Energy efficient Multi-hops Routing protocol based on Clusters Reorganization for wireless sensor networks

Abstract

A crucial issue to be addressed in large-scale Wireless Sensor Networks composed of thousands of sensors, is the optimal management of the energy consumption in data routing. In this paper an Energy efficient Multi-hops Routing protocol based on Clusters Reorganization (EMRCR) is proposed to overcome the limitations of clustering-based routing protocols such as the random election of cluster-heads (CHs), the unequal distribution of clusters, and the one-hop communication between CHs and the base station. In EMRCR protocol, temporary CHs are first elected and each node is attached to the most appropriate CH. To ensure a good balance among nodes in terms of energy consumption, each formed cluster is then divided into zones to migrate the CH role toward the node having the highest energy and number of neighbors. Besides, the zones of each cluster are divided into sub-zones to reduce the energy consumption of the nodes located far from the CH. Finally, to decrease the energy consumption of the CHs located far from the base station, the collected data are transmitted through a multi-hop inter-clusters routing process. The obtained results show that the proposed protocol outperforms others clustering-based routing protocols in terms of energy consumption and network lifetime.