Fault-Resilient Hopping-Capable Cluster Header Management of Mobile IoT Networks

Mobile IoT sensor nodes, particularly hopping sensors equipped with jump capabilities for mobility, play a crucial role in efficiently collecting data even in rugged terrains.Hopping sensors, capable of jumping movement without terrain constraints, are advantageous for data collection but may suffer from decreased data collection efficiency due to limited energy resources.Specifically, the emergence of sensing holes in some regions due to energy depletion can disrupt the continuity of data collection.Various hopping sensor relocation techniques have been proposed to address these issues.However, many existing relocation protocols often fail to adequately consider the limitations of the cluster header nodes.The cluster header, responsible for data transmission tasks as well as frequent jumps compared to regular nodes, experiences faster energy consumption.Consequently, the probability of header node failures increases, leading to data loss across the network.This study proposes a dynamic replacement strategy for cluster headers, taking into account their jumping capability and remaining energy, by selecting suitable member nodes as new cluster headers.This approach aims to improve the energy efficiency of cluster headers, extend the overall network data collection duration, and prevent the occurrence of sensing holes.Simulation results demonstrate that the proposed method effectively maintains the continuity of data collection and enhances network stability.