Abstract
Keywords
Introduction
Wireless sensor network (WSN) is a self-organizing network composed of a large number of microsensor nodes deployed in the monitoring area. It can be widely used in national defense and military, agriculture and forestry monitoring, rescue and disaster relief, and many other fields. 1 Because the nodes have certain physical perception and communication computing ability, they can be deployed in some harsh environments that cannot be reached by human beings and sparsely populated complex environments, in order to replace human beings for perceptual monitoring. Usually, the range within the sensing radius of the sensor can be effectively covered by the monitoring system, which is the traditional disk sensing model.
Recently, the research in the field of passive location provides a new perceptual coverage model for the research of coverage control in sensor networks.2–4 Passive location system can detect and locate the existence of people around us through the wireless signal propagation of multiple wireless links. This new sensing model uses the packet transmission between wireless links to monitor whether there is a target intrusion. The principle is that the existence of human beings will change the transmission channel of the link; monitoring the received signal strength indication (RSSI) of the wireless signal can sense whether people appear around the link. Previous experiments have verified that the sensing region of the wireless link can be approximated to an ellipse whose focus is located at the location of the transmitting node and the receiving node. This new perception model provides a new idea for the design of a new monitoring system. At the same time, we observe that wireless nodes are basically pre-installed in the interior of the building, which can be used as sending nodes. In this case, we only need to deploy some receiving nodes to cover important monitoring locations within the area. In order to save deployment costs, we need to consider how to use a minimum number of destination receiving nodes to cover areas that need to be monitored.
Although coverage and optimal deployment have been deeply studied, it is not easy to solve the new three-dimensional (3D) coverage problem. The main challenge is that the shape of the monitoring area of the receiving node is irregular, and the deployment of a receiving node can form a monitoring unit with multiple sending nodes around it. For three-dimensional space, the monitoring area of the link model can be approximated to an ellipse. When multiple links formed by the same receiving node are combined, the monitoring area is shaped like a sunflower. This irregular coverage area makes some assumptions in the existing work untenable, and they assume that the coverage area of the node is a regular disk. In this article, we study the optimal link coverage problem. The goal is to deploy the least number of destination receiving nodes to co-cover the areas that need to be monitored. The main contributions of this article are as follows:
We construct the link coverage model in three-dimensional wireless sensor network (3D-WSN), extend the traditional plane coverage to spatial coverage, and extend the traditional disk awareness model to a more practical link model.
Based on this new link awareness model, we combine and improve the traditional genetic algorithm (GA) and particle swarm optimization (PSO) algorithm to explore the optimal coverage problem of receiving nodes. Based on the basic GA, the PSO algorithm which integrates the idea of simulated annealing is regarded as an important operator of the GA. The improved algorithm can converge to the optimal solution quickly and get the deployment location of the receiving node to cover the monitoring area.
Through the simulation experiment, the change curve of coverage rate under different parameters is given, and compared with other literature algorithms, the effectiveness of the proposed algorithm is verified.
Set up a real experimental environment for coverage verification, by comparing the RSSI fluctuation range and standard deviation to monitor the coverage area, the experimental results verify the feasibility of the method.
The rest of this article is organized as follows: we briefly review the related works in section “Related work.” In section “Problem modeling,” we describe the network model and related definitions of the method. We present the method design and the design details of the GA/self-adaptive particle swarm optimization (SAPSO) in section “GA/SAPSO algorithm design.” Experimental setups, evaluations, comparisons, results, and discussions are reported in section “Experimental results and discussion.” Finally, we conclude the work in section “Conclusion.”
Related work
The main goal of optimization in coverage problem is to reduce the number of deployed nodes and optimize the scheduling of working sensor set in order to prolong the survival time of WSNs. We introduce the existing research work according to the different coverage models.
