Optimizing the Clustering Process using Relay Nodes to Improve the Lifetime of the WSN

The nodes in wireless sensor networks are usually deployed in the areas where human approach is very difficult. In such cases, the deployment of the nodes tends to be random from topological point of view. The main thing that needs to be given importance in such kind of networks is their lifetime which tends to be very less as the nodes are battery operated nodes. So if any of the sensors dies out because of energy drainage it is very difficult to come up with their replacement. The replacement of the drained out sensor nodes tends to become a costly affair. In such scenarios the focus must be given on reducing the energy consumption of the sensor nodes so that they can transfer the data over a longer period of time. The solution to this is clustering of the nodes in groups based on some rules that would eventually increase their working time in the network. The rules laid out for clustering is usually defined in LEACH protocol that tends to form the clusters and select their leaders randomly using threshold criterion. However, the clustering of the network results should be optimal enough such that all the nodes are included in the cluster. This paper explores the clustering protocol and aims to optimize the clustering process to improve the lifetime of the network. The proposed scheme has shown better performance in terms of energy consumption, packet delivery ratio and throughput.