An Energy-Efficient Transmission Power Control Protocol for Cooperative Robotics

Abstract

Severe energy constraints inherent in multi-robot networks dictate that communication be performed as efficiently as possible to enable longer network lifetime and successful task execution. Therefore, energy-aware communication protocols are necessary for network longevity. A number of energy-oriented protocols for mobile ad-hoc networks (MANETs) are proposed in the literature. However, the computational intensity and generic nature of these protocols render them unsuitable for cooperative robotic networks. In this thesis, a Transmission Power Control Protocol (TPCP) to enhance the energy efficiency and network lifetime of an IEEE 802.11g-based cooperative robotic ad-hoc network is presented. The proposed protocol varies the transmission range of a node to exclusively accommodate an independent node's neighbor set. Such a scheme is simple, preserves connectivity, and allows low power transmissions. Simulations were performed to compare the energy consumption of the network with the conventional fixed transmission range and TPCP approaches. Simulation results indicate that the proposed algorithm increases network lifetime by more than 20%.