Increasing WSN lifetime by using learning automata for optimal route selection

Wireless sensor networks are networks with nodes of low power and limited processing. Therefore, optimal consumption of energy for WSN protocols seems essential. In a number of WSN applications, sensor nodes sense data periodically from environment and transfer it to the sink. Because of limitation in energy and selection of best route, for the purpose of increasing network lifetime a node with most energy level will be used for transmission of data. The most part of energy in nodes is wasted on radio transmission; thus decreasing number of transferred packets in the network will result in increase in node and network lifetimes. In algorithms introduced for data transmission in such networks up to now, a single route is used for data transmissions that results in decrease in energy of nodes located on this route which in turn results in shortened network lifetime. In this paper a new method is proposed for selection of data transmission route that is able to solve this problem. This method is based on learning automata that selects the route with regard to energy parameters and the distance to sink. In this method energy of network nodes finishes rather simultaneously preventing break down of network into 2 separate parts. This will result in increased lifetime. Simulation results show that this method has been very effective in increasing network lifetime.