PAG-MAC: Prioritized Allocation of GTSs in IEEE 802.15.4 MAC protocol ‐ A dynamic approach based on Analytic Hierarchy Process

摘要

In this paper, a context-aware algorithm - Prioritized Allocation of Guaranteed Time Slots (GTSs) for IEEE 802.15.4 Medium Access Control (MAC) protocol (PAG-MAC) - is proposed. We envision the problem of GTS allocation among the physiological sensor devices present in a Wireless Body Area Network (WBAN), and realize the necessity of prioritizing them in this process. Very few of the existing works consider the essence of a priority-based approach. However, these are not multicriteria decision making schemes. In this regard, the proposed algorithm PAG-MAC represents a generalized framework based on Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP), to evaluate the priority values corresponding to the sensor devices, and rank them accordingly before allocating GTSs to them. A case study is also showcased with three criteria such as severity of the data sensed by physiological sensors, size of buffer, and transmission frequency. The results reflect the context-aware ranking output of PAG-MAC for different scenarios, and show that for 60% of the demanding sensor devices it reduces the average waiting time.