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Modeling and Performance Evaluation of Wireless Body Area Networks for Healthcare Applications

Mishra, Amitabh

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2015, PhD, University of Cincinnati, Engineering and Applied Science: Computer Science and Engineering.
Wireless Body Area Network (WBAN) is a low-power Personal Area Network involving sensor nodes (SNs) that sense and relay physiological data to a central station. WBANs are new and still evolving. We try to address three open research areas involving WBANs. The limited energy budget in WBANs necessitates energy conservation to prolong the network lifetime. The first challenge we try to address is related to improvement of the lifetime of a WBAN, given the small sizes of body sensor nodes (SNs) and the limited battery power that they run on. We proposed a dual-prediction framework for improvement of network lifetime. The framework allows for minimizing data transmission involving four important body parameters by reconstructing their information by time series prediction at reception. A sample elimination algorithm further optimizes the framework performance. We enhanced the framework by reducing the sampling frequency and implementing the algorithm on top, increasing the network lifetime further. The missing samples were reconstructed by interpolation at the receiver. We probed the effects of adaptive sampling and evaluated the increase in battery lifetime in WBANs. We then tried to test the behavior of a WBAN in the presence of other WBANs around it and check the issues faced by WBANs. Wireless systems can face severe interference problems if they use the same communication channels at a time. There are issues related to data routing because the critical nature of WBAN data requires assured communication of body data. For optimum network utilization, efficient scheduling of transmissions in multiple co-existing WBANs is important in order to avoid intra and inter-WBAN interference and for a graceful coexistence. We propose that inter-WBAN interference can be avoided by a QoS based MAC scheduling approach and that intra-WBANs interference can be circumvented by fuzzy scheduling of intra-WBAN transmissions. We also propose to use interference to the benefit of WBANs through a framework in which neighboring WBANs communicate for cooperative packet routing. This lets the WBANs use some spare transmission iii slots from their neighbor WBANs when required. This can happen when a WBAN with more or sudden, emergency data is strapped for transmission slots while its neighbor has some to spare. A routing tree is created using a weighted two-pass algorithm involving an assisting WBAN that can accommodate routing requests from its neighbor WBAN. We further evaluated the possibility of relaying data from a mobile WBAN through small scale networks for voice communication. The scheme uses dynamic virtual cells that grow and shrink in order to provide uninterrupted service, while reducing handovers. Although wireless systems are reliable in conveying sensor data but their use for control applications is still nascent. We tried to probe if WSNs in general or WBANs in particular could be used for wireless control. We have evaluated the performance of ON-OFF control involving a wireless sensor network for musical entertainment applications. We further extended our work and tested the feasibility of control in WSNs and in more critical real life applications in WBANs.
Dharma Agrawal, D.Sc. (Committee Chair)
Raj Bhatnagar, Ph.D. (Committee Member)
Prabir Bhattacharya, Ph.D. (Committee Member)
Chia Han, Ph.D. (Committee Member)
Marepalli Rao, Ph.D. (Committee Member)
144 p.

Recommended Citations

Citations

  • Mishra, A. (2015). Modeling and Performance Evaluation of Wireless Body Area Networks for Healthcare Applications [Doctoral dissertation, University of Cincinnati]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ucin1439281330

    APA Style (7th edition)

  • Mishra, Amitabh. Modeling and Performance Evaluation of Wireless Body Area Networks for Healthcare Applications. 2015. University of Cincinnati, Doctoral dissertation. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ucin1439281330.

    MLA Style (8th edition)

  • Mishra, Amitabh. "Modeling and Performance Evaluation of Wireless Body Area Networks for Healthcare Applications." Doctoral dissertation, University of Cincinnati, 2015. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ucin1439281330

    Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)