The first research on the optimization problem in coverage is based on the disk perception model. In order to solve the problem of coverage redundancy caused by the random deployment of large-scale sensor networks, Miao et al. 5 proposed a 3D self-deployment algorithm, which uses negotiation strategy to ensure the effective connectivity of the network, and introduces density control strategy to make the nodes distribute evenly. The algorithm can realize the uniform and autonomous deployment of nodes in three-dimensional space with obstacles. Zhang et al. 6 proposed an efficient mobility scheme energy-efficient motion strategy (EEMS), triangulates the monitoring area, and judges the coverage hole by monitoring whether the key point is within the perceptual range of the network node. And the greedy algorithm is used to match the mobile nodes with the key points to get the optimal scheduling scheme. Saha and Das 7 divide the network deployment area into equilateral hexagons, with each vertex and center of the hexagonal as the target coverage location. The algorithm ensures coverage by selecting the most appropriate node near each target location to move to the corresponding location. Li et al. 8 proposed a randomized robot-assisted relocation of static sensors (R3S2) that uses robots to assist node relocation to detect and repair holes. The holes and redundant nodes in the network are determined by the random movement of the robot in the monitoring area, and then the redundant nodes are moved to the holes to repair the holes. Ammari and Das 9 proposed a centralized cluster K coverage configuration protocol, using the constructed network model to analyze the coverage protocol, and given the comparative relationship between communication radius and perception radius when K coverage is completed. T Razafindralambo and D Simplot-Ryl 10 proposed a connectivity-preserving coverage algorithm, which uses the relative neighbor graph and the characteristics of node deployment to maintain network connectivity and coverage in the mobile deployment of sensor nodes. In order to solve the problem of network connectivity, Liao et al. 11 proposed a Steiner tree scheme with limited edge length to solve the problem of mobile sensor node deployment.
The research work based on disk model provides some ideas for solving the actual coverage problem, but because the attenuation of actual signal propagation and the influence of measurement error are not taken into account, the scale disease model is often too simple and impractical. Subsequent researchers12,13 began to consider the coverage problem based on the probabilistic coverage model, which is closer to the perceptual behavior of the actual sensor than the disk model. In order to reduce the false alarm rate of the sensor and improve the recognition rate, the data fusion technology is introduced into the coverage research. For the monitoring of the target position, the data fusion processes the sensor monitoring data around the target position to determine whether the target appears or not. Data fusion effectively reduces the impact of measurement errors on sensor coverage. Researchers began to introduce data fusion into target classification, target recognition, and target tracking to improve the monitoring performance of the system. Tan et al. 14 pointed out that the probabilistic perception model can improve network coverage performance more effectively than the 0/1 model. The 0/1 model is only suitable for the case of high signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), and the probabilistic perception model is based on data fusion. It can be applied to the case of low SNR ratio. Xing et al. 15 gave the relationship between coverage, network density, and SNR ratio of received signals from the point of view of theoretical analysis and proved that compared with disk coverage, data fusion can effectively reduce the number of deployed nodes through cooperation between sensor nodes. Under the probability perception model, Zorbas and Razafindralambo 16 increase the lifetime of the network by constructing the primary connected dominated set (CDS) of the network to select the coverage set of the target. Cao et al. 17 considered the problem of maximizing network lifetime based on the value fusion model in data fusion. Lu and Guo 18 studied the fence coverage under the probability perception model and proposed an optimal deployment strategy which can monitor the moving target less than the critical speed using the data fusion technology of adjacent nodes.
In recent years, the research in the field of passive location19–22 provides a new sensing model to monitor the presence of intruders. The new sensing model uses packet transmission between wireless links to monitor the presence of intruders. Previous experiments 23 have verified that the sensing area of the wireless link can be approximated to an ellipse focusing on the location of the transmitting node and the receiving node. Different from the traditional sensor node–centric sensing model, the new sensing model is a wireless link–centric coverage model. 24 The optimization problem under the link coverage model has not been studied by researchers. Therefore, we study the area coverage problem of the minimum receiving node based on this new link awareness model.
Problem modeling
In this section, we will describe the problem based on the link coverage model and give the relevant definitions.
Link coverage model
The link coverage model originates from the research of passive location. The location system realizes the location of the target through the influence of the existence of human on the wireless transmission channel, that is, the change of wireless signal RSSI. This provides a new coverage model for us to study the coverage problem. We call it the link coverage model by checking the RSSI of the signal on the wireless link to detect the existence of human beings.
