A Power Assignment Method for Multi-sink WSN with Outage Probability Constraints

We propose a method for planning large mesh-based WSN with multiple sinks. The relationship between the WSN capacity, sensor power transmission and the outage probability of the path between sensor nodes and sinks is very complex. In order to reduce the problem complexity, we use a multistage approach, where sensor node clustering, sink position selection, sensor node power and channel assignment are solved as independent problems. The multistage approach is used in accordance to two different strategies, named Geometry-Based Clustering (GBC) and Path-Based Clustering (PBC). In the first strategy, the clustering of sensor nodes and the sink selection is based exclusively on the sensor nodes geometric disposition. The second strategy solves the same problem by determining the sink positions by a search method that optimizes the WSN capacity under outage probability constraints.