Method for Setting the Operation of a Routing Node of an Asynchronous Wireless Communication Network, Network Node and Communication Network Implementing the Method

2:

• Method according to claim 1, further comprising the step of partitioning said network into the plurality of clusters so that each of said clusters comprises one cluster-head node.

3:

• Method according to claim 1, wherein the cluster wherein said routing node is the cluster-head node comprises a number of nodes and the nodes of said cluster transmit data packets according to an average data packet generation rate, and wherein, in step A), the energy consumption is also determined as a function of said number of nodes and of said average data packet generation rate.

4:

• Method according to claim 1, wherein said routing node repeatedly determines the probability of busy channel and uses such determined probability for repeatedly carrying out step B).

5:

• Method according to claim 4, wherein said routing node determines the probability of busy channel by receiving estimates of the probability of busy channel made by the other nodes of said cluster and by calculating an average or maximum of the received estimates.

6:

• Method according to claim 1, wherein said routing node repeatedly determines the probability of communication collision by making estimates and uses such determined probability for repeatedly carrying out step B).

7:

• Method according to claim 1, wherein the determination of step B) is carried out by said routing node based on a table of values stored internally.

8:

• Method according to claim 3, wherein said table contains a plurality of set of values of the duration of the awake interval and the duration of the sleep interval, for different values of the number of nodes, the average data packet generation rate, the probability of busy channel, the probability of communication collision, the probability of successful transfer, and the average delay of transfer.

9:

• Node of an asynchronous wireless communication network comprising a radio transceiver having an intermittent operation, said intermittent operation corresponding to a periodic sequence of an awake interval and a sleep interval, said radio transceiver being used at least for receiving data packets, wherein its operation is set through the method according to claim 1.

10:

• Asynchronous wireless communication network comprising one or more routing nodes according to the node of claim 9.

(canceled)