The implementation of link coverage requires the sending node to periodically send packets to the surrounding receiving nodes. For a stable environment, the RSSI value received by the receiving node is stable, that is, the standard deviation of the RSSI value is very small. When a person appears around the link, the RSSI value received by the receiving node of the link has a large standard deviation relative to the stable environment. The main reason is that the existence of human beings will affect the wireless transmission channel, resulting in the change of RSSI value. We can set a threshold to sense whether the people around us exist or not. Early studies have shown that the sensing area of a wireless link can be approximated by an ellipse at the location of the receiving node and the transmitting node. Therefore, in our three-dimensional space, the perceptual region of the link coverage model can be approximated to an ellipse, as shown in Figure 1.

Link coverage model.
Human appearance in the region of ellipsoid perception can be sensed, and appearance in the outside of the ellipsoid cannot be detected. For a link-aware area consisting of a sending node
where
Problem description
Assuming that some of the sending nodes have been pre-deployed to the monitoring area, selecting the least number of locations to deploy the receiving nodes to cover the monitoring area as much as possible is called the optimal link coverage problem. Considering the deployment of sensor nodes, an important indicator is how to continuously supply power to sensor nodes. For short-term experiments, three No. 5 batteries per node are sufficient. However, for the long-term deployment of monitoring systems, the power supply of sensor nodes is generally supplied by direct current. In indoor and outdoor application environments, the location of AC sockets is usually limited, which correspondingly limits the location where the receiving node can be deployed.
Figure 2 shows a simple example of an optimal link coverage problem in which there are four monitoring targets (M1, M2, M3, and M4) and four sending nodes (S1, S2, S3, and S4). Here are two kinds of covering sets. In this case, an overlay set refers to a collection of node deployment locations where the deployment node can cover all monitoring targets. The overlay set in Figure 2(a) is {L2}, while the overlay set in Figure 2(b) is {L2}. It is clear that Figure 2(b) is better deployed, requiring only the deployment of nodes at candidate location L2 to form a wireless link with the four sending nodes to cover all monitoring targets.

3D link coverage set: (a) two receiving nodes are deployed in L1, L3 and (b) a receiving node is deployed in L2.
Related definition
Definition 1 (valid coverage area):
25
When an intruder is located at any point in a specified area and can be perceived by node
Definition 2 (coverage):
25
The coverage of node
Definition 3 (connectivity):
25
If the total number of nodes in the monitoring area is
Network coverage under link model
Ideally, if a part of the monitoring area is within the perceptual range of any node, the area is said to be fully covered and the network coverage is 1. In practical application, due to the particularity of the shape of the link model, it is difficult to calculate the union of the node coverage area, resulting in the solution of network coverage is more difficult. Therefore, this article proposes a cube-based network coverage solution in three-dimensional environment, which converts the situation of the monitoring area perceived by the node into the situation that the cube is perceived by the node.
The method of approximate calculation of network coverage is to divide the monitoring area into cubes with equal volume. If the cube is divided small enough, the degree to which the cube is covered by nodes can be approximated to the degree to which the center point of the cube is covered by nodes. In this way, the coverage of the network can be approximated to the case where all the center points of the cube are covered by nodes. Assuming that the number of cubes in the monitoring area is
In the formula,
Because the center point of cube
In this article, the probability that the center point of all cubes in the monitoring area is perceived by at least one node is approximated to network coverage
GA/SAPSO algorithm design
In this section, we will introduce the implementation of GA/SAPSO in the GA part and the PSO algorithm part and then introduce the fusion of these two parts.
GA part
The GA takes all the individuals in a population as the object and uses the random optimization technique to search the encoded parameter space efficiently. In the search process, the information of the search space is automatically obtained and accumulated, and then the search process is controlled adaptively to obtain the optimal solution. In each generation of GA, individuals are selected according to the adaptability of individuals in the problem domain and the reconstruction methods in natural genetics, and genetic mechanisms such as crossover and mutation are used to recombine individuals. Finally, according to the principle of survival of the fittest, an approximate optimal solution is generated one after another among all the potential solutions. Among them, selection, crossing, and mutation are the basic operations of GA. Parameter coding, initial population setting, fitness function design, genetic operation design, and control parameter setting are the core contents of GA.
