A Parallel Multi-Path Routing Algorithm for Flexible Transmission in Wireless Sensor Networks

Multi-path strategy is one of the favorable choices for various applications and environments in sensor networks. In this paper, we study how to choose multi-paths effectively by taking full advantage of the known geographic information. Geographic routing has to face a fundamental difficulty: the local minimum phenomenon. To help the packets get out of the local minima, long-known right hand rule is used, which lose many links and doesn ´t suit parallel multi-paths. We propose a new method that greedy forwarding can be used in local minima through restricting forwarding regions. Based on the new method, a parallel multi-path routing algorithm (P2MR) is proposed. It can flexibly adjust forwarding schemes to satisfy different requirements of applications. Simulations show that P2MR can improve the performance of networks significantly.