Application of link adaptation in body area networks

Abstract

A Body Area Network (BAN) is a wireless protocol for connectivity of wearable and implantable sensors located inside, on the surface or near the human body. Medical applications requirements impose stringent constraints on the reliability, and quality of service (QoS) performance in these networks. Interference from other co-located BANs or nearby devices that share the same spectrum could greatly impact the communication link reliability in these networks. Link adaptation (LA) schemes can be an efficient alternative to preserve link quality in high interference environments. This paper proposes a low complexity link adaptation strategy to mitigate cross-interference in scenarios where multiple BANs are operating adjacent to each other. Each BAN is assumed to be using the Carrier Sense Multiple Access with Collision Avoidance (CSMA/CA) protocol as outlined by the IEEE 802.15.6 Standard, where different modulation schemes are available at the physical layer. Each node selects the appropriate modulation scheme based on the experienced channel quality indicated by the received Signal-to-Interference and Noise Ratio (SINR). System performance is evaluated in terms of Packet Delivery Ratio (PDR) per link. Simulation results demonstrate significant improvement in the performance and highlight potential benefits of using link adaptation schemes for BAN applications.