In the link of GA, GA/SAPSO algorithm adopts real number coding. Assuming that there are
After that, the core links of GA, such as selection, crossing, and mutation, are performed. The probability that each receiving node is selected is proportional to its fitness. Assuming that the population size, that is, the number of receiving nodes is
Among them, the crossing rate is
PSO algorithm part
PSO algorithm is to simulate the flight foraging behavior of birds, through the collective cooperation between birds to achieve the best. When using PSO algorithm to solve practical problems, the feasible solution of the problem is equivalent to the position of birds in search space; these birds are particles. Particles have position and velocity information that determines the direction of the search and the distance they move. Particles have a fitness value, which is calculated by the fitness function and is used to determine the performance of the particle searchable solution. The PSO algorithm initializes the particle swarm into a set of random solutions, and all the particles search for the optimal solution in the solution space according to the current optimal particles. In the iterative process, the particle determines the next search direction and distance according to the two extremes, that is, to calculate the updated position and velocity information, which are the individual extremum and the global extremum, respectively. Among them, the individual extreme value is the optimal solution found by the particle itself, and the global extreme value is the optimal solution found by the whole particle swarm.
GA/SAPSO algorithm extends the particle swarm into three-dimensional space; a sensor node is a particle. In the population
where
In 1983, Kirkpatrick et al. compared the solid annealing process with the optimization problem and proposed a simulated annealing algorithm for the global optimal solution of the combinatorial optimization problem. Compared with some previous algorithms, this method has the advantages of simple description, flexible operation and low initial conditions, and is especially suitable for parallel computing, which has attracted extensive attention. The simulated annealing algorithm has the ability of probability mutation in the search process and can effectively prevent the algorithm from falling into local optimization in the iterative process. PSO algorithm is easy to fall into local optimization in the process of search, which leads to premature convergence. Therefore, in the part of PSO algorithm, we combine the global search ability of PSO algorithm with the local detection ability of simulated annealing algorithm to improve the performance of PSO algorithm. 32 We set the initial temperature to
According to the adaptation value
The cooling operation is as follows
where
Algorithm implementation
GA/SAPSO algorithm is based on the basic GA; at the same time, the PSO algorithm which integrates the idea of simulated annealing is regarded as an important operator of the GA, which can converge to the optimal solution quickly and improve the running efficiency of the algorithm. First of all, the GA/SAPSO algorithm is selected according to the fitness function, and the selected receiving nodes directly enter the next-generation population. Second, the unselected receiving nodes are optimized by the improved SAPSO algorithm, and the optimized nodes also enter the next-generation population. The fitness function of the next-generation population was recalculated after crossing and variation operation, so that the adaptation function could be iterated.
The specific implementation process of GA/SAPSO algorithm is as follows:
Each possible point of the search space is encoded, that is, the coordinates of the receiving node and its definition domain.
To determine the number of initial receiving nodes
An initial population
The fitness function value of the receiving node in
Calculate whether the current population is full of nodes with fitness requirements at the end of the algorithm, if so, go to step 17, otherwise go to step 6.
According to the value of node fitness function, a part of the nodes is selected to enter the
The remaining nodes in step 6 are used as the initial particle swarm to initialize the basic parameters such as the maximum number of iterations, inertia weight, learning factor, and annealing constant. The position of each particle in the initialization population is the coordinate of the remaining receiving node in step 6, and the velocity of each particle is randomly initialized.
After calculating the adaptation value
Determining the initial temperature according to formula (12).
Combining the fitness value
The substitute value
Calculate the fitness value of each particle to update the
Perform a cooling operation according to equation (14).
If the particle swarm reaches the preset precision value or the maximum number of iterations, the particle position is selected as the
Perform crossover and mutation operators on the
If
Selecting the position information of the individual with higher fitness value in the current population as the result output.
The algorithm ends.
Experimental results and discussion
In this section, we explain the analysis of experimental setups and results. Experimental simulation and experimental verification of the proposed method were carried out. In the experimental simulation part, we simulated the performance of the algorithm in MATLAB programming and compared it with other algorithms. In the experimental verification part, the real indoor and outdoor experimental scenes were built for coverage verification, and the coverage area was monitored by comparing the fluctuation range of the RSSI value and the standard deviation.
