High-speed indoor optical wireless communication system with single channel imaging receiver

Area of Science:

• Optical Wireless Communication
• Indoor Networking
• Photonics

Background:

• Traditional optical wireless systems face challenges with background light interference and limited beam footprint.
• Existing non-imaging receivers have limitations in performance compared to imaging-based solutions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To experimentally investigate a gigabit indoor optical wireless communication system with a novel single channel imaging receiver.
• To evaluate the performance improvements in terms of data rate and error-free beam footprint.
• To explore the integration of this system with indoor localization for enhanced mobility and communication.

Main Methods:

• Utilized a single channel imaging receiver comprising an imaging lens and a 2-axis actuator-mounted photodiode.
• Implemented a voice-coil based actuator for precise positioning of the photodiode on the lens's focal plane.
• Conducted experiments to measure bit rate and error-free beam footprint (Bit Error Rate < 10⁻⁹).

Main Results:

• Achieved a maximum bit rate of 12.5 Gbps.
• Demonstrated a maximum error-free beam footprint exceeding 1 meter.
• Observed a >20% improvement in error-free beam footprint compared to non-imaging receivers.
• Validated experimental results with theoretical analysis and simulations.

Conclusions:

• The single channel imaging receiver effectively rejects background light, improving communication reliability.
• The system offers high-speed wireless communication and mobility when integrated with indoor localization.
• Optimized search strategies using location information can further reduce signal acquisition time.