An Innovation-Based Algorithm for Energy Conservation in Multihop Wireless Sensor Networks

We propose an energy-efficient algorithm for sensing a process f(x,y,t) using a multihop Wireless Sensor Network (WSN). The innovation-based algorithm aims at saving node energy by managing the transmission necessity. The nodes can also switch to an inactivity state, between innovative transmissions. When a node needs to send data, it transmits its inactivity period attached within the packet. Then, forwarding nodes (in the route path) can sleep without affecting the communication process. Results show that a gain up to twenty times was obtained in the network lifetime, with a significant decrease in the amount of transmission by sensors, as compared to a network without any kind of node energy management strategy.