NeTS: Small: Collaborative Research: Multi-Element Illuminication for Mobile Free-Space-Optical Networks

任何在城市环境中使用过WiFi的人都知道，多个竞争用户之间存在干扰和吞吐量损失。无线家庭网络不仅用于随意浏览网页，还被用来向平板电脑和其他便携式设备传输高质量的视频。接入点之间的干扰会降低这些应用的用户体验。正在提出的一种方法是自由空间光通信(FSOC)，以解决对大容量局域无线网络日益增长的需求。与此同时，具有多个发光二极管(LED)的固态照明(SSL)设备正因其卓越的耐用性和能效而被部署和商业化。虽然来自相同的核心光电子技术，但SSL和FSOC有着内在的权衡：当光电发射机的发散角较大时，照明面积较大，而当发散角较小时，传输范围较大。该项目设想了多元素“照明”模块，对两个相互冲突的目标--照明和通信--进行联合和适应性优化。这样的模块和协议有可能部署在许多环境中，如住宅和商业建筑、飞机和其他射频受限的环境。该项目正在开发一个框架，以设计、优化和测试照明通信技术，考虑到这两种功能的需求和要求。为了获得高空间重用性和吞吐量，以及均匀高照度的移动照明；该项目设计了(I)使用球形结构进行空间重用和均匀照明的多元照明模块，(Ii)用于节能和红绿蓝LED的自适应强度控制，(Iii)可变视场和发散角的收发信机，(Iv)使用电子转向和聚焦的自动对准协议，(V)用于收发信机选择的认知算法，以及(Vi)高精度的光无线定位。

As anyone who has used WiFi in urban environments knows, there is interference between multiple competing users and loss of throughput. Wireless home networks are not just for casual web browsing, but are also being used to stream high-quality video to tablets and other portable devices. Interference between access points degrades the user experience for these applications. One method being proposed to address the increased demand for high-capacity local-area wireless networking is Free-space-optical communication (FSOC). In parallel, solid-state lighting (SSL) devices with multiple light emitting diodes (LEDs) are being deployed and commercialized due to their superior durability and energy efficency. Though stemming from the same core optoelectronics technology, SSL and FSOC have inherent tradeoffs: the illuminated area is larger when the divergence angle of the optoelectronic transmitter is high, whereas the transmission range is longer when it is small. This project envisions multi-element "illuminication" modules that perform joint and adaptive optimization of two conflicting goals: illumination and communication. Such modules and protocols are potentially deployable in many settings such as residential and commercial buildings, airplanes, and other RF-limited environments.This projects is developing a framework to design, optimize and test illumination-communication technologies considering needs and requirements for both functionalities. To attain mobile illuminication with high spatial reuse and throughput, and uniformly high illuminance; the project designs (i) multi-element illuminication modules which uses spherical structures for spatial reuse and uniform illumination, (ii) adaptive intensity control for energy saving and chromacity control over red-green-blue LEDs, (iii) transceivers with varying field-of-view and divergence angle, (iv) automatic realignment protocols using electronic steering and focusing for mobility, (v) cognitive algorithms for transceiver selection, and (vi) optical wireless localization with high accuracy.