Cluster based hierarchical wireless sensor networks (CHWSN) and time synchronization in CHWSN

A cluster based hierarchical wireless sensor network architecture is proposed to facilitate more than one application sharing the whole or a part of a wireless sensor network, where each application may have its own network, processing requirements and protocols. Such a network is divided into clusters and the clusters are organized hierarchically. For synchronizing the CHWSN there is the requirement for a cluster based hierarchical time synchronization algorithm. None of the already existing time synchronization algorithms satisfy the needs of time synchronization in our CHWSN architecture. Thus the existing time synchronization algorithms TPSN (time synchronization protocol for sensor networks) and FTSP (Flooding Time Synchronization Protocol) are modified to fulfill the needs of time synchronization in CHWSN architecture and developed the cluster based hierarchical, flooding time synchronization algorithm (CBH-FTS). It is a hybrid algorithm, where instead of flooding the synchronization messages to neighbor´s node, the root node multicasts the time-sync message to selected cluster-heads using the relevant semantics. Hierarchy of cluster-heads could transmit the synchronization messages down the hierarchy of cluster-heads thus synchronizing only the required part of the network associated with an application. The synchronization could be a result of a decision at root node or could be a result of a request for synchronization from a node to a cluster-head.The CBH-FTS Protocol is semantic driven and covers multiple levels in hierarchy.