Title: Election-based method for fault tolerance in a hierarchical sensor network (EFTOHSN): a case study of an indoor localisation system

Authors: Mohamed Naili; Achour Achroufene; Makhlouf Naili

Addresses: Computer Science Department, University of Bejaia, Bejaia 06000, Algeria ' Laboratoire d'informatique Médical (LIMED), Computer Science Department, University of Bejaia, Bejaia 06000, Algeria ' Computer Science Department, University of Biskra, Biskra 07000, Algeria

Abstract: In the sensor network with a hierarchical topology, the set of sensors is divided into subsets, and each one of them has some defined tasks to accomplish. If a sensor stops executing its tasks (inactive), the sensor network becomes useless or provides false information. To solve this problem, this paper presents a new protocol based on the election concept, where an election process will be triggered once a sensor ceased communicating with the others nodes; one of the existed sensors will be elected, to execute, besides its previous tasks, those of the inactive sensor. We discuss the simulation of our protocol in case of a wireless sensor network for indoor localisation purpose, and analyse its performance regarding the needed time to replace an inactive sensor in several levels of the network hierarchy.

Keywords: fault tolerance; indoor localisation; wireless sensor networks; WSNs; smart homes; election process; case study; simulation; inactive sensors.

DOI: 10.1504/IJSNET.2016.080202

International Journal of Sensor Networks, 2016 Vol.22 No.3, pp.158 - 165

Received: 11 Jun 2013
Accepted: 08 Apr 2014
Published online: 08 Nov 2016 *

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