The Need for Cooperation and Relaying in Short-Range High Path Loss Sensor Networks

This paper focuses on the energy efficiency of communication in small-scale sensor networks experiencing high path loss. In particular, a sensor network on the human body or BASN is considered. The energy consumption or network lifetime of a single-hop network and a multi-hop network are compared. We derive a propagation model and a radio model for communication along the human body. Using these models, energy efficiency was studied analytically for a line and a tree topology. Calculations show that single-hop communication is inefficient, especially for nodes far away from the sink. There however, multi-hop proves to be more efficient but closer to the sink hotspots arise. Based on these findings, we propose to exploit the performance difference by either introducing extra nodes in the network, i.e. dedicated relay devices, or by using a cooperative approach or by a combination of both. We show that these solutions increase the network lifetime significantly.