Real-Time Underwater Wireless Optical Communication System Based on LEDs and Estimation of Maximum Communication Distance

Abstract

This paper presents a real-time underwater wireless optical communication (UWOC) system. The transmitter of our UWOC system is equipped with four blue LEDs, and we have implemented pre-emphasis technology to extend the modulation bandwidth of these LEDs. At the receiver end, a 3 mm diameter APD is utilized. Both the transmitter and receiver are housed in watertight chassis and are submerged in a water pool to conduct real-time underwater experiments. Through these experiments, we have obtained impressive results. The data rate achieved by our system reaches up to 135 Mbps, with a BER of 5.9 × 10−3, at a distance of 10 m. Additionally, we have developed a convenient method for measuring the underwater attenuation coefficient, using which we have found the attenuation coefficient of the water in experiments to be 0.289 dB/m. Furthermore, we propose a technique to estimate the maximum communication distance of an on–off keying UWOC system with intersymbol interference, based on the Q factor. By applying this method, we conclude that under the same water quality conditions, our system can achieve a maximum communication distance of 25.4 m at 80 Mbps. Overall, our research showcases the successful implementation of a real-time UWOC system, along with novel methods for measuring the underwater attenuation coefficient and estimating the maximum communication distance.