• Journal of Communications and Networks
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• v.13 no.2
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• pp.160-166
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• 2011

In u-healthcare services based on wireless body sensor networks, reliable connection is very important as many types of information, including vital signals, are transmitted through the networks. The transmit power requirements are very stringent in the case of in-body networks for implant communication. Furthermore, the wireless link in an in-body environment has a high degree of path loss (e.g., the path loss exponent is around 6.2 for deep tissue). Because of such inherently bad settings of the communication nodes, a multi-hop network topology is preferred in order to meet the transmit power requirements and to increase the battery lifetime of sensor nodes. This will ensure that the live body of a patient receiving the healthcare service has a reduced level of specific absorption ratio (SAR) when exposed to long-lasting radiation. We propose an efficientmethod for delivering delay-intolerant data packets over multiple hops. We consider forward error correction (FEC) in an erasure correction mode and develop a mathematical formulation for packet-level scheduling of delay-intolerant FEC packets over multiple hops. The proposed method can be used as a simple guideline for applications to setting up a topology for a medical body sensor network of each individual patient, which is connected to a remote server for u-healthcare service applications.

• ETRI Journal
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• v.37 no.2
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• pp.204-211
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• 2015

For this study, we designed an implantable rectangular spiral antenna for medical biotelemetry in the Medical Implant Communications Service band (402 MHz to 405 MHz). The designed antenna has a U-shaped loop for impedance matching. The antenna impedance is easily adjusted by controlling the shape and length of the U-shaped loop. Significant design parameters were studied to understand their effects on the antenna performance. To verify the potential of the antenna for the desired applications, we fabricated a prototype and measured its performance in terms of the resonant characteristics and gain radiation patterns of the antenna. In the testing phase, the prototype antenna was embedded in human skin tissue-emulating gel, which was developed to simulate a real operation environment. The measured resonant characteristics show good agreement with the simulations, and the -10 dB frequency band is within the range of 398 MHz to 420 MHz. The antenna exhibits a maximum gain of -22.26 dBi and an antenna efficiency of 0.215%.

• Journal of the Institute of Electronics Engineers of Korea SD
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• v.48 no.4
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• pp.24-31
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• 2011

A high data rate Medical Implant Communications Service (MICS) transmitter for implantable medical devices (IMD) is proposed. An orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM)-based multicarrier scheme is used to overcome the data rate limitation caused by the narrow bandwidth of 300 kHz. The proposed transmitter utilizes multiple MICS channels simultaneously, supporting increased data rate. To satisfy the MICS regulation, various schemes are applied including optimized subcarrier allocation and inverse fast Fourier transform (IFFT) architecture, and additional sidelobe suppression technique. Simulation results show that the proposed transmitter can support a maximum data rate of 4.86 Mbps, which is more than ten times faster than the previous systems.

• The Journal of Korean Institute of Communications and Information Sciences
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• v.36 no.8A
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• pp.712-722
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• 2011

Wireless body area network(WBAN) provide communication service in the vicinity of the body. Since WBANs utilize both MICS frequency band for implant medical applications and ISM frequency band for medical and consumer electronics(CE) applications. Therefore, MAC protocols in WBAN should be designed considering flexibility between medical and CE applications. In this paper, we identify the requirements of WBAN MAC protocols and propose a WBAN MAC protocol which satisfies the requirements. In other to provide transmission flexibility for various applications. we present the dynamic CFP allocation and opportunity period. Extensive simulation result show that the proposed protocol achieves improved throughput and latency in WEAN environment cimpared with IEEE 802.15.4.