Decentralized Hypothesis Testing in Sensor Networks

Abstract: Wireless sensor networks (WSNs) play an important role in the future ofInternet of Things IoT systems, in which an entire physical infrastructurewill be coupled with communication and information technologies. Smartgrids, smart homes, and intelligent transportation systems are examples ofinfrastructure that will be connected with sensors for intelligent monitoringand management. Thus, sensing, information gathering, and efficientprocessing at the sensors are essential.An important problem in wireless sensor networks is that of decentralizeddetection. In a decentralized detection network, spatially separatedsensors make observations on the same phenomenon and send informationabout the state of the phenomenon towards a central processor. The centralprocessor (or the fusion center, FC) makes a decision about the state of thephenomenon, base on the aggregate received messages from the sensors. Inthe context of decentralized detection, the object is often to make the bestdecision at the FC. Since this decision is made based on the received messagesfrom the sensors, it is of interest to optimally design decision rules atthe remote sensors.This dissertation deals mainly with the problem of designing decisionrules at the remote sensors and at the FC, while the network is subjectto some limitation on the communication between nodes (sensors and theFC). The contributions of this dissertation can be divided into three (overlapping)parts. First, we consider the case where the network is subjectto communication rate constraint on the links connecting different nodes.Concretely, we propose an algorithm for the design of decision rules at thesensors and the FC in an arbitrary network in a person-by-person (PBP)methodology. We first introduce a network of two sensors, labeled as therestricted model. We then prove that the design of sensors’ decision rules,in the PBP methodology, is in an arbitrary network equivalent to designingthe sensors’ decision rules in the corresponding restricted model. We alsopropose an efficient algorithm for the design of the sensors’ decision rules inthe restricted model.Second, we consider the case where remote sensors share a commonmultiple access channel (MAC) to send their messages towards the FC, andwhere the MAC channel is subject to a sum rate constraint. In this situation,ithe sensors compete for communication rate to send their messages. Wefind sufficient conditions under which allocating equal rate to the sensors,so called rate balancing, is an optimal strategy. We study the structure ofthe optimal rate allocation in terms of the Chernoff information and theBhattacharyya distance.Third, we consider a decentralized detection network where not onlyare the links between nodes subject to some communication constraints,but the sensors are also subject to some energy constraints. In particular,we study the network under the assumption that the sensors are energyharvesting devices that acquire all the energy they need to transmit theirmessages from their surrounding environment. We formulate a decentralizeddetection problem with system costs due to the random behavior of theenergy available at the sensors in terms of the Bhattacharyya distance.