Efficient Real-Time Support for Hybrid Tasks in a Sensor Node Platform

In this paper, we present a novel technique that makes it possible to guarantee the real-time scheduling of periodic tasks and minimize the average response time of aperiodic tasks through a task decomposition technique for low-end WSN system platforms. This paper considers the following two perspectives. First, WSN platforms available in literature have not addressed the concept of scheduling for hybrid task sets where both types of periodic and aperiodic tasks exist. Second, each system service in WSN platforms needs to be assigned to either a periodic or an aperiodic task in order to provide fully optimal real-time scheduling for given real-time requirements of WSN applications. A case study based on experiments is conducted to illustrate the application and efficiency of the proposed technique in WSN motes equipped with a low-power 8-bit microcontroller.