Energy Efficient Clustering Protocol for Large-Scale Sensor Networks

Due to the energy limit of sensor nodes, prolonging lifetime of wireless sensor networks (WSNs) is a big challenge. This challenge becomes even more critical in large-scale sensor networks, in which more energy is consumed because of more data collections and packet transmissions. It is believed that clustering-based protocols are the best choice for such kind of WSNs. In this paper, we propose a clustering protocol called fan-shaped clustering (FSC) to partition a large-scale network into fan-shaped clusters. Based on this clustering scheme, different energy saving methods are proposed, such as efficient cluster head and relay selection, locality of re-clustering, simple but robust routing and hotspot solution. Performance analysis demonstrates that the proposed FSC can efficiently save energy, which is much better than hybrid, energy-efficient, and distributed clustering in terms of both energy saving and packet collection rate.