Dynamic resource allocation for target tracking in robotic sensor networks

A sensor network is generally composed of a set of sensors with limited computation capability and power supply. Thus, a well-defined resource allocation scheme is essential for maintaining the whole sensor network. This paper investigates the dynamic resource allocation problem in a sensor and robot network for mobile target tracking tasks. Most of the sensors will be in sleep mode except for the ones that can contribute for tracking. The sensor network resource allocation is achieved by a hierarchical structure-clustering. Upon detecting an interesting event, a set of sensors form a cluster. Only cluster members will be activated during the tracking task. The cluster headship and membership will be updated based on the target´s movement properties. In this paper, the clustering algorithm considers sensing area with communication holes and a routing tree is set up within the cluster. For a cluster with communication and/or sensing holes, mobile sensors will be deployed to enhance the sensing and communication capability in the clustering area. Simulations have been used to verify the proposed algorithm.