Design and architecture of wireless body area network using android application

Abstract

Patients in hospitals have issue with health instrumentality that's connected with wires to their body. Wired health instrumentality restricts the quality of the patient. Moreover, health caretaker’s area unit compelled to work the instrumentality and take the measurements. Hence, wireless observance of patient is incredibly effective resolution thereto drawback. The most target of this study was to analysis the present trend and prospect of wireless observance of patients within the hospitals. This study conjointly aims to create the epitome system to implement wireless observance. Additionally to that, this thesis conjointly studies most fitted technique for building the foremost effective wireless observance system. The sensing element nodes and receiver of the epitome were designed. Golem phone was used as entranceway to receive the information from sensing element node and forward the information into receiver. Bluetooth Low energy was wont to communicate between sensing element nodes and golem phone. LAN is employed to speak between golem phone and also the receiver that is connected to laptop. The sensing element readings were initially ascertained in Arduino Serial Monitor so sent to sink node. The sensing element readings of a body were displayed in golem phone and yet as within the web site. Real time information of sensing element was created and with success updated within the web site. The study of results and project showed that wireless observance would be terribly effective by exploitation Interference free, short vary and extremely secure suggests that of communication. Bluetooth low energy that is appropriate choice for the system. Style of sensing element nodes ought to be terribly tiny as a result of it's to be worn round the body. Therefore smaller parts ought to be used.

Full text

International Journal of Informatics and Communication Technology (IJ-ICT)
Vol.8, No.2, August 2019, pp. 71~76
ISSN: 2252-8776, DOI: 10.11591/ijict.v8i2.pp71-76  71
Journal homepage: http://iaescore.com/journals/index.php/IJICT
Design and architecture of wireless body area network using
android application
Kumar Keshamoni
Department of ECE, Vaagdevi Engineering College, Warangal, TS, India
Article Info
ABSTRACT
Article history:
Received Dec 5, 2018
Revised Mar 30, 2019
Accepted Apr 12, 2019
Patients in hospitals have issue with health instrumentality that's connected
with wires to their body. Wired health instrumentality restricts the quality of
the patient. Moreover, health caretaker’s area unit compelled to work the
instrumentality and take the measurements. Hence, wireless observance of
patient is incredibly effective resolution thereto drawback. The most target of
this study was to analysis the present trend and prospect of wireless observance
of patients within the hospitals. This study conjointly aims to create the
epitome system to implement wireless observance. Additionally to that, this
thesis conjointly studies most fitted technique for building the foremost
effective wireless observance system. The sensing element nodes and receiver
of the epitome were designed. Golem phone was used as entranceway to
receive the information from sensing element node and forward the
information into receiver. Bluetooth Low energy was wont to communicate
between sensing element nodes and golem phone. LAN is employed to speak
between golem phone and also the receiver that is connected to laptop. The
sensing element readings were initially ascertained in Arduino Serial Monitor
so sent to sink node. The sensing element readings of a body were displayed
in golem phone and yet as within the web site. Real time information of
sensing element was created and with success updated within the web site. The
study of results and project showed that wireless observance would be terribly
effective by exploitation Interference free, short vary and extremely secure
suggests that of communication. Bluetooth low energy that is appropriate
choice for the system. Style of sensing element nodes ought to be terribly tiny
as a result of it's to be worn round the body. Therefore smaller parts ought to
be used.
Keywords:
Bluetooth low energy (BLE)
Sensor node
Wireless Body area network
Wireless sensor network
Copyright © 2019 Institute of Advanced Engineering and Science.
All rights reserved.
Corresponding Author:
Kumar Keshamoni,
Department of ECE,
Vaagdevi Engineering College, Warangal, TS, India.
Email: kumar.keshamoni@gmail.com
1. INTRODUCTION
Patients United Nations agency ar hospitalized in medical care unit or emergency ward want constant
observation to amass their important signs like pressure, graphical record, atomic number 8 quantity,
temperature etc. Doctors and health professionals study these important signs to sight any forthcoming health
complication. They fetch information from patient by connecting wired health instrumentality to the patient.
Wired instrumentality adds complication to patients as a result of issue in movement. Moreover, nurses ought
to of times visit the patient’s wards to require the measurements of significant signs. This is able to take longer
for health professionals to require measurements and operate the instrumentality. Moreover, attention takers
ought to use for those works. In spite of frequent visit and observation, in some occasion health care takers
may not able to attend throughout the intense health complication of patients. Hence, the necessity of period
of time observation is incredibly crucial to health care takers.

