Abstract: The problem of node energy limitation in wireless sensor networks has a serious impact on network performance and network life. From the perspective of energy optimization, aiming at the unbalanced energy consumption caused by clustering mechanism of LEACH protocol clustering algorithm, a new improved algorithm is proposed, which takes the average residual energy as the main parameter, selects the appropriate cluster head, and obtains the optimal cluster head position and the number of cluster heads from the base station based on the understanding of the whole network nodes. When selecting a new cluster head, it is important to consider whether the residual energy of the node is larger than the global average residual energy, and the distance between the node and all the selected cluster heads is greater than the set value. MATLAB software is used for simulation experiment. The improved algorithm can effectively avoid the premature death of a cluster head node due to excessive energy consumption. It can further balance the energy consumption of the network as a whole, increase the network throughput and extend the network life.

Key words: wireless sensor networks, clustering routing algorithms, LEACH, average residual energy