Lightweight Deployment-Aware Scheduling for Wireless Sensor Networks

Wireless sensor networks consist of a large number of tiny sensors that have only limited energy supply. One of the major challenges in constructing such networks is to maintain long network lifetime as well as sufficient sensing areas. To achieve this goal, a broadly-used method is to turn off redundant sensors. In this paper, the problem of estimating redundant sensing areas among neighbouring wireless sensors is analysed. We present simple methods to estimate the degree of redundancy without the knowledge of location or directional information. We also provide tight upper and lower bounds on the probability of complete redundancy and on the average partial redundancy. With random sensor deployment, our analysis shows that partial redundancy is more realistic for real applications, as complete redundancy is expensive, requiring up to 11 neighbouring sensors to provide a 90 percent chance of complete redundancy. Based on the analysis, we propose a scalable Lightweight Deployment-Aware Scheduling (LDAS) algorithm, which turns off redundant sensors without using accurate location information. Simulation study demonstrates that the LDAS algorithm can reduce network energy consumption and provide desired QoS requirement effectively. This research was partially supported by Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada. Kui Wu received his Ph.D. in Computing Science from the University of Alberta, Canada, in 2002. He joined the Department of Computer Science at the University of Victoria, Canada in the same year and is currently an Assistant Professor there. His research interests include mobile and wireless networks, network performance evaluation, and network security. Yong Gao received his Master's degree and Ph.D. degree in computer science from University of Alberta, Canada, in 2000 and 2005 respectively. He is currently with the Irving K. Barber School of Arts and Sciences, UBC Okanagan, Canada. His research interests include search algorithms and AI, communication networks, and computational biology. Yang Xiao worked at Micro Linear as an MAC (Medium Access Control) architect involving the IEEE 802.11 standard enhancement work before he joined Department of Computer Science at The University of Memphis in 2002. Dr. Xiao is an IEEE Senior member. He was a voting member of IEEE 802.11 Working Group from 2001 to 2004. He currently serves as Editor-in-Chief for International Journal of Security and Networks (IJSN) and for International Journal of Sensor Networks (IJSNet). He serves as an associate editor or on editorial boards for the following refereed journals: (Wiley) International Journal of Communication Systems, (Wiley) Wireless Communications and Mobile Computing (WCMC), EURASIP Journal on Wireless Communications and Networking, and International Journal of Wireless and Mobile Computing. He serves as five lead/sole guest editor for five journal special issues. He serves as a referee/reviewer for many funding agencies, as well as a panelist for NSF. His research interests are Security/ Reliable Communications, Medium Access Control, Mobility/Location/Paging Managements, Cache Access and Replacement Policies, Quality of Service, Energy Efficiency, and Routing in wireless networks and mobile computing.