An Introduction to

Wireless Sensor Networks

IoT Global Forum Shanghai
Tutorial Day
Fudan University, November 3, 2011
Carlo Fischione
Associate Professor of
Wireless Sensor Networks
Access Linnaeus Center and Electrical Engineering
KTH Royal Institute of Technology
web: http://www.ee.kth.se/~carlofi
e-mail: carlofi@kth.se

KTH Royal Institute of Technology

Located in Stockholm
Founded 1827
13 000 undergrad and MSc

students
1600 PhD students
500 tenured faculty

Stockholm

Todays learning outcomes

What is a Wireless Sensor Network?

What is the typical node architecture?
How is a network organized?
What are the relevant aspects of networking protocols?
How to design protocols for control and automation?

Wireless Sensor Networks - WSNs

Wireless sensor and actuator networks (WSNs) make Internet of

Things possible

Computing, transmitting and receiving nodes, wirelessly networked

for communication, control, sensing and actuation purposes

Characteristics of WSNs

Battery-operated nodes

Limited wireless communication

Reduced coordination

Mobility of nodes

Typical power consumption of a node

WSNs, an interdisciplinary field

Systems and Control

Wireless Communications

P
C

WSNs

Computer Networking

WSNs are at the intersection of numerous areas of study

Outline

Application examples of WSNs

Node architecture
Network architecture
Networking protocols
Protocol design for automation and control

Smart buildings
WSNs to Control of temperature, light intensity, air and humidity.

www.instablogsimages.com

Source: Ed Arens

Smart grids

source: http://deviceace.com/

Smart grids: Smart Grids: It's All About Wireless Sensor Networks
(http://stanford.wellsphere.com)

WSNs in environmental and

critical infrastructures control

HydroBioNets EU project: Control of biological pollution in water treatment

plants and distribution networks

WSNs in intelligent transportation

systems

Assistance to the driving, traffic light control, look-ahead road conditions...

WSNs for healthcare

EEG sensors, past

EEG sensors, present

Wireless sensors within and outside the human body

WSNs in industrial automation

Wireless networking control systems

Added flexibility
Sensor and actuator nodes can be placed more appropriately

Less restrictive maneuvers and control actions

More powerful control through distributed computations

Reduced installation and maintenance costs

Less cabling

More efficient monitoring and diagnosis

Real-time and machine-to-machine

networking
System

Controller

WSNs for cyber physical systems

New Phy, MAC and routing protocols for adaptive latencies and
reliabilities

New networking protocols for real time operations

New fundamental results for networking, decision management,

and coordination among WSNs actors

Outline

Application examples of WSNs

Node architecture
Network architecture
Networking protocols
Protocol design for automation and control

Node architecture
Memory
Transceiver
device

Controller

Power supply
Main components of a WSN node

Controller

Communication device(s)

Sensors/actuators

Memory

Power supply

Sensors/
actuators

Controller

Main options:
Microcontroller general purpose processor, optimized for embedded applications,
low power consumption
DSPs optimized for signal processing tasks, not suitable for WSNs
FPGAs may be good for testing
ASICs only when peak performance is needed, no flexibility
Example microcontrollers
Texas Instruments MSP430
16-bit RISC core, up to 4 MHz, versions with 2-10 kbytes RAM,
several DACs, RT clock, prices start at 0.49 US$
Fully operational 1.2 mW
Deepest sleep mode 0.3 W only woken up by external interrupts (not even

timer is running any more)

Atmel ATMega
8-bit controller, larger memory than MSP430, slower
Operational mode: 15 mW active, 6 mW idle
Sleep mode: 75 W

Memory power consumption

Crucial part: FLASH memory

Power for RAM almost negligible

FLASH writing/erasing is expensive

Example: FLASH on Mica motes

Reading: ~ 1.1 nAh per byte

Writing: ~ 83.3 nAh per byte

Transceiver states

Transceivers can be put into different operational states:

