A wide field of view VLC receiver for smartphones

The directionality of visible light transceivers can be exploited to pack visible light communication links close together. However, this makes these links vulnerable to the random orientation of smartphones that occur when users are moving. Previously, it has been suggested that several transceivers can be used to increase the robustness of the link to a smartphone. However, this solution increases both costs and power consumption. In this paper, a receiver that incorporates a fluorescent fibre acting as an optical concentrator is described. Results from experiments with this receiver are presented which show that it is possible to transmit 1.1 Gbps with a BER of less than
$3.8\times 10^{-3}$
to the receiver. More importantly, it has a field of view (FoV) of 240° in one direction.