Experimental simulation
In order to verify the performance of the algorithm, we use MATLAB 2014 to carry out simulation experiments. In the simulation experiment, we can adjust the parameters as follows: the size of the ellipsoid semi-long axis
Simulation parameters.
Effect of tunable parameters on algorithm performance
In order to verify the performance of the algorithm and the effects of the tunable parameters

(a) The performance of the algorithm with the change of parameter
Figure 3(a) shows the relationship between coverage and population size, that is, the number of receiving nodes, when the number of sending nodes is fixed and the long axis
Figure 3(b) shows the relationship between coverage and population size, that is, the number of receiving nodes, when the long axis
Comparison of algorithm performance
In order to verify the feasibility and convergence speed of the algorithm, we select the classical GA and PSO algorithm as a comparison of the following experiments. In the first group of experiments, 32 sending nodes are randomly deployed in the monitoring area, and the parameter

(a) Performance comparison of different algorithms and (b) comparison of convergence rate of different algorithms.
Figure 4(a) shows the relationship between coverage and population size when running GA/SAPSO, PSO, and GA algorithms. With the increase of population size, the three intelligent algorithms will improve the coverage of the network. It can be seen that the GA/SAPSO algorithm proposed in this article is obviously better than the PSO algorithm and the GA algorithm. In terms of the maximum coverage that can be achieved under different population sizes, the GA/SAPSO algorithm has a great improvement compared with the GA algorithm, but the advantage of the PSO algorithm is not obvious at the initial stage with the increase of population size. When the population size is larger than 9, the coverage rate of GA/SAPSO algorithm is larger, which is gradually better than that of PSO algorithm. In terms of coverage growth, the coverage growth rate of GA/SAPSO algorithm and GA algorithm increases at first and then slows down. Among them, when the population size is 12, the coverage rate of GA/SAPSO algorithm reaches 80% and then slows down. When the population size is 14, the growth rate of GA algorithm slows down after 83%. Both algorithms grow rapidly in the early stage, and can reach the peak quickly. However, the coverage rate of GA algorithm is only 74.5% when the population size is 12, while the coverage rate of GA/SAPSO algorithm is 90% when the population size is 14. Therefore, with the increase of population size, the coverage rate of GA/SAPSO algorithm and GA algorithm is faster and can reach the peak value quickly, but the peak value of GA/SAPSO algorithm is much higher than that of GA algorithm under different population sizes. When the population size is less than 9, the coverage of PSO algorithm and GA/SAPSO algorithm go hand in hand, but because the coverage rate of PSO algorithm is slow, when the population size is larger than 9, the coverage rate of GA/SAPSO algorithm is obviously higher than that of PSO algorithm. Therefore, no matter in terms of the maximum coverage that can be achieved under different population sizes, or in terms of coverage growth, the GA/SAPSO algorithm is superior to the GA algorithm and the PSO algorithm.
Figure 4(b) shows the relationship between coverage and the number of iterations when running GA/SAPSO, PSO, and GA algorithms. In terms of the maximum coverage that can be achieved by the same number of iterations, the GA/SAPSO algorithm is obviously superior to the GA algorithm and the PSO algorithm. In terms of coverage growth, the GA/SAPSO algorithm approaches the peak and converges rapidly at 140 iterations, while the remaining two algorithms are still growing rapidly after 140 iterations. Therefore, the GA/SAPSO algorithm can reach the optimal value faster and the convergence speed is faster. In the aspect of algorithm convergence, the GA/SAPSO algorithm shows a better simulation effect. From the change curve of the GA/SAPSO algorithm, it can be seen that the algorithm can continuously jump out of the local optimal solution and converge to the global optimal solution more quickly. Compared with Figure 4(a), the initial coverage in Figure 4(b) is relatively large and the later coverage is similar, indicating that the number of receiving nodes has a greater impact on the coverage than the number of iterations. To sum up, the feasibility and convergence speed of GA/SAPSO algorithm are better than the other two algorithms.
