Distributed clustering for multimedia support in mobile multihop ad hoc networks

In this paper, we consider a mobile, multimedia, multihop (M-3) ad hoc netw ork. Key characteristics of this system are the mobility of users, energy c onstraints, and the need to operate without a fixed (wired or wireless) inf rastructure. III this environment, with the advent of multimedia communicat ions, the use of the cluster architecture has been revisited to support the resource reservation and Quality-of-Service routing. We proposed an access -based clustering protocol (ABCP) that allows the network to self-organize into a cluster architecture. Three advantages are claimed by ABCP. First, b y the access-based criterion, it minimizes the overhead on cluster formatio n so that the protocol has short execution time and good scalability. Secon d, ABCP unifies the algorithms fur cluster initialization and maintenance, i.e., the same set of clustering functions are used by a node regardless of whether it just becomes active or is in leaving its current cluster. Third , simulation results demonstrate that the cluster structure behaves stably amid topology changes compared with techniques previously proposed. Togethe r with the access-based criterion, a multiple access scheme is also propose d for the broadcast of control messages.