Abstract
This paper introduces Fuzzy-Cross, a decision making and information-sharing architecture for wireless sensor networks (WSN) that enables the protocols to achieve energy efficiency, reliability, and low data latency. FUCR retains a layered structure with each layer matching to a communication function to provide a practical and simple design. The administrative plane provided by FUCR collects residual energy from physical layer, data delivery, and channel assessment records from data link layer, packet dispatch rate from network layer and sensitivity of sensing unit from application layer. The information collected is used as input descriptors for running fuzzy logic. Output of the fuzzy logic assists physical layer protocol to decide node's transmit power; data link layer protocol to decide retransmission time out, back off time and duty cycle; network layer to determine chance of the node to become a relay node and application layer to determine chance of node to become a reporting node. To investigate the extent to which Fuzzy-Cross meets its goals, it is implemented on top of ZigBee standard. Simulation results demonstrated that Fuzzy-Cross with ZigBee outperforms both (i) ADaptive Access Parameters Tuning (ADAPT) with Zigbee and (ii) standard ZigBee without any modifcations. For a single hop network Fuzzy-Cross is up to 12% more energy efficient compared to ADAPT. Delivery ratio of Fuzzy-Cross is up to 12% more and data latency is up to 19% less compared to ADAPT. Similar trend is seen for multi-hop network and for a wide range of operating conditions.