A configurable time-controlled clustering algorithm for wireless sensor networks

Future large-scale sensor networks may comprise thousands of wirelessly connected sensor nodes that could provide an unimaginable opportunity to interact with physical phenomena in real time. These nodes are typically highly resource-constrained. Since the communication task is a significant power consumer, there are various attempts to introduce energy awareness at different levels within the communication stack. Clustering is one such attempt to control energy dissipation for sensor data routing. Here, we propose the Time-Controlled Clustering Algorithm to realise a network-wide energy reduction by the rotation of clusterhead role, and the consideration of residual energy in its election. A realistic energy model is derived to accurately quantify the network's energy consumption using the proposed clustering algorithm.