A Balanced Energy-Efficient Multihop clustering scheme for Wireless Sensor Networks

Network lifetime is crucial in Wireless Sensor Network (WSN) systems since recharging or exchanging the sensors is difficult and expensive. Clustering techniques provide an interface for WSN topology management to extend network lifetime. Existing clustering algorithms, such as LEACH and HEED, can significantly reduce the power consumption on each sensor and thus prolong the network lifetime. However, most existing work fails to consider the coverage of the network when evaluating the lifetime of a network. An advanced clustering algorithm should not only be able to extend the longevity, but also maintain the coverage. We believe that evening the load in every unit area rather than on each single sensor can provide better-balanced power usage through the network. Although it is hard to achieve perfectly balanced load, the sensors that are still alive should be well distributed over the sensing area. In this paper, we propose a novel algorithm based on HEED, named the Balanced Energy-Efficiency (BEE) clustering algorithm. Experimental results show that BEE exceeds HEED and LEACH from two perspectives: 1) longevity and 2) balanced sensor distribution. It can guarantee the network coverage for a longer time, compared with HEED and LEACH. We also illustrate the multihop version of BEE, called the Balanced Energy-Efficiency Multihop (BEEM) clustering algorithm, which can further improve the performance of BEE.