Energy efficient multi-mode operation for networked wireless sensors

This paper aims at developing a comprehensive model for optimal multi-mode wireless sensor operations. We start by proposing a maximum data retrieval (MDR) problem that jointly optimizes the routing and scheduling decisions over time for multi-mode wireless sensors. Attempting to solve the general yet extremely complex problem leads to observations and analysis of optimal store-and-forward (S&F) operations for individual sensors in an ideal setting. Our analytical model for the S&F operation provides not only closed form expressions in estimating sensor lifetime and total transmission, but also insights on developing a simpler flow distribution problem that could approximate the MDR problem.