Effects of Optical Beams on MIMO Visible Light Communication Channel Characteristics

Area of Science:

• Optical Communications
• Wireless Networking

Background:

• Visible Light Communication (VLC) is evolving for 5G applications.
• Conventional VLC channel models primarily use Lambertian beams.
• Non-Lambertian beams offer potential for improved performance.

Purpose of the Study:

• To analyze the impact of commercial non-Lambertian beams on VLC channel models.
• To evaluate how these beams affect channel frequency response and capacity.
• To explore new dimensions for enhancing VLC transmission.

Main Methods:

• Incorporating commercial non-Lambertian beams (Luxeon rebel, Side Emitter) into analytical VLC channel models.
• Numerical simulations to assess channel frequency response.
• Quantifying the deviation in VLC multi-input multi-output (MIMO) channel capacity.

Main Results:

• Non-Lambertian beams significantly alter VLC channel frequency response characteristics.
• The Side Emitter optical beam demonstrated up to a 56.8% deviation in VLC MIMO channel capacity compared to Lambertian beams.
• These findings highlight the importance of beam characteristics in VLC system design.

Conclusions:

• Non-Lambertian beams are crucial for advancing VLC channel modeling.
• The choice of optical beam significantly impacts VLC system performance and capacity.
• This research opens avenues for optimizing VLC for future wireless networks.