RPL-based tree construction scheme for target-specific code dissemination in wireless sensors networks

Distributing codes to specific target sensors in order to fix bugs and/or install a new application is an important management task in WSNs (Wireless Sensor Networks). For the energy efficient dissemination of such codes to specific target sensors, it is required to select the minimum required number of forwarders with the fewest control messages. In this paper, we propose a novel RPL (Routing Protocol for Low-power and lossy networks)-based tree construction scheme for target-specific code dissemination, which is called R-TCS. The main idea of R-TCS is that by leveraging the data collection tree created by a standard routing protocol RPL, it is possible to construct the code dissemination tree with the minimum numbers of non-target sensors and control messages. Since by creating a data collection tree each sensor exchanges RPL messages with the root of the tree, every sensor knows which sensors compose its upwards route, i.e. the route towards the root, and downwards route, i.e. the route towards the leaves. Because of these properties, a target sensor can select the upward route that contains the minimum number of non-target sensors. In addition, a sensor whose downward routes do not contain a target sensor is not required to transmit redundant control messages which are related to the code dissemination operation. In this way, R-TCS can reduce the energy consumption which typically happens in other target-specific code dissemination schemes by the transmission of control messages. In fact, various performance evaluation results obtained by means of computer simulations show that R-TCS reduces by at least 50% energy consumption as compared to the other previous known target-specific code dissemination scheme under the condition where ratio of target sensors is 10% of all sensors.