An adaptive traffic MAC protocol based on correlation of nodes

Abstract

EA-MAC protocol is proposed on the basis of SMAC protocol to remedy the shortcomings of SMAC. In the EA-MAC, node correlation analysis algorithm and traffic adaptive duty cycle mechanism are added. Meanwhile, the residual energy is introduced into the existing traffic adaptive back-off mechanism to measure the saving efficiency. In the node correlation algorithm, all network nodes are divided into several areas by computing node correlation according to the collected information. The clustering mechanism is applied for choosing representative node in each area for transmitting data. This method can effectively reduce redundant nodes transmitting duplicate data. In traffic adaptive duty cycle mechanism, the duty cycle is regulated dynamically to decrease idle listening by comparing the threshold set with the flow value obtained from the predict flow model. In back-off mechanisms, by adjusting the value of contention window and back-off time, data collisions can be effectively avoided when network traffic is heavy. In addition, nodes with more remaining energy have priority to access the channel and have shorter back-off time, which can keep the balance of the whole network energy consumption and lengthen network lifetime. Simulation results show that the EA-MAC protocol has better energy saving, throughput, shorter delay performance, and low packet loss rate than that of SMAC protocol in dynamic traffic sensor networks.