An Energy Efficient Clustering Algorithm for WMSN

In wireless multimedia sensor networks (WMSN), visual correlation exists among multiple neighboring sensors. Overlapping Field of View (FoV) in dense networks causes the wasting of energy due to redundant area sensing. Thus, node clustering for collaborative image gathering and processing cannot be based on classical sensor clustering algorithms. This paper proposes a clustering mechanism based on overlapped FoV areas for efficiently gathering visually correlated images. The main aim of the proposed clustering method is energy conservation and network lifetime prolongation. This objective is achieved through collaboration of nodes belonging to the same cluster to perform assigned tasks in a collaborative manner avoiding redundant sensing or processing. Since the designed algorithms only take the camera settings as inputs, they are independent of specific multimedia applications. Simulations show that the proposed clustering algorithm can effectively prolong the network lifetime under the required image quality.