Indoor Channel Characteristics for Visible Light Communications

TLDR

VLC operates over a wide 380–780 nm spectrum, so conventional narrowband infrared models are inadequate. The study presents indoor multipath dispersion characteristics for visible light communications. The authors extend Barry’s model to account for wavelength‑dependent LED traits and indoor reflector spectra, then simulate and compare VLC and infrared power delay profiles. The results indicate VLC offers a larger transmission bandwidth than infrared communications.

Abstract

In this letter, we present indoor multipath dispersion characteristics for visible light communications (VLC). Since the VLC uses a wide spectrum between 380 nm and 780 nm, the conventional narrowband model for infrared may not apply. We generalize the Barry's model by including wavelength-dependent white LED characteristics and spectral reflectance of indoor reflectors. We perform a computer simulation to compare the power delay profile of the VLC with that of infrared communications. From our studies, we show that the VLC provides a larger transmission bandwidth than infrared communications.