Monte Carlo localization of wireless sensor networks with a single mobile beacon

One of the most important tasks in sensor networks is to determine the physical location of sensory nodes as they may not all be equipped with GPS receivers. In this paper we propose a localization method for wireless sensor networks (WSNs) using a single mobile beacon. The sensor locations are maintained as probability distributions that are sequentially updated using Monte Carlo sampling as the mobile beacon moves over the deployment area. Our method relieves much of the localization tasks from the less powerful sensor nodes themselves and relies on the more powerful beacon to perform the calculation. We discuss the Monte Carlo sampling steps in the context of the localization using a single beacon for various types of observations such as ranging, Angle of Arrival (AoA), connectivity and combinations of those. We also discuss the communication protocol that relays the observation data to the beacon and the localization result back to the sensors. We consider security issues in the localization process and the necessary steps to guard against the scenario in which a small number of sensors are compromised. Our simulation shows that our method is able to achieve less than 50% localization error and over 80% coverage with a very sparse network of degree less than 4 while achieving significantly better results if network connectivity increases.     

An analytical geometric range free localization scheme based on mobile beacon points in wireless sensor network

In many applications of wireless sensor network, the position of the sensor node is useful to identify the actuating response of the environment. The main idea of the proposed localization scheme is similar with most of the existing localization schemes, where a mobile beacon with global positioning system broadcast its current location coordinate periodically. The received information of the coordinates help other unknown nodes to localize themselves. In this paper, we proposed a localization scheme using mobile beacon points based on analytical geometry. Sensor node initially choose two distant beacon points, in-order to minimize its residence area. Later using the residence area, sensor node approximate the radius and half length of the chord with reference to one of the distant beacon point. Then the radius and half length of the chord are used to estimate the sagitta of an arc. Later, sensor node estimate its position using radius, half length of the chord, and sagitta of an arc. Simulation result shows the performance evaluation of our proposed scheme on various trajectories of mobile beacon such as CIRCLE, SPIRAL, S-CURVE, and HILBERT.     

HiRLoc: high-resolution robust localization for wireless sensor networks

In this paper, we address the problem of robustly estimating the position of randomly deployed nodes of a wireless sensor network (WSN), in the presence of security threats. We propose a range-independent localization algorithm called high-resolution range-independent localization (HiRLoc), that allows sensors to passively determine their location with high resolution, without increasing the number of reference points, or the complexity of the hardware of each reference point. In HiRLoc, sensors determine their location based on the intersection of the areas covered by the beacons transmitted by multiple reference points. By combining the communication range constraints imposed by the physical medium with computationally efficient cryptographic primitives that secure the beacon transmissions, we show that HiRLoc is robust against known attacks on WSN, such as the wormhole attack, the Sybil attack, and compromise of network entities. Finally, our performance evaluation shows that HiRLoc leads to a significant improvement in localization accuracy compared with state-of-the-art range-independent localization schemes, while requiring fewer reference points.     

Geometrical Localization Algorithm for Three Dimensional Wireless Sensor Networks

The issue of localization has been addressed in many research areas such as vehicle navigation systems, virtual reality systems, user localization in wireless sensor networks (WSNs). In this paper, we have proposed an efficient range-free localization algorithm: Geometrical Localization Algorithm (GLA) for large scale three dimensional WSNs. GLA uses moving anchors to localize static sensors. GLA consists of beacon message selection, circular cross section selection. Three beacon messages are used to compute the center of circular cross section using vector method and perpendicular bisector method. The static sensors are localized with help of the center of circular cross section and geometrical rules for sphere. GLA is simulated in SINALGO software and results have been compared with existing methods namely chord selection and point localization. GLA outperforms both the compared methods in terms of average localization time and beacon overhead.     

Coverage in Hybrid Mobile Sensor Networks

This paper considers the coverage problem for hybrid networks which comprise both static and mobile sensors. The mobile sensors in our network only have limited mobility, i.e., they can move only once over a short distance. In random static sensor networks, sensor density should increase as O(log L + k log log L) to provide k-coverage in a network with a size of L. As an alternative, an all-mobile network can provide k-coverage with a constant density of O(k), independent of network size L. We show that the maximum distance for mobile sensors is O( 1/sqrt(k) log^(4/3)(kL)). We then propose a hybrid network structure, comprising static sensors and a small fraction of O( 1/sqrt(k)) of mobile sensors. For this network structure, we prove that k-coverage is also achievable with a constant sensor density of O(k). Furthermore, for this hybrid structure, we prove that the maximum distance which any mobile sensor has to move is bounded as O(log^(3/4)L). We then propose a distributed relocation algorithm, where each mobile sensor only requires local information in order to optimally relocate itself. We verify our analysis via extensive numerical evaluations and show an implementation of the mobility algorithm on real mobile sensor platforms.     

