Life time maximization for connected target coverage in wireless sensor networks with sink mobility

In this paper, we study lifetime maximization problem for a CTC (Connected Target Coverage) scenario in which a determined number of targets should be covered continuously. Previous studies mostly aim at prolong the life time by focusing on the energy consumption of sensor nodes. However, in this paper we exploit the impact of sink mobility on the CTC lifetime. We propose new Linear Programming formulations for both full and partial target coverage scenarios. The proposed formulation gives the position of sink nodes in discrete points of time along with an optimum routing path and scheduling policy. Obtained results are used in the extensive simulation study performed by the OMNET++ simulator. For full target coverage cases, simulation results show that using a mobile sink may lead to improve the network lifetime up to 2.6 times. For partial target coverage scenario, simulation results show that a mobile sink can improve the network lifetime up to 2.5 times.