Column generation algorithm for sensor coverage scheduling under bandwidth constraints

This article addresses three problems that arise in coverage scheduling for wireless sensor networks subject to bandwidth constraints. The first problem focuses on minimizing the total breach under a lifetime constraint, where a breach occurs when some targets are not covered by active sensors. The second problem aims at maximizing the network lifetime under a breach constraint. Finally, the problem of computing the possible trade‐offs between breach and lifetime offered by the sensor network is also addressed. An exact approach based on a column generation algorithm is proposed for solving these problems, and a heuristic is also derived from it and briefly presented. The use of a genetic algorithm within the column generation scheme appears to significantly decrease computation time. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. NETWORKS, 2012