An Efficient Topology Maintenance Algorithm Based on Shortest Path Tree for Wireless Sensor Networks

The topology of a wireless sensor network has a significant effect on the network performance. Although topology control algorithms can optimize the network topology, the resultant topology is usually changeable. In this paper, we focus on how to maintain the network connectivity while reducing the maintenance overhead as some nodes fail. A distributed topology maintenance algorithm based on the shortest path tree is proposed. In this algorithm, nodes in immediate surroundings of a faulty node are first triggered to respond, and if they couldn’t ensure that the network is connected, the other related nodes are further triggered. Simulation results show that the proposed scheme can efficiently maintain the network connectivity with significant reduction in the overhead for topology maintenance.