Abstract: Since sensors arc constrained by limited energy and small communication diameters, topology control is a primary problem of wireless sensor network engineering. We proposed a cellular automata-based model for addressing the topology control problem. Different from the traditional cluster-based methods, our approach leads a special way to maintain longer system lifetime at the cost of a small proportion of coverage and connectivity rates. We found that nodal state transition rule plays key role in the system topological characteristics. The stable patterns under specific rules meet well the requirements of topology control in sensor networks. Further we discussed the feasibility of this mechanism into engineering design.

Key words: Wireless sensor network, Cellular automaton, Topology control, Non-cluster algorithm