The Virtual Spanning Tree-Cluster Routing Method based on Improved SDN for Mobile Sink Sensor Networks

• Yifan Hu,
• Xiqiang Hou,

Vol. 20, No. 1, January 31, 2026
10.3837/tiis.2026.01.024, Download Paper (Free):

• Wireless Sensor Network
• software defined networking
• mobile sink
• Virtual spanning tree-cluster
• Layered routing

Abstract

In the field of Mobile Sink Sensor Networks (MSSNs) research, particularly in the context of dynamic environments tailored for maritime observation applications, the efficiency of data transmission remains challenge. To address this challenge, this paper introduces an improved SDN-based Virtual Spanning Tree-Cluster (iSDN-VSTC) routing method. The method optimizes the software-defined networking framework to accommodate MSSNs, incorporating a mobile sink management module and a dedicated tracking node. This adaptation reduces the energy consumption of sensor nodes, ensuring network stability. Moreover, by integrating a tree-clustering technique and SDN architecture, the proposed iSDN-VSTC demonstrates superior performance in ensuring timely data transmission and minimizing network overhead. Finally, considering that traditional traffic models fail to accurately capture the mobility characteristics of mobile sinks in MSSNs, this paper adopts a connection-level simulation analysis method. Utilizing a simulator equipped with a visual interface, it shows and analyzes the performance of MSSNs in terms of energy-efficient routing, particularly focusing on the optimization issues of energy consumption and network lifetime.

Statistics

Cite this article