Optimal patterns for four-connectivity and full coverage in wireless sensor networks

In this paper, we study optimal deployment in terms of the number of sensors required to achieve four-connectivity and full coverage under different ratios of sensors' communication range (denoted by r_c) to their sensing range (denoted by r_s). We propose a new pattern, the Diamond pattern, which can be viewed as a series of evolving patterns. When r _c/r_s ≥ √{3}, the Diamond pattern coincides with the well-known triangle lattice pattern; when r_c/r_s ≤√{2}, it degenerates to a Square pattern (i.e., a square grid). We prove that our proposed pattern is asymptotically optimal when r _c/r_s √{2} to achieve four-connectivity and full coverage. We also discove another new deployment pattern called the Double-strip pattern. This pattern provides a new aspect to research on optimal deployment patterns. Our work is the first to propose an asymptotically optimal deployment pattern to achieve four-connectivity and full coverage for WSNs. Our work also provides insights on how optimal patterns evolve and how to search for them. © 2010 IEEE.