Dynamic deployment of mobile sensor nodes to optimize barrier coverage

Abstract Building sensor barriers has become a crucial challenge in wireless sensor networks (WSNs), particularly for border line of country and home security applications where the goal is to detect intruders entering secured areas. This paper presents a dynamic deployment strategy based on a hybrid algorithm that combined the Virtual Force Algorithm (VFA) with Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO) to establish an effective sensor barrier within a defined rectangular region. The problem of barrier coverage is formulated as an optimization task, with the objective of maximizing coverage probability while minimizing the number of mobile sensors required. Both the classical VFA and the proposed hybrid (VFA+PSO) algorithm are applied to this problem for comparative analysis. The performance of the algorithms is evaluated in terms of barrier coverage probability, sensor utilization, energy consumption (mobility cost), convergence rate and scalability. Simulation results demonstrate that the VFA+PSO algorithm consistently achieved higher barrier coverage probabilities, required fewer sensors, and demonstrated lower energy consumption due to reduced average sensor movement. It also showed a faster convergence rate, requiring fewer iterations to reach a stable configuration.