Mathematical modeling of ultra wideband in vivo radio channel

This paper proposes a novel mathematical model for an in vivo radio channel at ultra-wideband frequencies (3.1–10.6 GHz), which can be used as a reference model for in vivo channel response without performing intensive experiments or simulations. The statistics of error prediction between experimental and proposed model is RMSE = 5.29, which show the high accuracy of the proposed model. Also, the proposed model was applied to the blind data, and the statistics of error prediction is RMSE = 7.76, which also shows a reasonable accuracy of the model. This model will save the time and cost on simulations and experiments, and will help in designing an accurate link budget calculation for a future enhanced system for ultra-wideband body-centric wireless systems

Evaluation of ultra-wideband in vivo radio channel and its effects on system performance

This paper presents bit‐error‐rate (BER) performance analysis and improvement using equalizers for an in vivo radio channel at ultra‐wideband frequencies (3.1 GHz to 10.6 GHz). By conducting simulations using a bandwidth of 50 MHz, we observed that the in vivo radio channel is affected by small‐scale fading. This fading results in intersymbol interference affecting upcoming symbol transmission, causing delayed versions of the symbols to arrive at the receiver side and causes increase in BER. A 29‐taps channel was observed from the experimentally measured data using a human cadaver, and BER was calculated for the measured in vivo channel response along with the ideal additive white Gaussian noise and Rayleigh channel models. Linear and nonlinear adaptive equalizers, ie, decision feedback equalizer (DFE) and least mean square (LMS), were used to improve the BER performance of the in vivo radio channel. It is noticed that both the equalizers improve the BER but DFE has better BER compared to LMS and shows the 2‐dB and 4‐dB performance gains of DFE over the LMS at Eb/No = 12 dB and at Eb/No = 14 dB, respectively. The current findings will help guide future researchers and designers in enhancing systems performance of an ultra‐wideband in vivo wireless systems

Bit Error Rate Performance of In-vivo Radio Channel Using Maximum Likelihood Sequence Estimation

In this paper we present the Bit Error Rate (BER) performance of equalizers using in-vivo channel response measured using Vector Network Analyzer (VNA). Including the use of a Bandwidth (BW) of 50 MHz in the simulations, the results are compared with multiple equalizers and it is shown that Maximum Likelihood Sequence Estimation (MLSE) equalizer outperformed the rest of the equalizers including linear equalizers Least Mean Square (LMS) and Recursive least sequence (RLS) and non-linear equalizer Decision Feedback Equalizer (DFE). The BER performance using MLSE showed significant improvement by improving the BER and outperforming the linear equalizer from 10 −2 to 10 −6 and DFE from 10 −4 to 10 −6 at Eb/No=14 dB for in vivo radio communication channel at ultra wideband (UWB) frequencies. Furthermore, the un-equalized and equalized channel frequency response spectrum is also part of this article which presents the overall improvement between the two spectrums

Ultrawideband Technology for Medical In-Body Sensor Networks: An Overview of the Human Body as a Propagation Medium, Phantoms, and Approaches for Propagation Analysis

[EN] An in-body sensor network is that in which at least one of the sensors is located inside the human body. Such wireless in-body sensors are used mainly in medical applications, collecting and monitoring important parameters for health and disease treatment. IEEE Standard 802.15.6-2012 for wireless body area networks (WBANs) considers in-body communications in the Medical Implant Communications Service (MICS) band. Nevertheless, high-data-rate communications are not feasible at the MICS band because of its narrow occupied bandwidth. In this framework, ultrawideband (UWB) systems have emerged as a potential solution for in-body highdata-rate communications because of their miniaturization capabilities and low power consumption.This work was supported by the Programa de Ayudas de Investigación y Desarrollo (PAID-01-16) at the Universitat Politècnica de València, Spain; by the Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad, Spain (TEC2014-60258-C2-1-R); and by the European FEDER funds. It was also funded by the European Union’s H2020:MSCA:ITN program for the Wireless In-Body Environ-ment Communication–WiBEC project under grant 675353.Garcia-Pardo, C.; Andreu-Estellés, C.; Fornés Leal, A.; Castelló-Palacios, S.; Pérez-Simbor, S.; Barbi, M.; Vallés Lluch, A.... (2018). Ultrawideband Technology for Medical In-Body Sensor Networks: An Overview of the Human Body as a Propagation Medium, Phantoms, and Approaches for Propagation Analysis. IEEE Antennas and Propagation Magazine. 60(3):19-33. https://doi.org/10.1109/MAP.2018.2818458S193360

