Advanced Biophysical Model to Capture Channel Variability for EQS Capacitive HBC

Abstract

Human Body Communication (HBC) has come up as a promising alternative to traditional radio frequency (RF) Wireless Body Area Network (WBAN) technologies. This is essentially due to HBC providing a broadband communication channel with enhanced signal security in the physical layer due to lower radiation from the human body as compared to its RF counterparts. An in-depth understanding of the mechanism for the channel loss variability and associated biophysical model needs to be developed before EQS-HBC can be used more frequently in WBAN consumer and medical applications. Biophysical models characterizing the human body as a communication channel didnt exist in literature for a long time. Recent developments have shown models that capture the channel response for fixed transmitter and receiver positions on the human body. These biophysical models do not capture the variability in the HBC channel for varying positions of the devices with respect to the human body. In this study, we provide a detailed analysis of the change in path loss in a capacitive-HBC channel in the electroquasistatic (EQS) domain. Causes of channel loss variability namely: inter-device coupling and effects of fringe fields due to bodys shadowing effects are investigated. FEM based simulation results are used to analyze the channel response of human body for different positions and sizes of the device which are further verified using measurement results to validate the developed biophysical model. Using the bio-physical model, we develop a closed form equation for the path loss in a capacitive HBC channel which is then analyzed as a function of the geometric properties of the device and the position with respect to the human body which will help pave the path towards future EQS-HBC WBAN design.