Joint analog network coding and channel allocation in the walking scenario for WBAN

Abstract

Wireless Body Area Network (WBAN) has been considered as a revolutionary technology to address current healthcare needs. However, before the extensive deployment of WBAN, one main challenge to be met is how to balance the trade-off between data transmission rate and energy efficiency. In this paper, we utilize WBAN's spatial correlation characteristics during movement and propose an efficient cross-layer scheme, named A3NC, which combines analog network coding (ANC) and MAC layer channel allocation. Our simulation results show that the A3NC scheme achieves significant improvement in upload throughput and energy efficiency compared to the conventional approaches. Meanwhile, our scheme also maintains a better balance between correlated sensors' upload throughput.