Energy saving in wireless sensor networks

With the development of low-cost processor, memory, and radio technologies, it becomes possible to build inexpensive wireless micro-sensor nodes. However, energy is the biggest constraint to wireless sensor capabilities and such constraint combined with a typical deployment of large numbers of sensor nodes have posed many challenges to the design and management of sensor networks. Due to their ad-hoc deployment in hazardous environment, once sensor nodes are deployed in a sensor network, they cannot be easily replaced or recharged. Thus, energy saving acts as one of the hottest topics in wireless sensor networks （WSNs） and hence several energy conservation schemes have been proposed in the literature. In this work, we will make a short survey on the main techniques used for energy conservation in sensor networks. Specifically, we will focus primarily on duty cycling schemes which represent the most suitable technique for energy saving. Moreover, we will also survey in-network processing and network coding techniques which can guarantee a significant amount of energy saving in packet transmission. Finally, we will make a review on some communication protocols proposed for sensor networks.     

An efficient routing scheme with optimal power control in wireless multi-hop sensor networks

Power consumption is a critical problem in providing multimedia communications among wireless sensor nodes (WSNs). To reduce power consumption and satisfying QoS requirements, in this paper, we propose an efficient routing scheme with optimal power management and on-demand quality control for WSNs. Two cost functions are developed to minimize the transmitting power and maximize the link quality under the constraint that an end-to-end frame error probability should be met. The heuristic problem of minimizing power consumption under frame error constraints is formulated and resolved with a closed-form expression. With this closed-form expression, we can determine an optimal route rapidly by calculating the power requirement for each sensor node. Finally, our analytical results indicate that the proposed scheme is superior to a previous work with the same constraint and is also comparable to the results obtained from a heuristic simulation.     

Extra back-off flow control in multi-hop wireless networks

CSMA is the predominant distributed access protocol for wireless mesh networks. Originally designed for single-hop settings, CSMA can exhibit severe performance problems in multi-hop networks in terms of stability and end-to-end throughput. To ensure a smoother flow of packets, we examine an enhancement referred to as Extra Back-off (EB) flow control. In this enhanced scheme a node remains silent for a certain extra back-off time (imposed on top of the usual back-off time that is part of CSMA) after it has transmitted a packet, to give both the downstream and upstream neighbors the opportunity to transmit. EB flow control entails only a small modification to CSMA, preserving its distributed character. In order to examine the performance of EB flow control, we analyze a novel class of Markov models at the interface between classical tandem queues and interacting particle systems. The results demonstrate that EB flow control provides an effective mechanism for improving the end-to-end throughput performance.     

A power efficiency routing and maintenance protocol in wireless multi-hop networks

In wireless multi-hop networks, selecting a path that has a high transmission bandwidth or a high delivery rate of packets can reduce power consumption and shorten transmission delay during data transmission. There are two factors that influence the transmission bandwidth: the signal strength of the received packets and contentions in the contention-based MAC layer. These two factors may cause more power to be consumed during data transmission. We analyze these two factors and propose a power-aware routing protocol called MTPCR. MTPCR discovers the desired routing path that has reduced power consumption during data transmission. In addition to finding a desired path to reduce power consumption, MTPCR also takes into account the situations in which the transmission bandwidth of the routing path may decrease, resulting in much power consumption during data transmission because of the mobility of nodes in a network. MTPCR is thus useful in a network: it analyzes power consumption during data transmission with the help of neighboring nodes, and it uses a path maintenance mechanism to maintain good path bandwidth. The density of nodes in a network is used to determine when to activate the path maintenance mechanism in order to reduce the overhead of this mechanism. With the proposed path maintenance mechanism, power consumption during data transmission can be efficiently reduced, as well as the number of path breakages. In our simulation, we compared our proposed routing protocol, MTPCR, with the following protocols: two classical routing protocols, AODV and DSR; two power-aware routing protocols, MMBCR and xMBCR; and one multiple path routing protocol, PAMP. The comparisons are made in terms of throughput of the routing path, power consumption in path discovery, power consumption in data transmission, and network lifetime.     

