A Cross-Layer Synchronous Dynamic Token Protocol for Ad Hoc Networks

This paper proposes a novel Cross-layer Synchronous Dynamic Token Protocol (CLSDTP) in single channel that is based on token-passing scheme. The protocol introduces a token relay algorithm which is fast and adaptive to topology variation, presents a collision avoidance algorithm which solves the exposed and hidden terminal problem through the information of network topology and current data transmission carried by the token. This information in the token is also used by the routing algorithm. The routing discovery and maintenance have been completed in the course of token relay. The short token rotation period ensures that the routing information can be exchanged in time. The CLSDTP improves the spatial multiplexing compared with the RTS/CTS access mechanism. In the same time, the system overhead has been largely depressed and the time effectiveness has been improved because of the information sharing by the MAC and routing layer. The results of the simulation show that CLSDTP can significantly improve the system performance.