Cluster-based and energy-balanced time synchronization algorithm for wireless sensor networks
Yao Sun · Journal of Computer Applications · 2014
To solve the problems of synchronization error accumulation and unbalanced energy consumption in multi-hop wireless sensor networks, a cluster-based and energy-balanced time synchronization algorithm for wireless sensor networks was proposed. Based on hierarchical clustering topology, cluster heads in adjacent layers adopted pairwise broadcast mechanism instead of bidirectional pair-wire synchronization mechanism to reduce communication overhead and the synchronization error of transmission delay. Cluster members synchronized the cluster head using the combination of bidirectional pair-wise synchronization and reference broadcast synchronization. In addition, the response node was selected according to residual energy to balance energy consumption of cluster nodes. The performance of synchronization precision and energy consumption of the proposed algorithm and traditional algorithm were analyzed by theoretical analysis and simulation. The results show that the new algorithm not only ensures high synchronization accuracy, but also reduces communication overhead and balances network node energy consumption to lengthen the cycle life of the network.