A New Energy-efficient Clustering Protocol for Wireless Sensor Networks

In this paper, we propose an energy-efficient clustering protocol for wireless sensor networks. The wireless sensor network can be represented by virtual groups known as clusters. In comparison with tree-based wireless sensor networks, clustering is an effective technique for prolonging sensor network life, and for load balancing. The proposed protocol runs in a distributed environment. There are two important parameters, namely hold back (t), and number of hops (h) in the proposed algorithm. The proposed protocol forms clusters at a distance of at most h hops from the clusterhead. Every node initializes its hold back value with a randomly generated value. The size of the cluster depends on the value of h. In comparison to Adaptive clustering protocol, the new protocol avoids broadcasting cluster messages unnecessarily. The sensor node with t = 0, becomes the clusterhead and broadcasts a cluster message to form a cluster. In the proposed algorithm, every node does not start broadcasting. The proposed algorithm reelects clusterheads during maintenance phase. Hence, this algorithm adapts to the dynamic nature of the wireless sensor networks. The simulation results demonstrate that the proposed protocol reduces energy consumption.