Visible Light Communication System for Indoor Positioning Using Solar Cell as Receiver

Abstract

This article studies an indoor positioning system (IPS) based on visible light communication (VLC) using the solar cells as optical receivers. Due to the solar cell characteristics, the proposed system offers simultaneously communication and energy gathering. The current - voltage (I-V) and power - resistor (P-R) curves of solar cell under visible light is studied. The frequency response is investigated. The effect of solar irradiance interference on the VLC-based indoor positioning system (VLC-IPS) efficiency is also shown. A trilateration technique is used for estimating receiver's location. The obtained results show that the proposed system can simultaneously receive data and collect energy and it provides a suitable positioning accuracy with an average position error less than 3cm. The studied system can be considered an eco-friendly and promising technology.