Optimal energy consumption in Wireless sensor networks based on the parallel ant colony algorithm

Energy consumption is the most important problem in Wireless sensor networks. In this paper, a new mechanism based on the parallel ant colony algorithm (PACA) is presented for the energy consumption optimization. The mechanism can search the solution space and optimize the route of data transmission to homogenize the energy consumption of the nodes. The algorithm is divided into some parts and can be totally operated by Embedded MCU on the nodes. Simulation results show that comparing with the directed diffusion routing method, the new mechanism can homogenize the nodes´ energy consumption and extend the whole network´s life effectively.