Energy-efficient, delay-constrained, QoS-aware broadcast for cooperative wireless sensor networks

The problem of delay-constrained, energy-efficient broadcast in cooperative wireless networks is NP-complete. While centralised setting allows some heuristic solutions, designing heuristics in distributed implementation poses significant challenges. This is more so in wireless sensor networks (WSNs) where nodes are deployed randomly and topology changes dynamically due to node failure/join and environment conditions. This paper demonstrates that careful design of network infrastructure can achieve guaranteed delay bounds and energy-efficiency, and even meet quality of service requirements during broadcast. The paper makes three prime contributions. First, we present an optimal lower bound on energy consumption for broadcast that is tighter than what has been previously proposed. Next, iSteiner, a lightweight, distributed and deterministic algorithm for creation of network infrastructure is discussed. iPercolate is the algorithm that exploits this structure to cooperatively broadcast information with guaranteed delivery and delay bounds, while allowing real-time traffic to pass undisturbed.

Characterizing the Impact of Feedback Delays on Wideband Rate Adaptation

In contemporary orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) systems, such as Long Term Evolution (LTE), LTE-Advanced, and WiMAX, a codeword is transmitted over a group of subcarriers. Since different subcarriers see different channel gains in frequency-selective channels, the modulation and coding scheme (MCS) of the codeword must be selected based on the vector of signal-to-noise-ratios (SNRs) of these subcarriers. Exponential effective SNR mapping (EESM) maps the vector of SNRs into an equivalent flat-fading SNR, and is widely used to simplify this problem. We develop a new analytical framework to characterize the throughput of EESM-based rate adaptation in such wideband channels in the presence of feedback delays. We derive a novel accurate approximation for the throughput as a function of feedback delay. We also propose a novel bivariate gamma distribution to model the time evolution of EESM between the times of estimation and data transmission, which facilitates the analysis. These are then generalized to a multi-cell, multi-user scenario with various frequency-domain schedulers. Unlike prior work, most of which is simulation-based, our framework encompasses both correlated and independent subcarriers and various multiple antenna diversity modes; it is accurate over a wide range of delays.

Quick, Decentralized, Energy-Efficient One-Shot Max Function Computation Using Timer-Based Selection

In several wireless sensor networks, it is of interest to determine the maximum of the sensor readings and identify the sensor responsible for it. We propose a novel, decentralized, scalable, energy-efficient, timer-based, one-shot max function computation (TMC) algorithm. In it, the sensor nodes do not transmit their readings in a centrally pre-defined sequence. Instead, the nodes are grouped into clusters, and computation occurs over two contention stages. First, the nodes in each cluster contend with each other using the timer scheme to transmit their reading to their cluster-heads. Thereafter, the cluster-heads use the timer scheme to transmit the highest sensor reading in their cluster to the fusion node. One new challenge is that the use of the timer scheme leads to collisions, which can make the algorithm fail. We optimize the algorithm to minimize the average time required to determine the maximum subject to a constraint on the probability that it fails to find the maximum. TMC significantly lowers average function computation time, average number of transmissions, and average energy consumption compared to approaches proposed in the literature.

Low Complexity Power and Scheduling Policies for Wireless Networks to Provide Quality of Service

We consider optimal power allocation policies for a single server, multiuser system. The power is consumed in transmission of data only. The transmission channel may experience multipath fading. We obtain very efficient, low computational complexity algorithms which minimize power and ensure stability of the data queues. We also obtain policies when the users may have mean delay constraints. If the power required is a linear function of rate then we exploit linearity and obtain linear programs with low complexity.

Optimal power allocation for protective jamming in wireless networks: A flow based model

We address the problem of passive eavesdroppers in multi-hop wireless networks using the technique of friendly jamming. The network is assumed to employ Decode and Forward (DF) relaying. Assuming the availability of perfect channel state information (CSI) of legitimate nodes and eavesdroppers, we consider a scheduling and power allocation (PA) problem for a multiple-source multiple-sink scenario so that eavesdroppers are jammed, and source-destination throughput targets are met while minimizing the overall transmitted power. We propose activation sets (AS-es) for scheduling, and formulate an optimization problem for PA. Several methods for finding AS-es are discussed and compared. We present an approximate linear program for the original nonlinear, non-convex PA optimization problem, and argue that under certain conditions, both the formulations produce identical results. In the absence of eavesdroppers' CSI, we utilize the notion of Vulnerability Region (VR), and formulate an optimization problem with the objective of minimizing the VR. Our results show that the proposed solution can achieve power-efficient operation while defeating eavesdroppers and achieving desired source-destination throughputs simultaneously. (C) 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Wireless Aircraft Fuel Quantity Indication System

