On the two-dimensional coverage area in broadcast ad hoc networks

First, we observe that several analyses of two-dimensional (2-D) broadcast ad hoc networks, such as hidden (exposed) terminal analysis and multi-hop broadcast coverage etc., require computation of an extended coverge area. The coverage area computation is not straightforward or trivial given nodes distributed in a 2-D area. In this paper, we define and formulate a geometric two-dimensional coverage area computation problem that is critical to three types of network analyses. Then, an effective algorithm is proposed to solve the problem. Given positions of the nodes, the defined coverage area can be derived through addressing intersection points of any two contour functions, finding the outmost intersection points, determining the outmost contour, and calculating the coverage area. Effectiveness and complexity of this proposed algorithm are verified and analyzed.