Node Positioning and Lifetime Optimization for Wireless Body Area Networks

Wireless communication networks may be categorized based on the extent of the geographical area that they cover. The latest trend in this assortment is wireless body area network (WBAN), which is standardized by IEEE 802.15.6 and is defined as a network composed of intelligent, miniaturized, low-power nodes that are implanted in, placed on, or in close proximity to the human body for certain healthcare applications. In this paper, we will start with some assessments on applicable channel models for a typical WBAN. Considering various scenarios with different carrier frequencies, bandwidths, body movements, and transceiver locations, the well-known Bayesian Information Criterion is used to check an available channel data set against 11 different statistical models. Having the channel models as the tools of the trade, we have chosen symbol error rate as the desired metric to find the best node location among the predefined options that results in the most reliable performance. Apart from the positioning of individual nodes, the reliability concept can be utilized in the context of a more general problem, giving rise to useful applications beyond a single node level. Here, we introduce the network lifetime as the performance indicator that can be evaluated for any scenario of interest. Moreover, the network lifetime may be treated as the cost function of an optimization problem. By following the requirements mentioned in the standard, we have found the optimum values for different node attributes that result in the network lifetime maximization.