Reduction of power consumption in wireless sensor networks for railway disaster prevention and safety monitoring system

Abstract

Wireless sensor network has many advantages. One of the primary benefits is their independence from the wiring costs and constraints, which makes it is suitable for monitoring the environmental conditions around the high-speed railway. However, the energy of the sensor node is limited and railways are often located in remote area. If batteries have to be replaced frequently, the initial cost savings will be lost. Therefore, power efficiency is a critical requirement for wireless sensor networks. In this paper, two algorithms have been investigated for application of wireless sensor network in Railway Disaster Prevention and Safety Monitoring System, which are Advanced Direction-aware Algorithm and Cluster Head Selection Algorithm based on the Dynamic Energy Threshold respectively. Theoretically, both algorithms can effectively extend the lifetime of the wireless sensor network. © 2013 Springer-Verlag.