Energy Balancing in the Self-configuring Sensor Networks

Like other distributed systems, unattended sensor networks need to be balanced not only by load but also in terms of energy. Sensor networks are expected to live long. Lifetime can be maximized if and only if a balanced network can be formed. In this research work we first identify the tasks, that a sensor node accomplishes in its life time. Based on those, we define the sensor node life-cycle. Then we characterize the nodes based on their residual energy levels as, SEN - nodes having sufficient energy to perform additional responsibilities other than its own sensing task, or NEN - nodes having only necessary energy to perform its own task. Every node starts as SEN, and at some point it becomes NEN based on a predefined threshold value. Thus the nodes are protected from the early exhaustion. Finally, we developed a virtual clustering technique which is self-configurable and scalable. We apply our approach to a simulation environment and the simulation results justify our assertion.