OWER-MDG: A novel energy replenishment and data gathering mechanism in wireless rechargeable sensor networks

Current study on prolonging lifetime for wireless sensor networks (WSNs) mainly focuses on two techniques. The first technique is to reduce energy consumption of sensor nodes, while the second technique is to recharge sensor nodes by harvesting energy from the ambient environment or RF based energy transmission. However, neither of these two techniques are able to guarantee network lifetime and network performance. In order to achieve perpetual operation for WSNs while providing high network utility, in this paper we propose an optimal wireless energy replenishment and mobile data gathering mechanism (OWER-MDG) which charges sensor nodes effectively and collects data from the network using a mobile vehicle (SenCar). We study the application of OWER-MDG in WSNs and provide an efficient algorithm which maximizes network utility. Our numerical results demonstrate the performance advantage of OWER-MDG and provide a guidance on parameter selection for system design.