A novel clustering scheme for sensor networks based on intra-cluster connectivity

This paper proposes a novel intra-cluster connectivity-based Distributed Hierarchical Clustering (DHC) scheme in sensor network by considering some fundamental parameters such as node residual energy, physical position and neighborhood source. The merit of this paper should be the innovation of an Algorithm for Cluster Establishment (ACE)-liked, intra-cluster connectivity-based cluster formation which solved the inter-cluster overlapping problems. It can easily repair the structure damage in the network caused by node failure. Simulations verify that the DHC algorithm with a 4-layer network hierarchy in total can significantly outperform HEED and LEACH in terms of energy efficiency and network lifetime, simultaneously guaranteeing higher connectivity.