Optimized algorithm for balancing clusters in wireless sensor networks

Abstract

Wireless sensor networks consist of hundreds or thousands of sensor nodes that involve numerous restrictions including computation capability and battery capacity. Topology control is an important issue for achieving a balanced placement of sensor nodes. The clustering scheme is a widely known and efficient means of topology control for transmitting information to the base station in two hops. The automatic routing scheme of the self-organizing technique is another critical element of wireless sensor networks. In this paper we propose an optimal algorithm with cluster balance taken into consideration, and compare it with three well known and widely used approaches, i.e., LEACH, MEER, and VAP-E, in performance evaluation. Experimental results show that the proposed approach increases the overall network lifetime, indicating that the amount of energy required for communication to the base station will be reduced for locating an optimal cluster.