Experimental verification
In order to verify the practical application of this method, we set up an experimental platform for practical verification. The equipment used in the experiment is the STM32W108 development board, and the node uses the STM32W108 radio frequency transceiver module which conforms to the IEEE802.15.4/ZigBee standard. The development board supports random selection of channels 11–26, and the radio frequency transceiver module sends broadcast packets on one of the channels randomly selected by the development board. Figure 5(a) and (b) shows the circuit boards of the STM32W108 development board and the radio frequency transceiver module, respectively, powered by a battery box with three No. 5 batteries. The online debugging circuit is a 20-pin Joint Test Action Group (JTAG) circuit, which can be connected to JLink to realize program burning and online debugging.

(a) STM32W108 development board and (b) STM32W108 wireless RF transceiver module.
In the experiment, we select the indoor space of 5 m × 5 m × 3 m and the outdoor space of 10 m × 10 m × 3 m as the experimental scene. Among them, the indoor scene includes tables and chairs and other obstacles, as well as glass, display screen, and other special materials that can make the wireless signal multi-path propagation; the outdoor scene is flat and wide without any obstacles. The sensor node is deployed on a tripod with a maximum adjustable height of 2 m from the ground. In the center of the monitoring area, the development board connected to the PC through the serial port line is the receiving node, listens to all the data transmission in the network, and transmits the received data packets to the PC through the USB. Figure 6(a) and (b) shows the indoor and outdoor experimental scenarios we built, respectively.

(a) Indoor experiment scene and (b) outdoor experimental scene.
Experimental design
In the experimental scenario of 5 m × 5 m × 3 m shown in Figure 6(a), we randomly select seven locations to deploy the sending node, and according to the coordinate operation algorithm of the seven randomly deployed sending nodes, we get the best deployment location of the receiving node. For the specific location of the sending node, see the yellow circle in Figure 6(a), and for the specific location of the receiving node, see the red circle in Figure 6(a). In the experiment, the long axis

Monitoring area division map.
In Figure 7, the red base station in the middle is the receiving node, and the seven wireless transceiver modules around are the transmitting nodes. We divide the monitoring area into seven subdomains, and the boundary of each subdomain is the angular bisector between the sending node and its adjacent nodes. After the operation of the network, taking into account the height of the sending node, the obstacles in the process of data transmission, and the multi-path effect of data transmission, we select four areas I, III, IV, and VI for coverage verification. In the process of coverage verification, we asked a tester with height of 173 cm to stand in each of the four selected areas. Since the presence of a person affects the channel of the wireless link, we can determine whether there is someone nearby based on the RSSI of the wireless signal to achieve coverage verification. The indoor scene test diagram is shown in Figure 8.

Sub-domain coverage test chart in indoor scene: (a) tester appears in subdomain I, (b) tester appears in subdomain III, (c) tester appears in subdomain IV, and (d) tester appears in subdomain IV.
Figure 8 shows a test chart of an indoor scene with obstacles. In order to facilitate the comparison, we expand the indoor scene. First of all, the indoor space of 5 m × 5 m × 3 m is extended to the indoor space of 10 m × 10 m × 3 m, which becomes more empty in the experimental space. In addition, it eliminates the influence of obstacles and greatly reduces the interference of multi-path effect and becomes more accurate in data transmission. Other conditions remain the same, and the outdoor scene test effect is shown in Figure 9.

Sub-domain coverage test chart in outdoor scene: (a) tester appears in subdomain I, (b) tester appears in subdomain III, (c) tester appears in subdomain IV, and (d) tester appears in subdomain IV.
Experimental analysis
Figures 10 and 11 show the coverage test results when the tester appears in four different subdomains in both indoor and outdoor cases, and the coverage effect is verified by the fluctuation of RSSI value. We compared the fluctuation curves of four groups of RSSI in the two cases. The black line in each set of curves represents the change of the RSSI value of the sending node in the subdomain of the tester. For a more intuitive representation, we give the standard deviation of each of the eight groups of curves, as shown in Table 2.

Coverage test renderings of indoor scenes: (a) tester appears in subdomain I, (b) tester appears in subdomain III, (c) tester appears in subdomain IV, and (d) tester appears in subdomain IV.

Coverage test renderings of outdoor scenes: (a) tester appears in subdomain I, (b) tester appears in subdomain III, (c) tester appears in subdomain IV, and (d) tester appears in subdomain IV.
