A Multiple Mobile Chargers Collaboratative Recharging Scheme for Enhanced Data Quailty and Sustainable Lifetime in WRSNs
Zhijie Hu, Xiaolin Gui, Chih‐Yung Chang, Xu Zhang, Diptendu Sinha Roy · IEEE Sensors Journal · 2025
With the rapid advancement of Internet of Things (IoT) technology, wireless sensor networks (WSNs) have become increasingly pivotal across various domains. However, the limited battery life of sensor nodes remains a critical bottleneck affecting their development and sustainability. In wireless rechargeable sensor networks (WRSNs), existing multiple mobile chargers (MCs) approach face challenges, including uneven node distribution, suboptimal charging station placement, and poor coordination, resulting in diminished recharging efficiency and degraded surveillance quality. Therefore, this study proposes a cooperative recharging mechanism for WRSNs based on multiple MCs. This mechanism first uses attractive-repulsive forces and Voronoi diagrams to achieve sensor relocation, resulting in a more balanced distribution of sensor nodes and improved spatial surveillance quality. Second, by optimizing the number and location of recharging stations (RSs) and dividing the surveillance area into multiple subregions, each served by a single MC, recharging efficiency is enhanced while satisfying the energy capacity constraints of MCs. Finally, the batch recharging strategy is adopted, and the sensing frequency of sensors are adjusted based on the recharging interval to improve temporal surveillance quality. Simulation results demonstrate that the proposed mechanism outperforms existing algorithms in terms of energy consumption, recharging efficiency, and surveillance quality, effectively extending the lifetime of WRSNs and improving surveillance quality, providing a new perspective for the sustainable development and application of WRSNs.