Extending WSN Lifetime with Enhanced LEACH Protocol in Autonomous Vehicle Using Improved K-Means and Advanced Cluster Configuration Algorithms

In this paper, we propose an enhanced clustering protocol that integrates an improved K-means with a Mobility-Aware Cluster Head-Election Scored (IK-MACHES) algorithm, designed for extending the lifetime and operational efficiency of Wireless Sensor Network (WSN) with mobility. Variety approaches applying Low Energy Adaptive Clustering Hierarchy (LEACH) often struggle to manage optimal energy distribution due to their static clustering and limited cluster head (CH) selection criteria, primarily focusing on the proximity of residual energy or distance. Thus, this paper proposes an algorithm that takes into account both the residual energy of sensor nodes and the distance between the cluster’s central point to the base station (BS), which ultimately enhances the network’s lifetime. Additionally, our approach incorporates mobility considerations, enhancing the adaptability of the mobility environments, such as autonomous vehicular networks. Our proposed method first constructs the cluster’s configuration and then elects the CH applying an improved K-means clustering algorithm—one of the machine learning methods—integrated with a proposed IK-MACHES mechanism. Three CH scoring strategies in the proposed IK-MACHES protocol evaluate the residual energy of the nodes, their distance to the BS and the cluster central point, and relative node’s mobility. The simulation results demonstrate that the proposed approach improves performance in terms of the first node dead (FND) and 80% alive nodes metrics with mobility, compared to other LEACH protocols such as classical LEACH, LEACH-B, Improved-LEACH, LEACH with K-means, Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO), and LEACH-GK protocol, thereby enhancing network lifetime through optimal CH selection.