Improvements wireless sensor networks

Abstract

A method of allocating resources in a wireless sensor network, the network having functions including medical monitoring of a patient using multiple network devices having sensors, the method including steps of: sensing, by a network device in the network, a life parameter of the patient; recognizing the existence of an emergency condition with respect to the parameter; the network device sending a request for streaming towards a coordinator of the network; the coordinator receiving (S) the request along with any other requests from other devices in the network; and the coordinator granting (S, S) each the request by scheduling one of: a streaming allocation with highest priority for a network device which is in an emergency condition; a streaming allocation of medium priority for a network device sensing a life parameter which is not in an emergency condition; and a streaming allocation of lowest priority for a network device which is not sensing any life parameter of the patient and which is not in an emergency condition. The emergency condition may be defined with respect to one or more medical parameters of the patient. The method may be applied, for example, to monitoring of patients in a hospital using MBANs operating in accordance with IEEE 802.15.6.