Abstract
This paper proposes a novel design of an optical wireless communications (OWC) receiver using a solar panel as a photodetector. The proposed system is capable of simultaneous data transmission and energy harvesting. The solar panel can convert a modulated light signal into an electrical signal without any external power requirements. Furthermore, the direct current (DC) component of the modulated light can be harvested in the proposed receiver. The generated energy can potentially be used to power a user terminal or at least to prolong its operation time. The current work discusses the various parameters which need to be considered in the design of a system using a solar panel for simultaneous communication and energy harvesting. The presented theory is supported with an experimental implementation of orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM), thus, proving the validity of the analysis and demonstrating the feasibility of the proposed receiver. Using the propounded system, a communication link with a data rate of 11.84 Mbps is established for a received optical signal with a peak-to-peak amplitude of 0.7 × 10 <sup xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">-3</sup> W/cm <sup xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">2</sup> .
Highlights
T HE looming radio frequency (RF) spectrum crisis [1] has prompted researchers to look for alternative means to conventional RF high-speed communication
We propose a set of steps which allow for the analysis and the design of a solar-panel-based optical wireless communications (OWC) receiver, capable of simultaneous energy harvesting and communication
In order to facilitate simultaneous communication and energy harvesting with a solar panel, the receiver circuit shown in Fig. 3 is proposed
Summary
T HE looming radio frequency (RF) spectrum crisis [1] has prompted researchers to look for alternative means to conventional RF high-speed communication. That is why a narrow band blue filter is often used at the receiver in order to eliminate the slow components of the emitted spectrum Using this technique, a data rate of 1 Gbps has been achieved with a white off-the-shelf phosphor coated LED [4]. To the best of the authors’ knowledge, Tsonev et al have recently demonstrated a record-setting 3 Gbps transmission using a single blue Gallium Nitride light emitting diode with a diameter of 50 μm (μLED) [8] These results demonstrate the significant potential of OWC for future high speed mobile communications. We propose a set of steps which allow for the analysis and the design of a solar-panel-based OWC receiver, capable of simultaneous energy harvesting and communication. PRINCIPLES OF OPERATION OF A SOLAR PANEL FOR SIMULTANEOUS ENERGY HARVESTING AND COMMUNICATION
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