Energy balanced optimum path determination based on graph theory for wireless sensor network

One of the challenging tasks in wireless sensor network is to route data efficiently from source to destination. Sensors collect data from the sensor network area and pass on the aggregated data to the base station. Three techniques have been proposed in the literature: namely, direct, hierarchal and hybrid to fulfil this data transmission task. Sending data on a single path multiple times results in depletion of energy and hence failure of those nodes. Thus, a fault tolerance mechanism is essential for finding multiple disjoint paths for data transmission. In this mechanism, the system can switch from an inaccessible path with broken links to available candidate paths. In this study, a new graph theory method for optimal path selection based on quality of service parameters is proposed. To prolong the lifetime of the network, a fault tolerant mechanism is also adopted. Simulation results show that the proposed approach enhances network lifetime and improves path stability.