Enhanced Location Based Sleep Scheduling for Target Tracking Applications in Travel Constrained Smart Space Environments

This paper describes enhancements to LocMAC, extending the protocol for use in environments that present complex travel routes to mobile users. LocMAC is a location aware power saving MAC layer for target tracking applications in Smart Space Environments. Conventional wireless sensor MAC layers increase the lifespan of battery powered wireless nodes by scheduling sleep periods. LocMAC uniquely bases the length of its sleep periods on the relative physical travel distance between fixed and mobile nodes. This is referred to as dasiaLocation Based Sleep Schedulingpsila (LBSS), which guarantees service while maintaining maximum sleep time. Using knowledge of user mobility and environment topology allows the protocol to proactively allow nodes which are not required to sleep for longer periods of time; waking up just in time to service network user requirements. In this paper the operation of LocMAC is extended for use in indoor environments, the performance of the enhanced protocol is compared against the original LocMAC and against existing sleep scheduling MAC protocols through analysis and simulations of typical application scenarios. The results show that LocMACv2 performs significantly better for target tracking applications and is particularly appropriate for use in future Smart Spaces presenting users with constrained travel routes.