Efficient broadcasting with guaranteed coverage in mobile ad hoc networks

We study an efficient broadcast scheme in mobile ad hoc networks (MANETs). The objective is to determine a small set of forward nodes to ensure full coverage. We first study several methods that guarantee coverage when the local view of each node on its neighborhood information is updated in a timely manner. Then we consider a general case where nodes move even during the broadcast process, making it impractical to maintain up-to-date and consistent local views. A formal framework is used to model inaccurate local views in MANETs, where full coverage is guaranteed if three sufficient conditions, connectivity, link availability, and consistency, are met. Three solutions are proposed to satisfy those conditions. First, we give a minimal transmission range that maintains the connectivity of the virtual network constructed from local views. Then, we use two transmission ranges, one for neighborhood information collection and the other for actual data transmission, to form a buffer zone that guarantees the availability of logical links in the physical network. Finally, we propose a mechanism called aggregated local view to ensure consistent local views. By these, we extend Wu and Dai's coverage condition for broadcasting in a network with mobile nodes. The effectiveness of the proposed scheme is confirmed via both performance analysis and simulation study.