一种基于网络密度分簇的移动信标辅助定位方法

现有移动信标辅助定位算法未充分利用网络节点分布信息,存在移动路径过长及信标利用率较低等问题。该文把网络节点分簇、增量定位与移动信标辅助相结合,提出了一种基于网络密度分簇的移动信标辅助定位算法(MBL(ndc))。该算法选择核心密度较大的节点作簇头,采用基于密度可达性的分簇机制把整个网络划分为多个簇内密度相等的簇,并联合使用基于遗传算法的簇头全局路径规划和基于正六边形的簇内局部路径规划方法,得到信标的优化移动路径。当簇头及附近节点完成定位后,升级为信标,采用增量定位方式参与网络其它节点的定位。仿真结果表明,该算法定位精度与基于HILBERT路径的移动信标辅助定位算法相当,而路径长度不到后者的50％。     

Reference node placement and selection algorithm based on trilateration for indoor sensor networks

The key problem of location service in indoor sensor networks is to quickly and precisely acquire the position information of mobile nodes. Due to resource limitation of the sensor nodes, some of the traditional positioning algorithms, such as two‐phase positioning (TPP) algorithm, are too complicated to be implemented and they cannot provide the real‐time localization of the mobile node. We analyze the localization error, which is produced when one tries to estimate the mobile node using trilateration method in the localization process. We draw the conclusion that the localization error is the least when three reference nodes form an equilateral triangle. Therefore, we improve the TPP algorithm and propose reference node selection algorithm based on trilateration (RNST), which can provide real‐time localization service for the mobile nodes. Our proposed algorithm is verified by the simulation experiment. Based on the analysis of the acquired data and comparison with that of the TPP algorithm, we conclude that our algorithm can meet real‐time localization requirement of the mobile nodes in an indoor environment, and make the localization error less than that of the traditional algorithm; therefore our proposed algorithm can effectively solve the real‐time localization problem of the mobile nodes in indoor sensor networks. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Randomized carrier-based sensor relocation in wireless sensor and robot networks

A wireless sensor network (WSN) is an effective surveillance tool for various applications. One of its functional bases is coverage. Stochastic node dropping and node failure greatly impair coverage, creating sensing holes, while redundant sensors may exist in other areas in the network. This problem was not considered before and we propose first solutions to it. We propose a family of localized robot-assisted sensor relocation algorithms including R3S2, G-R3S2, C-R3S2 and C-G-R3S2. Robots move within the network to discover sensing holes and redundant sensors by local communication and transfer the discovered redundant sensors to the encountered sensing hole positions. In R3S2, robots move at random; in G-R3S2, robots random movement is restricted on a virtual grid and biased toward least recently visited grid points. C-R3S2 and C-G-R3S2 are respectively the variants of R3S2 and G-R3S2 where clustering and virtual force techniques are adopted to merge local sensing holes. Through extensive simulation we show the effectiveness and practicality of these algorithms and evaluate their performance. The simulation results indicate that grid-based variants outperforms non-grid counterparts across all measured metrics and cluster-based variants offer noticeable improvement to those that use no clusters.     

Improved TOA‐Based Localization Method with BS Selection Scheme for Wireless Sensor Networks

The purpose of a localization system is to estimate the coordinates of the geographic location of a mobile device. The accuracy of wireless localization is influenced by non‐line‐of‐sight (NLOS) errors in wireless sensor networks. In this paper, we present an improved time of arrival (TOA)–based localization method for wireless sensor networks. TOA‐based localization estimates the geographic location of a mobile device using the distances between a mobile station (MS) and three or more base stations (BSs). However, each of the NLOS errors along a distance measured from an MS (device) to a BS (device) is different because of dissimilar obstacles in the direct signal path between the two devices. To accurately estimate the geographic location of a mobile device in TOA‐based localization, we propose an optimized localization method with a BS selection scheme that selects three measured distances that contain a relatively small number of NLOS errors, in this paper. Performance evaluations are presented, and the experimental results are validated through comparisons of various localization methods with the proposed method.     

