A Hierarchical Model for Reliability Analysis of Sensor Networks

Prior to field deployment, mission critical sensor networks should be analyzed for high reliability assurance. Past research only focused on reliability models for sensor node or network in isolation. This paper presents a comprehensive approach for reliability analysis of a cluster-based sensor network. We use a three-level hierarchical model for sensor networks using fault trees and use Markov chains at the bottom level to model the reliability of individual sensor nodes. We summarize the developed models, showcase the initial numerical results and outline the future avenues of research in the following sections.