Interconnecting disjoint network segments using a mix of stationary and mobile nodes

In many applications need arises to connect a set of disjoint nodes or segments. Examples include repairing a partitioned network topology after the failure of multiple nodes, federating a set of standalone networks to serve an emerging event, and forming a strongly connected topology for a sparsely located data sources. Contemporary solutions for interconnecting these disjoint segments/nodes either deploy stationary relay nodes (RN) to form data paths or employ one or multiple mobile data collectors (MDCs) that pick packets from sources and transport them to destinations. The RN-based solution is preferred since it establishes permanent links as opposed to the intermittent links provided by the MDCs. In this paper we investigate the interconnection problem when the number of available RNs is insufficient for forming a stable topology and a mix of RNs and MDCs is to be used. We present an algorithm for determining where the RNs are to be placed and planning optimized travel routes for the MDCs so that the data delivery latency as well as the MDC motion overhead are minimized. The performance of the algorithm is validated through simulation.