Analytical Demonstration of Energy Consumption in Wireless Sensor Networks

In wireless sensor networks, while network coding technology improves data transmission efficiency, it also introduces additional energy consumption overhead. This paper explores the impact of network coding on energy consumption and its performance degradation trends from an analytical perspective.

Typical analytical models consider several key factors: 1) Network topology determines data forwarding paths; 2) Computational energy consumption from encoding/decoding operations; 3) Redundant power consumption caused by retransmission mechanisms. By establishing mathematical models, we can quantitatively compare energy consumption differences between traditional routing and network coding schemes. Implementation often involves creating energy calculation functions that model encoding complexity and path selection algorithms.

Performance degradation typically manifests as: increased coding opportunities with higher node density, but exponential growth in computational load; in low-battery scenarios, coding benefits may be offset by additional energy consumption. Analysis should focus on energy consumption inflection points—the critical conditions where network coding transitions from energy-saving to energy-consuming. This can be analyzed through threshold detection algorithms that monitor energy consumption patterns.

Such analysis commonly employs simulation verification, observing energy consumption curve variations under different packet generation rates and node deployment densities through parameter scanning. Simulation code typically includes energy monitoring modules and performance evaluation functions. Final conclusions often require balancing the trade-off between latency improvement and energy consumption increase, which can be implemented using multi-objective optimization algorithms.