On-Body Channel Measurement Using Wireless Sensors

• Published in: IEEE transactions on antennas and propagation 2012-07, Vol.60 (7), p.3397-3406
• Main Authors: Munoz, M. O., Foster, R., Yang Hao
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Antenna measurements; Antennas; Applied classical electromagnetism; Applied sciences; Body-centric communication; Carrier frequencies; channel performance; Channels; Coaxial cables; electromagnetic wave propagation; Electromagnetic wave propagation, radiowave propagation; Electromagnetism; electron and ion optics; Exact sciences and technology; Frequency bands; Fundamental areas of phenomenology (including applications); Human; Mathematical analysis; medical applications; on-body wireless sensors; Physics; Radiocommunications; Receiving antennas; Sensors; Services and terminals of telecommunications; Systems, networks and services of telecommunications; Telecommunications; Telecommunications and information theory; Telemetry. Remote supervision. Telewarning. Remote control; Vectors (mathematics); wearable antenna; Wireless communication; Wireless sensor networks
• ISSN: 0018-926X; 1558-2221
• DOI: 10.1109/TAP.2012.2196933

The on-body channel was characterised at various points on the human torso in an anechoic chamber using a pair of wireless sensor modules. The performance of wireless IEEE 802.15.4 sensor nodes operating in the 2.45 GHz ISM frequency band (2.40-2.4835 GHz) is presented over each of the 16 different channels. It is shown that the response at individual carrier frequencies is dependent not only on the initial antenna response, as determined by the on-body measurement in isolation, but also on the overall system performance. Measurement results are also compared with those from the conventional technique using a Vector Network Analyzer.