Minimization of Wireless Sensor Network Energy Consumption Through Optimal Modulation Scheme and Channel Coding Strategy

Wireless sensor networks (WSNs) are composed of sensor nodes generally powered by batteries, for which recharging or replacement is difficult. Since battery technology has not progressed as rapidly as semiconductor technology, energy efficiency has become increasingly important in WSN. On the other hand, data exchanged between nodes are vulnerable to corruption by errors induced by random noise, signal fading and other factors. Therefore, improving link reliability and reducing energy consumption are prime concerns in the design of wireless sensor networks. In this context, performing optimal modulation schemes with suitable channel coding process is a crucial task at the physical layer of this class of networks. This paper investigates the best modulation strategy to minimize the total energy consumption required to send a given number of bits. Energy consumption with both uncoded and coded modulation techniques including M-ary QAM (MQAM), M-ary PSK (MPSK), M-ary FSK (MFSK) and MSK is analytically analyzed and simulated over transmission time, modulation rate and transmission distance. A comparative analysis in terms of energy consumption and probability of Bit Error Rate (BER) referring to MSK modulation with proper Error Control Codes (ECC) approach is presented in this paper. We show that the gain achieved with coded MSK scheme is very promising for obtaining optimal energy network consumption.