An optimization method for wireless sensor networks coverage based on genetic algorithm and reinforced whale algorithm

In response to the problem of coverage redundancy and coverage holes caused by the random deployment of nodes in wireless sensor networks (WSN), a WSN coverage optimization method called GARWOA is proposed, which combines the genetic algorithm (GA) and reinforced whale optimization algorithm (RWOA) to balance global search and local development performance. First, the population is initialized using sine map and piecewise linear chaotic map (SPM) to distribute it more evenly in the search space. Secondly, a non-linear improvement is made to the linear control factor 'a' in the whale optimization algorithm (WOA) to enhance the efficiency of algorithm exploration and development. Finally, a Levy flight mechanism is introduced to improve the algorithm's tendency to fall into local optima and premature convergence phenomena. Simulation experiments indicate that among the 10 standard test functions, GARWOA outperforms other algorithms with better optimization ability. In three coverage experiments, the coverage ratio of GARWOA is 95.73, 98.15, and 99.34%, which is 3.27, 2.32 and 0.87% higher than mutant grey wolf optimizer (MuGWO), respectively.