Abstract
The advancement in electronics, wireless communications and integrated circuits has enabled the development of small low-power sensors and actuators that can be placed on, in or around the human body. A wireless body area network (WBAN) can be effectively used to deliver the sensory data to a central server, where it can be monitored, stored and analyzed. For more than a decade, cognitive radio (CR) technology has been widely adopted in wireless networks, as it utilizes the available spectra of licensed, as well as unlicensed bands. A cognitive radio body area network (CRBAN) is a CR-enabled WBAN. Unlike other wireless networks, CRBANs have specific requirements, such as being able to automatically sense their environments and to utilize unused, licensed spectra without interfering with licensed users, but existing protocols cannot fulfill them. In particular, the medium access control (MAC) layer plays a key role in cognitive radio functions, such as channel sensing, resource allocation, spectrum mobility and spectrum sharing. To address various application-specific requirements in CRBANs, several MAC protocols have been proposed in the literature. In this paper, we survey MAC protocols for CRBANs. We then compare the different MAC protocols with one another and discuss challenging open issues in the relevant research.
Highlights
In recent times, advancements in wireless sensor networks have enabled them to support a wide range of applications, including medical and healthcare systems
It is notable that many parts of the medium access control (MAC) protocol in the IEEE 802.15.6 standard are derived from the IEEE 802.15.4 standard [3], because of the similarities between wireless personal area networks (WPANs) and wireless body area network (WBAN)
As in other wireless networks, network performance and reliability can be significantly improved in cognitive radio body area network (CRBAN) by considering the cross-layer design and optimization
Summary
Advancements in wireless sensor networks have enabled them to support a wide range of applications, including medical and healthcare systems. With regard to the location of the sensors that collect physiological data, the areas inside and around the patient’s body pose a challenging environment for the design of adaptable, dynamic and flexible protocols in WBANs. For the successful implementation of WBANs in medical, as well as consumer products, a standard protocol is required. It is notable that many parts of the MAC protocol in the IEEE 802.15.6 standard are derived from the IEEE 802.15.4 standard [3], because of the similarities between wireless personal area networks (WPANs) and WBANs. Because of the spectrum scarcity problem recently encountered in wireless communication domains, cognitive radio (CR) technology has emerged as a key technique in wireless networks, including fifth-generation mobile networks. In cognitive radio body area networks (CRBANs), the transmission parameters of SUs can be adjusted based on EMI constraints to overcome the interference with PUs. CR technology can improve the QoS of wireless communication between medical.
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