A CDS-based topology control algorithm for ensuring area coverage and lifetime in wireless sensor networks

Research on connectivity and coverage under the premise of ensuring the network lifetime is one of the basic problems for wireless sensor networks. The CDS-based topology construction algorithms A3 and A3Cov are well-known strategies to save energy and extend the lifetime of wireless sensor networks. By setting the time and energy thresholds in the topology maintenance phase, this paper analyzes the performances of Time-based A3, Time-based A3Cov, Energy-based A3 and Energy-based A3Cov from the aspects of lifetime and sensing coverage. Simulation results show that Energy-based A3Cov performs best before 10000 time units. But it does not perform well in the later stages of the lifetime. So we apply the network coding technology in the Energy-based A3Cov algorithm, and then a new algorithm named Energy-based NCA3Cov is proposed. In which different buffers are set for one-hop nodes (from sink), two-hop nodes (from sink), and important nodes (the node degree is greater than average degree). Information is forwarded only when the buffer is full. Simulation results show that the NCA3Cov is able to find better topologies than the A3Cov algorithm, and extending the network lifetime.