Wireless Body Area Network Applications Research Articles

A reconfigurable band‐notched wearable super ultra‐wideband antenna utilizing a split‐ring resonator

AbstractThis article presents a flexible ultra‐wideband (UWB) antenna that can be used in wireless body area networks (WBAN). The antenna has a switchable slotted split ring resonator (SRR) structure on the radiating patch, which creates band‐notch functionality. The antenna has three switchable states: UWB and two band‐notched states at central frequencies of 5.5 and 3.5 GHz. The antenna has compact dimensions of 30 × 38 × 0.38 mm3 and is fabricated on an RT5880 substrate. Its impedance bandwidth ranges from 2.7 to 50 GHz (a relative bandwidth of 180%). The antenna's performance has been evaluated under deformation, and its impact on the human body has been assessed using the specific absorption rate (SAR) parameter. The antenna has been manufactured, and its key features have been measured, demonstrating good agreement with simulations. Due to its low SAR, minimal thickness, and UWB performance, the antenna is a good candidate for WBAN applications.

A Novel Medium Access Control Strategy for Heterogeneous Traffic in Wireless Body Area Networks

So far, Wireless Body Area Networks (WBANs) have played a pivotal role in driving the development of intelligent healthcare systems with broad applicability across various domains. Each WBAN consists of one or more types of sensors that can be embedded in clothing, attached directly to the body, or even implanted beneath an individual's skin. These sensors typically serve a single application. However, the traffic generated by each sensor may have distinct requirements. This diversity necessitates a dual approach: tailored treatment based on the specific needs of each traffic type and the fulfillment of application requirements, such as reliability and timeliness. Nevertheless, the presence of energy constraints and the unreliable nature of wireless communications make QoS provisioning under such networks a non-trivial task. In this context, the current paper introduces a novel Medium Access Control (MAC) strategy for the regular traffic applications of WBANs, designed to significantly enhance efficiency when compared to the established MAC protocols IEEE 802.15.4 and IEEE 802.15.6, with a particular focus on improving reliability, timeliness, and energy efficiency.

A Dual-Band Low SAR Microstrip Patch Antenna with Jean Substrate for WBAN Applications

This paper presents a low-profile dual-band microstrip patch antenna operated at the 2.45/5.8 GHz ISM bands, targeting wireless body area network (WBAN) applications. The proposed antenna is fabricated on a jean substrate measuring 74×82 mm2. The four corners of the conventional rectangular patch are cut to activate an additional operating frequency and to enhance the radiation pattern. The circular slot is added to the radiating patch to fine-tune the desired frequencies. The measured impedance bandwidth of the proposed antenna at 2.45 GHz and 5.8 GHz bands is 3.68% (2.40 GHz–2.49 GHz) and 3.81% (5.67 GHz–5.89 GHz), respectively. The measured maximum gains are 3.08 dBi at 2.45 GHz and 2.15 dBi at 5.8 GHz. Moreover, the antenna’s performance when placed on flat and rounded body surfaces is also investigated. The proposed antenna achieves stable radiation pattern and low specific absorption rate (SAR) value with low complexity in design. The results indicate that the proposed antenna can be a promising candidate for WBAN applications.

Implanted Rhombus Ring Partial Inset-Fed Circularly Polarized Microstrip Monopole Antenna for WBAN Applications

In the present article, a design approach to accomplish circular polarization-based rhombus ring microstrip-fed monopole antenna working at 5.8 GHz for wireless body area network (WBAN) applications is proposed. The input impedance calculation using an electromagnetic theory of transmission line in a travelling wave coupled to the parallel-plate inductor model is conducted. Radiated electric field pattern calculation of the conventional square ring microstrip patch antenna (MSPA) using Biot and Savart’s law is reported. The circular polarization of the proposed antenna is accomplished by loading the radiating path with a capacitive element sectioned in the neighbourhood of the feed line. The proposed planar monopole antenna of volume 0.38λ0×0.38λ0×0.029λ0 (λ0 is evaluated at the resonant frequency of 5.8 GHz) achieves a -10 dB impedance bandwidth of 86.20% in the band (3-8 GHz) with a stable real gain of 8.29 dBic in circular polarization at the resonant frequency of 5.8 GHz and axial ration bandwidth of about 32.75% in the (5-6.9 GHz) band. Specific absorption rate (SAR) evaluation of the studied antenna is computed numerically on a part of the human phantom model to justify its use in WBAN applications. It is noted that the maximum amount of radiation absorbed by a part of the human phantom model is limited to a maximum SAR value of 1.45 W/kg and 0.754 W/kg on 1 g and 10 g of tissue mass, respectively. The prospective design has been fabricated and tested, and the experimental results are in good agreement with the simulation outcomes.

