Power-conserving routing of ad hoc mobile wireless networks based on entropy-constrained algorithms

This paper presents an approach to power-conserving routing of ad hoc mobile wireless networks. This approach relies on entropy-constrained routing algorithms, which were developed by utilizing the information-theoretic concept of the entropy to gradually reduce the uncertainty associated with route discovery through a deterministic annealing process. Entropy-constrained routing algorithms were tested using a single performance metric related to the distance between the nodes and to the power consumption associated with packet transmission. This paper also expands the versatility of entropy-constrained routing algorithms by making them capable of discovering routes based on multiple performance metrics. In this study, the second performance metric employed for route discovery relied on the power availability in the nodes of the network. The proposed routing approach was evaluated in terms of the power consumption associated with the routing of packets over an ad hoc mobile network in a variety of operating conditions. 2004 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.