Energy-aware management for cluster-based sensor networks

Networking unattended sensors is expected to have a significant impact on the efficiency of many military and civil applications. Sensors in such systems are typically disposable and expected to last until their energy drains. Therefore, energy is a very scarce resource for such sensor systems and has to be managed wisely in order to extend the life of the sensors for the duration of a particular mission. In this paper, we present a novel approach for energy-aware management of sensor networks that maximizes the lifetime of the sensors while achieving acceptable performance for sensed data delivery. The approach is to dynamically set routes and arbitrate medium access in order to minimize energy consumption and maximize sensor life. The approach calls for network clustering and assigns a less-energy-constrained gateway node that acts as a cluster manager. Based on energy usage at every sensor node and changes in the mission and the environment, the gateway sets routes for sensor data, monitors latency throughout the cluster, and arbitrates medium access among sensors. We also describe a time-based medium access control (MAC) protocol and discuss algorithms for assigning time slots for the communicating sensor nodes. Simulation results show an order of magnitude enhancement in the time to network partitioning, 11% enhancement in network lifetime predictability, and 14% enhancement in average energy consumed per packet. © 2003 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.