Detecting the Boundary of Sensor Networks from Limited Cyclic Information

Abstract

We address the problem of finding the boundaries of a set of points by using a limited range-cyclic order detector. This sensor, denoted by lrcod, is able to detect nearby objects and enumerate them by their cyclic order; neither distance nor the angular position of each object is provided. Boundaries are important in many applications such as detecting the breakdown of networks, insufficient coverage or connectivity, abnormal functioning sensors, and virtual coordinates for routing. We studied the information space of the lrcod sensors and established their capabilities to find inner and outer boundaries. Our proposed approach uses local information to recognize points on the boundary. To discover the complete boundary we define the Right Hand Without Crossings (RHWoC) rule. We also provide a correctness proof of this rule. The experimental evaluation confirms the effectiveness to find the boundary of large sensor networks.