LEACH-RLC: Enhancing IoT Data Transmission with Optimized Clustering and Reinforcement Learning
This addresses energy and adaptability challenges for IoT deployments in resource-constrained environments, but it is incremental as it builds on existing clustering protocols with optimizations.
The paper tackles the problem of inefficient data transmission and high energy consumption in IoT wireless sensor networks by introducing LEACH-RLC, a clustering protocol that uses MILP and reinforcement learning, resulting in enhanced network lifetime, reduced energy consumption, and minimized control overhead as demonstrated in simulations.
Wireless Sensor Networks (WSNs) play a pivotal role in enabling Internet of Things (IoT) devices with sensing and actuation capabilities. Operating in remote and resource-constrained environments, these IoT devices face challenges related to energy consumption, crucial for network longevity. Existing clustering protocols often suffer from high control overhead, inefficient cluster formation, and poor adaptability to dynamic network conditions, leading to suboptimal data transmission and reduced network lifetime. This paper introduces Low-Energy Adaptive Clustering Hierarchy with Reinforcement Learning-based Controller (LEACH-RLC), a novel clustering protocol designed to address these limitations by employing a Mixed Integer Linear Programming (MILP) approach for strategic selection of Cluster Heads (CHs) and node-to-cluster assignments. Additionally, it integrates a Reinforcement Learning (RL) agent to minimize control overhead by learning optimal timings for generating new clusters. LEACH-RLC aims to balance control overhead reduction without compromising overall network performance. Through extensive simulations, this paper investigates the frequency and opportune moments for generating new clustering solutions. Results demonstrate the superior performance of LEACH-RLC over state-of-the-art protocols, showcasing enhanced network lifetime, reduced average energy consumption, and minimized control overhead. The proposed protocol contributes to advancing the efficiency and adaptability of WSNs, addressing critical challenges in IoT deployments.