SQMCR: Stackelberg Q-Learning-Based Multi-Hop Cooperative Routing Algorithm for Underwater Wireless Sensor Networks

The underwater wireless sensor network (UWSNs) is an important communication facility supporting underwater monitoring applications. However, the transmission channel has the characteristics of high bit error rate, strong multipath effect, and many interference factors, and the network node has the characteristics of high energy consumption, difficult energy supply, and the node position vulnerable to change, which makes it extremely difficult for UWSNs to realize the reliable and efficient packet forwarding. To address the problem, we propose the Stackelberg Q-learning based multi-hop cooperative routing algorithm (SQMCR). The SQMCR builds the transmission routes based on the Q-learning algorithm, considering factors such as the delay, the remaining energy, and the network topology, which improves the rationality and adaptability of selecting the next-hop node. By balancing the packet forwarding benefits and the energy consumption costs based on the Stackelberg Q-learning algorithm, the SQMCR establishes the cooperative communication policy to ensure both the reliability and efficiency of underwater communications. It also adopts initializing Q-values and dynamic exploration probabilities optimization methods to further improve the performance of routing algorithms. Experimental results show that the SQMCR can help UWSNs increase the packet forwarding reliability and prolong the network lifetime by 17%. It has a better environment and application adaptability and is more suitable for underwater high-reliability applications.