Optimization of cluster heads through harmony search algorithm in wireless sensor networks

Wireless Sensor Networks is a complex network with millions of small-scale sensor nodes, working together to detect certain physical phenomena. Sensor nodes are operated by battery therefore the major concern is energy efficiency. Clustering is an effective technique to decrease the energy depletion in the network. However, choosing the optimum Cluster Heads is an NP-Hard problem. This paper proposes an unequal clustering technique that selects probationary Cluster Heads through fuzzy logic and the optimization of this probationary Cluster Heads is done through Harmony Search Algorithm (HSA). The proposed algorithm exhibits the dynamic capability of fuzzy logic and high search efficiency of HSA that extends the network lifespan. The findings are simulated against traditional clustering protocols and compared. The findings obtained show that the protocol proposed is performing superior in terms of network lifespan prolongation and other metrics.