SLEEP: A Scheduling-based Low duty-cycle Energy Efficient Protocol for wireless sensor networks

Sensor networks are communication devices that are miniature in nature with sensing, computation and communication capabilities. They are usually deployed large in numbers and at unmanned places. These communication devices operate from batteries at these places, so there has been an extensive focus on reducing the energy consumption required for them to operate. Apparently, most of the energy is consumed by communication than computation. These devices have low storage capability and small communication range. That is the reason protocols designed for the medium access layer and data dissemination have to be designed such that the devices consume least energy possible and employ smart ways of communication.;We therefore, propose a scheduling scheme, SLEEP (a Scheduling-based Low duty-cycle Energy Efficient Protocol) that helps minimize on communications for control messages and lowers energy consumption while keeping the delivery ratio better than the protocol that is currently being used. The layered approach on the architecture has several advantages including our protocol to be applicable to different radios that are constantly modified to fit the needs of sensor networks.