Cross-layer optimized routing with low duty cycle TDMA across multiple wireless body area networks

In this paper, we study the performance of two cross-layer optimized dynamic routing techniques for radio interference mitigation across multiple coexisting wireless body area networks (BANs), based on real-life measurements. At the network layer, the best route is selected according to channel state information from the physical layer, associated with low duty cycle TDMA at the MAC layer. The routing techniques (i.e., shortest path routing (SPR), and novel cooperative multi-path routing (CMR) incorporating 3-branch selection combining) perform real-time and reliable data transfer across BANs operating near the 2.4 GHz ISM band. An open-access experimental dataset of `everyday' mixed-activities is used for analyzing the proposed cross-layer optimization. We show that CMR gains up to 14 dB improvement with 8.3% TDMA duty cycle, and even 10 dB improvement with 0.2% TDMA duty cycle over SPR, at 10% outage probability at a realistic signal-to-interference-plus-noise ratio (SINR). Acceptable packet delivery ratios (PDR) and spectral efficiencies are obtained from SPR and CMR with reasonably sensitive receivers across a range of TDMA low duty cycles, with up to 9 dB improvement of CMR over SPR at 90% PDR. The distribution fits for received SINR through routing are also derived and validated with theoretical analysis.