CONFORMAL VISIBLE LIGHT COMMUNICATION (VLC) RECEIVER AND METHOD OF USE

• US 20200136724A1
• Filed: 10/24/2019
• Published: 04/30/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 10/31/2018
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: University of Central Florida Research Foundation Inc. (State University System of Florida)
• Original Assignee: University of Central Florida Research Foundation Inc. (State University System of Florida)
• Inventors: Nabavi, Pooya, Yuksel, Murat
• Granted Patent: US 10,903,902 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 10/1143 Bidirectional transmission
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 10/116 Visible light communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 10/6911 Photodiode bias control, e.g. for compensating temperature variations
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 10/6933 Offset control of the differential preamplifier
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 15/00 Suppression or limitation of noise or interference by means associated with receiver H04B1/10

Abstract

A mobile visible light communication (VLC) receiver and associated method of use which overcomes the detrimental effects of the time-varying inter-symbol interference (ISI) due to the VLC receiver'"'"'s high acceptance angle and vibration in the structure utilizing an optimal multiple-symbol detection (MSD) module and a decision feedback affine projection algorithm (DF-APA) module.

Claims

1. A visible light communication (VLC) receiver, the receiver comprising:

a photodetector (PD) array comprising a plurality of photodetectors to generate data-carrying photo-current in response to receiving a visible light communication;

a transimpedance amplifier coupled to the PD array, the transimpedance amplifier to convert the data-carrying photo-current from the PD array to data-carrying voltage signals;

a high pass filter coupled to the transimpedance amplifier to filter the data-carrying voltage signals from the transimpedance amplifier to output filtered data-carrying voltage signals; and

a wideband voltage amplifier coupled to the high pass filter, the wideband voltage amplifier to amplify the filtered data-carrying voltage signals to output amplified filtered data-carrying voltage signals.

2. The receiver of claim 1, further comprising a voltage detector coupled to the wideband voltage amplifier, the voltage detector to convert the amplified filtered data-carrying voltage signals to a transistor-transistor logic (TTL)-compliant bitstream.

3. The receiver of claim 2, wherein the voltage detector is a symbol-by-symbol detector (SBSD).

4. The receiver of claim 2, wherein the voltage detector is an optimal multiple-symbol detector (MSD).

5. The receiver of claim 2, wherein the voltage detector is a decision feedback affine projection detector (DF-APA).

6. The receiver of claim 1, wherein the wideband voltage amplifier comprises:

a non-inverting amplifier coupled to the high pass filter; and

a pulse amplifier coupled to an output of the non-inverting amplifier.

7. The receiver of claim 1, wherein the PD array is reverse biased using the transimpedance amplifier.

8. The receiver of claim 1, wherein the plurality of photodetectors of the PD array are conformal to the surface of a device of interest.

9. The receiver of claim 1, wherein the plurality of photodetectors of the PD array are arranged to form a cube to provide a 360°

field of view (FOV) and omni-directional signal reception.

10. The receiver of claim 1, wherein the plurality of photodetectors of the PD array are arranged to form a two-dimensional substantially flat surface.

11. The receiver of claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of photodetectors of the PD array has an active area of about 1 cm² and a rise time of about 18 ns.

12. A visible light communication (VLC) receiver, the receiver comprising:

a photodetector (PD) array comprising a plurality of photodetectors to generate data-carrying photo-current in response to receiving a visible light communication;

a transimpedance amplifier coupled to the PD array, the transimpedance amplifier to convert the data-carrying photo-current from the PD array to data-carrying voltage signals;

a high pass filter coupled to the transimpedance amplifier to filter the data-carrying voltage signals from the transimpedance amplifier to output filtered data-carrying voltage signals;

a wideband voltage amplifier coupled to the high pass filter, the wideband voltage amplifier to amplify the filtered data-carrying voltage signals to output amplified filtered data-carrying voltage signals; and

a decision feedback affine projection detector (DF-APA) coupled to the wideband voltage amplifier, the decision feedback affine projection detector (DF-APA) to convert the amplified filtered data-carrying voltage signals to a transistor-transistor logic (TTL)-compliant bitstream.

13. A method for visible light communication (VLC) reception, the method comprising:

receiving a visible light communication at a photodetector (PD) array, the PD array comprising a plurality of photodetectors;

generating, at the PD array, data-carrying photo-current in response to receiving the visible light communication;

converting the data-carrying photo-current from the PD array to data-carrying voltage signals at a transimpedance amplifier coupled to the PD array;

filtering the data-carrying voltage signals from the transimpedance amplifier to output filtered data-carrying voltage signals at a high pass filter coupled to the transimpedance amplifier to filter; and

amplifying the filtered data-carrying voltage signals to output amplified filtered data-carrying voltage signals at a wideband voltage amplifier coupled to the high pass filter.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising, converting the amplified filtered data-carrying voltage signals to a transistor-transistor logic (TTL)-compliant bitstream at a voltage detector coupled to the wideband voltage amplifier.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the voltage detector is selected from a symbol-by-symbol detector (SBSD), an optimal multiple-symbol detector (MSD) and a decision feedback affine projection detector (DF-APA).

16. The method of claim 13, wherein the wideband voltage amplifier comprises a non-inverting amplifier coupled to the high pass filter and a pulse amplifier coupled to an output of the non-inverting amplifier.

17. The method of claim 13, further comprising reverse biasing the PD array is using the transimpedance amplifier.

18. The method of claim 13, wherein the plurality of photodetectors of the PD array are conformal to the surface of a device of interest.

19. The method of claim 13, wherein the plurality of photodetectors of the PD array are arranged to form a cube to provide a 360°

field of view (FOV) and omni-directional signal reception.

20. The method of claim 13, wherein the plurality of photodetectors of the PD array are arranged to form a two-dimensional substantially flat surface.