Holes Problem Solving in Khalimsky Topology Protocol for Wireless Sensor Networks (WSNs)

In this paper, we propose an approach solving the holes problem in Wireless Sensor Networks (WSNs) based on Khalimsky k-Clustering and data routing protocol (MDKC). The aim of this solution is to establish optimized data routing paths between isolated nodes/clusters and the Sink in noisy environment with the presence of obstacles. This approach is an improvement of a previous work deploying stationary WSN not dealing with the problem of “holes”. At first, the MDKC algorithm divides the WSN into k-hop [Formula: see text] compact dynamic clusters. For each cluster, a node is elected cluster-head in its k-neighborhood according to some criteria such as the remaining energy, the k-degree and the communication probability average. Then, some nodes are selected as Khalimsky anchors to optimize the intra-cluster data routing process. The Khalimsky anchors at the border layers ensure the inter-cluster data routing between adjacent clusters. In the next phase of MDKC, Mobile Collectors (MCs) are used for data collecting and relaying from isolated nodes/clusters to the connected Khalimsky’s nodes. The simulation results prove that MDKC minimizes the energy consumption and improves the connectivity rate between sensors and the delivery rate compared to some existing approaches.