A Multipath Routing Algorithm Based on Parametric Probability for Wireless Sensor Networks

In wireless sensor networks, energy is scarce resource such that its conservation and efficient use is a major issue. Therefore, a key goal of routing design in WSNs is to save energy and at the mean time increase the network lifetime. In this paper, we propose an on-demand multipath routing algorithm from the viewpoint of probability, named MRAP. The goal of MRAP is to balance the energy consumption among nodes and increase the network lifetime. In MRAP, different data generated at the same sensor node may pick up different transmission paths according to a probability that depends on various parameters, such as the hop distance from intermediate node to sink, or residual energy of intermediate node. Furthermore, the balance among multipath, based on the energy usage at neighbors, is considered in the selection of the path. Simulation results show that the MRAP algorithm has great potential in efficiently using the relay nodes and evenly distributed energy consumption.