Distributed Coordinator Election Scheme for QoS Support and Seamless Connectivity in WPANs

Wireless personal area networks (WPANs) are formed in a relatively small area, and coordinator that serves as a central control device plays an important role in the operation and organization of a piconet. Typical applications of WPANs include home automation systems, security systems and health monitoring systems. In these types of systems, guaranteeing seamless connectivity is very important, and communications cannot take place when the coordinator malfunctions. Thus, in the case of a breakdown, it is necessary to elect a new coordinator as soon as possible. For this reason, a distributed coordinator election scheme (DCES) is proposed that considers not only QoS support but also network connectivity in an effort to avoid possible network partition. Simulation results show that the proposed scheme can elect a new coordinator while maintaining QoS and guaranteeing connectivity for a limited period.