Minimum energy path planning for ad hoc networks

Abstract

We introduce the problem of finding a path for a mobile node traveling from a source to a destination while communicating with at least one node from a set of stationary nodes in such a way that minimizes the transmission energy used in communication. We characterize this problem and introduce two algorithms. The first is a recursive algorithm useful for problems with one communication node. We show the limitations of this algorithm and how it can find suboptimal paths. The second algorithm, the discretized graph algorithm, can be applied to problems with more communication nodes. We find parameters that allow energy efficient paths to be found in suitable time. We demonstrate the applicability of the minimum energy path planning problem and how the discretized graph algorithm can be used in a more general context through an example.