MC³: A Multicharger Cooperative Charging Mechanism for Maximizing Surveillance Quality in WRSNs

Recharging strategies for sensors within wireless rechargeable sensor networks (WRSNs) have emerged as a critical concern in recent years. Prior research has investigated harnessing energy from the ambient environment. However, due to environmental volatility, the reliability of such energy sources cannot be assured. Alternative approaches have used mobile chargers (MCs) to replenish energy-deficient sensors, but these methods tend to suffer from diminished efficiency in large-scale networks. This study proposes a cooperative recharging mechanism involving multiple chargers, named MC3, which aims to equalize the workloads across MCs while concurrently minimizing sensors’ recharging waiting time. The mechanism enables MCs to adjust their recharging groups based on their current positions and allows sensors to select the best MC, thus fulfilling the dual objectives of equitable workload distribution and minimization of the recharging path. The experimental study shows that the proposed algorithm outperforms the existing algorithms in terms of the waiting time of sensors, recharging effectiveness (RE), and workload balance of MCs.