An Energy-Efficient Centralized Node Status Maintenance Protocol for Cluster-Based WSNs

When existing centralized clustering protocols are applied to wireless sensor networks (WSNs), the network performance is limited due to high node status maintenance costs. In this letter, we first build a mathematical model to analyze the energy consumption of nodes in centralized cluster-based WSNs, and based on the analytical results, a node residual energy prediction algorithm is introduced. Moreover, we propose a node energy grading mechanism, and the grading results are used to measure the energy differences between nodes during the operation of centralized clustering protocols. Based on the above two schemes, the frequency of nodes sending energy status messages to the control center can be greatly reduced. Simulation results indicate that our proposed protocol is able to retain the advantages of centralized clustering protocols while keeping node status maintenance costs at a very low level.