Localization Algorithm for Wireless Sensor Networks Based on Modified Distance Estimation

The distance vector-hop wireless sensor node location method is one of typical range-free location methods. In distance vector-hop location method, if a wireless node A can directly communicate with wireless sensor network nodes B and C at its communication range, the hop count from wireless sensor nodes A to B is considered to be the same as that form wireless sensor nodes A to C. However, the real distance between wireless sensor nodes A and B may be dissimilar to that between wireless sensor nodes A and C. Therefore, there may be a discrepancy between the real distance and the estimated hop count distance, and this will affect wireless sensor node location error of distance vector-hop method. To overcome this problem, it proposes a wireless sensor network node location method by modifying the method of distance estimation in the distance vector-hop method. Firstly, we set three different communication powers for each node. Different hop counts correspond to different communication powers; and so this makes the corresponding relationship between the real distance and hop count more accurate, and also reduces the distance error between the real and estimated distance in wireless sensor network. Secondly, distance difference between the estimated distance between wireless sensor network anchor nodes and their corresponding real distance is computed. The average value of distance errors that is computed in the second step is used to modify the estimated distance from the wireless sensor network anchor node to the unknown sensor node. The improved node location method has smaller node location error than the distance vector-hop algorithm and other improved location methods, which is proved by simulations.