Maximizing Coverage in Heterogeneous Mobile Sensor Networks via a Gradient-Based Method without Direct Coverage Assessment

In this paper, a novel distributed gradient-based deployment strategy is proposed to maximize the coverage of heterogeneous wireless sensor networks. A reformulation of the conventional coverage function is introduced, and subsequently, the overall coverage area of the network is determined using Green’s theorem. The feasibility of distributed computation for the corresponding gradient function is also investigated. Unlike most of the existing results, the proposed approach is not based on the Voronoi partitioning of the sensing field. Moreover, the method does not require the communication topology to be connected. The convergence of the sensors to a locally optimal configuration under the proposed strategy is proven, and the resultant performance is demonstrated via simulations.