Dynamic Probabilistic Sensing for Enhanced Target Coverage in WRSNs

In wireless sensor networks (WSNs), target coverage is a critical issue. Many existing studies have been proposed for constructing the target coverage, aiming to enhance the surveillance quality while extending the network lifetime. However, they predominantly utilize the Boolean sensing model (BSM), which may lack accuracy. In addition, these studies assumed that sensors are battery-powered with fixed sensing radius, which limits the performance of the target coverage. This article proposes a target coverage algorithm, called maximize surveillance quality while balancing energy consumption and acquisition (MSQBE), which employs probabilistic sensing model (PSM) and solar-powered sensors with adjustable sensing radii, aiming to maximize the surveillance quality while balancing the acquired and consumed energy to perpetuate the network lifetime. The MSQBE initially employs a similarity-based calculation to identify the day in the previous year that most closely resembles the meteorological scenario of the next day. It then uses the photovoltaic (PV) power function from that day to estimate the PV power for the next day, aiming to achieve an accurate estimation of the next day’s PV power. Then, the MSQBE partitions the time into several identical cycles and time slots. The length of each time slot depends on the evaluation of PV power for the next day. These time slots and targets form several space–time points. Finally, the MSQBE designs the task schedule for each sensor, aiming to maximize the surveillance quality of the bottleneck space–time point. The experimental results show that the proposed MSQBE outperforms the existing method in terms of surveillance quality, surveillance stability, and utilization of solar power.

I. Introduction

Wireless sensor networks (WSNs) have been widely applied in many applications, such as environmental monitoring [1], intruder detection [2], and aerospace [24]. The coverage problem is one of the important issues that draw a lot of attention in WSNs. It is noticed that the detection capacity and energy of each sensor are both limited, and therefore, the surveillance quality and network lifetime are two core indicators to assess the performance of the coverage problem [3], [4] and most studies concerned with these two issues. Many functions of WSNs rely on full coverage of specified objects, which can be an area, a barrier, or a set of targets. The area coverage aims to monitor the entire area [5], [6], while barrier coverage aims to detect the intruder [7], [8]. The target coverage aims to monitor a set of given targets [9], [10], [11], which are called points of interest (POIs). The target coverage has been widely applied in many applications such as culture relics, military installations, and smart homes. It is noticed that area and barrier coverage can both be converted into special cases of target coverage, this article aims to address the network lifetime and surveillance quality problems in target coverage scenarios.