Solving coverage problems in wireless sensor networks using cover sets

To achieve power efficient monitoring of targets by sensor networks, various coverage algorithms have been proposed. These algorithms divide the sensor nodes into cover sets, where each cover set is capable of monitoring all targets. Generating the maximum number of cover sets has been proven to be an NP-complete problem and, thus, algorithms producing sub-optimal solutions have been proposed. In this paper we present a novel and efficient coverage algorithm, that can produce both disjoint cover sets, i.e. cover sets with no common sensor nodes, as well as non-disjoint cover sets. While searching for the best sensor to include in a cover set, our algorithm uses a cost function that takes into account the monitoring capabilities of a sensor, its association with poorly monitored targets, but also the sensor’s remaining battery life. Through simulations, we show that the proposed algorithm outperforms similar heuristic algorithms found in the literature, producing collections of cover sets of optimal (or near-optimal) size. The increased availability offered by these cover sets along with the short execution time of the proposed algorithm make it desirable for a wide range of node deployment environments.