Experimental Path Loss Models for In-Body Communications Within 2.36-2.5 GHz

"(c) 2015 IEEE. Personal use of this material is permitted. Permission from IEEE must be obtained for all other users, including reprinting/ republishing this material for advertising or promotional purposes, creating new collective works for resale or redistribution to servers or lists, or reuse of any copyrighted components of this work in other works."Biomedical implantable sensors transmitting a variety of physiological signals have been proven very useful in the management of chronic diseases. Currently, the vast majority of these in-body wireless sensors communicate in frequencies below 1 GHz. Although the radio propagation losses through biological tissues may be lower in such frequencies, e.g., the medical implant communication services band of 402 to 405 MHz, the maximal channel bandwidths allowed therein constrain the implantable devices to low data rate transmissions. Novel and more sophisticated wireless in-body sensors and actuators may require higher data rate communication interfaces. Therefore, the radio spectrum above 1 GHz for the use of wearable medical sensing applications should be considered for in-body applications too. Wider channel bandwidths and smaller antenna sizes may be obtained in frequency bands above 1 GHz at the expense of larger propagation losses. Therefore, in this paper, we present a phantom-based radio propagation study for the frequency bands of 2360 to 2400 MHz, which has been set aside for wearable body area network nodes, and the industrial, scientific, medical band of 2400 to 2483.5 MHz. Three different channel scenarios were considered for the propagation measurements: in-body to in-body, in-body to on-body, and in-body to off-body.We provide for the first time path loss formulas for all these cases.Chavez-Santiago, R.; García Pardo, C.; Fornés Leal, A.; Vallés Lluch, A.; Vermeeren, G.; Joseph, W.; Balasingham, I.... (2015). Experimental Path Loss Models for In-Body Communications Within 2.36-2.5 GHz. IEEE Journal of Biomedical and Health Informatics. 19(3):930-937. doi:10.1109/JBHI.2015.2418757S93093719

UWB Path Loss Models for Ingestible Devices

[EN] Currently, some medical devices such as the Wireless Capsule Endoscopy (WCE) are used for data transmission from inside to outside the body. Nevertheless, for certain applications such as WCE, the data rates offered by current medical frequency bands can result insufficient. Ultra Wideband (UWB) frequency band has become an interesting solution for this. However, to date, there is not a formal channel path loss model for the UWB frequency band in the gastrointestinal (GI) scenario due to the huge differences between the proposed studies. There are three main methodologies to characterize the propagation channel, software simulations and experimental measurements either in phantom or in in vivo animals. Previous works do not compare all the methodologies or present some disagreements with the literature. In this paper, a dedicated study of the path loss using the three methodologies aforementioned (simulations, phantoms and in vivo measurements) and a comparison with previous researches in the literature is performed. Moreover, numerical values for a path loss model which agrees with the three methodologies and the literature are proposed. This paper aims at being the starting point for a formal path loss model in the UWB frequency band for WBANs in the GI scenarioThis work was supported in part by the European Union's H2020-MSCA-ITN Program for the "Wireless In-body Environment Communication" Project under Grant 675353, in part by the Programa de Ayudas de Investigacion y Desarrollo (PAID-01-16) from Universitat Politecnica de Valencia, and in part by the Ministerio de Economia y Competitividad, Spain under Grant TEC2014-60258-C2-1-R through the European FEDER Funds.Pérez-Simbor, S.; Andreu-Estellés, C.; Garcia-Pardo, C.; Frasson, M.; Cardona Marcet, N. (2019). UWB Path Loss Models for Ingestible Devices. IEEE Transactions on Antennas and Propagation. 67(8):5025-5034. https://doi.org/10.1109/TAP.2019.2891717S5025503467

Doppler Characterization in Ultra Wideband BAN Channels During Breathing

[EN] Monitoring the physical parameters from devices inside the body, using ultra wideband (UWB) technology, enables the development of high bandwidth demanding applications in real time. The relative movement of the nodes deployed in the body, due to breathing, can give rise to a frequency shifting effect, increasing the fading level in the propagation channel during transmissions. In this article, therefore, we present a study of the frequency effects on the propagation channel derived from the relative movement between two nodes of a wireless body area network (WBAN), at least one of them placed inside the human body, caused by breathing. The study is performed on the basis of the Doppler spectrum characterization in terms of the shape fitting and frequency spread parameter derivation. Continuous wave (CW) signals have been used to cover the UWB range at four selected frequencies: 3.1, 4.8, 6, and 8.5 GHz, and a liquid phantom has been employed for emulating the dielectric properties of the high water content tissues at the considered UWB frequencies.This work was supported in part by the Ministerio de Economia y Competitividad (MINECO), Spain, under Grant TEC2016-78028-C3-2-P, in part by the European Union's H2020-MSCA-ITN Program by the "mmWave Communications in the Built Environments-WaveComBE" Project, under Grant 766231, and in part by the European FEDER funds.García-Serna, RG.; Garcia-Pardo, C.; Molina-García-Pardo, JM.; Juan Llacer, L.; Cardona Marcet, N. (2020). Doppler Characterization in Ultra Wideband BAN Channels During Breathing. IEEE Transactions on Antennas and Propagation. 68(2):1066-1073. https://doi.org/10.1109/TAP.2019.2951849S1066107368

Location Dependent Channel Characteristics for Implantable Devices

This paper presents an impact on an in-vivo channel with respect to the position of ex-vivo antenna placement and its location. The paper also shows how the location of the antenna is impacting the channel. Three different parts are considered for the simulations using measured data for 500 MHz bandwidth. The results in the paper present the high location dependent characteristics of the in-vivo channel in the context of changing the position of the ex-vivo antenna. These findings can help in the system design for the future of the implantable devices design to be placed inside the human body