SAR reduction of wearable SWB antenna using FSS for wireless body area network applications

SAR reduction of wearable SWB antenna using FSS for wireless body area network applications

All-Textile Compact Ultra-Wideband Microstrip Antenna with Full Ground Plane for WBAN Applications

A novel low-profile all-textile microstrip antenna for ultra-wideband (UWB) applications in wireless body area networks (WBANs) is presented. The antenna incorporates flexible materials such as felt and conductive fabrics which provide optimal wearing comfort and durability. The use of a single dielectric substrate layer facilitates the integration process. The antenna also features a full background plane that minimizes the back radiation towards the human body. Multiple branches are designed in a compact area to generate adjacent resonances, and their combination achieves broadband characteristics across the 4.83–9.57 GHz frequency band. The antenna has a miniaturized size of 60 mm × 60 mm, which is 1.6λg × 1.6λg (where λg represents the guided wavelength at the center frequency), and it has a high realized gain of up to 10 dBi. The fully grounded structure also ensures good isolation between the antenna and the human body, thereby alleviating concerns regarding safety and radiation degradation in WBAN context. Simulation results indicate that the antenna maintains high performance levels during various bending tests. Given its favourable properties like ultra-wide bandwidth, compact size, low profile, high flexibility, and low specific absorption rate (SAR), the proposed design could find broad application prospects in high-speed WBAN systems.

A Koch Fractal Octagonal Antenna with a Compact Design and Defected Ground Structure (DGS) for Ultra-Wideband (UWB) Wireless Usage.

This paper introduces a Koch fractal octagonal antenna designed for the Ultrawideband (UWB) Frequency range. The utilization of the Koch fractal in the antenna design contributes to size reduction as well as provides compactness in the antenna for UWB. Additionally, it has been noted that the Koch fractal offers wideband operation. The antenna employs copper as the conductor material, and Flame Retardant-4 (FR4) serves as the substrate. The substrate has a dielectric constant ϵr=4.4, a loss tangent tanδ=0.02, and a thickness (h) of 1.6 mm. The overall antenna’s dimensions are 34.3 × 26.5 × 1.6 or electrical dimensions represent as 0.68λ0 × 0.53λ0 × 0.032λ0 . It achieves a maximum gain of 8.94 dBi at a frequency of 12.25 GHz, offering a broad bandwidth ranging from 2 GHz to 12.1 GHz.This antenna exhibits resonance at three distinct frequencies, namely 3.3 GHz, 6 GHz, and 8.6 GHz, making it highly efficient with an overall efficiency of 96.8%. The time domain characteristic is acceptable for UWB, group delay is 1.1 ns, the The proposed antenna has a high-fidelity factor of 90.2, and the correlation coefficient is 0.9. which makes the antenna a good candidate for UWB. Due to its performance characteristics, this proposed antenna is well suited for short-range wireless personal area networks (WPANs), supporting high-data-rate applications like Bluetooth and wireless USB and Wireless Body Area Network (WBAN) applications. Its proficiency also extends to industrial settings, where it helps with precision in control systems, asset tracking, and short-range sensing and radar systems.

Design consideration and recent developments in flexible, transparent and wearable antenna technology: A review

AbstractThe wearable technology and flexible electronics have been convoluted in modern technologies and many of applications especially insensors, biomedical, displays, solar panels, glasses, smart cities, integrated circuits, and wireless body area network (WBAN). They offer capability of mechanical deformation conditions mainly stretchable, bendable, foldable features and capable to severe environmental conditions. Nowadays, a device having lightweight, low‐profile, compact in size and flexible deployment on the system platforms is preferred. With the flexibility in the design of the antenna, they require flexible, robust, easy to wear, visually imperceptible, unobtrusiveness, and planar material for the realization. The characteristics of the wearable antenna may vary according to the material conductivity and their optical transparency, substrate selection and their thickness along with permittivity opted for and mechanical deformation behavior. Generally, the textile material is utilized to design the flexible wearable antenna due to material flexibility which can minimize the losses and enhance the antenna performance. Conversely, the visually imperceptible and flexible material is utilized to design transparent wearable antenna due to appropriate trade‐off between conductivity and optical transparency of the materials. For diverse WBAN applications, the flexible, transparent, and wearable antennas are utilized. This paper elaborates the comprehensive review and the state‐of‐the‐art research on the diverse categories of the wearable antennas based on the substrate characteristics such as flexibility and transparency. In addition, it provides the broad investigation of the flexible and transparent materials utilized to design wearable antennas and different tissue layers with their dielectric properties to develop the human multilayer phantom model.

