Genetic simulated annealing-based coverage-enhancing algorithm for multimedia directional sensor networks

Multimedia directional sensor network is one kind of directional sensing systems, whose coverage scheme is quite different from the omnidirectional sensing system. And it is often used in atrocious environmental surveillance, such as nuclear contaminative areas, where people can hardly arrive. In this paper, a genetic simulated annealing-based coverage-enhancing algorithm GSACEA is proposed as a coverage-enhancing method in multimedia directional sensor networks. Firstly, GSACEA combines the genetic algorithm and simulated annealing algorithm into an algorithm with new architecture. Then, the proposed GSACEA is applied for the purpose of coverage-enhancing in the case of directional sensor networks with rotational direction-adjustable model. Finally, after series actions of genetic simulated annealing, the proposed method can find the approximate solution to the best area coverage rate. And according to the results of simulations, which compared the proposed method with several other classic coverage-enhancing methods in directional sensor networks, it could be concluded that GSACEA can achieve the highest area coverage rate of directional sensor networks and reduce the iterative computing times simultaneously. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.