A Dual-Mode Adaptive MAC Protocol for Process Control in Industrial Wireless Sensor Networks

Doktorgradsavhandling ved Fakultet for teknologi og realfag, Universitetet i Agder, 2017Wireless Sensor Networks (WSNs) consist of sensors and actuators operating together to provide monitoring and control services. These services are used in versatile applications ranging from environmental monitoring t oindustrial automation applications. Industrial Wireless Sensor Network (IWSN) is a sub domain of the WSN domain, focussing the industrial monitoring and automation applications. The IWSN domain differs from the generic WSN domains in terms of its requirements. General IWSN requirements include: energy efficiency and quality of service, and strict requirements are imposed on the quality of service expected by IWSN applications. Quality of service in particular relates to reliability, robustness, and predictability. Medium Access Control (MAC) protocols in an IWSN solution are responsible for managing radio communications, the main consumer of power in every IWSN element. With proper measures, MAC protocols can provide energy efficient solutions along with required quality of service for process control applications. The first goal of the thesis was to assess the possibility of creating a MAC protocol exploiting properties of the application domain, the process control domain. This resulted in the creation of the Dual-Mode Adaptive Medium Access Control Protocol (DMAMAC) which constitutes the main contribution of this thesis. The DMAMAC protocol is energy efficient,while preserving real-time requirements, and is robust to packet failure. This has been guaranteed by the thorough evaluation of the protocol via simulation, verification, and implementation with deployment testing. In parallel, we also investigated the possibility of using an alternative development approach for MAC protocols. Specifically, we have proposed a development approach based on MAC protocol model in CPN tools. The development approach consists of automatic code generation for the MiXiM simulation tool and the TinyOS platform. We used the related GinMAC protocol as a running example for the development approach. The generated code for MiXiM simulation platform and the TinyOS implementation platform are evaluated via simulation and deployment respectively. This results in a faster design to implementation time, and closely related protocol artifacts, improving on the traditional approach

Implementation and Deployment Evaluation of the DMAMAC Protocol for Wireless Sensor Actuator Networks

The increased application of wireless technologies including Wireless Sensor Actuator Networks (WSAN) in industry has given rise to a plethora of protocol designs. These designs target metrics ranging from energy efficiency to real-time constraints. Protocol design typically starts with a requirements specification, and continues with analytic and model-based simulation analysis. State-of- the-art network simulators provide extensive physical environment emulation, but still have limitations due to model abstractions. Deployment testing on actual hardware is therefore vital in order to validate implementability and usability in the real environment. The contribution of this article is a deployment testing of the Dual-Mode Adaptive MAC (DMAMAC) protocol. DMAMAC is an energy efficient protocol recently proposed for real-time process control applications and is based on Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA) in conjunction with dual-mode operation. A main challenge in implementing DMAMAC is the use of a dynamic superframe structure. We have successfully implemented the protocol on the Zolertia Z1 platform using TinyOS (2x). Our scenario- based evaluation shows minimal packet loss and smooth mode-switch operation, thus indicating a reliable implementation of the DMAMAC protocol.publishedVersio

Implementation and Deployment Evaluation of the DMAMAC Protocol for Wireless Sensor Actuator Networks

The increased application of wireless technologies including Wireless Sensor Actuator Networks (WSAN) in industry has given rise to a plethora of protocol designs. These designs target metrics ranging from energy efficiency to real-time constraints. Protocol design typically starts with a requirements specification, and continues with analytic and model-based simulation analysis. State-of- the-art network simulators provide extensive physical environment emulation, but still have limitations due to model abstractions. Deployment testing on actual hardware is therefore vital in order to validate implementability and usability in the real environment. The contribution of this article is a deployment testing of the Dual-Mode Adaptive MAC (DMAMAC) protocol. DMAMAC is an energy efficient protocol recently proposed for real-time process control applications and is based on Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA) in conjunction with dual-mode operation. A main challenge in implementing DMAMAC is the use of a dynamic superframe structure. We have successfully implemented the protocol on the Zolertia Z1 platform using TinyOS (2x). Our scenario- based evaluation shows minimal packet loss and smooth mode-switch operation, thus indicating a reliable implementation of the DMAMAC protocol.publishedVersio

