Data Throughput Optimization in the IEEE 802.15.4 Medical Sensor Networks

Use of wireless biomedical sensor networks in complex clinical diagnostics and treatments may provide greater flexibility for both patient and medical staff as some of the same sensors could follow the patient throughout the cycle of treatment. A typical scenario from an intensive care unit, with data from three vital sign sensors, is used as an example for both hardware and software simulations. Results show that data throughput in such biomedical networks is greatly depended on packet size while competing for channel access. A new scheduling algorithm has been proposed for multi-hop networks. Some of the hardware limitations are identified, where the trade off between hardware and software systems is demonstrated