5. Conclusion
In this paper, we propose a grid-based joint routing and charging algorithm for IWRSNs. Simulation results show its superiority in achieving energy balance and improving survival rates of nodes in the network by comparing to the S-CURVES(ad) algorithm. It benefits from the following two aspects. 1) The routing protocol is designed based on the charging characteristics within charging grids, which brings energy balance in the local grid area. 2) The charging time at different charging points is decided by energy consumption rates of nodes around them, which leads to energy balance in the global network. On this premise, energy balance in the network and longer lifetimes of nodes can be achieved. In the future, a more efficient traveling path can be designed, achieving larger survival rates of nodes. Further, an uneven distribution of nodes and barriers in the network should be taken into consideration.