Minimizing the Energy Consumption in Wireless Sensor Networks

Wireless sensor networks are used in several industrial and scientific applications to monitor and control physical phenomena. Sensors are powered by a low energy source and deployed in an inaccessible environment, which makes the energy a critical resource. In this paper, we propose OPMAC, a MAC protocol for minimizing the energy consumption in sensor networks. OPMAC aims to minimize energy consumption due to the overhearing, the frequent transitions sleep/activity, the idle listening, the overmitting and collisions. Compared to S-MAC and T-MAC in terms of consumed energy, OPMAC minimizes more the energy consumption and extends further the network lifetime. Simulation results show that OPMAC is more suitable for relatively loaded networks.