Analysis of breakdown probability of wireless sensor networks with unreliable relay nodes

In the present paper, we derive an upper bound on the average network breakdown probability of packet networks with unreliable relay nodes. We here assume that relay nodes get independently broken with a given node breakdown probability. A survivor graph is the induced subgraph obtained by removing the broken relay nodes and their connecting edges from the original graph. If the survivor network is disconnected, we consider a network breakdown happens. The primal contribution of the paper is to derive an upper bound on the average network breakdown probability, where the expectation is taken over a regular graph ensemble. The proof of the bound is based on a natural one-to-one correspondence between a regular graph and a regular bipartite graph, and also on enumeration of bipartite graphs satisfying certain conditions. This proof argument is inspired by the analysis of weight distribution for low-density parity-check codes. Compared with estimates of the average network breakdown probability obtained by computer experiments, it is observed that the upper bound provides the values which are not only upper bounds but also precise estimates of the network breakdown probability when the node breakdown probability is small.