Transmit
Receive

Idle ready to receive, but not doing so

Some functions in hardware can be switched off, reducing energy

Sleep significant parts of the transceiver are switched off

Not able to receive messages
Recovery time and startup energy to leave sleep state can be

significant

Wakeup receivers can be woken via radio when in sleep state

Example of radio transceivers

Almost boundless variety available

Some examples

RFM TR1000 family

916 or 868 MHz
400 kHz bandwidth
Up to 115,2 kbps
On/off keying or ASK
Dynamically tuneable output
power
Maximum power about 1.4 mW
Low power consumption
Chipcon CC1000
Range 300 to 1000 MHz,
programmable in 250 Hz steps
FSK modulation
Provides RSSI

Chipcon CC 2400
Implements 802.15.4
2.4 GHz, DSSS modem
250 kbps
Higher power consumption
than above transceivers
Infineon TDA 525x family
E.g., 5250: 868 MHz
ASK or FSK modulation
RSSI, highly efficient power
amplifier
Intelligent power down,
self-polling mechanism
Excellent blocking
performance

Energy supply of mobile/sensor

nodes
Goal: provide as much energy as possible at smallest
cost/volume/weight/recharge time/longevity
Options

Primary batteries not rechargeable

Secondary batteries rechargeable, only makes sense in combination with
some form of energy harvesting
Requirements include

Low self-discharge
Long shelf live
Capacity under load
Efficient recharging at low current
Good relaxation properties (seeming self-recharging)
Voltage stability (to avoid DC-DC conversion)

Energy scavenging
How to recharge a battery?

A sensor node? Try to scavenge energy from environment

Ambient energy sources

Light, solar cells between 10 W/cm2 and 15 mW/cm2

Temperature gradients 80 W/cm2 @ 1 V from 5K difference

Vibrations between 0.1 and 10000 W/cm3

Pressure variation (piezo-electric) 330 W/cm2 from the heel of a

shoe

Air/liquid flow (MEMS gas turbines)

Energy consumption

A back of the envelope estimation

Number of instructions

Energy per instruction: 1 nJ

Small battery: 1 J = 1 Ws

Corresponds: 109 instructions!

Lifetime
Require a single day operational lifetime = 24x60x60 =86400 s

1 Ws / 86400s ~ 1.5 W as max. sustained power consumption.

Multiple power consumption modes

Pactive

Esaved
Eoverhead

Psleep
t1

down

tevent

up

Start
processing

Do not run sensor node at full operation all the time

If nothing to do, switch to power safe mode

Question: When to throttle down? How to wake up again?

Typical modes

Controller: Active, idle, sleep

Radio mode: Turn on/off transmitter/receiver, both

A note
The following terms are often used meaning the same thing
1.

node

2.

sensor

3.

processor

4.

agent

Although, a node of the network is composed by one or more

sensors and a processor. If in addition there is actuation, the node is
an agent

Nevertheless, the rethoryc figure methonymia is used and the

terms are employed in practice to mean the same

Outline

Application examples of WSNs

Node architecture
Network architecture
Networking protocols
Protocol design for automation and control

Network architecture
We illustrate typical WSNs architecture used by the standard IEEE

802.15.4

IEEE 802.15.4 is the de-facto reference standard for low data rate and

low power WSNs

Characteristics:

low data rate for ad hoc self-organizing network of inexpensive

fixed, portable and moving devices

high network flexibility

very low power consumption

low cost

IEEE 802.15.4 networks

IEEE 802.15.4 network composed of

full-function device (FFD)

reduced-function device (RFD).

A network includes at least one FFD

The FFD can operate in three modes:

a personal area network (PAN) coordinator

a coordinator
a device

An FFD can talk to RFDs or FFDs

RFD

simple applications for low amounts of data.

can only talk to an FFD

IEEE 802.15.4 network topologies

3 types of topologies

star topology

peer-to-peer topology

cluster tree

Cluster-tree topology

Outline

Application examples of WSNs

Node architecture
Network architecture
Networking protocols
Protocol design for automation and control

WSN protocols
The communication operations of a node are specified by a set of

protocols, or set of rules.

Optimization and Parallel and Distributed Computation Theories
are the essential mathematical tools to design WSNs protocols.