Model-based development for MAC protocols in industrial wireless sensor networks

Model-Driven Software Engineering (MDSE) is an approach for design and implementation of software applications, that can be applied across multiple domains. The advantages include rapid prototyping and implementation, along with reduction in errors induced by humans in the process, via automation. Wireless Sensor Actuator Networks (WSANs) rely on resource-constrained hardware and have platform-specific implementations. Medium Access Control (MAC) protocols in particular are mainly responsible for radio communication, the biggest consumer of energy, and are also responsible for Quality of Service (QoS). The design and development of protocols for WSAN could benefit from the use of MDSE. In this article, we use Coloured Petri Nets (CPN) for platform independent modeling of protocols, initial verification, and simulation. The PetriCode tool is used to generate platform-specific implementations for multiple platforms, including MiXiM for simulation and TinyOS for deployment. Further the generated code is analyzed via network simulations and real-world deployment test. Through the process of MDSE-based code generation and analysis, the protocol design is validated, verified and analyzed. We use the GinMAC protocol as a running example to illustrate the design and development life cycle.publishedVersionnivå

Model-based verification of the DMAMAC protocol for real-time process control

Medium Access Control (MAC) protocols are responsible for managing radio communication that constitute the main energy consumer in wireless sensor-actuator networks. The Dual-Mode Adaptive MAC (DMAMAC) protocol is a recently proposed MAC protocol for process control applications within industrial automation. The goal of the DMAMAC protocol is to improve energy efficiency along with addressing real-time requirements for process control applications. The DMAMAC protocol switches between two operational modes that correspond to the two main states in process control: the transient state and the steady state. The state-switch is a safety critical function of the DMAMAC protocol (along with other functional properties) motivating the application of formal verification techniques. In this article, we use timed automata and the Uppaal tool to verify the design of the DMAMAC protocol. We have created a time-based model in Uppaal that constitutes a formal specification of the DMAMAC protocol. Using this model, we have successfully verified key properties of the DMAMAC protocol, thereby increasing confidence in the design of the protocolpublishedVersionnivå

A Dual-Mode Adaptive MAC Protocol for Process Control in Industrial Wireless Sensor Networks

Doktorgradsavhandling ved Fakultet for teknologi og realfag, Universitetet i Agder, 2017Wireless Sensor Networks (WSNs) consist of sensors and actuators operating together to provide monitoring and control services. These services are used in versatile applications ranging from environmental monitoring t oindustrial automation applications. Industrial Wireless Sensor Network (IWSN) is a sub domain of the WSN domain, focussing the industrial monitoring and automation applications. The IWSN domain differs from the generic WSN domains in terms of its requirements. General IWSN requirements include: energy efficiency and quality of service, and strict requirements are imposed on the quality of service expected by IWSN applications. Quality of service in particular relates to reliability, robustness, and predictability. Medium Access Control (MAC) protocols in an IWSN solution are responsible for managing radio communications, the main consumer of power in every IWSN element. With proper measures, MAC protocols can provide energy efficient solutions along with required quality of service for process control applications. The first goal of the thesis was to assess the possibility of creating a MAC protocol exploiting properties of the application domain, the process control domain. This resulted in the creation of the Dual-Mode Adaptive Medium Access Control Protocol (DMAMAC) which constitutes the main contribution of this thesis. The DMAMAC protocol is energy efficient,while preserving real-time requirements, and is robust to packet failure. This has been guaranteed by the thorough evaluation of the protocol via simulation, verification, and implementation with deployment testing. In parallel, we also investigated the possibility of using an alternative development approach for MAC protocols. Specifically, we have proposed a development approach based on MAC protocol model in CPN tools. The development approach consists of automatic code generation for the MiXiM simulation tool and the TinyOS platform. We used the related GinMAC protocol as a running example for the development approach. The generated code for MiXiM simulation platform and the TinyOS implementation platform are evaluated via simulation and deployment respectively. This results in a faster design to implementation time, and closely related protocol artifacts, improving on the traditional approach

