Energy efficient clustering and routing scheme for wireless sensor networks

Minimizing energy dissipation and maximizing network lifetime are among the central concerns when designing applications and protocols for wireless sensor networks. In this paper we propose an energy-efficient clustering and routing scheme for wireless sensor networks (EECR). It mainly includes distributed nodes clustering, dynamic cluster head rotation and inter-cluster routing selection. In clustering stage, we introduce an uneven clustering mechanism. Cluster heads (CHs) which are closer to the base station (BS) have smaller cluster size than those farther from BS, thus they can preserve some energy for the purpose of inter-cluster data forwarding. For the dynamic cluster head rotation mechanism, the sensor nodes perform cluster head function in turn which balances energy consumption well among CHs. What is more, we propose an energy-efficient multi-hop routing protocol executed by BS for inter-cluster communication. Our strategy is making the most of BS´s energy, so the node energy in the network is saved furthest. Simulation results show that EECR clearly prolongs the network lifetime over some related routing protocols.