover from failures of hot-spot nodes. In this paper, the backbone-aware topology formation (BATF) scheme is proposed to alleviate the hot-spot problem. BATF utilizes power-rich nodes to form a backbone tree that does not suffer from the hot-spot problem. Each power-rich node independently initiates a ZigBee tree network that attracts associations from ZigBee-compliant devices in order to distribute packet-forwarding loads over a larger set of nodes. Issues of BATF such as the partition of address space and ZigBee-compliant routing are discussed in detail. Simulation results confirm that BATF does alleviate the hot-spot problem as it improves network lifetime as well as data collection capability. Comparisons with native ZigBee protocols show that the improvement comes from our protocol design rather than simply introducing power-rich nodes.     

Hybrid Distributed Stochastic Addressing Scheme for ZigBee/IEEE 802.15.4 Wireless Sensor Networks

This paper proposes hybrid distributed stochastic addressing (HDSA), which combines the advantages of distributed addressing and stochastic addressing, to solve the problems encountered when constructing a network in a ZigBee‐based wireless sensor network. HDSA can assign all the addresses for ZigBee beyond the limit of addresses assigned by the existing distributed address assignment mechanism. Thus, it can make the network scalable and can also utilize the advantages of tree routing. The simulation results reveal that HDSA has better addressing performance than distributed addressing and better routing performance than other on‐demand routing methods.     

On Node Lifetime Problem for Energy-Constrained Wireless Sensor Networks

A fundamental problem in wireless sensor networks is to maximize network lifetime under given energy constraints. In this paper, we study the network lifetime problem by considering not only maximizing the time until the first node fails, but also maximizing the lifetimes for all the nodes in the network, which we define as the Lexicographic Max-Min (LMM) node lifetime problem. The main contributions of this paper are two-fold. First, we develop a polynomial-time algorithm to derive the LMM-optimal node lifetime vector, which effectively circumvents the computational complexity problem associated with an existing state-of-the-art approach, which is exponential. The main ideas in our approach include: (1) a link-based problem formulation, which significantly reduces the problem size in comparison with a flow-based formulation, and (2) an intelligent exploitation of parametric analysis technique, which in most cases determines the minimum set of nodes that use up their energy at each stage using very simple computations. Second, we present a simple (also polynomial-time) algorithm to calculate the flow routing schedule such that the LMM-optimal node lifetime vector can be achieved. Our results in this paper advance the state-of-the-art algorithmic design for network-wide node lifetime problem and facilitate future studies of the network lifetime problem in energy-constrained wireless sensor networks. Y. Thomas Hou obtained his B.E. degree from the City College of New York in 1991, the M.S. degree from Columbia University in 1993, and the Ph.D. degree from Polytechnic University, Brooklyn, New York, in 1998, all in Electrical Engineering. From 1997 to 2002, Dr. Hou was a research scientist and project leader at Fujitsu Laboratories of America, IP Networking Research Department, Sunnyvale, California(Silicon Valley). Since Fall 2002, he has been an Assistant Professor at Virginia Tech, the Bradley Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Blacksburg, Virginia. Dr. Hou's research interests are in the algorithmic design and optimization for network systems. His current research focuses on wireless sensor networks and multimedia over wireless ad hoc networks. In recent years, he has worked on scalable architectures, protocols, and implementations for differentiated services Internet; service overlay networking; multimedia streaming over the Internet; and network bandwidth allocation policies and distributed flow control algorithms. He has published extensively in the above areas and is a co-recipient of the 2002 IEEE International Conference on Network Protocols (ICNP) Best Paper Award and the 2001 IEEE Transactions on Circuits and Systems for Video Technology (CSVT) Best Paper Award. He is a member of ACM and a senior member of IEEE. Yi Shi received his B.S. degree from University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, China, in 1998, a M.S. degree from Institute of Software, Chinese Academy of Science, Beijing, China, in 2001, and a second M.S. degree from Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA, in 2003, all in computer science. He is currently working toward his Ph.D. degree in electrical and computer engineering at Virginia Tech. While in undergraduate, he was a recipient of Meritorious Award in International Mathematical Contest in Modeling and 1997 and 1998, respectively. Yi's current research focuses on algorithms and optimization for wireless sensor networks and wireless ad hoc networks. His work has appeared in highly selective international conferences (e.g., ACM MobiCom and MobiHoc). Hanif D. Sherali is the W. Thomas Rice Endowed Chaired Professor of Engineering in the Industrial and Systems Engineering Department at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University. His area of research interest is in discrete and continuous optimization, with applications to location, transportation, and engineering design problems. He has published about 200 papers in Operations Research journals, has co-authored four books in this area, and serves on the editorial board of eight journals. He is a member of the National Academy of Engineering.     

