A Novel Energy-Efficient Cross-Layer Design for Scheduling and Routing in 6TiSCH Networks

TL;DR

The paper tackles the challenge of energy-efficient, deterministic communication in 6TiSCH LLNs for IIoT by proposing a cross-layer framework that tightly couples the Scheduling Function (SF), RPL, and queue management. It introduces a slot-aware, regulated parent switching mechanism, early slot reservation, and a flexible slot-locking strategy, while merging 6P reservations into RPL control messages (DIO/DAO) and TSCH acknowledgments to reduce control overhead. Extensive 6TiSCH simulations show that the proposed PB configuration lowers joining time, latency, and jitter, with energy usage comparable to the standard MSF and robust scalability to larger networks. Overall, the solution provides a lightweight, practical path to enhanced reliability and energy efficiency for time-sensitive IIoT applications, with potential applicability to future 5G and beyond IIoT deployments.

Abstract

The 6TiSCH protocol stack plays a vital role in enabling reliable and energy-efficient communications for the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT). However, it faces challenges, including prolonged network formation, inefficient parent switching, high control packet overhead, and suboptimal resource utilization. To tackle these issues, we propose in this paper a novel cross-layer optimization framework aiming to enhance the coordination between the Scheduling Function (SF), the Routing Protocol for Low-Power and Lossy Networks (RPL), and queue management. Our solution introduces a slot-aware parent switching mechanism, early slot reservation to mitigate queue overflow, and a refined slot locking strategy to improve slot availability. To reduce control overhead, the proposed method merges 6P cell reservation information into RPL control packets (DIO/DAO), thus minimizing control exchanges during parent switching and node joining. Optimized slot selection further reduces latency and jitter. Through extensive simulations on the 6TiSCH simulator and under varying network densities and traffic loads, we demonstrate significant improvements over the standard 6TiSCH benchmark in terms of traffic load, joining time, latency, and energy efficiency. These enhancements make the proposed solution suitable for time-sensitive IIoT applications.

Figures (18)

• Figure 1: TSCH schedule of nodes A, B, and Y.
• Figure 2: The 6TiSCH protocol stack tabouche_traffic-aware_2023.
• Figure 3: 6TiSCH network formation using MC.
• Figure 4: Node status cycle.
• Figure 5: Examples of 6P transactions.