An evolutionary approach for the design of nonredundant sensor networks

In this work, solution strategies for the optimal design of nonredundant observable linear sensor networks are discussed. The Greedy algorithm allows the problem only to be tackled for a subset of optimization criteria. Particular deterministic techniques or general evolutionary strategies are necessary to solve the problem for more complex objective functions. In this context, a procedure based on the application of genetic algorithms (GAs) and linear algebra is presented. Ad hoc operators are designed for the crossover and mutation operations because the classic genetic operators perform poorly. In contrast to ad hoc deterministic codes, which find the design solution for each specific criteria, this strategy allows the problem to be solved with different objective functions using the same implementation. Furthermore, this code is extended to handle multiobjective problems through a modification of only the selection operator. An industrial example is provided to show the efficiency of the algorithm.