Controller

Application
Presentation
Session

Cross-layer interaction
and optimization

Transport
Routing
MAC
Phy

Protocol stack

The IEEE 802.15.4 protocol

Application
Presentation
Session
Transport

IEEE 802.15.4 specifies two layers

Physical layer
2.4Ghz global, 250Kbps
915MHz America, 40Kbps
868MHz Europe, 20Kbps
Medium Access Control (MAC) layer

IEEE 802.15.5 does not specify the routing

Routing
MAC
Phy

IEEE 802.15.4 physical layer

Frequency bands:

2.4 - 2.4835GHz Ghz, global, 16 channels, 250Kbps

902.0 - 928.0MHz, America, 10 channels, 40Kbps
868 - 868.6MHz, Europe, 1 channel, 20Kbps
Features of the PHY layer

activation and deactivation of the radio transceiver

energy detection (ED)
link quality indication (LQI)
clear channel assessment (CCA)
transmitting and receiving packets across the wireless channel
dynamic channel selection by a scanning a list of channels in
search of beacon, ED, LQI, and channel switching

IEEE 802.15.4 physical layer

Physical layer data unit

The SFD indicates the end of the SHR and the start of the packet data
PHR: PHY header
PHY payload < 128 byte

Application

Medium Access Control (MAC)

Presentation
Session
Transport
Routing
MAC
Phy

MAC: mechanism for controlling when to send a packet and when to

listen for a packet

MAC is one of the major component for energy expenditure.

Especially, idly waiting to receive packets wastes huge amounts of

energy

MAC is influenced by the transmit radio power, channel coding, and

modulation format

P. Park, P. Di Marco, P. Soldati, C. Fischione, K. H. Johansson, A Generalized Markov Model for an Effective
Analysis of Slotted IEEE 802.15.4, IEEE MASS 2009 (Best Paper Award)
C. Fischione, S. Coleri Ergen, P. Park, K. H. Johansson, A. Sangiovanni-Vincentelli, Medium Access Control
Analytical Modelling and Optimization in Unslotted IEEE 802.15.4 Wireless Sensor Networks, IEEE SECON 09

IEEE 802.15.4 MAC

The MAC provides two services:

data service

management service

The MAC data service enables the transmission and reception of MAC

protocol data units (the messages) across the PHY layer

MAC features: beacon management, channel access, GTS

management, frame validation, acknowledged frame delivery,

association and disassociation.

Superframes
Superframe structure:

format defined by the PAN coordinator

bounded by network beacons
divided into 16 equally sized slots
Beacons
used to synchronize the attached devices, to identify the PAN and
to describe the structure of superframes.
sent in the first slot of each superframe.
turned off if a coordinator does not use the superframe structure
Superframe portions: active and an inactive
inactive portion: a node does not interact with its PAN and may
enter a low-power mode
active portion: contention access period (CAP) and contention free
period (CFP)
Any device wishing to communicate during the CAP shall
compete with other devices using a slotted CSMA/CA mechanism
The CFP contains guaranteed time slots (GTSs).

IEEE 802.15.4 CSMA-CA

A Carrier Sense Multiple Access/ Collision Avoidance (CSMA/CA)

algorithm is implemented at the MAC layer

If a superframe structure is used in the PAN, then slotted CSMA-CA

is used in the CAP period

If beacons are not used in the PAN or a beacon cannot be located in a

beacon-enabled network, unslotted CSMA-CA is used

CSMA-CA
Each device has 3 variables: NB, CW and BE.
NB: number of times the CSMA/CA algorithm was required to

backoff while attempting the current transmission.

It is initialized to 0 before every new transmission.

BE: backoff exponent

how many backoff periods a device shall wait before attempting to

assess the channel.

CW: contention window length (used for slotted CSMA-CA),

Is the number of backoff periods that need to be clear of activity

before the transmission can start.
It is initialized to 2 before each transmission attempt and reset to 2
each time the channel is assessed to be busy.

CSMA/CA

Flow diagram to
Transmit a packet
with CSMA/CA in
Slotted and
Unslotted modalities

Guarantee Time Slot (GTS)

Allocation

The GTSs always appears at the end of the active superframe starting

at a slot boundary immediately following the CAP.

