Biomedical Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
Medium Access Control (MAC) Protocols for
Ultra-Wideband (UWB)-Based Wireless Body
Area Networks (WBAN)
K. M. S. Thotahewa, Jean-Michel Redouté and Mehmet Rasit Yuce
Abstract
A wireless body area network (WBAN) is a dedicated network developed
to operate in, on or near the human body. In order to design a power-efficient WBAN, a
cross-layer solution is required. The physical layer of a WBAN determines the choice
of wireless scheme, modulation scheme, synchronization and data rate. The data-
link layer provides medium access control (MAC), which ensures reliable and fair
access to the communication channel. Ultra-wideband (UWB) is a suitable wireless
technology to achieve high data rates while keeping power consumption and form
factors small. Hence, it provides numerous advantages to WBAN applications. This
chapter analyzes UWB-based MAC protocols available for WBAN systems in terms
of their practicality in design, effectiveness in data delivery and power efficiency.
In particular, the application of WBAN in healthcare monitoring environments is
considered.
Keywords
Medium access control (MAC)
·
Wireless body area network
·
Body sen-
sor network
·
Transmit-only MAC
·
Sensor node
·
Body sensors
·
Wearable sensors
·
IEEE 802.15.6 standard
·
IEEE 802.15.4a MAC
·
Medical sensor network
Introduction
to Ultra-Wideband-Based Wireless Body Area
Networks
Wireless body area network (WBAN) is a short-range communication scheme, which
requires a distance of less than 2 m. It includes a set of inter-communicating sensor
nodes operating around the human body. They can either be wearable or implantable.
WBANs are used in both medical and non-medical applications [
1
]. Wireless elec-
trocardiogram (ECG) monitoring systems and wireless neural recording systems are
M. R. Yuce (
)
J.-M. Redouté
Biomedical Integrated Circuits and Sensors Laboratory,
Department of Electrical and Computer Systems Engineering,
Monash University, Melbourne, VIC 3800, Australia
e-mail: mehmet.yuce@monash.edu
·
K. M. S. Thotahewa
·
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