Optimal Rate-Based Image Transmissions via Multiple Paths in Wireless Sensor Network

Many sensor applications such as monitoring and surveillance may require image sensor array to conduct collaborative image transmissions in wireless sensor network (WSN). The large size image transmission in WSN is a bottleneck due to the limited energy resources. In this paper, we propose an optimal scheme for image sensors to utilize inter-sensor correlations to decide transmission patterns based on a multi-level rate-oriented routing (MLRR) routing scheme, which achieves high energy efficiencies and longer network lifetime. This optimization scheme allows each image sensor to transmit optimal fractions of the overlapped images through appropriate multiple rate-oriented routing paths. The simulation results by using GA algorithm show that the proposed image transmission scheme can achieve considerable gains in terms of the WSN energy efficiency and network lifetime extension.