The PAN coordinator may allocate up to 7 GTSs.
A GTS can occupy more than one slot period.
SO <15. If SO=15, the superframe will not be active anymore after the
beacon
BO < 15. If BO=15, the superframe is ignored

Guaranteed Time Slots

A GTS allows a device to operate within a portion of the superframe

that is dedicated exclusively to it

A device attempts to allocate and use a GTS only if it is tracking the

beacons

GTS allocation:

The management of the GTSs is undertaken by the PAN

coordinator only.

A GTS is used only for communications between the PAN

coordinator and a device.

The GTS direction is specified as either transmit or receive.

A single GTS can extend over one or more superframe slots.

P. Park et al. ,Performance Analysis of GTS Allocation in Beacon Enabled IEEE

802.15.4, IEEE SECON 09

Beacon and non beacon-enabled

communications

Communication to a coordinator in
a beacon-enabled network

Communication to a coordinator in
non-beacon-enabled network

Beacon and non-beacon-enabled

communication

From a coordinator
in a beacon-enabled PAN

From a coordinator
in a nonbeacon-enabled PAN

Duty cycling MAC

Energy efficiency of WSNs is essential

listen

sleep

Idle listening to the radio channel consumes substantial energy

Duty cycling reduces idle listening (SPAN, 2001).

Advantages:
simple implementation
additional hardware not required

Disadvantage:
smaller energy savings as compared to the more complex
solutions (TDMA), unless optimization of sleep and wake times
is adapted to changing data traffic conditions.

Duty cycling MAC

Tx
Rx

preambles

data

sleep
listen

Synchronous duty cycling (e.g. TMAC, 2003, and SMAC, 2004)

Negotiation of a sleep-active schedule among the neighboring nodes.

The sender coordinates the neighbors wake up times.

Asynchronous duty cycling (e.g. BMAC, 2004, and X-MAC, 2006)

based on preamble sampling.

the receiver wakes up periodically to check if there is a transmission.
the transmitter sends preambles by random access until the receiver
wakes up and sends back an ACK.

Duty cycling optimization

Optimization of sleep and listening times of nodes

Energy
Latency
Reliability
: desired probability that the delay is less than
: minimum desired probability with which a data packet should
be received.

Application

Routing: how to choose paths

Maximum total available
battery capacity
Path metric: Sum of battery
levels
Example: A-C-F-H
Minimum battery cost routing
Path metric: Sum of
reciprocal battery levels
Example: A-D-H
Conditional max-min battery
capacity routing
Only take battery level into
account when below a given
level
Minimum total transmission
power

Presentation
Session
Transport
Routing

MAC

4
A

Phy

2
1
1

2
3
D

2
1
2

E
1
H

2
2

4
2 F
G
2

Outline

Application examples of WSNs

Node architecture
Network architecture
Networking protocols
Protocol design for automation and control

WSNs protocols for control

System

Controller

How the protocols and the controller interact?

Feedback control loop

over a networks
Process

Wireless sensor network

Controller

Delay
Packet losses

Methematical description of a
control system
The state of a control system can be mathematically described by

the solution to a differential equation.

Example: linear system

Solution

Goal of the controller: make the state

one

close to a desired

Description in the Z domain

Process

Wireless sensor network

Controller

Stability with random jitter

Process

Wireless sensor network

Controller

delay

State FeedBack stability

with packet losses

Process

Wireless sensor network

W. Zhang, M. S. Branicky, and S. M. Phillips, Stability of

Networked Control Systems, IEEE Control Systems Magazine, 2001

Controller

Exercise

Key questions for WSNs for control

1. Delay accepted by the controller to get packets?

2. Probability of successful packet transmission tolerated by the

controller?

3. Energy consumption?

A holistic or system-level approach to the joint design of controllers

and WSNs is needed
A. Bonivento, C. Fischione, L. Necchi, F. Pianegiani, A. Sangiovanni-Vincentelli, System Level Design for Clustered
Wireless Sensor Networks, IEEE Transactions on Industrial Informatics, 2007 (best paper award of TII 2007).

