Cooperative leader election algorithm for master/slave mobile ad hoc networks

This paper proposes a novel and efficient cooperative leader election algorithm for master/slave mobile ad hoc networks. The algorithm relies on collecting and re-distributing information amongst local nodes in order to find the leader. It is based on the assumption that if this process is repeated sufficiently then the algorithm will converge towards a unique leader. It is shown that the proposed mechanism outperforms existing algorithms in terms of time complexity and response to node mobility. The algorithm was simulated for Bluetooth ad hoc networks, which, by default, rely on a master/slave architecture, however, the cooperative approach could be adapted to any network that exhibits the master/slave configuration such as clustered ad hoc networks or ZigBee-based sensor networks.