Time-Division Multiplexing for Power and Data Transmission on Optical Fibers

Internet of Things (IoT) raises the interconnection of low-cost sensor nodes networks everywhere even in harsh environments where conventional power supply systems and communication channels are not feasible. Power over Fiber is an alternative solution but its implementation costs are sometimes too high because of the optical devices involved. This article proposes a time-division multiplexing control algorithm and a circuit design to share the same laser diode and photodiode for power and downstream data transmission. This is a feasible solution to reduce implementation costs when sensor nodes require downstream data rates much lower than the capacity of the link.