无线传感器网络贪婪转发策略中的路由空洞问题

贪婪转发策略是无线传感器网络中基于地理位置的路由算法中非常重要的一种,但是该算法会遭遇到路由空洞问题。该文从理论上分析了路由空洞在规则部署和随机部署情况下的存在概率,并得出了随机部署情况下随机建立的路径会遭遇到路由空洞的概率。通过分析可以得出,当网络中节点的平均邻居数大于10时,利用带有退避改进方法的贪婪转发策略足以满足无线传感器网络的需要。     

ZigBee技术在工业控制领域的应用

ZigBeeTM是一种低速率、低成本、低功耗的短程无线网络协议。在众多无线网络技术中,ZigBee技术以其数据传输安全可靠、组网简易灵活、设备成本低、电池寿命长等独特的优势,在工业控制领域中展现了深厚的发展潜力和广阔的市场前景。在Modbus现场总线控制系统中引入ZigBee无线网络,可以在确保数据传输可靠性和实时性的前提下,大大提高控制系统的可扩展性,降低设备维护的成本,从而使整个控制系统得到优化。     

ZigBee无线传输技术综述

ZigBee技术是一种新兴的短距离、低复杂度、低功耗、低数据速率、低成本的无线网络技术。ZigBee协议采用IEEE802.15.4标准的物理层和链路层,并在其上增加了网络层,安全模块和应用支持子层模块,从而实现了大区域网络覆盖。ZigBee由于其在低功耗、低复杂度、自组织等方面的优势,逐渐成为无线传感器网络的首选通信协议。     

Short-Range Wireless Communications for Next-Generation Networks: UWB, 60 GHz Millimeter-Wave WPAN, And ZigBee

This article presents standardization, regulation, and development issues associated with short-range wireless technologies for next-generation personal area networks (PAN). Ultra-wideband (UWB) and 60 GHz millimeter-wave communication technologies promise unprecedented short-range broadband wireless communication and are the harbingers of multigigabit wireless networks. Despite the huge potential for PAN, standardization and global spectrum regulations challenge the success of UWB. On the other hand, ZigBeetrade is expected to be a crucial short-range technology for low throughput and ultra low-power consumption networks. The current status and direction of future development of UWB, emerging 60 GHz millimeter-wave PAN, and low data rate ZigBee are described. This article also addresses wireless MAC protocol issues of 60 GHz multigigabit PAN.     

基于ZigBee的无线点菜系统

为了实现实时点餐,本文提出了一种基于ZigBee技术的无线点菜终端系统,并对系统的硬件和软件进行了详细的分析和设计,修改并移植了TI公司ZigBee 2006协议栈Z-Stack1.4.2-1.1.0,最后对该系统做了实际运行测试。此系统经扩展可应用于小型商店售货、仓储。     

包含ZigBee传感和控制解决方案的经济高效的无线个人区域网络

无线个人区域网络(或WPAN)对传感、监视和控制应用来说尤其有用.经济高效的VPAAN具有在众多最终产品中实施无线连通性的独特潜力,而在以前,这些产品从未考虑过这一功能.对主要WPAN设计因素进行彻底的、基于事实的、逻辑的和有组织的评估可以密切管理系统财务目标,用积极的回报率提升最终产品价值,同时仍实现主要的无线设计目标.