Charging utility maximization in wireless rechargeable sensor networks

Wireless energy transfer as a promising technology provides an alternative solution to prolong the lifetime of wireless rechargeable sensor networks (WRSNs). In this paper, we study replenishing energy on sensors in a WRSN to shorten energy expiration durations of sensors, by employing a mobile wireless charger to replenish sensors dynamically. We first formulate a novel sensor recharging problem with an objective of maximizing the charging utility of sensors, subject to the total traveling distance of the mobile charger per tour and the charging time window of each to-be-charged sensor. Due to the NP-hardness of the problem, we then propose an approximation algorithm with quasi-polynomial time complexity. In spite of the guaranteed performance ratio of the approximate solution, its time complexity is prohibitively high and may not be feasible in practice. Instead, we devise a fast yet scalable heuristic for the problem in response to dynamic energy consumption of sensors in the network. Furthermore, we also consider the online version of the problem where sensor replenishment is scheduled at every fixed time interval. We finally conduct extensive experiments by simulation to evaluate the performance of the proposed algorithms. Experimental results demonstrate that the proposed algorithms are very promising.     

Path planning using a mobile anchor node based on trilateration in wireless sensor networks

In wireless sensor networks (WSNs), many applications require sensor nodes to obtain their locations. Now, the main idea in most existing localization algorithms has been that a mobile anchor node (e.g., global positioning system‐equipped nodes) broadcasts its coordinates to help other unknown nodes to localize themselves while moving according to a specified trajectory. This method not only reduces the cost of WSNs but also gets high localization accuracy. In this case, a basic problem is that the path planning of the mobile anchor node should move along the trajectory to minimize the localization error and to localize the unknown nodes. In this paper, we propose a Localization algorithm with a Mobile Anchor node based on Trilateration (LMAT) in WSNs. LMAT algorithm uses a mobile anchor node to move according to trilateration trajectory in deployment area and broadcasts its current position periodically. Simulation results show that the performance of our LMAT algorithm is better than that of other similar algorithms. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Movement-assisted sensor deployment

Abstract-Adequate coverage is very important for sensor networks to fulfill the issued sensing tasks. In many working environments, it is necessary to make use of mobile sensors, which can move to the correct places to provide the required coverage. In this paper, we study the problem of placing mobile sensors to get high coverage. Based on Voronoi diagrams, we design two sets of distributed protocols for controlling the movement of sensors, one favoring communication and one favoring movement. In each set of protocols, we use Voronoi diagrams to detect coverage holes and use one of three algorithms to calculate the target locations of sensors it holes exist. Simulation results show the effectiveness of our protocols and give insight on choosing protocols and calculation algorithms under different application requirements and working conditions.     

Reliable Anchor-Based Sensor Localization in Irregular Areas

Localization is a fundamental problem in wireless sensor networks and its accuracy impacts the efficiency of location-aware protocols and applications, such as routing and storage. Most previous localization algorithms assume that sensors are distributed in regular areas without holes or obstacles, which often does not reflect real-world conditions, especially for outdoor deployment of wireless sensor networks. In this paper, we propose a novel scheme called Reliable Anchor-based Localization (RAL), which can greatly reduce the localization error due to the irregular deployment areas. We first provide theoretical analysis of the minimum hop length for uniformly distributed networks and then show its close approximation to empirical results, which can assist in the construction of a reliable minimal hop-length table offline. Using this table, we are able to tell whether a path is severely detoured and compute a more accurate average hop length as the basis for distance estimation. At runtime, the RAL scheme 1) utilizes the reliable minimal hop length from the table as the threshold to differentiate between reliable anchors and unreliable ones, and 2) allows each sensor to determine its position utilizing only distance constraints obtained from reliable anchors. The simulation results show that RAL can effectively filter out unreliable anchors and therefore improve the localization accuracy.     

Distributed localization using mobile beacons in wireless sensor networks

A new distributed node localization algorithm named mobile beacons-improved particle filter (MB-IPF) was proposed. In the algorithm, the mobile nodes equipped with globe position system (GPS) move around in the wireless sensor network (WSN) field based on the Gauss-Markov mobility model, and periodically broadcast the beacon messages. Each unknown node estimates its location in a fully distributed mode based on the received mobile beacons. The localization algorithm is based on the IPF and several refinements, including the proposed weighted centroid algorithm, the residual resampling algorithm, and the markov chain monte carlo (MCMC) method etc., which were also introduced for performance improvement. The simulation results show that our proposed algorithm is efficient for most applications.     

