Mechanisms for prolonging network lifetime in Wireless Sensor Networks

Sensors are used to monitor and control the physical environment. A Wireless Sensor Network (WSN) is composed of a large number of sensor nodes that are densely deployed either inside the phenomenon or very close to it [18][5]. Sensor nodes measure various parameters of the environment and transmit data collected to one or more sinks, using hop-by-hop communication. Once a sink receives sensed data, it processes and forwards it to the users. Sensors are usually battery powered and it is hard to recharge them. It will take a limited time before they deplete their energy and become un-functional. Optimizing energy consumption to prolong network lifetime is an important issue in wireless sensor networks.;In mobile sensor networks, sensors can self-propel via springs [14], wheels [20], or they can be attached to transporters, such as robots [20] and vehicles [36]. In static sensor networks with uniform deployment (uniform density), sensors closest to the sink will die first, which will cause uneven energy consumption and limitation of network lifetime. In the dissertation, the nonuniform density is studied and analyzed so that the energy consumption within the monitored area is balanced and the network lifetime is prolonged. Several mechanisms are proposed to relocate the sensors after the initial deployment to achieve the desired density while minimizing the total moving cost.;Using mobile relays for data gathering is another energy efficient approach. Mobile sensors can be used as ferries, which carry data to the sink for static sensors so that expensive multi-hop communication and long distance communication are reduced. In this thesis, we propose a mobile relay based routing protocol that considers both energy efficiency and data delivery delay. It can be applied to both event-based reporting and periodical report applications.;Another mechanism used to prolong network lifetime is sensor scheduling. One of the major components that consume energy is the radio. One method to conserve energy is to put sensors to sleep mode when they are not actively participating in sensing or data relaying. This dissertation studies sensor scheduling mechanisms for composite event detection. It chooses a set of active sensors to perform sensing and data relaying, and all other sensors go to sleep to save energy. After some time, another set of active sensors is chosen. Thus sensors work alternatively to prolong network lifetime.