A Network Structure for Delay-Aware Applications in Wireless Sensor Networks

This chapter investigates the characteristics of a delay-aware data collection network structure in wireless sensor networks. An algorithm for forming such a network structure is proposed for different scenarios. The chapter defines the proposed network structure and explains the algorithm for forming the proposed network structure in different scenarios. A numerical analysis is given to show how different network structures perform in terms of delays in data collection processes. The chapter focuses on investigating the data collection efficiency of networks formed by different clustering algorithms. Data packets generated by sensor nodes are considered as highly correlated, and thus a node is always capable of fusing all received packets into a single packet by means of data/decision-fusion techniques. The proposed network structure can greatly reduce the data collection time while keeping the total communication distance and the network lifetime at acceptable values. © 2014 by Taylor & Francis Group, LLC.