(A) lifetime enhancing and QoS satisfying routing protocol for wireless sensor networks

Abstract

A wireless sensor network typically consists of a very large number of small, inexpensive, disposable, robust, and low-power sensor nodes working cooperatively. The primary design goal for sensor networks has always been enhancing network lifetime and energy efficiency. However, with the rapid development of video and imaging sensors, fulfilling QoS criteria such as latency or data reliability now became another major issue. In addition to that, sensor nodes with different QoS requirements may coexist in a single network, magnifying the difficulties further more. In this paper, we propose a routing protocol for wireless sensor networks, which focuses on satisfying QoS constraints while maximizing the lifetime of the networks. Our proposed protocol enhances the network lifetime by distributing the low QoS traffic flow over multiple paths, while satisfying the different QoS requirements in a simple, dynamic and decentralized manner. Simulation shows that the network lifetime and throughput indeed increase without compromising QoS requirements.