An Adaptive MAC Protocol for Wireless Rechargeable Sensor Networks

In the existing medium access control (MAC) protocols of rechargeable sensor networks, the maximum charging threshold of sensor nodes generally set to a fixed value based on nodes battery capacity. It leads to the channel occupied due to the long time charging of node so that the data cannot be transmitted on time. In addition, the minimum charging threshold is also set to a fixed value. This will lead to the death of the nodes due to the energy depletion while nodes cannot replenish energy in time. In this paper we put forward an adaptive charging MAC protocol called AC-MAC with double adaptive thresholds to solve the above problems. The nodes can adjust the maximum and minimum charging thresholds based on the number of transmission or receiving packets, the channel idle time and the power of transmission and reception. By analyzing the protocol, it can ensure the minimum energy level of the node, which can effectively extend the network lifetime and reduce the end to end transmission delay.