A new cluster head assignment algorithm for low energy clustering communication protocols in wireless sensor network

Abstract

One of the most important issues in wireless sensor network is the energy efficiency of the clustering communication protocols. In clustering communication the more cluster heads are assigned, the more energy is consumed between the cluster heads and the base stations. On the other hand, if we select a small number of cluster heads, the data aggregations increase and so does the total distance between the cluster heads and the others. Obviously, the energy consumption will then increase. In this paper, we focus on the assignment of cluster heads in clustering communication protocols such that the energy consumption of a wireless sensor network is minimized and the lifetime of the network is maximized. In the proposed cluster heads assignment algorithm, an optimal number of nodes which have higher residual energy level are assigned in a round. Experimental results demonstrate the efficiency of the proposed algorithm. It is shown that that the lifetime of sensor network using this algorithm is longer than the existing methods.