Proposition and validation of an original MAC layer with simultaneous medium accesses for low latency wireless control/command applications

TL;DR

This paper introduces a novel MAC layer for low latency wireless control applications, enabling simultaneous medium access to meet real-time, high-reliability requirements in LP-WPANs.

Contribution

It proposes an original MAC layer with simultaneous access capabilities, validated through multiple methods, specifically focusing on the Simultaneous Guaranteed Time Slot mechanism.

Findings

Validated the MAC layer with simulation and experimental methods.

Demonstrated reduced latency and improved reliability.

Showed feasibility for real-time wireless control applications.

Abstract

Control/command processes require a transmission system with some characteristics like high reliability, low latency and strong guarantees on messages delivery. Concerning wire networks, field buses technologies like FIP offer this kind of service (periodic tasks, real time constraints...). Unfortunately, few wireless technologies can propose a communication system which respects such constraints. Indeed, wireless transmissions must deal with medium characteristics which make impossible the direct translation of mechanisms used with wire networks. The purpose of this paper is to present an original Medium Access Control (MAC) layer for a real time Low Power-Wireless Personal Area Network (LP-WPAN). The proposed MAC-layer has been validated by several complementary methods; in this paper, we focus on the specific Simultaneous Guaranteed Time Slot (SGTS) part.