The Development of Mobile Wireless Sensor Networks: A Survey

The Development of Mobile Wireless Sensor Networks: A Survey

Yuenong Zhu, Kun Hua
Copyright: © 2015 |Pages: 30
DOI: 10.4018/978-1-4666-8251-1.ch011
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Abstract

In this chapter, the authors mainly discuss mobile wireless sensor networks (MWSNs). First, the authors are introduce the evolution of MWSNs from sensor networks to wireless sensor networks, and finally to mobile networks. Second, to provide a general context of MWSNs the authors then compare the peer work of MWSNs in chronological order. The third section discusses typical issues including localization, deployment, resource/energy efficiency and coverage issues. Cross-layer design is considered as one of the most useful ways to improve MWSNs in the future.
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Introduction

Nowadays, sensors have been deployed onto many mobile platforms, such as cars, bikes, planes, animals, and even human body. A general scenario of MWSN is shown in Figure 1. And the organization structure of the whole book chapter is shown in Figure 2.

Figure 1.

The schematic diagram of MWSNs

978-1-4666-8251-1.ch011.f01
Figure 2.

Book chapter organization structure

978-1-4666-8251-1.ch011.f02

Sensor Networks

A sensor network consists in a group of specialized transducers with a communication infrastructure. These specialized transducers intended to monitor and record conditions at diverse locations. Commonly, monitored parameters are temperature, humidity, pressure, wind direction and speed, illumination intensity, vibration intensity, sound intensity, power-line voltage, chemical concentrations, pollutant levels and vital body functions, etc.

A sensor network consists of multiple sensor nodes. Sensor nodes are kind of detection stations, each of them are very tiny, low-cost, light weight and portable. However, sensor nodes have various energy and computational constraints because of their inexpensive nature and ad hoc method of deployment (Bharathidasan, A., & Ponduru, V.A.S., 2003). Every sensor node is equipped with a transducer, microcomputer, transceiver and power source. The transducer generates electrical signals based on sensed physical effects and phenomena. The microcomputer processes and stores the sensor output. The transceiver, which can be hard-wired or wireless, receives commands from a central computer and transmits data to that computer. The power for each sensor node is derived from the electric utility or from a battery.

Sensor networks are applied in a variety of fields including industrial automation, automated and smart homes, video surveillance, traffic monitoring, medical device monitoring, monitoring of weather conditions, air traffic control, robot control and so on.

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