Method of Data Collection in Wireless Sensor Networks Using Flying Ad Hoc Network

Wireless sensor networks are characterized by the presence of border nodes, which do not always allow data to be transmitted at the required rate. Constant change in routing of data flows forces sensors to work more frequently in the router mode. This increases energy costs, creates an excessive electromagnetic field. In highly specialized hidden sensor networks, a problem arises where frequent radio emission of the sensor is generally undesirable. A new method of data collection in wireless sensor networks is proposed. It is built on the use of an overlay mobile wireless self-organizing network. It is proposed to implement unmanned aerial vehicles as nodes of such a network. The organization of network operation provides for the use of Flying Ad Hoc Network technology. The proposed method includes: partition of the terrain map with sensors into cells, step-by-step data collection, absence of collisions (simultaneous or repeated data collection in one cell). In this method, it is assumed that drones should either exchange service information about the route of movement and the cells they visited, or initially know the route. The results of the model experiment are presented in the paper. The results show the effectiveness of the method. A promising direction of development is the modification of this method for operation in the conditions of electromagnetic suppression, both with known and unknown coordinates of the sensors.

I. Introduction

Modern wireless sensor networks are used for monitoring the state of objects, detecting and identifying external events, monitoring ecological parameters of the environment, etc. [1]. It is adopted to distinguish two basic operating modes of sensors in sensor networks: •

active: registration, transmission, retransmission of data. The operating mode is characterized by a high expenditure of energy resources, electromagnetic pollution of the environment. The sensor network is characterized by a high density of nodes;

•

passive: registration, temporary storage of data and “on demand” transmission. The operating mode is characterized by a small expenditure of energy resources. Such a sensor network can function unnoticed, since there is no electromagnetic radiation before the forced data transfer.