Mitigating the Event and Effect of Energy Holes in Multi-hop Wireless Sensor Networks Using an Ultra-Low Power Wake-up Receiver and an Energy Scheduling Technique

This research work presents an algorithm for extending network lifetime in multi-hop wireless sensor networks (WSN). WSNs face energy gap issues around sink nodes due to the transmission of large amounts of data through nearby sensor nodes. The limited power supply to the nodes limits the lifetime of the network, which makes energy efficiency crucial. Multi-hop communication has been proposed as an efficient strategy, but its power consumption remains a research challenge. In this study, an algorithm is developed to mitigate energy holes around the sink nodes by using a modified ultra-low-power wake-up receiver and an energy scheduling technique. Efficient power scheduling reduces the power consumption of the relay node, and when the residual power of the sensor node falls below a defined threshold, the power emitters charge the nodes to eliminate energy-hole problems. The modified wake-up receiver improves sensor sensitivity while staying within the micro-power budget. This study's simulations showed that the developed RF energy harvesting algorithm outperformed previous work, achieving a 30% improvement in average charged energy (AEC), a 0.41% improvement in average energy (AEH), an 8.39% improvement in the number of energy transmitters, an 8.59% improvement in throughput, and a 0.19 decrease in outage probability compared to the existing network lifetime enhancement of multi-hop wireless sensor networks by RF Energy Harvesting algorithm. Overall, the enhanced power efficiency technique significantly improves the performance of WSNs

Energy-Sustainable IoT Connectivity: Vision, Technological Enablers, Challenges, and Future Directions

Technology solutions must effectively balance economic growth, social equity, and environmental integrity to achieve a sustainable society. Notably, although the Internet of Things (IoT) paradigm constitutes a key sustainability enabler, critical issues such as the increasing maintenance operations, energy consumption, and manufacturing/disposal of IoT devices have long-term negative economic, societal, and environmental impacts and must be efficiently addressed. This calls for self-sustainable IoT ecosystems requiring minimal external resources and intervention, effectively utilizing renewable energy sources, and recycling materials whenever possible, thus encompassing energy sustainability. In this work, we focus on energy-sustainable IoT during the operation phase, although our discussions sometimes extend to other sustainability aspects and IoT lifecycle phases. Specifically, we provide a fresh look at energy-sustainable IoT and identify energy provision, transfer, and energy efficiency as the three main energy-related processes whose harmonious coexistence pushes toward realizing self-sustainable IoT systems. Their main related technologies, recent advances, challenges, and research directions are also discussed. Moreover, we overview relevant performance metrics to assess the energy-sustainability potential of a certain technique, technology, device, or network and list some target values for the next generation of wireless systems. Overall, this paper offers insights that are valuable for advancing sustainability goals for present and future generations.Comment: 25 figures, 12 tables, submitted to IEEE Open Journal of the Communications Societ

Design of Wireless Sensors for IoT with Energy Storage and Communication Channel Heterogeneity

Autonomous Wireless Sensors (AWSs) are at the core of every Wireless Sensor Network (WSN). Current AWS technology allows the development of many IoT-based applications, ranging from military to bioengineering and from industry to education. The energy optimization of AWSs depends mainly on: Structural, functional, and application specifications. The holistic design methodology addresses all the factors mentioned above. In this sense, we propose an original solution based on a novel architecture that duplicates the transceivers and also the power source using a hybrid storage system. By identifying the consumption needs of the transceivers, an appropriate methodology for sizing and controlling the power flow for the power source is proposed. The paper emphasizes the fusion between information, communication, and energy consumption of the AWS in terms of spectrum information through a set of transceiver testing scenarios, identifying the main factors that influence the sensor node design and their inter-dependencies. Optimization of the system considers all these factors obtaining an energy efficient AWS, paving the way towards autonomous sensors by adding an energy harvesting element to them

Design of Wireless Sensors for IoT with Energy Storage and Communication Channel Heterogeneity

Autonomous Wireless Sensors (AWSs) are at the core of every Wireless Sensor Network (WSN). Current AWS technology allows the development of many IoT-based applications, ranging from military to bioengineering and from industry to education. The energy optimization of AWSs depends mainly on: Structural, functional, and application specifications. The holistic design methodology addresses all the factors mentioned above. In this sense, we propose an original solution based on a novel architecture that duplicates the transceivers and also the power source using a hybrid storage system. By identifying the consumption needs of the transceivers, an appropriate methodology for sizing and controlling the power flow for the power source is proposed. The paper emphasizes the fusion between information, communication, and energy consumption of the AWS in terms of spectrum information through a set of transceiver testing scenarios, identifying the main factors that influence the sensor node design and their inter-dependencies. Optimization of the system considers all these factors obtaining an energy efficient AWS, paving the way towards autonomous sensors by adding an energy harvesting element to them

A critical analysis of research potential, challenges and future directives in industrial wireless sensor networks

