Cooperative communication scheme for refficient and reliable information-centric wireless sensor networks
Agenda
Ⅰ. Introduction
Ⅰ.A. Background
Wireless sensor networks (WSN) are one of the elemental technologies that underpin future smart cities, and their application services extensively use the various devices and the massive amounts of data they generate. Smart agriculture is one of the scenarios for smart cities, and WSN devices are deployed at outdoor locations. However, there are several issues to be solved, such as poor wireless communications, power supply, node mobility, and dynamic network environments caused by lost power. Internet of Things (IoT) technology is widely applied in various fields, but the aforementioned issues have delayed its application in agriculture.
In previous studies, we have been investigating wireless communication and network technologies that support smart city applications. We developed an ICWSN that integrated (information-centric networking) ICN into WSNs in the proposed scheme. We have implemented several testbeds and verified them in a demonstration field. The information-centric wireless sensor network (ICWSN) achieves address-independent data distribution and retrieval by using named data. The proposed scheme improves reliability with a caching mechanism and reduces protocol overhead due to the abstraction of the TCP/UDP/IP layers with the ICN layer. In addition, this study aims to solve the issues that arise when adapting ICWSN to practical environments, which were identified through previous studies, using cooperative communication technology.
Ⅰ.B. Originality and novelty in terms of technological perspective
The originality of this study in terms of its technical perspective is that we have explored a new research field of ICWSN, which integrates next-generation Internet technology and wireless network technology. In the field of smart-city research, the related studies have been limited to theoretical discussions, and it has not been clearly demonstrated that they can be feasibly used in practical environments. In addition, the cooperative communication method for ICWSNs is still under ongoing development, and the idea behind this study is significantly original and novel. In the validation of smart-city applications, few platforms can deal with these applications, and we believe that the results and outcomes of this study will be valuable for further research. One of the characteristics of this study is its application to the smart city, in accordance with the ideas mentioned above and based on the previous study and development. Consequently, the challenge of introducing ICN to WSN is challenging, and it is meaningful to push forward since the caching method is a key elemental technology in ICN.
In the ICN and WSN fields, the network coding (NC)-based scheme as a coded communication and cooperative communications is achieved by simply multiple packets using bit-wise exclusive OR (XOR). In contrast, this study differs from them, i.e., the proposed scheme introduces constructive interference cancellation and hierarchical modulation techniques to efficiently (de)code as a physical layer protocol. In addition, in order to achieve not only high efficiency but also high reliability, we introduced a proxy cashing method and demonstrated its feasibility, which is different from other related works.
Ⅰ.C. Potential for further development
Through this study, we can see that ICN and WSN can be effectively applied to smart cities, and we hope that the same procedure can be used to introduce other IoT systems. In particular, the application areas of IoT systems are not limited to smart cities and a wide range of fields, including smart homes, medical care, healthcare, manufacturing (Industry 4.0), agriculture, forestry, and fisheries. Furthermore, in research on fifth-generation (5G) and After/Post/Beyond 5G, it is also expected to be used with WSNs (and IoT and machine-to-machine (M2M)). The proposed platform can be demonstrated to apply to a wide field area. For example, the proposed scheme can be used for smart agriculture and disaster-stricken area networks, such as earthquakes, tsunamis, floods, landslides, river flooding, and so on. In other words, it is possible to have both functions in the same system: as a smart city application in normal times, and disaster prevention and mitigation in disaster.
Ⅱ. Related Works
When IoT technology becomes widely used in our daily lives, it is obvious that people’s interests will shift from "end-to-end" to "content". In short, the ICN is inevitable when deployed for wireless networks. In related survey papers, they also summarize the background of this study from the same perspective. In addition, since ICN communications are based on broadcast-type communications, this will increase traffic and congest the network. To mitigate them, the NC method is considered a coded ICN scheme. On the other hand, in the physical-layer protocol, some alternative NC methods are proposed, such as signal superimposition. It is still under investigation as a protocol for the physical and medium access control (MAC) layers that support the ICWSN. As far as we know, there is little research to optimize signal superposition and develop a cooperative scheme to remove interference in broadcast communications.
Ⅲ. Research and Development Items
In this study, we focus on the following two items. In particular, we carry out fundamental proof-of-concept evaluations, including protocol design, computer simulation , and demonstration of a simple testbed.
Ⅲ.A. Cooperative communication methodsin ICWSN (FY 2025–2026)
ICWSN uses a broadcast communication model, and we aim to develop a cooperative communication scheme in the physical and MAC layer protocol. As initial investigations, we have proposed constructive interference cancellation techniques and cooperative communication methods using hierarchical modulation schemes in order to achieve efficient wireless transmission using coded data frames with network coding method. Each of these proposals includes extensions to the NC method at the physical layer, and there is still research and development to shift the next step of theoretical analysis. In this study, we will precisely design and evaluate both methods and develop them further.
We should conduct a design and fundamental evaluation of cooperative communication methods for wireless transmission of the NC-coded data, including constructive interference removal technology and hierarchical modulation methods. In particular, the hierarchical modulation method is only at the conceptual level; we should consider its design in detail. In addition, we should investigate a detailed protocol for the proxy cashing method, including implementation for practical node devices. On the basis of the aforementioned works, we establish cooperative communication in ICWSNs.
Ⅲ.B. Proxy caching method in dynamic network environments (FY 2027)
ICWSN consists of a combination of sensor nodes (SNs) and relay nodes (RNs). In this paper, we propose a cooperative communication scheme to improve the reliability of cached data. In the proposed scheme, the proxy cashing method can improve reliability in responding to the data-retrieval request by RNs instead of SNs. Considering practical usage scenarios, it is necessary to be compatible with dynamic network environments, and we will conduct experimental validation that is not limited to theoretical design and evaluation. Through the process, we will identify the issues that should be addressed when implementing the proposed scheme in a smart city. We will design and conduct fundamental evaluations of cooperative communication schemes that utilize constructive interference cancellation techniques and hierarchical modulation methods for wireless transmission of NC-coded data. In particular, the concept of hierarchical modulation is still at the conceptual level; therefore, we will develop the scheme precisely.
Acknowledgement
A part of this work was supported by SCAT Grant Number JP25K00000.
Outcomes
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