RSSI fluctuation variance table.
RSSI: received signal strength indicator.
It can be seen that in the four cases shown in Figure 10, the fluctuation of the black line is more obvious, and the maximum fluctuation range is between 15 and 25. Compared with the black line, the fluctuation of the remaining six curves is relatively stable, and the maximum fluctuation range is between 1 and 10. By comparing the fluctuations of the seven curves in each case, the monitoring situation of each subdomain can be obtained. If the fluctuation value is less than 10, the fluctuation of the subdomain is more stable, and we regard it as normal fluctuation; if the fluctuation value is greater than 15, the fluctuation of the subdomain is more obvious, and we regard it as an intrusion. When the fluctuation value is between 10 and 15, we regard it as an error range, which may be a normal fluctuation or an invasion, which requires further analysis. In the indoor environment, combined with Table 2, we can see that when the tester appears in subdomains I, III, and VI, the standard deviation of the RSSI value corresponding to the sending node in all three cases is between 4.6 and 5.5. It is much larger than the standard deviation of 0.4–2.3 of the RSSI value of the remaining sending nodes. Therefore, the effect of coverage monitoring is better in these three cases. When the tester appears in subdomain IV, the standard deviation of the RSSI value of the sending node is only 2.83, and the maximum standard deviation of the RSSI value of the remaining sending nodes in the set of curves is 2.29. In this case, the two values are relatively close, so we need to combine the fluctuations of the two curves to analyze in detail. In Figure 10(c), the maximum fluctuation range of the RSSI value of the sending node corresponding to subdomain VI of the tester is 15, but when the tester does not appear, the RSSI value is more stable, so the standard deviation of the RSSI value is small. In this group of curves, the maximum fluctuation range of the RSSI value of the sending node corresponding to the standard deviation of 2.29 curve is 7, but under normal conditions, the RSSI value fluctuates greatly, so the standard deviation is larger.
As shown in Figure 10, the fluctuation range of the black line in the four cases shown in Figure 11 can still be significantly different from the remaining six curves. In the outdoor environment, the overall fluctuation range of the seven curves is small, and the RSSI values are all between −85 and −70. This shows that in the more open outdoor environment, after weakening the influence of obstacles and glass, display screen, and other factors, the fluctuation range of RSSI value is more stable. However, due to the expansion of the scope of the monitoring area, resulting in the overall reduction of RSSI, wireless signal reception intensity weakened. Similarly, combined with Table 2, we can see that when the tester appears in subdomains I, IV and VI, the standard deviation of the RSSI value of the corresponding sending node is much larger than that of the remaining sending node. When the tester appears in subdomain III, the standard deviation of the RSSI corresponding to the sending node and other sending nodes in the group is relatively close, which needs to be analyzed in detail according to the fluctuation of the two curves. Compared with indoor and outdoor conditions, although the fluctuation range of outdoor environment is small, but at the same time RSSI as a whole is also smaller. This shows that under the same conditions, the wireless signal reception intensity will be weakened when the monitoring range is expanded, but the effective coverage monitoring can still be achieved.
To sum up, whether in the indoor environment where there are obstacles and special materials that affect the multi-path propagation of wireless signals, or in the outdoor environment, which is relatively empty and greatly reduces the interference of multi-path effect, we can all monitor the coverage area through the fluctuation of RSSI.
Conclusion
The problem of coverage control in three-dimensional environment is a meaningful task. Similarly, the link-aware coverage model is more practical than the traditional disk model. In this article, a method of receiving node coverage deployment based on link model is proposed. We construct the link coverage model in 3D-WSN, extend the traditional plane coverage to spatial coverage, and extend the traditional disk awareness model to a more practical link model. Based on this new link awareness model, the area coverage problem of the minimum receiving node is explored. We combine and improve the traditional GA and PSO algorithm to quickly get the deployment location of the receiving node to cover the monitoring area. In addition, we set up a real experimental environment for coverage verification; by comparing the fluctuation range of RSSI value and standard deviation to monitor the coverage area, the experimental results verify the feasibility of the method. In the next step, we will expand the coverage verification area and further study the network energy consumption in the coverage verification process.