In recent years, Industrial Wireless Sensor Networks (IWSNs) have emerged as an important research theme with applications spanning a wide range of industries including automation, monitoring, process control, feedback systems and automotive. Wide scope of IWSNs applications ranging from small production units, large oil and gas industries to nuclear fission control, enables a fast-paced research in this field. Though IWSNs offer advantages of low cost, flexibility, scalability, self-healing, easy deployment and reformation, yet they pose certain limitations on available potential and introduce challenges on multiple fronts due to their susceptibility to highly complex and uncertain industrial environments. In this paper a detailed discussion on design objectives, challenges and solutions, for IWSNs, are presented. A careful evaluation of industrial systems, deadlines and possible hazards in industrial atmosphere are discussed. The paper also presents a thorough review of the existing standards and industrial protocols and gives a critical evaluation of potential of these standards and protocols along with a detailed discussion on available hardware platforms, specific industrial energy harvesting techniques and their capabilities. The paper lists main service providers for IWSNs solutions and gives insight of future trends and research gaps in the field of IWSNs

A Prospective Look: Key Enabling Technologies, Applications and Open Research Topics in 6G Networks

The fifth generation (5G) mobile networks are envisaged to enable a plethora of breakthrough advancements in wireless technologies, providing support of a diverse set of services over a single platform. While the deployment of 5G systems is scaling up globally, it is time to look ahead for beyond 5G systems. This is driven by the emerging societal trends, calling for fully automated systems and intelligent services supported by extended reality and haptics communications. To accommodate the stringent requirements of their prospective applications, which are data-driven and defined by extremely low-latency, ultra-reliable, fast and seamless wireless connectivity, research initiatives are currently focusing on a progressive roadmap towards the sixth generation (6G) networks. In this article, we shed light on some of the major enabling technologies for 6G, which are expected to revolutionize the fundamental architectures of cellular networks and provide multiple homogeneous artificial intelligence-empowered services, including distributed communications, control, computing, sensing, and energy, from its core to its end nodes. Particularly, this paper aims to answer several 6G framework related questions: What are the driving forces for the development of 6G? How will the enabling technologies of 6G differ from those in 5G? What kind of applications and interactions will they support which would not be supported by 5G? We address these questions by presenting a profound study of the 6G vision and outlining five of its disruptive technologies, i.e., terahertz communications, programmable metasurfaces, drone-based communications, backscatter communications and tactile internet, as well as their potential applications. Then, by leveraging the state-of-the-art literature surveyed for each technology, we discuss their requirements, key challenges, and open research problems

An Intelligent Management System for Hybrid Network between Visible Light Communication and Radio Frequency

This thesis investigates the challenges and potential solutions associated with hybrid Visible Light Communication (VLC) and Radio Frequency (RF) systems for indoor network environments. The rapid development of VLC technology, characterized by its high data rates, energy efficiency, and inherent security features, offers promising opportunities to complement RF networks in providing seamless connectivity and improved performance. However, integrating VLC and RF technologies effectively requires addressing a range of research and engineering challenges, including network coexistence, handover mechanisms, resource allocation, localization, and standardization.We begin by conducting a comprehensive literature review encompassing existing research, technologies, and solutions related to hybrid VLC/RF architectures, handover management, indoor localization techniques, and the challenges faced by these systems. This background provides a solid foundation for understanding the current state-of-the-art and identifying research gaps in the field of hybrid VLC/RF networks.Next, we propose a novel hybrid network architecture that integrates VLC and RF communication systems to enhance their strengths while mitigating their weaknesses. We discuss various types of hybrid VLC/RF architectures found in the literature and present our proposed design, which addresses the identified challenges through innovative strategies and mechanisms.To improve system performance in our hybrid system, we develop an enhanced priority feedback channel that optimizes the traffic priority based on user preferences and network conditions. This approach minimizes service disruptions, reduces latency, and maintains user Quality of Experience (QoE)\nomenclature{QoE}{Quality of Experience}.Furthermore, we introduce a novel intelligent management system architecture tailored for hybrid VLC/RF networks. This system employs advanced algorithms and techniques to optimize resource allocation, load balancing, localization, and handover management, ensuring efficient operation and seamless connectivity.We evaluate the performance of our proposed solutions through extensive simulations and testbed experiments, considering different network scenarios and metrics. The results demonstrate significant improvements in terms of data rate, latency, handover success rate, and localization accuracy, validating the effectiveness of our proposed architecture and management system.Lastly, we explore several real-world applications and case studies of our intelligent management system in various indoor environments, such as retail stores, offices, and hospitals. These examples illustrate the practical benefits of our solution in enhancing customer experiences, optimizing operational efficiency, facilitating targeted marketing, and improving energy management.In conclusion, this thesis contributes to the advancement of hybrid VLC/RF networks by proposing an innovative architecture and intelligent management system that address the key challenges faced by these systems in indoor environments. The findings and solutions presented in this work provided the backbone for the future research and development efforts aimed at fully harnessing the potential of VLC technology in combination with RF networks