A wireless fuel quantity indication system (FQIS) has been developed using an RFID-enabled sensing platform. The system comprises a fully passive tag, modified reader protocol, capacitive fuel probe, and auxiliary antenna for additional energy harvesting. Results of fluid testing show sensitivity to changes in fluid height of less than 0.25in. An RF-DC harvesting circuit was developed, which delivers up to 5dBm of input power through a remote radio frequency (RF) source. Testing was conducted in a loaded reverberation chamber to emulate the fuel tank environment. Results demonstrate feasibility of the remote source to power the sensor with less than 1W of maximum transmit power and under 100ms dwell time (100mW average power) into the tank. This indicates adequate coverage for large transport aircraft at safe operating levels with a sample rate of up to 1 sample/s.

Relay Selection with Channel Probing in Sleep-Wake Cycling Wireless Sensor Networks

In geographical forwarding of packets in a large wireless sensor network (WSN) with sleep-wake cycling nodes, we are interested in the local decision problem faced by a node that has ``custody'' of a packet and has to choose one among a set of next-hop relay nodes to forward the packet toward the sink. Each relay is associated with a ``reward'' that summarizes the benefit of forwarding the packet through that relay. We seek a solution to this local problem, the idea being that such a solution, if adopted by every node, could provide a reasonable heuristic for the end-to-end forwarding problem. Toward this end, we propose a local relay selection problem consisting of a forwarding node and a collection of relay nodes, with the relays waking up sequentially at random times. At each relay wake-up instant, the forwarder can choose to probe a relay to learn its reward value, based on which the forwarder can then decide whether to stop (and forward its packet to the chosen relay) or to continue to wait for further relays to wake up. The forwarder's objective is to select a relay so as to minimize a combination of waiting delay, reward, and probing cost. The local decision problem can be considered as a variant of the asset selling problem studied in the operations research literature. We formulate the local problem as a Markov decision process (MDP) and characterize the solution in terms of stopping sets and probing sets. We provide results illustrating the structure of the stopping sets, namely, the (lower bound) threshold and the stage independence properties. Regarding the probing sets, we make an interesting conjecture that these sets are characterized by upper bounds. Through simulation experiments, we provide valuable insights into the performance of the optimal local forwarding and its use as an end-to-end forwarding heuristic.

Algorithm for Autonomous Reorganization of Mobile Wireless Camera Sensor Networks to Improve Coverage

In this paper, sensing coverage by wireless camera-embedded sensor networks (WCSNs), a class of directional sensors is studied. The proposed work facilitates the autonomous tuning of orientation parameters and displacement of camera-sensor nodes in the bounded field of interest (FoI), where the network coverage in terms of every point in the FoI is important. The proposed work is first of its kind to study the problem of maximizing coverage of randomly deployed mobile WCSNs which exploits their mobility. We propose an algorithm uncovered region exploration algorithm (UREA-CS) that can be executed in centralized and distributed modes. Further, the work is extended for two special scenarios: 1) to suit autonomous combing operations after initial random WCSN deployments and 2) to improve the network coverage with occlusions in the FoI. The extensive simulation results show that the performance of UREA-CS is consistent, robust, and versatile to achieve maximum coverage, both in centralized and distributed modes. The centralized and distributed modes are further analyzed with respect to the computational and communicational overheads.

Wireless scheduling with partial channel state information: large deviations and optimality