Investigation of SAR reduction and gain enhancement using an all-textile antenna with metamaterial structure for wireless body area network applications

This work presents a wideband, low-profile, and flexible antenna that incorporates metamaterial (MTM) structures and textile materials. The antenna design is simulated using CST Microwave Studio, incorporating flexible textile elements such as a felt substrate and conductive fabric. The developed antenna's performance was examined numerically in free space and on a human body. The antenna with MTM technology operates in the ultra-wideband (UWB) with a bandwidth ranging from 3.86 to 13 GHz. It possesses a low profile with a thickness of 5.34 mm, making it suitable for applications in wireless body area networks (WBAN). Through the integration of metamaterial structures, the antenna's gain is enhanced, reaching 8.85 dBi compared to the initial gain of 5.34 dBi. Notably, the gain consistently exceeds 6 dBi across the entire UWB range, indicating focused power in a specific direction. For applications on the human body, specific absorption rate (SAR) values were calculated and found to be well within safety limits defined by European standards. This ensures minimal back radiation when the antenna is worn on the body, enhancing signal transmission range in WBAN applications.

Comprehensive review of the human body communication system for wireless body area network applications

Comprehensive review of the human body communication system for wireless body area network applications

Review of wireless body area networks: protocols, technologies, and applications

Nowadays, technology plays a vital part in our daily lives. Especially in medicine, such as consultations, examination, and operation, these processes are necessary and must be utilized accordingly. Medical checkups are required to ensure the patient’s wellbeing. However, many people suffer from severe health conditions and are not always able to leave the house for examination. They are also not aware of potential risks within their body and therefore, don’t feel the need to be examined. With the rise of new technological advantages, new solutions are being presented to tackle those issues. In the field of wireless sensor networks (WSNs), the wireless body area network (WBAN), alongside with its features and functionalities, can be regarded as one of the potential innovations for medicine, military, sport, and entertainment. With its tiny sensors, as well as with its plethora of applications, the WBAN is an excellent choice for remote medical surveillance and treatment. Furthermore, various routing protocols can provide proper solutions, depending on the application needs. However, challenges, such as energy efficiency, and security. are being further developed to improve the needs of its demands. This review is an overview of WBAN technologies, protocols, applications and potential challenges.

2.4 GHz/5.6 GHz Dual‐Use Wearable Patch Antenna Integrated with Electrodes and Parasitic Element for Wireless Body Area Network

This study explores the development of a wearable antenna designed for use within a wireless body area network (WBAN), based on the IEEE 802.15.6 WBAN standard. We present a novel, dual‐use antenna designed to operate on the narrow band physical layer at 2.4 GHz, Wi‐Fi at 5.6 GHz, as well as human body communication. Furthermore, we evaluate the performance of the proposed antenna using electromagnetic field simulation, incorporating a multilayered arm model to consider human impact. Our findings suggest its effectiveness for WBAN applications, as indicated by reflection coefficients, radiation efficiencies, and radiation patterns. © 2023 Institute of Electrical Engineer of Japan and Wiley Periodicals LLC.

Conformal eight‐port dual band antenna with switchable radiation pattern for 5G enabled on‐body wireless communications

AbstractA novel conformal quasi‐yagi antenna and its Multiple Input Multiple Output (MIMO) implementations for wireless body area networks (WBAN) application is reported in this letter. The antenna is developed on a 0.05 mm thin polyimide substrate making the antenna more flexible and conformal. The footprint of the proposed antenna is 35 × 35 mm with a dual dipole arm‐like structure making it resonant at 2.45 and 3.5 GHz covering the industrial scientific and medical and 5G bands for WBAN communications. The antenna is excited using a microstrip‐to‐slotline termination suitably terminated by a circular patch to realize the impedance matching. The ground plane is shaped to maintain good isolation between neighboring antennas during the eight‐element MIMO antenna development. The MIMO antennas are arranged circularly to achieve good antenna coverage along the azimuth directions. The antenna generates a tangential radiation pattern to the plane of the human body making it suitable for on‐body wireless communications. The proposed antenna offers a rotatable radiation pattern by appropriately choosing the antenna port of excitation. The proposed MIMO antenna offers an average gain of 4.5 and 5.2 dBi at 2.45 and 3.5 GHz, respectively. The MIMO antenna parameters are evaluated and presented. The calculated MIMO parameters are within the acceptable limits. Thus, the flexible nature with rotatable directional radiation patterns has made this antenna an attractive choice for on‐body communications in WBAN.

