Sensor Deployment and Target Localization Based on Virtual Forces

Sensor Deployment and Target Localization Based on Virtual Forces Yi Zou and Krishnendu Chakrabarty Abstract— The effectiveness of cluster-based distributed sensor networks depends to a large extent on the coverage provided by the sensor deployment. We propose a virtual force algorithm (VFA) as a sensor deployment strategy to enhance the coverage after an initial random placement of sensors. For a given number of sensors, the VFA algorithm attempts to maximize the sensor field coverage. A judicious combination of attractive and

repulsive forces is used to determine virtual motion paths and the rate of movement for the randomly-placed sensors. Once the effective sensor positions are identified, a one-time movement with energy consideration incorporated is carried out, i.e., the sensors are redeployed to these positions. We also propose a novel probabilistic target localization algorithm that is executed by the cluster head. The localization results are used by the cluster head to query only a few sensors (out of those that report the presence of a target) for more detailed information. Simulation results are presented to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed approach. Index Terms— Sensor coverage, distributed sensor networks, sensor placement, virtual force, localization. I. INTRODUCTION Distributed sensor networks (DSNs) are important for a number of strategic applications such as coordinated target detection, surveillance, and localization. The effectiveness of DSNs is determined to a large extent by the coverage provided by the sensor deployment. The positioning of sensors affects coverage, communication cost, and resource management. In this paper, we focus on sensor placement strategies that maximize the coverage for a given number of sensors within a cluster in cluster-based DSNs. As an initial deployment step, a random placement of sensors in the target area (sensor field) is often desirable, especially if no aprioriknowledge of the terrain is available. Random deployment is also practical in military applications, where DSNs are initially established by dropping or throwing sensors into the sensor field. However, random deployment does not always lead to effective coverage, especially if the sensors are overly clustered and there is a small concentration of sensors in certain parts of the sensor field. The key idea of this paper is that the coverage provided by a random deployment can be improved using a force-directed algorithm. Y. Zou and K. Chakrabarty are with the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Duke University, Durham, NC 27708, USA. E-mail: {yz1, krish}@ee.duke.edu. This research was supported in part by ONR under grant no. N66001- 00-1-8946. It was also sponsored in part by DARPA, and administered by the Army Research Office under Emergent Surveillance Plexus MURI Award No. DAAD19-01-1-0504. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this publication are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the sponsoring agencies. We present the virtual force algorithm (VFA) as a sensor deployment strategy to enhance the coverage after an initial random placement of...

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