LASA-R: Location-Aware Scheduling Algorithm With Rescheduling for Industrial IoT Networks With Mobile Nodes

The synchronized single-hop multiple gateway (SHMG) framework has been recently proposed to support mobility in 6TiSCH, the network architecture defined by the IETF for the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT). SHMG includes a scheduling policy to allocate communication resources to mobile nodes (MNs) in order to satisfy the stringent requirements of industrial applications. Current scheduling algorithms, however, manage mobility by simply over-allocating communication resources, without taking into account the position of MNs. In this article, we propose a location-aware scheduling algorithm with rescheduling (LASA-R) that leverages the position of MNs, reported via periodic position notification (PN) messages, to optimize the allocation of communication resources. LASA-R also includes a conflict resolution mechanism to modify the schedule, as conflicts are detected. Finally, a mathematical methodology is developed to determine the optimal PN period. LASA-R is assessed through simulations. The results obtained show that it can guarantee a high reliability and a bounded latency, even with a very large number of MNs.