Outage minimization of energy-harvesting wireless sensor network supported by UAV

Due to their adaptability, mobility, and capacity to offer an ideal channel, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) have become a potential option for wireless power transfer and data collection in wireless sensor networks (WSNs). This paper examines energy-constrained WSNs, where data transfer to the data center is facilitated by UAV and sensors rely on radio frequency (RF) energy obtained by a Power Beacon (PB). However, due to energy limitations, sensors can only send data using the harvested energy. We consider a WSN in which the nodes are randomly distributed within a circular area, with the PB placed at the center of the WSN. To evaluate the system performance, we consider the dynamic nature of the wireless channel, which includes factors such as signal reflection, scattering, and diffraction. Through numerical analysis and simulations, the main aim is to identify the optimal system parameters that minimize the outage probability. This analysis provides valuable insights for designing more effective and reliable energy-harvesting WSNs with UAV as data collector. By leveraging UAV in WSNs, system performance can be improved, ensuring data transmission to destination nodes placed at a large distance from the WSN.