Maximum lifetime rate control and random access in multi-hop wireless networks

Network lifetime and transmission quality are of paramount importance for rate control in an energy constrained multi-hop wireless network. It is known that they depend on mechanisms that span several protocol layers due to the existing interference across collision links and the energy constrained nature of wireless nodes. Although separate consideration of these issues simplifies the system design, it is often insufficient for wireless networks when the overall system performance is required. In this paper, we present a framework for cross-layer rate control towards maximum network lifetime and collision avoidance. The main contributions of this paper are twofold. First, although the link attainable rate is typically a non-convex and non-separable function of persistent probabilities, we prove the convergence of this cross-layer algorithm to the global optimum of joint congestion control and random access algorithm under the framework of nonlinear programming. Second, by adjusting a parameter in the objective function, we achieve the tradeoff between transmission quality and network lifetime. Simulations illustrate the desirable properties of the proposed algorithm, including convergence to the global optimum, better performance than the layered scheme, desirable tradeoff between transmission quality and network lifetime.     

无线多跳网络的延迟性能分析

多跳无线网络技术具有广阔的应用前景。研究如何精确地分析、预知和保证多跳无线通信路线的端到端延迟性能非常重要。通过引入一个延迟违约概率的下限,扩展链路层等效带宽模型,并在不同的信道服务速率和无线信道条件下进行模拟。分析和仿真发现,与信道服务速率相比,最大多普勒频移对多跳延迟性能的影响更大。     

Utility-optimal random access control in wireless multi-hop networks with queuing constraints

In this paper, a model of network utility maximization （NUM） is presented for random access control in multi-hop wireless networks. Different from the classical NUM framework, our model considers the queueing stability. We propose a distributed iterative prices and link probabilities adaption algorithm by using dual decomposition techniques, which only requires limited message passing, but converges to the global optimum of the total network utility. Numerical results and simulation comparison validate our conclusion.     

Power and delay optimisation in multi-hop wireless networks

In this paper, we study the optimisation problem of transmission power and delay in a multi-hop wireless network consisting of multiple nodes. The goal is to determine the optimal policy of transmission rates at various buffer and channel states in order to minimise the power consumption and the queueing delay of the whole network. With the assumptions of interference-free links and independently and identically distributed (i.i.d.) channel states, we formulate this problem using a semi-open Jackson network model for data transmission and a Markov model for channel states transition. We derive a difference equation of the system performance under any two different policies. The necessary and sufficient condition of optimal policy is obtained. We also prove that the system performance is monotonic with respect to (w.r.t.) the transmission rate and the optimal transmission rate can be either maximal or minimal. That is, the ‘bang-bang’ control is an optimal control. This optimality structure greatly reduces the problem complexity. Furthermore, we develop an iterative algorithm to find the optimal solution. Finally, we conduct the simulation experiments to demonstrate the effectiveness of our approach. We hope our work can shed some insights on solving this complicated optimisation problem.     

一种节能的无线传感器网络QoS路由算法

针对无线传感器网络中不同业务对QoS的不同要求,提出了一种新的QoS路由算法—EBQoS算法。算法通过记录邻居节点到Sink节点的最小跳数信息建立到Sink节点的多条路径,并根据信息包的QoS要求和节点剩余能量选择合适的路径进行路由。通过仿真实验与顺序分配路由（SAR）算法的比较,结果表明该路由算法在提供差别服务和提高网络生存期方面具有明显的优势。     

S-modular games and power control in wireless networks

This note shows how centralized or distributed power control algorithms in wireless communications can be viewed as S-modular games coupled policy sets (coupling is due to the fact that the set of powers of a mobile that satisfy the signal-to-interference ratio constraints depends on powers used by other mobiles). This sheds a new light on convergence properties of existing synchronous and asynchronous algorithms, and allows us to establish new convergence results of power control algorithms. Furthermore, known properties of power control algorithms allow us to extend the theory of S-modular games and obtain conditions for the uniqueness of the equilibrium and convergence of best response algorithms independently of the initial state.     

