We propose Isochronous-MAC (I-MAC) using the Long-Wave Standard Time Code (so called "wave clock"), and introduce cross-layer design for a low-power wireless sensor node with I-MAC. I-MAC has a periodic wakeup time synchronized with the actual time, and thus we take the wave clock. However, a frequency of a crystal oscillator varies along with temperature, which incurs a time difference among nodes. We present a time correction algorithm to address this problem, and shorten the time difference. Thereby, the preamble length in I-MAC can be minimized, which saves communication power. For further power reduction, a low-power crystal oscillator is also proposed, as a physical-layer design. We implemented I-MAC on an off-the-shelf sensor node to estimate the power saving, and verified that the proposed cross-layer design reduces 81% of the total power, compared to Low Power Listening.

One challenging issue of sensor networks is extension of overall network system lifetimes. In periodic data gathering applications, the typical sensor node spends more time in the idle state than active state. Consequently, it is important to decrease power consumption during idle time. In this study, we propose a scheduling scheme based on the history of RTS/CTS exchange during the setup phase. Scheduling the transmission during transfer phase enables each node to turn off its RF circuit during idle time. By tracing ongoing RTS/CTS exchange during the steady phase, each node knows the progress of the data transfer process. Thereby, it can wait to receive packets for data aggregation. Simulation results show a 160-260% longer system lifetime with the proposed scheduling scheme compared to the existing approaches.