Design Issues and Considerations for Coordination Mechanisms in Wireless Sensor and Actuator Networks

Abstract

A Wireless sensor and actuator network (WSAN) is commonly integrated by a large quantity of sensor nodes and a lower number of actuator nodes which communicate throughout the wireless medium providing distributed sensing and executing specific tasks according to the events monitored in a specific area of interest. The sensors are involved in monitoring the physical environment, while the actuators execute specific actions in response to the data provided by the sensors. In this way, sensors and actuators coordinate in an efficient way while trying to respond within the comply with the requirements of the application; to achieve this a coordination mechanism is implemented to allow the sensor and actuator nodes to make an optimum assignment of resources, while enabling a response with the lowest possible delay. This work presents the basic design considerations to take into account in the design of a coordination mechanism for WSANs; it also presents a brief comparative analysis among the most representative coordination mechanisms proposed in the area of WSANs.

Coordination mechanism based on mobile actuator design for wireless sensor and actuator networks

“…It must take into account multiple factors, such as, application requirements, equipment capabilities, while considering robustness, scalability, and an autonomous operation. Because acting (e.g., heating) is more complex and energy‐consuming than sensing (e.g., temperature measuring), the coordination mechanism has to make an efficient usage of the node's resources to extend the life of the network . Over the years, some efforts have been dedicated toward the design issues for coordination mechanisms in WSANs system, starting with a seminal work by , which explores sensor–actuator and actuator–actuator coordination and describes research challenges for coordination and communication problems.…”