Design and Analysis of an Integrated MAC and Routing Protocol Framework for Wireless Sensor Networks

In this paper, the authors present the Multi-hop Infrastructure Network Architecture (MINA) for a wireless sensor network consisting of a few hundred sensors that communicate data to a Base Station (BS). They also present a Unified Network Protocol Framework (UNPF) that encompasses network organization, Medium Access Control (MAC) and routing protocols. The network organization protocol is a distributed algorithm which uses localized information to organize the network into a "Layered" structure. The MAC protocol, based on Time Division CDMA access, is designed to be collision-free, energy-efficient and fair. The routing protocol is multi-hop and uses a simple "Layered" scheme.