A model of self deployment to maximise area coverage in sensor networks

A wireless sensor network (WSN) is a self-configuring network of sensor nodes connected by wireless links. The nodes are low cost devices each equipped with sensors, a wireless transceiver with limited range, a processor of limited capacity and a limited amount of storage, bandwidth and energy. Each sensor node is mobile and can make observations within a circular area centred on its own location. Suppose a target area is to be observed by the sensor nodes. The area coverage of the WSN is defined as the fraction of the target area observed by the sensor nodes. We present a method based on simple local rules with few data and computational requirements whereby the sensor nodes deploy themselves in order to maximise the area coverage of the WSN. Simulation experiments investigate the coverage achieved by the sensor nodes when moving on an unbounded plane and when moving on a bounded plane with barriers or hills.