Grid-Based Hole Recovery Mechanism Using Virtual Force in Hybrid WSNs

Abstract

Sensor nodes are typically empowered with scarce energy resources and limited computing functionality in wireless sensor networks. However, nonuniform random deployment, depletion, and failure of sensor nodes will lead to generating coverage hole in the entire network. These hole problems to occur result in reducing the data transmission performance or in additional power consumption. Consequently, the hole problem is an important factor for the coverage completeness to prolong the network lifetime in wireless sensor networks. We have proposed a hole recovery mechanism based on the grid architecture in hybrid wireless sensor networks. Moreover, virtual force theory is utilized to determine which mobile node should enforce the recovery task. Based on the simulation results, the proposed mechanism is demonstrated to be able to prolong the network lifetime more than 10% with other proposed mechanisms. Otherwise, the proposed mechanism could maintain much more rounds for at least 80% network coverage ratio than other mechanisms.