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There are several health care technologies offered within the market that gives form of wireless patient
observation technologies. Choosing the simplest and reliable technology is incredibly important. Wireless
observation technologies use completely different Wide space Personal Network techniques, for examples:
Zigbee and Bluetooth to speak between device nodes and therefore the entranceway. This study implements
Wireless Body space Network to create the paradigm wireless observation system. This project studies
numerous WPANs and ultimately uses Bluetooth Low energy as appropriate WPAN for communication.
The most target of the study was to style paradigm system that would offer real time observation of
patients. Whereas planning the paradigm, the study additionally aimed toward building the reliable, sturdy
terribly intensely safe system that would offer very correct medical information of patients or persons to be
monitored. The accuracy and confidentiality of noninheritable information were a lot of stressed within the
project. Hence, Bluetooth Low energy was used as a result of encoding feature of it. Solely Health care takers
would have access to the confidential information of patients that were saved within the patient’s info server.
The approved persons might have access to information solely with secured username and countersign from
the medical web site. together with planning, the project aims at learning the trend and way forward for wireless
body space network in medical applications for example bio-feedback application, help to senior individuals
and interference and observation of diseases. The paradigm used low cost graphical record device (ECG) in its
device node style.
2. WIRELESS NETWORKS
Wireless Network is the computer network that uses wireless data connections for connecting various
devices in network. Basically, it uses radio waves (Electromagnetic wave) for connection to network.
Wireless Network Types:
a) WWANs: Wireless Wide Area Networks. Extends over a large area like cities or country 3G, 4G, GSM
b) WLANs: Wireless Local Area Networks. For a small area like a School, Home or University. It uses
Radio waves signals. It follows IEEE 802.11standard
c) WMANs: Wireless Metropolitan Area Networks: It has range from 30 to 50 km. It is also known as
Wimax,
d) WPANs: Wireless Personal Area Networks: It follows IEE 802.15.1 for instance Bluetooth and IEE
802.15.4 for instance Zigbee. They are suitable Power efficient, short ranging and Inexpensive devices.
e) WBANs: Wireless Body Area Networks: It follows IEE 802.15.6 [1].
Wired networks:
Although wired networks are reliable, constant power supply, stable and have high data transmissions, it has
some disadvantages. They are as follows:
a) Problems with installation.
b) High cost and maintenance and installations.
c) Burdensome
3. WIRELESS BODY AREA NETWORK
The technological advances in data and communication technology and natural philosophy like
MEMS have sealed the manner for the Wireless Body space Network .Wireless body space network is extended
version of WSN to medical applications [2-4]. In contrast to different sensing element networks, WBAN
encompasses a network of biosensors nodes that are fitted with bio sensors to produce individual health
parameters of a private. WBAN has the contributions from several knowledge domain sciences. Presently
WPAN are principally appropriate for industrial application [5]. As an example, Bluetooth is appropriate for
sensing element networking application. However Wi-Fi is suitable for knowledge network with higher
knowledge transmission rate. Completely different technology and standards are there to support WBAN. IEEE
802.15.6 was designed for WBAN. It offers Figure 1.

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Design and architecture of wireless body area network using android application (Kumar Keshamoni)
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Figure 1. Health monitoring system reprinted from ramshedda. k wireless body area network [6]
4. SYSTEM ARCHITECTURE
The typical architecture of WBAN is comprised of three tire communication: Intra BAN
communication, Inter BAN communication and Beyond BAN communication [7].
Tier 1 Architecture
This layer has intra communication. The communication is among the body sensors nodes and the master node
or sink node. Sensor nodes are placed on human body as on body sensors, wearable sensors or implanted under
the skin. The sensor node is capable of sensing, sampling, processing and communication.
Tier 2 Architecture
This layer involves the inter BAN communication between the central unit or master node and the personal
devices such as mobile phone or note books. The master node has the user interaction interface. Different
sensor nodes have different communication protocols. For example, Bluetooth based sensor nodes have
Bluetooth for communication. The sink node is linked with medical server through WLANs, or 2G or 3G [5].
Tier 3 Architecture
This layer connects the personal devices to the internet. This structure has one decision measuring Unit which
does an automatic computation. It gathers and sorts out the information. The DMU is linked with medical
institutions for example, hospitals; where health care takers can analyse the data [8]. Figure 2 Illustrates the
three tier Architecture of WBAN.
Figure 2. Three tier architecture of WBAN reprinted from RAJEEV NARAYAN [9]

