In the ever-evolving world of wireless communication, a beacon of innovation has emerged from the Department of Electronic and Communications at the Modern Academy for Engineering and Technology. Lead author Amal Yasser and her team have published a groundbreaking study in the EURASIP Journal on Wireless Communications and Networking, which translates to the European Association for Signal, Speech, and Image Processing Journal on Wireless Communications and Networking. Their research focuses on improving the performance of visible light communication (VLC) systems, a technology that’s been gaining traction in various industries, including maritime.
VLC uses visible light to transmit data wirelessly, offering high data rates and enhanced security. However, the technology faces challenges, particularly in optical orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OOFDM) systems, which are prone to high peak-to-average power ratio (PAPR). This can lead to signal distortion, power inefficiency, and degraded bit error rate (BER) performance. Previous methods to mitigate these issues often came with trade-offs, such as increased complexity or BER loss.
Yasser and her team proposed a hybrid scheme that combines nonlinear companding techniques (NCT) with various precoding schemes—discrete cosine transform (DCT), discrete Hartley transform (DHT), Walsh–Hadamard transform (WHT), and Vandermonde-like matrix (VLM). The results were impressive, with the new approach reducing PAPR by up to 6.73 dB while maintaining or even improving BER performance.
So, what does this mean for the maritime sector? VLC is already being explored for underwater communication, where radio waves don’t travel as effectively. By improving VLC’s performance, this research could enhance data transmission between submarines, underwater vehicles, and surface ships. It could also improve communication between ships and ports, especially in areas where radio frequency interference is a problem.
Moreover, VLC can be used for visible light positioning, which could revolutionize navigation and asset tracking in ports and harbors. With improved BER performance, the accuracy and reliability of these systems could be significantly enhanced.
In the words of Amal Yasser, “The proposed approach is an effective solution to high-performance ACO-OFDM-based VLC systems.” This research is a significant step forward in the field of VLC, and its potential applications in the maritime sector are vast. As the technology continues to evolve, we can expect to see more innovative solutions like this one emerging, pushing the boundaries of what’s possible in wireless communication.