Ultra wideband radio propagation in body area network scenarios

This work presents novel, very-short range UWB radio channel investigations performed in typical body area network (BAN) scenarios using small size, low profile terminal antennas. A novel RF fiber optic connection has been employed for the small antenna set-up in order to maximize the accuracy of the measurements. Several test users have been investigated and significant changes of the UWB antenna radiation characteristics when close to the human body were disclosed using numerical simulations. The measurements with different UWB device positions on the human body showed drastic changes in the calculated radio channel parameters (frequency and time-delay domain) not only due to the body area but also due to the total propagation environment.