Sensor Node Deployment Strategy for Maintaining Wireless Sensor Network Communication Connectivity

Abstract

We propose a rescue robot sensor network system in which a teleoperated rescue robot sets up a wireless sensor network (WSN) to gather disaster information in post-disaster underground spaces. In this system, the rescue robot carries wireless sensor nodes (SNs) and deploys them between gateways in an underground space on demand by the operator’s command to establish a safe approach path before rescue workers enter. However, a single communication path only is setup, because the rescue robot linearly deploys SNs between gateways. Hence, the rescue robot cannot be operated remotely if the communication path is disconnected by, for example, SN failure or changes in the environmental conditions. Therefore, SNs must be adaptively deployed so as to maintain WSN communication connectivity and negate such situations. This paper describes an SN deployment strategy for construction of a WSN robust to communication disconnection, caused by SN failure or deterioration of communications quality, in order to maintain communication connectivity between SNs. We thus propose an SN deployment strategy that uses redundant communication connection and ensures communication conditions between end-to-end communications of the WSN. The proposed strategy maintained communication conditions such that throughput between end-to-end communications in the WSN. Experimental results verifying the efficacy of the proposed method are also described.