Location and calculation-free node-scheduling schemes in large wireless sensor networks

In wireless sensor networks that consist of a large number of low-power, short-lived, unreliable sensors, one of the main design challenges is to obtain long system lifetime without sacrificing system original performance (sensing coverage and sensing reliability). To solve this problem, one of the potential approaches is to identify redundant nodes at the sensing interface and then assign them an off-duty operation mode that has lower energy consumption than the normal on-duty mode. In our previous work [J. Wireless Commun. Mobile Comput. 3 (2003) 271; Processing of ACM Wireless Sensor Network and Application Workshop 2002, September 2002], we proposed a node-scheduling scheme, which can provide a 100% sensing coverage preservation capability. This, however, requires each node to be aware of its own and its neighbors’ location information. Also, in that scheme, each node has to do accurate geometrical calculation to determine whether to take an off-duty status. In this paper, we propose and study several alternative node-scheduling schemes, which cannot completely preserve the original system coverage, but are nonetheless light-weighted and flexible compared with the previous one. Our simulation results compare these schemes with the previous one and demonstrate their effectiveness.