Abstract: Based on the willingness factor which considers the sole mobility and relative mobility of nodes, a stable cluster protocol (SCP), which includes a stable clustering algorithm and a cluster maintenance scheme, is presented for highly dynamic mobile self-organizing networks. Node mobility, which is the most key factor to cause topology changes and cluster stability, is fully considered by the SCP in the process of cluster formation and maintenance. Simulation results show that compared with other cluster protocols, the proposed protocol effectively ensures the stability of cluster architecture in highly dynamic mobile environment because the willingness factor and cluster maintenance scheme take into account the mobility of every node and the relative mobility feature between nodes.

Key words: self-organizing network, stable cluster protocol, willingness factor, clustering, cluster maintenance