THSI-RP: A two-tier hybrid swarm intelligence based node clustering and multi-hop routing protocol optimization for wireless sensor networks

Wireless sensor networks exploit clustering and routing techniques to improve energy efficiency, but these methods are generally considered as a non-deterministic polynomial (NP-hard) problem. To tackle this problem, we propose a novel two-tier hybrid swarm intelligence-based hierarchical routing protocol (THSI-RP). In the first tier, THIS-RP incorporates a hybrid swarm intelligence algorithm that combines Grey Wolf Optimization (GWO) and Marine Predators Algorithm (MPA) for the clustering algorithm. By incorporating the wolf factors from GWO into MPA as elite predators, we enhance the network search efficiency. This algorithm achieves adaptive optimal clustering with a controllable scale, considering the residual energy of nodes, relative distance between nodes, and node centrality. In the second tier, the routing algorithm uses a hybrid SI algorithm based on GWO and the graph model. First, we integrate distance and energy factors to dynamically select forwarding nodes using GWO. Then, based on the distance and energy balance principle, a weight cost function is established and combined with the minimum spanning tree method to construct a communication routing tree between the forwarding node and the base station to achieve optimized inter-cluster multi-hop routing. Simulation results demonstrate that THSI-RP outperforms several typical routing protocols in various metrics over EEUC, LPSO, LGWO, and LACO. For instance, THSI-RP achieves percentage improvement total packets by 290%, 10.9%, 8.9%, 19.9%, respectively. It also performs better in FND by 88.7%, 10.9%, 8.6%, and 16.3%, in HDN by 86.6%, 8.1%, 6.3%, and 17.1%, and in ADN by 41.7%, 8.2%, 6.4%, 18.3%.