A Dual-Mode Adaptive MAC Protocol for Process Control in Industrial Wireless Sensor Networks

Wireless Sensor Networks (WSNs) consist of sensors and actuators operating together to provide monitoring and control services. These services are used in versatile applications ranging from environmental monitoring t oindustrial automation applications. Industrial Wireless Sensor Network (IWSN) is a sub domain of the WSN domain, focussing the industrial monitoring and automation applications. The IWSN domain differs from the generic WSN domains in terms of its requirements. General IWSN requirements include: energy efficiency and quality of service, and strict requirements are imposed on the quality of service expected by IWSN applications. Quality of service in particular relates to reliability, robustness, and predictability. Medium Access Control (MAC) protocols in an IWSN solution are responsible for managing radio communications, the main consumer of power in every IWSN element. With proper measures, MAC protocols can provide energy efficient solutions along with required quality of service for process control applications. The first goal of the thesis was to assess the possibility of creating a MAC protocol exploiting properties of the application domain, the process control domain. This resulted in the creation of the Dual-Mode Adaptive Medium Access Control Protocol (DMAMAC) which constitutes the main contribution of this thesis. The DMAMAC protocol is energy efficient,while preserving real-time requirements, and is robust to packet failure. This has been guaranteed by the thorough evaluation of the protocol via simulation, verification, and implementation with deployment testing. In parallel, we also investigated the possibility of using an alternative development approach for MAC protocols. Specifically, we have proposed a development approach based on MAC protocol model in CPN tools. The development approach consists of automatic code generation for the MiXiM simulation tool and the TinyOS platform. We used the related GinMAC protocol as a running example for the development approach. The generated code for MiXiM simulation platform and the TinyOS implementation platform are evaluated via simulation and deployment respectively. This results in a faster design to implementation time, and closely related protocol artifacts, improving on the traditional approach

Implementation and deployment evaluation of the DMAMAC protocol for wireless sensor actuator networks

The increased application of wireless technologies including Wireless Sensor Actuator Networks (WSAN) in industry has given rise to a plethora of protocol designs. These designs target metrics ranging from energy efficiency to real-time constraints. Protocol design typically starts with a requirements specification, and continues with analytic and model-based simulation analysis. State-of- the-art network simulators provide extensive physical environment emulation, but still have limitations due to model abstractions. Deployment testing on actual hardware is therefore vital in order to validate implementability and usability in the real environment. The contribution of this article is a deployment testing of the Dual-Mode Adaptive MAC (DMAMAC) protocol. DMAMAC is an energy efficient protocol recently proposed for real-time process control applications and is based on Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA) in conjunction with dual-mode operation. A main challenge in implementing DMAMAC is the use of a dynamic superframe structure. We have successfully implemented the protocol on the Zolertia Z1 platform using TinyOS (2x). Our scenario- based evaluation shows minimal packet loss and smooth mode-switch operation, thus indicating a reliable implementation of the DMAMAC protocol

Implementation and deployment evaluation of the DMAMAC protocol for wireless sensor actuator networks

The increased application of wireless technologies including Wireless Sensor Actuator Networks (WSAN) in industry has given rise to a plethora of protocol designs. These designs target metrics ranging from energy efficiency to real-time constraints. Protocol design typically starts with a requirements specification, and continues with analytic and model-based simulation analysis. State-of- the-art network simulators provide extensive physical environment emulation, but still have limitations due to model abstractions. Deployment testing on actual hardware is therefore vital in order to validate implementability and usability in the real environment. The contribution of this article is a deployment testing of the Dual-Mode Adaptive MAC (DMAMAC) protocol. DMAMAC is an energy efficient protocol recently proposed for real-time process control applications and is based on Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA) in conjunction with dual-mode operation. A main challenge in implementing DMAMAC is the use of a dynamic superframe structure. We have successfully implemented the protocol on the Zolertia Z1 platform using TinyOS (2x). Our scenario- based evaluation shows minimal packet loss and smooth mode-switch operation, thus indicating a reliable implementation of the DMAMAC protocol