Energy-Efficient Clustering and Routing in Wireless Sensor Networks Using Particle Swarm Optimization

Abstract

Wireless Sensor Networks (WSNs) consist of numerous sensor nodes that communicate wirelessly to collect and transmit information from a monitored environment. Due to the limited battery capacity of sensor nodes and the difficulty of replacing or recharging batteries after deployment, energy consumption is a major factor affecting network lifetime. This paper presents an optimization-based clustering and routing approach for reducing energy consumption and extending the lifetime of homogeneous wireless sensor networks. The proposed approach dynamically modifies the probability of cluster-head selection using Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO). Cluster formation is combined with shortest-path routing between cluster heads to reduce unnecessary communication distances and distribute energy consumption more efficiently. The method was implemented and evaluated using MATLAB. The experimental configuration reported in the underlying paper uses 100 randomly distributed sensor nodes. The proposed method was compared with established approaches, including LEACH and Optimized Energy Efficient Routing Protocol (OEERP). The reported results indicate lower total energy consumption, higher throughput, higher packet delivery ratio, and longer network lifetime for the proposed method under the tested conditions.