We consider a server serving a time-slotted queued system of multiple packet-based flows, where not more than one flow can be serviced in a single time slot. The flows have exogenous packet arrivals and time-varying service rates. At each time, the server can observe instantaneous service rates for only a subset of flows ( selected from a fixed collection of observable subsets) before scheduling a flow in the subset for service. We are interested in queue length aware scheduling to keep the queues short. The limited availability of instantaneous service rate information requires the scheduler to make a careful choice of which subset of service rates to sample. We develop scheduling algorithms that use only partial service rate information from subsets of channels, and that minimize the likelihood of queue overflow in the system. Specifically, we present a new joint subset-sampling and scheduling algorithm called Max-Exp that uses only the current queue lengths to pick a subset of flows, and subsequently schedules a flow using the Exponential rule. When the collection of observable subsets is disjoint, we show that Max-Exp achieves the best exponential decay rate, among all scheduling algorithms that base their decision on the current ( or any finite past history of) system state, of the tail of the longest queue. To accomplish this, we employ novel analytical techniques for studying the performance of scheduling algorithms using partial state, which may be of independent interest. These include new sample-path large deviations results for processes obtained by non-random, predictable sampling of sequences of independent and identically distributed random variables. A consequence of these results is that scheduling with partial state information yields a rate function significantly different from scheduling with full channel information. In the special case when the observable subsets are singleton flows, i.e., when there is effectively no a priori channel state information, Max-Exp reduces to simply serving the flow with the longest queue; thus, our results show that to always serve the longest queue in the absence of any channel state information is large deviations optimal.

QoS Aware Trust Metric based Framework for Wireless Sensor Networks

Wireless Sensor Networks have gained popularity due to their real time applications and low-cost nature. These networks provide solutions to scenarios that are critical, complicated and sensitive like military fields, habitat monitoring, and disaster management. The nodes in wireless sensor networks are highly resource constrained. Routing protocols are designed to make efficient utilization of the available resources in communicating a message from source to destination. In addition to the resource management, the trustworthiness of neighboring nodes or forwarding nodes and the energy level of the nodes to keep the network alive for longer duration is to be considered. This paper proposes a QoS Aware Trust Metric based Framework for Wireless Sensor Networks. The proposed framework safeguards a wireless sensor network from intruders by considering the trustworthiness of the forwarder node at every stage of multi-hop routing. Increases network lifetime by considering the energy level of the node, prevents the adversary from tracing the route from source to destination by providing path variation. The framework is built on NS2 Simulator. Experimental results show that the framework provides energy balance through establishment of trustworthy paths from the source to the destination. (C) 2015 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V.

An approximation to the QoS aware throughput region of a tree network under IEEE 802.15.4 CSMA/CA with application to wireless sensor network design

In the context of wireless sensor networks, we are motivated by the design of a tree network spanning a set of source nodes that generate packets, a set of additional relay nodes that only forward packets from the sources, and a data sink. We assume that the paths from the sources to the sink have bounded hop count, that the nodes use the IEEE 802.15.4 CSMA/CA for medium access control, and that there are no hidden terminals. In this setting, starting with a set of simple fixed point equations, we derive explicit conditions on the packet generation rates at the sources, so that the tree network approximately provides certain quality of service (QoS) such as end-to-end delivery probability and mean delay. The structures of our conditions provide insight on the dependence of the network performance on the arrival rate vector, and the topological properties of the tree network. Our numerical experiments suggest that our approximations are able to capture a significant part of the QoS aware throughput region (of a tree network), that is adequate for many sensor network applications. Furthermore, for the special case of equal arrival rates, default backoff parameters, and for a range of values of target QoS, we show that among all path-length-bounded trees (spanning a given set of sources and the data sink) that meet the conditions derived in the paper, a shortest path tree achieves the maximum throughput. (C) 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Wireless Network-Coded Accumulate-Compute-and-Forward Two-Way Relaying

For the physical-layer network-coded wireless two-way relaying, it was observed by Koike-Akino et al. that adaptively changing the network coding map used at the relay according to channel conditions greatly reduces the impact of multiple-access interference, which occurs at the relay, and all these network coding maps should satisfy a requirement called exclusive law. We extend this approach to an accumulate-compute-and-forward protocol, which employs two phases: a multiple access (MA) phase consisting of two channel uses with independent messages in each channel use and a broadcast (BC) phase having one channel use. Assuming that the two users transmit points from the same 4-phase-shift keying (PSK) constellation, every such network coding map that satisfies the exclusive law can be represented by a Latin square of side 16, and conversely, this relationship can be used to get the network coding maps satisfying the exclusive law. Two methods of obtaining this network coding map to be used at the relay are discussed. Using the structural properties of the Latin squares for a given set of parameters, the problem of finding all the required maps is reduced to finding a small set of maps for the case. Having obtained all the Latin squares, a criterion is provided to select a Latin square for a given realization of fade state. This criterion turns out to be the same as the one used byMuralidharan et al. for two-stage bidirectional relaying.