Heterogeneous Cooperative Localization for Social Networks

Location-aware techniques has become a hot research topic with great value in commercial and military applications. Cooperative localization, which utilizes multiple sensors in portable devices to estimate locations of the mobile users in the social networks, is one of the most promising solution for the indoor geo-location. Traditional cooperative localization methods are based on ranging techniques, they are highly dependent on the distance interpreted from the received signal strength (RSS) or time of arrival from anchors. However, a precise ranging procedure demands high performance hardware which would increase the cost to the current mobile platform. In this paper, we describes four ranging-free probabilistic cooperative localization algorithms: centroid scheme, nearest neighbor scheme, kernel scheme and AP density scheme to improve the accuracy for the indoor geo-location using current mobile devices. Since the GPS sensor embedded in the smart phone is able to provide accurate location information in the outdoor area, those mobile nodes can be used as calibrated anchors. The position of the indoor mobile node can be estimated by exchanging locations and RSSs from shared wireless access points information between the target node and anchor nodes. An empirical evaluation of the system is given to demonstrate the feasibility of these cooperative localization algorithms by reporting the results in a real-world environments, e.g. suburban area and city downtown. Moreover, we compared our results with the WiFi positioning system made by Skyhook Wireless to validate the accuracy of the proposed algorithms. Meanwhile, a Monte Carlo simulation is carried out to evaluate the performance of the cooperative algorithms under different scenarios. Results show that given the same scenario setting, the AP density scheme and kernel scheme outperform than other schemes.     

基于连通度和加权校正的移动节点定位算法

移动节点定位问题是无线传感器网络中的研究重点。针对移动节点定位误差大的问题,提出一种基于连通度和加权校正的移动节点定位算法。在未知节点移动过程中,根据节点间连通度大小选取参与定位的信标节点,利用加权校正方法修正RSSI测距信息,然后用最小二乘法对未知节点进行位置估计。仿真分析表明,节点通信半径和信标密度在一定范围内,该算法表现出良好的定位性能,定位精度明显提升。     

Mobile anchor assisted particle swarm optimization (PSO) based localization algorithms for wireless sensor networks

Node localization is essential to wireless sensor networks (WSN) and its applications. In this paper, we propose a particle swarm optimization (PSO) based localization algorithm (PLA) for WSNs with one or more mobile anchors. In PLA, each mobile anchor broadcasts beacons periodically, and sensor nodes locate themselves upon the receipt of multiple such messages. PLA does not require anchors to move along an optimized or a pre‐determined path. This property makes it suitable for WSN applications in which data‐collection and network management are undertaken by mobile data sinks with known locations. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first time that PSO is used in range‐free localization in a WSN with mobile anchors. We further derive the upper bound on the localization error using Centroid method and PLA. Simulation results show that PLA can achieve high performance in various scenarios. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Low-latency neighbor discovery algorithm based on multi-beacon message in mobile low-duty-cycle sensor network

Neighbor discovery enables nodes in the networks to discover each other through simple information interaction,which was suitable for the new mobile low duty cycle sensor network (MLDC-WSN).However,because the nodes in MLDC-WSN can move randomly and sleep,the network topology was changed frequently,which results in that some nodes need a lot of energy and time to find their neighbors.How to realize fast neighbor discovery for all nodes in the network was a difficult problem in current research.To solve this problem,a new low-latency neighbor discovery algorithm based on multi-beacon messages was proposed.In this algorithm,the nodes were discovered by sending a short beacon message through their neighbor nodes,and by adjusting the time and frequency of beacon message sent,a lower neighbor discovery delay was obtained.Eventually,through quantitative analysis and simulation experiments,it is found that compared with existing algorithms,this algorithm can find all neighbor nodes in MLDC-WSN with less energy consumption,lower latency and greater probability.     

Model-Reference Control Approach to Obstacle Avoidance for a Human-Operated Mobile Robot

Because the obstacle-avoidance function is indispensable for providing the safe and easy operation of human-operated robotic systems, this paper deals with the obstacle-avoidance control for a human-operated mobile robot in unknown environments. A general type of two-wheeled mobile robot with inexpensive distance sensors to detect obstacles is considered. Because the robot cannot move in arbitrary directions due to a nonholonomic constraint, we propose a model-reference control approach, in which a reference model generates the desired trajectory to satisfy the nonholonomic constraint, and the robot follows the desired trajectory. The reference model has the steering-like and brake-like functions that are adjusted according to the distance-sensor information. The stability of the proposed control system is analyzed with a linear model. The effectiveness of the proposed method is confirmed by experiments in which several operators handle the robot in an environment with obstacles.