A Re-configurable Body Channel Transceiver towards Wearable and Flexible Biomedical Sensor Networks.

Body channel communication (BCC) has become a promising candidate in wireless body area networks (WBAN) due to its advantages in energy efficiency and security. However, BCC transceivers face two challenges: diverse application requirements and varying channel conditions. To overcome these challenges, this paper proposes a re-configurable architecture for BCC transceivers (TRXs), whose key parameters and communication protocols can be software-defined (SD) according to the requirements. In the proposed TRX, the programmable direct-sampling receiver (RX) is a combination of a programmable low-noise amplifier (LNA) and a fast-convergent successive approaching register analog-to-digital converter (SAR ADC), to achieve simple but energy-efficient data reception. The programmable digital transmitter (TX) is essentially implemented by a 2-bit DAC array to transmit either wide-band carrier-free signals like 4-level pulse amplitude modulation (PAM-4) or non-return-to-zero (NRZ) or narrow-band carrier-based signals like on-off keying (OOK) or frequency shift keying (FSK). The proposed BCC TRX is fabricated in a 180-nm CMOS process. Through an in-vivo experiment, it achieves up to 10-Mbps data rate and 119.2 pJ/bit energy efficiency. Moreover, the TRX is able to communicate under long-distance (1.5 m) and body-shielding conditions by switching its protocols, which shows the potential to be deployed in all categories of WBAN applications.

A battery-free wireless body area network towards state perception under all-weather conditions

The integration of energy harvesting and sensing is core to the enhancement of intelligence and sustainability of wireless body area networks (WBANs). Much of the harvested energy from human motion carries rich state information. How to decouple this state information while harvesting energy is the key to constructing next-generation WBANs. Herein, we present a battery-free WBAN based on an all-in-one power generating and sensing system (A-PGSS) towards state perception under all-weather conditions. The A-PGSS consists of a flexible triboelectric nanogenerator (F-TENG), a solar cell and a low-power circuit. The F-TENG serves both as an energy harvester and a sensor. The multiple A-PGSSs that make up WBAN distributed on the clothing surface can harvest energy from human motion and sunlight. The low-power circuit is divided into two routes, one to manage and store energy for powering its own system, and the other to decouple, process, and send the state information carried in the electrical signal. The real-time state information can be remotely transferred and displayed on smartphones and computers, exhibiting excellent potential in wilderness expeditions and elderly healthcare. This work not only provides diverse options for developing multi-functional sensor nodes but also advances the practical application of novel battery-free WBANs.

Patch Sensor and Wireless Body Area Network for Disease Detection in Human Body: A Comprehensive Survey

Abstract: This research paper highlights the advancements and applications of Patch Sensor and WBAN, presenting a comprehensive overview of their potential to revolutionise patient care and health management. Fitness wearables that track the personal health status have become very popular in the past years. Sensor industry wants to integrate technological advances into products for the consumer market. Sensors can be embedded in smart clothing to collect physiological data in an unobtrusive way. The integration of patch sensors with Wireless Body Area Network (WBAN) technology has emerged as a transformative approach in healthcare and medical monitoring. Patch sensors are thin, flexible devices that adhere to the skin, capable of collecting vital physiological data, such as heart rate, temperature, respiratory rate, and motion, with exceptional accuracy and non-invasiveness. When combined with WBAN, which facilitates seamless communication between wearable sensors and a central monitoring system, real-time health data can be efficiently transmitted, analysed, and acted upon. The integration of Patch Sensor and WBAN has unlocked numerous applications, including continuous remote patient monitoring, early disease detection, and personalised healthcare. Its deployment in chronic disease management allows healthcare professionals to access patients' data remotely, enabling timely interventions and reducing hospital readmissions. Moreover, athletes and fitness enthusiasts can benefit from performance optimization, injury prevention, and recovery tracking through this technology.

