Priority-Aware Price-Based Power Control for Co-Located WBANs Using Stackelberg and Bayesian Games

Area of Science:

• Wireless Body Area Networks (WBANs)
• Network Interference Mitigation
• Game Theory in Wireless Communications

Background:

• The IEEE 802.15.6 standard's Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA) effectively manages intra-WBAN interference.
• Inter-WBAN interference arises when multiple WBANs operate in proximity, degrading network performance.

Purpose of the Study:

• To propose a novel Priority-Aware Price-Based Power Control (PPPC) scheme to mitigate inter-WBAN interference.
• To maximize sensor data transmission rates while controlling aggregate interference experienced by coordinators.

Main Methods:

• A Stackelberg game models the interaction between coordinators and sensors for power control.
• A Bayesian game addresses the private nature of sensor identities in a specific time slot.
• Sensor priority factors and active probabilities are designed to ensure data timeliness and reliability.

Main Results:

• The proposed PPPC scheme effectively mitigates inter-WBAN interference.
• The scheme achieves better fairness compared to existing methods.
• Comparable network sum data rates and improved energy efficiency were demonstrated.

Conclusions:

• The PPPC scheme offers a robust solution for managing inter-WBAN interference.
• The game-theoretic approach optimizes power control strategies for enhanced network performance.
• The proposed method ensures reliable and timely data transmission in multi-WBAN environments.