N-Stream Superimposed System with m-point DFT for Image-Sensor-Based Visible Light Communication

This paper proposes an N-stream superimposed system for image-sensor-based visible light communications (IS-based VLC). Based on the principle of m-point discrete Fourier transform (DFT), a phase shift keying (PSK) signal is transmitted over m consecutive time slots mT, where T is a slot duration. In practice, the symbol rate of this paper is R/(m + 1) because a guard slot is inserted every.. slots. In the superimposed system, N data streams where the symbol rate of the nth data stream, n = {1, 2,..., N}, is 1/(m + 1)(n-1) times the symbol rate of the first data stream are combined to form a pulse-width modulated (PWM) wave with a period time T. An IS receiver with a camera operating at a frame rate of R/(m + 1)(n-1) fps demodulates data streams whose symbol rate is R/(m + 1)(n) symbol/s or lower. Our experimental results validate that from a superimposed PWM wave of 500-symbol/s and 125-symbol/s data streams, a 2000-fps camera receiver demodulates both of the two data streams and the 500-fps camera receiver does the 125-symbol/s data stream successfully, without shortening individual error-free transmission ranges, compared with non-superimposed systems in which 500-symbol/s and 125-symbol/s data streams are independently transmitted by different light emitting diode (LED) transmitters and received by 2000-fps and 500-fps camera receivers, respectively.