GTCharge: A game theoretical collaborative charging scheme for wireless rechargeable sensor networks

Collaborative charging schemes are indeed helpful for energy replenishment. However, classic and traditional collaborative charging schemes are still suffering from a series of severe problems, which are almost neglected. The lack of homogeneity and dynamic charging decisions on collaborative charging schemes in Wireless Rechargeable Sensor Networks (WRSN) deteriorate the charging efficiency. To enhance charging performance, especially in terms of charging efficiency, in this paper, a game theoretical collaborative charging scheme, namely GTCharge is devised. The charging process is converted into a collaborative game taken between wireless charging vehicles (WCVs). We investigate the functionalities of contribution degree, charging priority and profits. Then GTCharge is demonstrated in detail, in which each WCV seeks for the maximum profit when fulfilling charging tasks. The conditions including all WCVs' charging strategies are proven to reach a Nash Equilibrium point. Finally, extensive simulations are conducted to show the advantages of the proposed scheme. Simulation results demonstrate the merits of the proposed scheme in terms of charging efficiency.