A probability density function for energy-balanced lifetime-enhancing node deployment in WSN

Energy is one of the scarcest resources in wireless sensor network (WSN). So the issue of preserving energy requires utmost attention. There are many ways to conserve energy in such a network. One primary way of conserving energy is judicious deployment of sensor nodes within the network area so that the energy flow remains balanced throughout the network. This prevents the problem of occurrence of 'energy holes' and ensures prolonged network lifetime. This work first proposes a probability density function (PDF) and derives its intrinsic characteristics. We have shown the PDF's suitability to model the network architecture considered for the work. Next a node deployment algorithm is developed based on this PDF. Further, we have identified necessary constraints involving different network parameters for ensuring energy balance of the entire network. Performance of the deployment scheme is evaluated in terms of energy balance and network lifetime. Finally the scheme is compared with two existing deployment schemes. Simulation results confirm our scheme's supremacy over the two existing schemes in terms of all the two performance metrics.