Adaptive fuzzy-MAC for power reduction in wireless sensor networks

Wireless Sensor Networks (WSNs) are used in an increasing number of applications in different fields, from agricultural monitoring to energy-saving systems for buildings. The development of WSNs has been always constrained by the power consumption of nodes that constitute the network since they should be as much autonomous as possible and human intervention must be reduced to the minimum. Several algorithms and protocols have been designed with the goal of reducing power consumption. Related works take into consideration Media Access Control (MAC) protocols that keep sensors' power consumption low at that layer. Nevertheless, these protocols require some parameters, e.g. duty cycle, to be configured according to network characteristics in order to achieve an acceptable level of efficiency. In this work, we propose a Fuzzy Logic Controller (FLC) which adapts the MAC protocol parameters by employing local node inputs such as battery power and average packet traffic. We present the FLC design and perform simulations that show its feasibility. We evaluate the FLC in terms of its power savings capabilities and show that for high-traffic and low-energy nodes power consumption may be reduced up to 50%.