Fairness of medium access control protocols for multi-hop ad hoc wireless networks

It is an undisputed fact that fairness is an important element of a well-designed medium access control (MAC) protocol for multi-hop ad hoc networks. However, most popular MAC protocols still fail to attain an acceptable level of fairness in media access although several enhancements have been proposed in the past. These proposed enhancements are effective only in limited scenarios. It is our objective in this paper to do the following: (i) analyze the fairness problem; (ii) identify and analyze the three main causes leading to the fairness problem, namely, the lack of synchronization problem (LSP), the double contention areas problem (DCP) and the lack of coordination problem (LCP); (iii) based on the analysis, propose a new MAC protocol named the extended hybrid asynchronous time division multiple access (EHATDMA) as a solution. For better assessment of fairness, we have designed an index named max–min fairness index, which is scenario-independent and reflects the difference between the fair sharing provided by a protocol and the ideal max–min fair sharing. Comprehensive simulations have been carried out to compare the fairness of our protocol with the existing ones. Simulation results show that although the existing protocols employ various enhancements meant to improve the fairness property, most of them are still strongly biased towards throughput when a conflict between throughput and fairness arises. In addition, the fairness performance of these protocols varies widely from one scenario to another. On the other hand, EHATDMA strikes a good balance between throughput and fairness. It delivers a consistently high level of fairness regardless of network topology, traffic load and radio parameters, yet maintains high throughput whenever possible. Our simulation results also reveal that the most important mechanism affecting the fair sharing of radio channels among flows is the non-work-conserving mechanism.     

无线网络中的多跳协作机制*

现有的协作机制过度地依赖于信道状态信息,而无线信道状态瞬时变化,使得信道状态信息在实践中很难获取。提出一种新的多跳协作机制,该机制不依赖信道状态信息,而是充分利用无线网络的广播特性,使得系统中的节点缓存其前面节点发送的信号,并对接收到的信号进行最大比合并,恢复原信号再转发。通过理论分析以及仿真分析验证所提方案的可行性和有效性,并与多跳非协作机制进行比较,仿真结果表明,多跳协作机制可以获得额外的分集增益,有效地提高了交付率以及增大系统中的端到端的平均吞吐量。     

Connectivity opportunity selection in heterogeneous wireless multi-hop networks

This paper addresses the problem of selecting the best connectivity alternative for the user in a generic Heterogeneous Wireless Multi-hop Network (HWMN), integrating distinct wireless technologies and multi-mode cooperating stations. We propose a Connectivity opportunity Selection Algorithm (CSA) that uses network state information and mobility profile information to select the best connectivity based on the applications’ requirements. We provide a simulation-based performance evaluation of the CSA and compare it with a greedy network selection scheme. Furthermore, we propose an extended reference model that allows the integration of the concept of connectivity opportunity and our proposed CSA with the framework being defined by the upcoming IEEE 802.21 standard for Media Independent Handover services.     

Energy saving potential of greenhouse climate control

As energy costs are one of the main production costs many efforts were made to reduce the energy consumption of greenhouses. One possibility is the development of new control strategies (e.g. wind-dependent control [B.J. Bailey, Wind development control of greenhouse heating, Acta Hort. 174 (1985) 381–386]). But in most cases the energy saving potential of control seems to be overestimated. In this paper the main influences of control strategies on energy saving are discussed. For example calculations of energy consumption were made for several control strategies. The results elucidate that there are only minor differences in heat consumption for the investigated control strategies and therefore energy saving potential of control is also small. For online optimisation of control it is more important to increase the yield in order to maximise the net income of the grower. As the heating costs are about 10% of the total production costs a reduction in yield of 1% must be compensated by more than 10% energy saving.     

