Abstract
Mesh clients in hybrid wireless mesh networks can perform the routing functionality, as well as provide end-user applications that are more suitable for tunnels, to improve the connectivity of backbone networks. In this article, based on the diversity of data and limited power supply of mesh clients in hybrid wireless mesh networks in underground mines, we propose a multi-criteria routing metric to support data-differentiated service. This routing metric divides data into two types: urgent and non-urgent. End-to-end delay is calculated when transmitting urgent data, and hop count and link load are measured when transmitting non-urgent data. In order to optimize the utilization of mesh clients and to prolong the network lifetime, mesh clients and mesh routers are given different weights in the calculation of hop count. Based on the QualNet7.1 simulation platform, the performance of the proposed routing metric in transmitting urgent and non-urgent data is evaluated through numerous simulations. Simulation results indicate that the routes selected using the proposed routing metric can effectively reduce the average end-to-end delay when transmitting urgent data and reduce the utilization rate of mesh clients while simultaneously guaranteeing the capability of the network when transmitting non-urgent data. This finding satisfies the differentiated service requirements of data of different types for hybrid wireless mesh networks in coal mines.
Highlights
Coal mines are harsh working environments that have complex geological structures
Wireless mesh networks (WMNs), which are characterized by rapid deployment, strong reliability, good scalability, large capacity, and fast transmission rate, could solve the problems that exist in wired networks or traditional wireless networks in underground mines.[2]
Hybrid WMNs in coal mines are mainly comprised of mesh portals (MPs), mesh routers (MRs), and mesh clients (MCs)
Summary
Coal mines are harsh working environments that have complex geological structures. Due to coal mining and tunnel excavation, coal and tunnel faces are constantly moving. Hybrid WMNs in coal mines are mainly comprised of mesh portals (MPs), MRs, and MCs. An MP provides a gateway function for connecting with the broadband backbone network in a coal mine. Hybrid WMNs cover the underground MCs through terminal accessing or selforganization via MRs. Hybrid WMNs are more suitable for constructing wireless networks in coal mines, especially in narrow tunnels, due to their flexibility, robustness, and low cost. The routing metric, as the measure of network performance and link quality, is the basis of network protocol design.[8] Based on the above features of hybrid WMNs in coal mines, the routing metric of link quality is analyzed in this article and a multicriteria routing metric (MRM) is proposed, which measures the link quality by considering end-to-end delay, hop count, and link load. The study’s conclusions are presented in section ‘‘Conclusion.’’
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