Protocol design for a mobile sink under cluster-based wireless sensor networks

Using a mobile sink is a type of promising application in wireless sensor networks (WSNs). To minimize the number of static nodes that are awake while the mobile sink is gathering data, it is beneficial to use cluster heads (CHs) for network management and operation, thereby saving energy in communication. During the network design, deciding an appropriate number of CHs is an important thing to do. In this paper we consider the duty cycle and the sleep period to minimize energy consumption in sensor communications with a mobile sink. Applying the obtained parameters to the network operation, we can maintain an appropriate number of candidate CHs along the mobile sink’s move. Simulations with the suggested parameter values confirm that our analysis is valid for various network conditions.