Architecture of an MAS-Based Intelligent Communication in a WSN

Abstract

Wireless sensor networks (WSNs) are designed to collect information across a large number of sensor nodes with limited batteries. Therefore, it is important to minimize energy consumption of each node, so as to extend the lifetime of the network. This paper proposes the use of an intelligent WSN communication architecture based on a multiagent system (MAS), to ensure optimal data collection. MAS refers to a group of agents that interact and cooperate to achieve a specific goal. To ensure this objective, we propose the integration of a migrating agent into each node to process data and enhance cooperation between neighboring nodes, while mobile agents (MAs) can be used to reduce data transfer between the nodes and send them to the base station (Sink). The collaboration of these agents generates a simple message that summarizes important information to be transmitted by an MA. To reduce the size of MAs, nodes in the network sectors are grouped in such way that, for each MA, an optimal itinerary is established, using a minimum amount of energy with efficient data aggregation within a minimum time. Successive simulations in large-scale sensor networks show the good performance of our proposal in terms of energy consumption and packet delivery rate.