An improved cluster-head selection approach in wireless sensor networks

As one of the most dominant factors in clustered wireless sensor networks (WSNs), the selection of cluster-head (CH) can impact the network performance. The selection shall be subject to at least two factors. (i) The number of CHs may vary in different periods of the WSN lifetime. And (ii) this number can determine on the performance, in terms of energy consumption and WSN lifetime, etc. In this paper, we draw attention to the randomly deployed WSNs based on the independent homogeneous Poisson process, and propose an Improved Cluster-head Selection (ICS) approach. Firstly, we optimize the dynamic number of CHs. Then we obtain the suitable CHs via the improved selection procedures based on three selection phases by introducing the temporary clusters. Meanwhile, CECC-based (Common Energy Consumption Cycle) synchronization is used to coordinate the intra-/inter-cluster communication. ICS saves the energy consumption and prolongs the network lifetime. Simulation demonstrates the enhanced network performance. © 2009 IEEE.