MAC and routing over IEEE

802.15.4 for control
Energy, bounded delay and packet transmission requirements must

be ensured by IEEE 802.15.4:

Control applications require a packet delivery within some
deadline and with a guaranteed packet reception probability.
Energy Consumption
Reliability
Delay

Protocol parameters (MAC, Routing) x

n clusters give n parallel and coupled optimization problems to solve

without central coordination

How to do by nodes of reduced computational capability?

Protocol design of WSNs

for control
Model methematically
the protocol behaviour

Select the metrics

(energy, delay, reliability)

Control requirements

Optimize (statically or
on-line) the protocol
parameters

A highly efficient protocol

Protocol parameters: radio powers , MAC retransmissions, routing path...

P. Park, C. Fischione, A. Bonivento, K. H. Johansson, A. Sangiovanni-Vincentelli, Breath: a Self-Adapting
Protocol for Timely and Reliable Data Transmission in Wireless Sensor Networks, in IEEE Transactions on
Mobile Computing, 2010.
P. Di Marco, P. Park, C. Fischione, K. H. Johansson, TREnD: a Timely, Reliable, Energy efficient, and
Dynamic WSN Protocol for Control Applications, IEEE ICC 10, June 2010.

No WSN protocol for control

Evaluated but not controlled

Controlled and evaluated
Controlled and experimentally evaluated

P. Park, C. Fischione, A. Bonivento, K. H. Johansson, A. Sangiovanni-Vincentelli, Breath: a SelfAdapting Protocol for Timely and Reliable Data Transmission in Wireless Sensor Networks, to appear in
IEEE Transactions on Mobile Computing, 2010.

Conclusion
We have studied the most important aspects for wireless sensor

networks

1.

Node architecture

2.

Network architecture

3.

Phy and MAC Protocols

4.

Protocol design for control and automation

5.

The role of mathematical modelling and optimization

Bibliography of the presenter

A. Bonivento, C. Fischione, L. Necchi, F. Pianegiani, A. Sangiovanni-Vincentelli, System Level

Design for Clustered Wireless Sensor Networks, IEEE Transactions on Industrial Informatics, 2007 (best
paper award of TII 2007).

P. Park, P. Di Marco, P. Soldati, C. Fischione, K. H. Johansson, A Generalized Markov Model for an

Effective Analysis of Slotted IEEE 802.15.4, IEEE MASS 09 (Best Paper Award of MASS 09).

C. Fischione, S. Coleri Ergen, P. Park, K. H. Johansson, A. Sangiovanni-Vincentelli, Medium Access

Control Analytical Modelling and Optimization in Unslotted IEEE 802.15.4 Wireless Sensor Networks,
IEEE SECON 09.

P. Park, C. Fischione, K. H. Johansson, AdaptiveIEEE 802.15.4 Protocol for Energy Efficient, Reliable,
and TimelyCommunications, ACM/IEEE IPSN 10.

P. Park, C. Fischione, A. Bonivento, K. H. Johansson, A. Sangiovanni-Vincentelli, Breath: a SelfAdapting Protocol for Timely and Reliable Data Transmission in Wireless Sensor Networks, IEEE
Transactions on Mobile Computing, 2010.

C. Fischione, P. Park, P. Di Marco and K. H.Johansson, Design Principles of Wireless Sensor

NetworksProtocols for Control Applications, chapter in Wireless Network Based Control, Springer,
2010.

Thanks

I would like to thank Alexa, Prof. Qiyong Lu,

Prof. Weili Han and Dr. Zhonghai Lu for the
organization of this event at the prestigious
Fudan University

An Introduction to
Wireless Sensor Networks
IoT Global Forum Shanghai
Tutorial Day
Fudan University, November 3, 2011
Carlo Fischione
Associate Professor of
Wireless Sensor Networks
Access Linnaeus Center and Electrical Engineering
KTH Royal Institute of Technology
web: http://www.ee.kth.se/~carlofi
e-mail: carlofi@kth.se