Iterative method

Communication noise

Noise reduction

Computer network

Mathematics

Economic growth

Evolutionary biology

Biology

Noise (video)

Algorithm

Image (mathematics)

Mathematical optimization

Mathematical analysis

Philosophy

Function (biology)

Asynchronous communication

Artificial intelligence

Economics

Wireless sensor network

Control (management)

Convergence (economics)

Computer science

Linguistics

Noise measurement

Bounded function

Control theory (sociology)

Stochastic approximation

Transmission (telecommunications)

Telecommunications

IEEE Sensors Journal

A distributed consensus algorithm for estimating the maximum value of the initial measurements in a sensor network with communication noise is proposed. In the absence of communication noise, max estimation can be done by updating the state value with the largest received measurements in every iteration at each sensor. In the presence of communication noise, however, the maximum estimate will incorrectly drift and the estimate at each sensor will diverge. As a result, a soft-max approximation together with a non-linear consensus algorithm is introduced herein. A design parameter controls the tradeoff between the soft-max error and convergence speed. An analysis of this tradeoff gives a guideline toward how to choose the design parameter for the max estimate. We also show that if some prior knowledge of the initial measurements is available, the consensus process can converge faster by using an optimal step size in the iterative algorithm. A shifted non-linear bounded transmit function is also introduced for faster convergence when sensor nodes have some prior knowledge of the initial measurements. Simulation results corroborating the theory are also provided.

Max Consensus in Sensor Networks: Non-Linear Bounded Transmission and Additive Noise