Design of a compact sigma slotted dual-mode UWB antenna for wireless body area network applications

Abstract This article presents the design of a novel sigma slotted circular monopole antenna for wireless body area network applications. The design is proceeded with a sigma-shaped slot etched on the circular radiator with Rogers 4003C substrate. The size of the proposed antenna is 30 × 30 × 1 mm3. With partial ground plane, the bandwidth characteristics of the antenna have been enhanced. The designed antenna covers 2–10 GHz of the ultra wideband, thereby providing more than 106% bandwidth. The antenna exhibits high gain values of 1.95, 3.23, 3.46, and 5.95 dB at 2.45, 3.45, 5.8, and 9.5 GHz, respectively. The proposed design operates on off-body mode at 2.45 GHz and on-body mode at 5.8 GHz, thus acting as a dual-mode antenna. To ensure the health and safety measure, specific absorption rate analysis was done for both low and high values of input power and also with Cartesian and cylindrical human arm models. Bending analysis was also done. The time domain parameter group delay was also analyzed for the proposed antenna for on- and off-body scenarios. The prototype was fabricated, and validation of simulation results was done for free space and on-body scenarios.

Improved wearable, breathable, triple‐band electromagnetic bandgap‐loaded fractal antenna for wireless body area network applications

AbstractA compact triple‐band porous electromagnetic bandgap structure‐loaded coplanar‐waveguide‐fed wearable antenna is introduced for applications of wireless body area networks. The porous structure is aimed to create a stopband or bandgap in the electromagnetic spectrum and increase breathability. The holes in the bottom electromagnetic bandgap surface increase the inductance, which in turn increases the bandwidth. The final design resonates at three bands with impedance bandwidths of 264 MHz, 100 MHz, and 153 MHz and maximum gains of 2.18 dBi, 6.75 dBi, and 9.50 dBi at 2.45 GHz, 3.5 GHz, and 5.5 GHz, respectively. In addition, measurements indicate that the proposed design can be deformed up to certain curvature and withstand human tissue loading. Moreover, the specific absorption rate remains within safe levels for humans. Therefore, the proposed antenna can suitably operate in the industrial, scientific, and medical, Bluetooth, Wi‐Fi, and WiMAX bands for potential application to wireless body area networks.

Compact eight-shaped ISM-I band wearable antenna for wireless body area network applications

Abstract The design and analysis of the electrically small eight-shaped wearable antenna for both on- and off-body communication is proposed in this paper. An eight-shaped radiating structure is placed over the jeans substrate and an I-shaped slot is introduced in the ground plane which makes the antenna resonates at the ISM-I band (2.4 GHz). The antenna has a compact size of 0.30λ 0 × 0.20λ 0 × 0.001λ 0, where λ 0 is the free space wavelength at the resonance frequency. The impedance bandwidth (≤−10 dB) of the antenna is 6.1 % and 5.8 % in free space and presence of a human body phantom respectively. The antenna design exhibits good gain along with an improved omnidirectional radiation pattern. The specific absorption rate (SAR) of the antenna averaged over 1 g of tissue is 0.21 W/kg at 2.45 GHz which is far below the FCC standard. The paper also discusses the bending analysis and the fundamental size limitations of the small antenna, concluding that it is suitable for practical use. The simulated results of the prototype are validated by the measured results.

Compact Ultra-­Wideband Planar Inverted F Antenna on Laminated Paper­-Based Substrate with Reduced Specific Absorption Rate

This paper presents a laminated paper-based Planar Inverted F Antenna (PIFA) for wireless body area network (WBAN) applications. The major challenges like providing adequate thickness, uniformity of surface, and water wet ability associated with paper substrate have been transcended in this antenna design by laminating the substrate with a transparent sheet. The simulated and measured reflection coefficients of the fabricated antenna in free space and on human arm are remarkably good, validating the prototype’s utility. It can operate effectively in GSM, WMTS, GPS, DCS, ISM, WiMAX, HIPERLAN, WLAN, and UWB frequency bands with S11 less than -10 dB and the gain ranging from 0.94 to 9.53 dB (free space) and 1.03 to 6.07 dB (on-body). The electrical size of the proposed antenna is 0.16 λg x 0.12 λg at 0.7 GHz with a group delay below 2.3 ns over the desired frequency bands. The performance characteristics are also investigated on-body and it encompasses most of the desired frequency bands for the body area network. This paper also analyses the specific absorption rate (SAR) of the designed antenna by placing it on a tissue-layered human arm model, which is 0.64 Watt/kg, complying with the SAR safety guidelines.