Staggered Clustering Protocol: SCP an Efficient Clustering Approach for Wireless Sensor Network

Abstract

Wireless sensor networks are energy limited and imbalance networks, load balancing and energy efficiency is the most challenging task in these networks. The clustering algorithm is a kind of key technique used to reduce energy consumption. Many algorithms have been specifically designed for WSNs, where energy awareness is an essential design issue. The focus, however, has been given to the residual energy based clustering protocols, which might differ depending on the application and network architecture. In this paper, a staggered clustering protocol to prolong the stable region of wireless sensor networks is being proposed. Compared with classical clustering protocols, this protocol can maintain efficient load balancing of networks, and extremely prolong the network lifetime.