Collaborative Research: CCRI: Planning: A Visible Light Communication (VLC) Testbed for Next Generation Wireless Research

在过去十年中，通过可见光通信(VLC)概念使用光学频率进行通信引起了极大的兴趣。这归功于VLC的多种功能，包括高数据速率无线链路、定向传输和潜在安全传输，以及在不受监管的光谱(400-800 THz频段)中运行。VLC是一个强大的新兴领域，只有通过广泛的实验和测试才能实现该技术的商业应用。到目前为止，还没有真正的VLC试验台可用于进行大规模的协同远程VLC实验。作为推进VLC试验床设计和开发的一步，该规划项目汇集了一个跨越两所美国大学的协作团队，执行一系列研究和规划活动，为全面的试验床开发开创先例。本项目设计了一个可远程访问的室内VLC试验床设计方案，该方案将在静态配置下以矩形网格模式构成大量的VLC节点阵列，并在移动配置下集成多个VLC节点。该项目的科学价值包括：(I)设计和实现可集成到试验台环境中的VLC收发器的各种VLC硬件和软件组件；(Ii)可重复进行的VLC研究实验的小规模可行性试验；(Iii)设计和开发可移植和模块化的VLC实验包；(Iv)告知研究团体和公众关于试验床的信息和调查他们的兴趣，并收集关于我们设计和实施试验床的反馈；以及(V)分析信息和来自社区的反馈，以发展VLC试验床架构设计。拟议的规划、开发活动以及研讨会和会议将促进社区对VLC研究的兴趣，并为本科生和研究生提供一个学习平台。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

The use of optical frequencies for communication through the concept of visible light communication (VLC) has garnered significant interest over the last decade. This is attributed to the multitude of capabilities of VLC, including high data rate wireless links, directional and thus potentially secure transmissions, and operation in the unregulated optical spectrum (400--800 THz band). VLC is a strongly emerging area and commercial adoption of the technology is possible only if it can past-muster through extensive experimentation and testing. As of now, there is no real VLC testbed available for conducting coordinated remote VLC experiments at scale. As a step towards the advancement of a VLC testbed design and development, this planning project brings together a collaborative team across two US universities to execute a set of research and planning activities that can set the precedent for a full-fledged testbed development. The overarching goal of this planning phase of the testbed design is to work out a baseline testbed architecture, survey the community's and stakeholders' interest in design, development and usage of the testbed, and evolve the design based on the community feedback.This project develops a plan for designing a remotely accessible indoor VLC testbed that will constitute a large array of VLC nodes in a rectangular grid pattern under a static configuration and integrate a number of VLC nodes under a mobile configuration. The scientific merits of the project includes (i) design and implementation of various VLC hardware and software components for a VLC transceiver integrable into a testbed environment, (ii) small-scale feasibility trials of reproducible VLC research experiments, (iii) design and development of a portable and modular VLC experimentation kit, (iv) informing the research community and general public about the testbed and survey their interest, and gather feedback about our design and implementation of the testbed, and (v) analyses of the information and feedback from the community towards evolving the VLC testbed architecture design. The proposed planning, development activities, and workshops and meetings will foster community outreach and interest in the VLC research, and provide a learning platform for undergraduate and graduate students.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.