Energy-efficient Multilevel Clustering Protocol for Underwater Wireless Sensor Networks

Research opportunity in underwater wireless sensor nodes lies in developing various communication protocols, sensors and energy optimization. One of the challenges is to increase the network life-time without increasing the hardware complexity, price and size. Previous methods using clustering and multi-level approaches for Energy-Efficiency are based on distribution of nodes into multiple logical geographic regions which faces the problem of network disconnection. The nodes in the regions nearby the sink will work more during forwarding of data of the subsequent levels consequently their battery will die early. We have thought of an innovation here that the clusters or logical levels should be developed on the basis of residual energy instead of geography. The nodes which have similar level of energy as estimated by proposed method will be considered in the same level. The sink always communicates with the cluster head of the highest remaining energy level termed as advanced nodes level, remaining lower energy levels forward their data in an increasing hierarchy of residual energy-based levels on hop by hop basis. The network life-time has been significantly improved.