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Load balancing is of great significance to extend the longevity of wireless sensor networks, due to the inherent imbalanced energy overhead in such networks. However, existing solutions cannot balance the load distribution in partially disconnected wireless sensor networks. For example, if a network is partitioned into several segments with different area sizes, some areas have much more traffic load than other areas. In this article, we propose a load-balanced routing scheme, which aims to balance energy consumption within each segment and among different segments. First, we adopt unequal transmission distances to build initial routing for intrasegment load balancing. Second, we adopt the genetic algorithm to build extra routing between different segments for intersegment load balancing. The unique character of our work is twofold. On one hand, we investigate partitioned wireless sensor networks where there are several isolated segments. On the other hand, we pursue load balancing from a global perspective rather than from a local one. Some simulations verify the effectiveness and the advantages of our scheme in terms of extra deployment cost, system longevity, and load balancing degree. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The node deployment in mobile sensor networks (MSNs) is mostly performed in a random method. However, a large number of redundant nodes may exist due to the randomness. As a result, severe data congestion may be caused and the quality of coverage (QoC) is undermined. In order to solve this QoC problem, we propose an Energy-efficient Nonlinear Coverage Control Protocol (ENCP). This protocol utilizes the normal distribution to calculate the minimal number of sensors which is required to guarantee coverage over the monitoring area. We also balance the node energy consumption and achieve the collaborative scheduling among all the sensor nodes. Meanwhile, when a certain QoC is guaranteed, we present the calculation model for the normal distribution of the sensing ranges and the proportional relationship between different parameters in the QoC function. Finally, simulation results show that the ENCP could not only improve the network QoC and network coverage rate but also effectively control the energy exhaustion at the nodes. Therefore, the network lifetime can be effectively prolonged. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]