On exploiting signal irregularity with topology control for mobile underwater wireless sensor networks

Signal irregularity phenomenon affecting network protocols is prone to exhibit in underwater environments, and previous efforts about topology control of underwater sensor networks either have not been made about signal irregularity, or the irregularity models are overly utopian. This paper constructs a more authentic signal irregularity model, which can be degenerated into a variety of special cases easily, and three representative topology control objectives ((K_S,β)-Coverage, (K_C,α)-Connectivity, and efficient consumption) are concluded. A topology control algorithm for signal irregularity (TCAI) is designed for this topology control problem. The results show the convergence of TCAI and polynomial complexity as well. The performance of the algorithm is also analyzed through simulations that indicate a well-constructed topology, where (K_C,β)-Coverage and (K_C,α)-Connectivity can be achieved while optimizing energy consumption as much as possible.