Clustered mobile data collection in WSNs: An energy-delay trade-off

Abstract

Wireless sensor networks enable monitoring remote areas with limited human intervention. However, the network connectivity between sensor nodes and the base station (BS) may not be always possible due to the limited transmission range of the nodes. In such a case, one or more mobile data collectors (MDCs) can be employed to visit nodes for data collection. If multiple MDCs are available, it is desirable to minimize the energy cost of mobility while distributing the cost among the MDCs in a fair manner. Despite availability of various clustering algorithms, there is no single fits all clustering solution when different requirements and performance metrics are considered. Depending on the available wireless communication technology, the MDCs may or may not be required to visit the BS to forward the collected data. This paper considers both cases and suggests clustering algorithms for various performance metrics including the energy consumption and the maximum travel time.