无线多跳网络GeoGRID协议研究

Geocast是一种基于方向性投递的无线多播路由协议,能够减少冗余数据包,缩短多播时延。现有Geocast协议并不适用于稀疏网络环境,存在时延较大、数据冗余较高等缺陷。为了提高GeoGRID协议在稀疏网络中的性能,提出了GeoGRID-LBM和A-GeoGRID两种新型协议,利用网关节点掌握两跳网关节点邻居的信息,减少信道竞争和数据包碰撞概率,仿真实验表明,这两种改进型GeoGRID能够将数据端到端时延减少14%,降低冗余数据包数量达26%。     

Trace-based mobility modeling for multi-hop wireless networks

Realistic and scenario-dependent mobility modeling is crucial for the reliable performance evaluation of multi-hop networks. In the last decade, a significant number of synthetic mobility models have been proposed. However, only a few of these models have been validated by realistic movement traces. In the last few years, several of such traces have been collected, analyzed, and made available to the community. This paper provides a comprehensive and up-to-date survey of (1) available movement traces, (2) modeling/analyses of these traces, and (3) synthetic mobility models. The focus of the paper is on mobility traces/models that include position information. The contribution of this paper is to summarize the research that has been done in the area of mobility modeling over the last few years and present challenges for future work.     

一种基于IEEE 802.11e的多跳无线网络拥塞控制协议

多跳无线网络中网络拥塞的出现将严重降低网络的性能。基于802.11e提供的区分业务类型的信道接入优先级机制,提出了一种对尽力而为(best-effort)类型业务动态调整其优先级进行网络拥塞控制的协议。该算法的主要思想是对发生网络拥塞的节点提升其业务流传输的优先级使其获得更多的传输机会以缓解拥塞状况,并对严重的网络拥塞状况采取反向施压的策略降低上游节点业务流的转发速率。仿真结果表明,该算法有效地提高了网络重负载情况下的吞吐量。     

Load-balanced AP association in multi-hop wireless mesh networks

Wireless mesh networks (WMNs) provide high-bandwidth wireless access, which makes it capable for multimedia services. A user in a WMN may be covered by multiple APs, while it should be associated with only one to access the Internet. Conventional IEEE 802.11 user-AP association mechanism for WLANs employs signal strength as the sole metric. However, this may lead to network congestion and performance degradation in multi-hop networks such as WMNs, especially for multimedia services that require a large bandwidth and a low latency. Thus AP association in WMNs becomes an important research issue. In this paper we propose a novel AP association approach LBAA, taking AP’s load-balancing, WMN’s multi-hop characteristic, and user’s RSSI into consideration. We first propose a centralized algorithm and then extend it to a distributed one, with the latter one more practical and convenient for deployment. Network throughput and max–min user fairness are improved by LBAA. Performance evaluation demonstrating the benefits of our approach is given through a series of experiments in terms of collision probability, access bandwidth, end-to-end throughput, and average RSSI.     

Fine grained load balancing in multi-hop wireless networks

In this paper we address the problem of local balancing in multi-hop wireless networks. We introduce the notion of proactive routing: after a short pre-processing phase in which nodes build their routing tables by exchanging messages with neighbors, we require that nodes decide the relay of each message without any further interaction with other nodes. Besides delivering very low communication overhead, proactive routing protocols are robust against some well known active attacks to network routing. In this framework, we develop a proactive routing protocol that is able to balance the local load. Experiments show that our protocol improves network lifetime up to 98% and that it delivers a network that is more robust against attacks that have the goal of getting control over a large part of the network traffic.     

Power control and capacity of spread spectrum wireless networks

Transmit power control is a central technique for resource allocation and interference management in spread-spectrum wireless networks. With the increasing popularity of spread-spectrum as a multiple access technique, there has been significant research in the area in recent years. While power control has been considered traditionally as a means to counteract the harmful effect of channel fading, the more general emerging view is that it is a flexible mechanism to provide quality of service to individual users. In this paper, we will review the main threads of ideas and results in the recent development of this area, with a bias towards issues that have been the focus of our own research. For different receivers of varying complexity, we study both questions about optimal power control as well as the problem of characterizing the resulting network capacity. Although spread-spectrum communications has been traditionally viewed as a physical-layer subject, we argue that by suitable abstraction, many control and optimization problems with interesting structure can be formulated at the network layer.