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4.1 Gateway
Gateway is also known as Body control Unit or Central control Unit in this WBAN system. Personal
Digital Assistant is another popular name for Gateway. The role of Gateway is sink node. They collect the
sensor data and process it to forward to remote stations or main health server. They communicate with server
using standard telecommunication network for example WiFi or Mobile network [10].
4.2 Monitoring of Vital Signs
There are four primary vital signs for assessing the general physical health of a person .The normal
range of readings of vital signs is different with age, weight, gender and overall health of a person [11]. Early
warning scores data gathered is shown in Table 1.
They are listed below:
- Human body temperature
- Blood pressure
- Heart beat rate
- Respiration rate often noted as BT, BP, HR and RR.
Table 1. Early Warning Scores Data Gathered From [12]
Score
3
2
1
0
1
2
3
Respiratory rate (breaths/min)
>35
31-35
21-30
9-20
<7
SpO2 (%)
<85
85-89
90-92
>92
Temperature (C)
>38.9
38-38.9
36-37.9
35-35.9
34-34.9
<34
Systolic BP (mmHg)
>199
100-199
80-99
70-79
<70
Heart rate (bpm)
>129
110-129
100-109
50-99
40-49
30-39
<30
AVPU
Alert
Voice
Pain
Unconcious
4.3 Gateway Design
Actual entranceway or sink node for wireless body space network had to act as personal digital
assistant with freelance device that has microcontrollers and twin mode of communication. It might receive the
info from sensors in BLE medium and at a similar time forward the info to the receivers in server facet in
several mediums. However the model during this study uses the golem phone as entranceway. Golem OS
version 4.3 or later supports the Bluetooth low energy. Similarly, IPhone 4s and latest version use the Bluetooth
low energy. These sensible phones contain each WLAN and Bluetooth low energy modules in them. Hence,
they will be used as entranceway to receive the info from device nodes in BLE mode and forward the info to
receiver in WLAN mode or directly.
Update to the server mistreatment the net affiliation of the portable. There area unit heap of associate
open supply application that receives the info from device nodes and show the info however they are doing not
have practicality to update it to the server. Hence, either complete application should be engineered or associate
open supply application should be accustomed work as entranceway. Figure 3 the whole WBAN system that
has device nodes and Receiver with ESP8266.
Figure 3. Prototype WBAN Systems

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Design and architecture of wireless body area network using android application (Kumar Keshamoni)
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4.4 Android Application
The project uses android version of nRF tool box application. This application supports following
profiles.
- Heart Rate Monitor
- Proximity Monitor
- Glucose Monitor
- Blood Pressure Monitor
nRF tool box does not have functionality to update the information to the server. Figure 4 is the screen
shots of nRFtool box. Figure 4b is showing the plot of graph from the sensor data received from Adafruit BLE
module. This application does not have functionality to send the information to the receiver. However, it is
possible to implement Client server in the application to send the sensor data to the server.
(a)
(b)
Figure 4. (a) nRFtool box layouts, (b) nRFtool box, graph of Heart Rate Monitor
5. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
The example wireless watching system was designed. From the results of study, it had been found
that Bluetooth Low Energy is that the best PAN for human activity between device nodes and sink node than
different commercially obtainable suggests that of wireless communication. What is more Bluetooth five is
preferred than that of Bluetooth 4. Since the device nodes are worn round the body, the device nodes ought to
be as little as doable and so smaller elements ought to be used. nRF52832 or nRF52840 is that the appropriate
option to build device node thanks to its appealing options that features Bluetooth five though the project has
used “Adafruit Bluefruit lupus uart friend”. The devices employed in device nodes ought to be properly tested
on an individual basis before integration within the sensor nodes as a result of the sensors someday don't offer
correct readings. The readings from device nodes within the project failed to offer the stable readings. It had
been in all probability as a result of a budget pulse device wasn't functioning well. The sink node ought to have
Bluetooth Low Energy that ought to support each central and peripheral mode of communication. Adafruit
BLE module employed in the project supports solely peripheral mode. But its new BLE module supported
Nordic semiconductor nRF52832 have each mode of communication. Relying upon the types of application
that need varied latency, lower association interval can decrease the time it needs to send knowledge from
central to peripheral or contrariwise. Within the application like this project, it needs lower latency. I.e. it wants
less quantity of your time to send the info. Therefore, reduced association interval technique may be used at
the price of relatively higher power consumption. The robot phone that has nRF tool box robot application was
used as sink node however it doesn't have practicality to send the info to receiver over wireless fidelity. The
study had original decide to obtain the assistance from fully fledged robot app developer on robot application
half however it had been aborted later. The study additionally discovered that EspressIf32 was best module to
be used for planning sink node thanks to its twin mode of communication. It’s each Bluetooth low energy that
is truly BLE 4.1 and wireless fidelity mode of communication. whereas victimisation thingSpeak platform to

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log the device knowledge, it had been terribly slow around eighteen to twenty seconds as a result of it's used
communications protocol POST request.
Figure 5. Observation of sensor data in ThingSpeak website
From Figure 5, it shows that sensor data has been updated very slowly. This slow updating of data is
problematic to application like Heart Beat sensor reading because it needs frequent data logging. As a whole
the primary goal of the study was met.
6. CONCLUSION
The primary goal of this project was to analysis the trend of wireless watching and style the foremost
acceptable watching system. Though the entire image system wasn't engineered as a result of this project
needed the expertise of functioning on robot Application, the totally functioning image was created exploitation
simulated values. As a whole, the image worked and first goal was achieved. Wireless watching of Patients has
been researched by several before however as a result of poor technology in Wireless technology and fewer
varieties of sensors, the effective system wasn't developed. Now, there are important enhancements also as
advancement within the field of MEMS and digital physical science that coming up with of the system isn't
terribly difficult. The supply of the many body sensors additionally to the utterly revolutionary Personal space
Network Bluetooth five have created the wireless watching terribly straightforward to style.
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