A novel energy efficient routing algorithm for wireless sensor networks

How to design an energy efficient routing algorithm is a hot topic in the research of wireless sensor networks. In this paper, based on the analysis of some typical cluster-based routing algorithms, a novel cluster-based energy efficient routing algorithm is proposed to solve the hot spot problem involved in inter-cluster routing and optimize network lifetime. Clusters are formed by local competition and the role of cluster head is rotated among sensor nodes periodically to balance energy consumption in WSN. Furthermore, Particle Swarm Optimization algorithm is utilized to search optimal inter-cluster routing path for the optimization of network lifetime. Simulation results prove the effectiveness of the routing algorithm proposed in this paper.