An Unequal Clustering Algorithm Based on Fuzzy Theory for Wireless Sensor Networks

In this paper an unequal clustering algorithm based on fuzzy theory (FTUC) is proposed. Firstly, to extend lifetime of wireless sensor networks (WSN), the network region is divided into several virtual blocks (VBs) in FTUC. According to the principle of energy minimization, the optimal number of cluster heads (CHs) is calculated to control the number and the size of the VB. Secondly, the residual energy of node, the energy compensation factor and the communication cost within VB are used to construct CH selection formula based on fuzzy theory, which can balance network load. Thirdly, in the CHs routing phase, the base station (BS) is considered as a candidate CH and a cluster routing tree to BS is built to reduce the energy consumption of the whole network. Simulation results prove FTUC significantly prolongs the network lifetime in large area WSN scenarios.