A self-organized communication efficient clustering algorithm in wireless sensor networks

Recent years have witnessed increased interest in the potential use of wireless sensor networks (WSNs) in applications such as disaster management, border protection and so on. WSNs have also gained interest in smart grid deployment which is one of the most interesting research areas of next decade. To support scalability of the sensor network, nodes are often grouped into disjoint and mostly non-overlapping clusters. The ultimate purpose of the clustering algorithm is to reduce communication cost and increase manageability throughout the network. This paper presents a clustering algorithm, in which the cluster heads autonomously distribute (replicate and migrate) within a WSN to optimize the network resource usage. The algorithm achieves a coordinated global cluster head placement pattern that minimizes the communication costs without any central controller.