Virtual field strategy for collaborative signal and information processing in wireless heterogeneous sensor networks

A novel collaborative signal and information processing (CSIP) method, which is based on virtual fields excited by sensor nodes, is proposed for wireless heterogeneous sensor networks. These virtual fields influence states and operations in sensor nodes located in their regions of influence (ROIs) and thus collaboration is implemented through interactions between surrounding virtual fields and sensor nodes. Described by a group of radial basis functions (RBFs), virtual fields have different magnitudes and ROIs due to different initial energy, communication ranges, sensing ranges and information processing capabilities in heterogeneous sensor nodes. Dynamic mobile agent itinerary decision and adaptive node active probability updating are studied with virtual field strategies in a heterogeneous sensor network using mobile-agent-based computing paradigm. Simulation results demonstrate that this approach can reduce energy consumption in sensor nodes. Information gain efficiency and network lifetime are also increased.