Green Optical Wireless Communications Facilitated by Photonic Power Harvesting "GreenCom"

如今，智能手机和可穿戴设备等移动设备通常由电池供电，而与互联网的数据连接则由射频（RF）信号提供。对移动设备的日常充电需求被认为是扩展物联网（IoT）连接数量和大规模引入增强现实和虚拟现实（AR/VR）以及工业4.0应用等新设备的障碍。同时，在未来的第六代（6G）蜂窝网络中，对更高数据速率和超低延迟数据连接的需求将会增加。GreenCom项目将共同解决这两个需求。我们正在开发光学无线通信系统，它的数据速率比目前的无线系统高10倍，同时系统从数据链路和环境光中收集能量。该项目将释放节能、超高速和超低延迟无线连接的新潜力。该项目雄心勃勃的目标是通过与德国弗劳恩霍夫太阳能系统研究所（ISE）的国际合作来实现的，该研究所在节能光伏（PV）电池的开发方面处于世界领先地位。ISE将开发独特的半导体设备，用于电力收集和数据接收，具有前所未有的光伏转换效率和数字数据接收能力。斯特拉斯克莱德大学的LiFi研究与发展中心（LRDC）将开发通信技术、算法和协议，以促进多用户环境下的最佳能量收集、超高数据速率和超低延迟。通过创建在空间中分离的并行传输链路和使用不同波长的方式，可以实现功率和数据速率的可扩展性。此次合作将在未来可持续移动无线通信领域（包括光纤无线前传、光纤无线回程）以及物联网（IoT）、感官互联网和工业4.0应用的智能无线设备领域创造新的应用，从而为一个新的研究领域奠定基础。该项目的联合实验将突破无线光多用户链路的性能极限，并将分别在10米距离和10 Gb/s链路数据速率下分别为1 W采集功率和传输数据速率设定同时采集功率和传输数据速率的新基准。

Today, mobile devices such as smartphones and wearables are usually powered by batteries, while a data connection to the internet is provided by radio frequency (RF) signals. The need for the daily charging of our mobile devices is considered a hurdle to scale the number of internet of things (IoT) connections and the large-scale introduction of new devices such as augmented and virtual reality (AR/VR) and industry 4.0 applications. At the same time, the demand for higher data rates and ultra-low latency data connections is set to increase in future sixth generation (6G) cellular networks. The GreenCom project will address both requirements jointly. We are developing optical wireless communication systems that achieve a 10 times higher data rate compared to current wireless systems, while the system harvests energy from the data link as well as the ambient light. The project will unlock new potentials for energy-efficient, ultra-high speed, and ultra-low latency wireless connectivity. The ambitious goals of this project are achieved through an international collaboration with the German Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems (ISE) who are world-leading in the development of energy efficient photovoltaic (PV) cells. ISE will develop unique semiconductor devices for combined power harvesting and data reception with unprecedented photovoltaic conversion efficiency and digital data reception capability. The University of Strathclyde's LiFi Research and Development Centre (LRDC) will develop the communication techniques, algorithms and protocols to facilitate optimum energy harvesting and ultra-high data rates and ultra-low latency in a multiuser environment. Scalability of both harvested power and data rates will be achieved by creating parallel transmission links separated in space and by means of different wavelengths. This partnership will create new applications in the fields of future sustainable mobile wireless communications (including optical wireless fronthaul, optical wireless backhaul) as well as smart wireless devices for the Internet of Things (IoT), the Internet of Senses and Industry 4.0 applications, and thereby lay the foundation for a new research area. Joint experimentation within the project will push the performance boundaries of optical wireless multiuser links and will set a new benchmark for simultaneous harvested power and transmitted data rates with 1 W harvested power at 10 m distance and 10 Gb/s link data rate, respectively.