Device Location-Based Link Layer Scheduling for Large-Scale Dense Industrial IOT Networks

A medium access control (MAC) protocol design is proposed in this paper for the industrial internet of things (IIoT) networks with massive connections. Considering a non-fully connected network with multiple access points (APs), we aim to connect a large number of IIoT devices densely populating the network coverage area, achieve low latency, and avoid collisions. To achieve this objective, we adopt a time-slotted carrier sensing-based medium access control design and propose a device location-based time slot assignment scheme for channel access scheduling. The proposed scheme assigns devices to time slots based on their locations to eliminate collisions caused by hidden and exposed terminals. To demonstrate the performance of the proposed design, we analyze the average delay each device experiences with the proposed scheduling scheme and verify the analysis via numerical simulations of an IIoT network with 19 APs and over 17000 devices. The results show the effectiveness of the proposed design in supporting massive connections and achieving low delay