Consensus based report-back protocol for improving the network lifetime in underwater sensor networks

Abstract

One of the main objectives of wireless sensor network design is to prolong the network lifetime. In underwater sensor networks, this problem is even more critical due to the difficulty in battery replacement and/or recharging. In this paper, we study the problem of extending the network lifetime for underwater sensor networks. We consider a clustered network, that consists of two types of nodes: the cluster heads (“supernodes”) that send the information to the sink, and the ordinary sensor nodes that collect the information about the environment. The nodes are considered to have dynamic stochastic topology, and noisy measurements about their own and their neighbors’ current battery levels. A differentiated consensus based report-back protocol is introduced for determining the workload distribution throughout the network with different algorithms for cluster heads and monitoring sensors. To analyze the original stochastic system, an averaged deterministic model is introduced. In addition, the protocol is also implemented in software to study the performance of the proposed protocol. Results from the implementation show that the proposed protocol achieves consensus among the respective nodes and also has a positive impact on lifetime of the network without any compromise on power efficiency.