Maximizing the Lifetime of Wireless Sensor Networks Using Multiple Sets of Rendezvous

Abstract

In wireless sensor networks (WSNs), there is a “crowded center effect” where the energy of nodes located near a data sink drains much faster than other nodes resulting in a short network lifetime. To mitigate the “crowded center effect,” rendezvous points (RPs) are used to gather data from other nodes. In order to prolong the lifetime of WSN further, we propose using multiple sets of RPs in turn to average the energy consumption of the RPs. The problem is how to select the multiple sets of RPs and how long to use each set of RPs. An optimal algorithm and a heuristic algorithm are proposed to address this problem. The optimal algorithm is highly complex and only suitable for small scale WSN. The performance of the proposed algorithms is evaluated through simulations. The simulation results indicate that the heuristic algorithm approaches the optimal one and that using multiple RP sets can significantly prolong network lifetime.