Implementation of Collection Tree Protocol over WirelessHART Data-Link

Abstract: Wireless Sensor Networks (WSNs) are ad-hoc wireless networks for small form-factor embedded nodes with limited memory, processing and energy resources. Certain applications, like industrial automation and real-time process monitoring requires time synchronized reliable network protocol. Current work for WSNs provides either time synchronized with low reliability (WirelessHART) or reliable network without time synchronization (Collection Tree Protocol). The Collection Tree Protocol (CTP) provides the reliability from 94.7% to 99.9% for CSMA-CA based MAC layer. This paper addresses channel hopping, a class of frequency diverse communication protocol in which subsequent packets are sent over different frequency channels. Channel hopping combats external interference and persistent multipath fading, two of the main causes of failure along a communication link. Channel hopping technique leads to a high reliable and efficient protocol which is specified by HART Communication Foundation and named as WirelessHART. WirelessHART Data-Link layer designed based on TDMA and CSMA-CA mechanism. By implementing the CTP over WirelessHART Data-Link layer, the reliability of the network protocol can be improved compare to actual CTP standard implementation. This thesis describes the design and implementation of Collection Tree Protocol over WirelessHART Data-Link layer. The implementation is done using TinyOS, nesC programming language using Crossbow TelosB CC2420 radio chip nodes. The results and experiments show the evaluation of the system prototype.