Toward Autonomous Mobile Sensor Networks Technology

Mobile sensor networking technology has attracted considerable attention in various research communities in recent years due to their widespread applications in civilian and military environments. One objective when using mobile sensors is to obtain maximum field coverage by properly deploying sensor nodes. In many real-world applications, a priori knowledge about the best deployment position for the sensors is not available. However, the motion capability of the sensors could allow each node to adjust its position (i.e., relocate) so that a better (and ultimately maximal) coverage is achieved. In this paper, a novel autonomous joint sensing range and relocation control algorithm is presented that achieves improved coverage and network lifetime at the same time. In the proposed algorithm, the sensing range of each sensor is adjusted iteratively based on its residual energy. At the same time, the sensor is directed to move within its corresponding multiplicatively weighted Voronoi region to ultimately increase sensing coverage in the field. Simulation results demonstrate the efficacy of the technique.