Wide field-of-view single-sourced full-duplex underwater wireless optical communication system using a digital...

Area of Science:

• Underwater wireless optical communication (UWOC)
• Optical camera communication (OCC)
• Autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) technology

Background:

• Full-duplex UWOC is critical for bi-directional communication between AUVs and base stations.
• Current systems face redundancy and integration challenges in AUVs.
• Efficient data transmission is vital for advanced underwater applications.

Purpose of the Study:

• To demonstrate a novel full-duplex UWOC system using a single laser source.
• To integrate optical camera communication (OCC) for uplink and intensity modulation/direct detection (IM/DD) for downlink.
• To showcase a cost-effective and compact solution for underwater communication.

Main Methods:

• Utilized a digital micromirror device (DMD) with 1920x1080 pixels and >10 kHz switching frequency as the projector.
• Employed a CMOS camera with a 30° field of view as the uplink receiver.
• Used a high-speed avalanche photodetector (APD) for the downlink receiver.

Main Results:

• Achieved an uplink data rate of 17.4 kbps over a 1-meter water tank.
• Demonstrated 1.85 Gbps downlink data rate without equalization.
• Highlighted the DMD's flexibility and programmability for efficient data transmission.

Conclusions:

• The proposed system offers a low-cost, compact, and robust solution for full-duplex UWOC.
• It shows significant potential for future autonomous underwater vehicle applications.
• The integration of OCC and IM/DD enhances system efficiency and versatility.