Coverage control in wireless sensor networks

The coverage control problem is one of the primary issues for Quality of Service (QoS) in WSNs, which effectively improve network connectivity, coverage and self-localization accuracy. In this chapter, we present several effective coverage control algorithms of WSNs. As homogeneity affects coverage rate and algorithm efficiency, we categorize coverage control algorithms into homogeneous algorithms and heterogeneous algorithms. For homogeneous sensor network, we firstly present an autonomous triangular deployment for optimal coverage (ATDOC) algorithm to avoid the nodes stacking problem in traditional virtual force approach. We also present an extended virtual force-based approach (EVFA) that overcome the connectivity maintenance problem in the traditional virtual force algorithm. As the orientation control can eliminate coverage holes and reach reliable connectivity, the Distance and Orientation Control (DOC) algorithm is proposed. For the heterogeneous sensor network, Self-Deployment by Delaunay Triangulation Graph (SDDTG) algorithm is presented and achieves non-redundant coverage. Finally, the Energy Balanced Redeployment Algorithm (EBRA) is proposed to solve the energy-balanced problems in heterogeneous mobile sensor networks.