Joint Routing, Scheduling, and Power Control in Energy-constrained Wireless Sensor Networks

This paper presents a cross-layer algorithm for joint routing, scheduling, and power control in wireless sensor networks. We consider the case of energy-constrained sensor nodes that continually communicate data packets to a common base station. The objective is to reduce energy consumption of individual nodes and the overall network without severely degrading network throughput. Our cross-layer design studies two multi-hop routing protocols. One routing protocol determines packet routes according to a shortest-path criterion. The other protocol selects routes that minimize the maximum cumulative energy consumption within the network. Hence, this energy-aware routing protocol does not only factor in link qualities but also node energies—it introduces fairness in the way energy is consumed across the network. The algorithm jointly performs link scheduling and power control to minimize packet delays and transmit powers. Simulation results of network throughput and energy consumption indicate performance improvements for the cross-layer protocol with energy-aware routing.