Adaptive Sensor Activation Algorithm for Target Tracking in Wireless Sensor Networks

Abstract

Target tracking is an important application of wireless sensor networks where energy conservation plays an important role. In this paper, we propose an energy-efficient sensor activation protocol based on predicted region technique, called predicted region sensor activation algorithm (PRSA). The proposed algorithm predicts the moving region of target in the next time interval instead of predicting the accurate position, by analyzing current location and velocity of the target. We take these nodes within the predicted region as waiting-activation nodes and establish activation strategy. The fewest essential number of sensor nodes within the predicted region will be activated to monitor the target. Thus, the number of nodes that was involved in tracking the target will be decreased to save energy and prolong the network's operational lifetime. The simulation results demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed algorithm.