Abstract
This paper aims to address the perception that visible light communication (VLC) systems cannot work under the presence of sunlight. A complete framework is presented to evaluate the performance of VLC systems in the presence of solar irradiance at any given location and time. The effect of solar irradiance is investigated in terms of degradations in signal to noise ratio, data rate, and bit error rate. Direct current (DC) optical orthogonal frequency division multiplexing is used with adaptive bit and energy loading to mitigate DC wander interference and low-frequency ambient light noise. It was found that reliable communication can be achieved under the effect of solar irradiance at high-speed data rates. An optical bandpass blue filter is shown to compensate for half of the reduced data rate in the presence of sunlight. This work demonstrates data rates above 1 Gb/s of a VLC link under strong solar illuminance measured at 50350 lux in clear weather conditions.
Highlights
T RAFFIC from wireless and mobile devices will account for two-thirds of the total internet traffic by 2020 [1]
We demonstrate our results by an experimental proof of concept of a high speed orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM)-based visible light communication (VLC) system in Edinburgh, UK achieving data rate above 1 Gbps in the presence of solar irradiance without any optical filtering
VLC system is feasible in the presence of solar irradiance
Summary
T RAFFIC from wireless and mobile devices will account for two-thirds of the total internet traffic by 2020 [1]. The effect of solar irradiance on the performance of optical wireless communications (OWC) and VLC has been invistigated in a limited number of works in the literature [8]–[12]. The objective of this paper is to provide a theoretical and experimental characterization of the solar irradiance effect on high-speed OFDM-based VLC systems. In our previous work [14], we investigated the solar irradiance effect on VLC in Antofagasta, Chile based on worst-case scenarios in terms of location, link orientation and choice of photoreceiver. We demonstrate our results by an experimental proof of concept of a high speed OFDM-based VLC system in Edinburgh, UK achieving data rate above 1 Gbps in the presence of solar irradiance without any optical filtering.
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
