Efficient delay-constraint data collection in wireless sensor networks

Abstract

This paper investigates a relaxed version of the delay-constraint (i.e. time dependent) data collection in wireless sensor networks, namely maximizing the number of collected data with given delay-constraint. In particular, we aim to maximize the total amount of data that can be successfully delivered to the base station within a time delay constraint T . In addition, this problem is studied in networks with rechargeable nodes, where the battery of each sensor node can be recharged, by using an external energy source (e.g. the sun). Given all this, we aim to devise an efficient routing algorithm that takes all of the aforementioned aspects into account, exploiting the advantages of the relaxation and the ability of energy recharging. In this paper, we propose a decentralized algorithm for the relaxed problem, which, under certain assumptions, is optimal in terms of achieving maximal collected data. We prove that this algorithm have polynomial time complexity. In addition, by using extensive simulation results, we show that the algorithm has low communication overhead on average.