Indian Journal of Science and Technology

Abstract

Objectives: In cluster based algorithms, the group head needs to do the transmission, gathering, aggregation, collection and the timing administration. Due to this the head of the cluster will lose its energy rapidly and another head ought to be found. A new election process creates unwelcome control message movement in that particular network. The main objective is to reduce the number of elections hence the wastage of energy can be minimized. Methods/Statistical Analysis: To reduce the number of election we propose our model Dual Cluster Head Protocol (DCH). The key idea is to have a group head and sub group head, where the work load will be shared between them. The sub head will perform the information gathering and aggregation inside the cluster and it will report just to the main cluster head. The clusters will be managed by the Sub-Cluster Head (SCH) node, but the session management will be carried out by the cluster head. All the outward communications will be carried out by main cluster head; also it relays the information from other heads. Findings: Our algorithm uses lesser amount of control messages than other conventional algorithms since the number of cluster head re-elections is reduced. The performance of the algorithm matches with protocols like LEACH and SEECH. We have used 3 scenarios for testing the protocol; in the first scenario with 100 nodes DCH protocol performed 31% better than SEECH and 86% better than LEACH. In second scenario with 400 nodes DCH protocol performed 6% better than SEECH and 20% better than LEACH. In third scenario with 1000 nodes DCH protocol performed 38% better than LEACH but fell short of 45% when compared with SEECH. Application/Improvements: Right now the algorithm performs well in low and medium density sensor fields. It can be improved to work efficiently in high density sensor fields. The comparison can be made with newer protocols like HEED

Keywords: Aggregation, Clustering, Dual Cluster Head, Routing