Wireless Sensor Networks Using Sub-Pixel Optical Camera Communications: Advances in Experimental Channel Evaluation.
Vicente Matus1, Victor Guerra1, Cristo Jurado-Verdu1
1Institute for Technological Development and Innovation in Communications (IDeTIC), University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, 35001 Las Palmas, Spain.
Sensors (Basel, Switzerland)
|April 30, 2021
Summary
Sub-pixel optical camera communications (OCC) offer a robust solution for outdoor wireless sensor networks (WSN), overcoming atmospheric interference. This approach effectively utilizes existing camera equipment for reliable data transmission in challenging environments.
Area of Science:
- Optical wireless communications
- Wireless sensor networks
- Optical camera communications
Background:
- Outdoor optical wireless communications face significant challenges due to atmospheric conditions like rain, turbulence, and aerosols, which degrade channel quality.
- Existing solutions may not be cost-effective or scalable for widespread outdoor wireless sensor network (WSN) applications.
Purpose of the Study:
- To experimentally investigate different optical camera communications (OCC) equipment for outdoor WSN applications.
- To propose and evaluate a sub-pixel architecture as a viable solution to mitigate atmospheric impairments in outdoor OCC.
- To assess the suitability of sub-pixel OCC for WSNs considering data throughput, spatial division, and cost-effectiveness.
Main Methods:
- Experimental study of various optical camera communications (OCC) equipment in both laboratory and field settings.
- Development and testing of a novel sub-pixel architecture for projecting multiple transmitters onto a receiver.
- Evaluation of camera capabilities in overcoming signal attenuation caused by diverse atmospheric conditions.
Main Results:
- The sub-pixel architecture demonstrates significant potential for outdoor wireless sensor networks (WSN) applications.
- Sub-pixel OCC effectively overcomes attenuation from rain, turbulence, and aerosols, maintaining reliable communication.
- The proposed system offers high data throughput, spatial division of sources, and cost-effectiveness.
Conclusions:
- Sub-pixel optical camera communications (OCC) present a promising and practical solution for robust outdoor wireless sensor networks (WSN).
- The re-use of camera equipment for communication, alongside video monitoring, enhances the utility and scalability of OCC.
- This technology is particularly well-suited for WSN applications requiring reliable, cost-effective, and scalable wireless connectivity in adverse atmospheric conditions.
