A low-complexity frequency-offset estimation algorithm for the medical body area network

Limited by low cost, low transmitted power and low power consumption, the frequency-offset estimation algorithm of the communication equipment for the medical body area network (MBAN) shall maintain a superior estimation performance as well as the low computing complexity. The conventional glide cross-correlation algorithm has a superior estimation performance however with a high computing complexity. Combined the data-aided glide cross-correlation frequency-offset algorithm and the auto-correlation algorithm with weighting sum, a preamble cross-correlation frequency-offset estimation algorithm with weighting sum is proposed in this paper. The new scheme maintains the superior estimation performance and decreases the complexity of the algorithm. Through mathematical derivation, the calculation formula of the frequency-offset estimation variance under the AWGN channel is derived. The simulation in the condition specified by the MBAN physics layer protocol shows the proposed algorithm has a superior estimation performance close to the conventional glide cross-correlation algorithm, meanwhile whose packet error ratio(PER) is below 1% when the signal noise ratio(SNR) >;4dB, which meets the MBAN demand.