System software techniques for low-power operation in wireless sensor networks

• Published in: International Conference on Computer Aided Design: Proceedings of the 2005 IEEE/ACM International conference on Computer-aided design; 06-10 Nov. 2005 pp. 925 - 932
• Main Authors: Dutta, P. K., Culler, D. E.
• Format: Conference Proceeding
• Language: English
• Published: Washington, DC, USA IEEE Computer Society 31.05.2005; IEEE; ACM
• Series: ACM Conferences
• Subjects: Applied sciences; Electric, optical and optoelectronic circuits; Electronics; Exact sciences and technology; Hardware; Hardware > Communication hardware, interfaces and storage; Hardware > Communication hardware, interfaces and storage > Signal processing systems; Networks; Networks > Network types; Networks > Network types > Mobile networks; Software and its engineering; Software and its engineering > Software organization and properties; Software and its engineering > Software organization and properties > Software system structures; Software and its engineering > Software organization and properties > Software system structures > Distributed systems organizing principles; Theoretical study. Circuits analysis and design; Aggregation; Power consumption; Measurement sensor; Subsystem; Storage system; Software; Scheduling; Low-power electronics; Sensor array; Synchronization; Charge transfer; Energy storage
• ISBN: 078039254X; 9780780392540
• DOI: 10.5555/1129601.1129732

The operation of wireless sensor networks is fundamentally constrained by available energy sources. The underlying hardware determines the power draw of each possible mode of operation. System software attempts maximize the use of the lowest possible modes of each of the subsystems. This tutorial paper describes the system software techniques used at several levels. At the application sensing level, this includes duty-cycling, sensor hierarchy, and aggregation. At the communication level, it includes low-power listening, communication scheduling, piggybacking, post-hoc synchronization, and power-aware routing. At the node OS level, it includes event driven execution with split-phase operation and cooperative power management interfaces. At the lowest level, it includes management of primary and secondary energy storage devices coupled with intelligent charge transfer scheduling. All of these aspects must be integrated in a systematic software framework.