Abstract-Time-synchronized channel hopping (TSCH) is currently the most efficient solution for collision-free interferenceavoiding communications in ad hoc wireless networks, such as wireless sensor networks, vehicular networks, and networks of robots or drones. However, all variants of TSCH require some form of centralized coordination to maintain the time-frequency slotting mechanism. This leads to slow convergence to steady state and moderate time-frequency slot utilization, particularly under node churn or mobility. We propose decentralized timesynchronized channel swapping (DT-SCS), which is a novel protocol for medium access control (MAC) in ad hoc wireless networks. Under the proposed protocol, nodes first converge to synchronous beacon packet transmissions across all available channels at the physical layer, with a balanced number of nodes in each channel. This is done by the novel coupling of distributed synchronization and desynchronization mechanisms-which are based on the concept of pulse-coupled oscillators-at the MAC layer. Decentralized channel swapping can then take place via peer-to-peer swap requests/acknowledgments made between concurrent transmitters in neighboring channels. We benchmark the convergence and network throughput of DT-SCS, TSCH, and the efficient multichannel MAC protocol (seen as the state of the art in decentralized, interference-avoiding, and multichannel MAC protocols) under simulated packet losses at the MAC layer. Moreover, performance results via a Contiki-based deployment on TelosB motes reveal that DT-SCS comprises an excellent candidate for decentralized multichannel MAC-layer coordination by providing for quick convergence to steady state, high bandwidth utilization under interference and hidden nodes, as well as high connectivity. Index Terms-Ad hoc networks, channel hopping, decentralized medium access control (MAC), pulse-coupled oscillators (PCOs).
In REF , a decentralized approach DT-SCS an improved version of TSCH is presented by using the pulsed-couple oscillators that simultaneously do the synchronization and desynchronization over multiple channels.
Decentralized Time-Synchronized Channel Swapping for Ad Hoc Wireless Networks
IEEE Transactions on Vehicular Technology
IEEE Transactions on Vehicular Technology
Computer Science