Overview
ABSTRACT
LiFi, or Light-Fidelity, a technology born of optical telecommunications, refers to the transmission of information by modulating a visible light source. Standardized since 2011, and strongly linked to the intensive deployment of LEDs, its potential performance makes it an excellent means of communication complementary to radiofrequency technologies. Elements of a LiFi transmission chain are similar to those of a fibered optical chain, with a concern to overcome the environmental conditions generating disturbances, considering the visible optical band used. Applications, both inside buildings where LEDs are becoming standard, and in the external urban environment are multiple: broadcasting multimedia, extension of the Internet, and interconnections, for example.
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Luc CHASSAGNE: Professor - LISV Laboratory EA4048, University of Versailles Saint-Quentin, Vélizy, France
INTRODUCTION
The term "LiFi", which stands for Light Fidelity, was coined in 2011 . LiFi refers to wireless communication technologies based on visible light. The term "VLC" (Visible Light Communications) can also be found in the literature. In general, the term "LiFi" is used for indoor short-distance links, while "VLC" is used for outdoor links. There's also the more generic term "OWC", which covers all wireless communications based on visible or non-visible light sources (Optical Wireless Communications).
Historically, these devices appeared in the late 2000s
. This technology was strongly inspired by the technological advances and know-how developed for fiber-optic telecommunications. There are many similarities, such as the types of modulation and coding of digital information, as well as certain optoelectronic circuits. However, there are three main differences that set this technology apart. Firstly, it uses visible light (the visible spectrum covers the wavelength range from 380 nm to around 780 nm
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KEYWORDS
LiFi | Visible Light Communications (VLC) | LED communications
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LiFi (Light Fidelity) technology
Principle of LiFi technology
Bibliography
Standards and norms
- Commission internationale de l'éclairage Proc., Cambridge Univ. Press - CIE - 1931
- Part 15.1 : Wireless Medium Access Control (MAC) and Physical Layer (PHY) Specifications for Wireless Personal Area Networks (WPANs) - IEEE 802.15.1 - 2005
- IEEE Standard for Local and Metropolitan Area networks, Part 15.7 : Short-Range Wireless Optical Communication Using Visible Light, IEEE - IEEE 802.15.7 - 2011
- Standard...
Patents
Lighthouse communications, Y. Alayli, S. Topsu, L. Chassagne, J.M. Blosseville, Patent no. 09 58694 (2009).
Directory
Manufacturers – Suppliers – Distributors (non-exhaustive list)
OLEDCOMM, http://www.oledcomm.com/fr/
Lucibel, http://www.lucibel.com/
Luciom, http://luciom.com/
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