Extending the lifetime of wireless sensor networks from the perspective of sensor scheduling and wireless communication

Abstract

Wireless sensor networks (WSNs) are becoming increasingly common in a wide variety of settings. Since most sensor nodes are powered by batteries, energy efficiency is critical. In this paper, we investigate problems that cause short battery life in WSNs from two perspectives. First, from the perspective of the execution forms of sensors in a sensor node, we note that simultaneous sensor activation generates high peak power consumption. Therefore, battery voltage drops quickly, and sensors stop working even though some useful charge remains in the battery. Second, from the perspective of wireless communication, communication distances must be considered in minimizing energy consumption. Moreover, the energy hole problem, which is known to cause non-uniform energy drains in many communication topologies, results in premature termination of entire networks. The goal of this paper, therefore, is to describe novel approaches for separately solving the aforementioned problems in order to extend the lifetime of WSNs.