Multi-coded Variable PPM for High Data Rate Visible Light Communications

In this paper, we propose a new modulation scheme called multi-coded variable pulse position modulation (MC-VPPM) for visible light communication systems. Two groups of signals (Pulse Width Modulation (PWM) and Pulse Position Modulation (PPM) groups) are multi-coded by orthogonal codes for transmitting data simultaneously. Then, each multi-level value of the multi-coded signal is converted to pulse width and position which results in not only an improved data rate, but also a processing gain in reception. In addition, we introduce average duty ratio and cyclic shift concepts in PWM through which dimming control for light illumination can be supported without any degradation in communication performance. Through simulation, we confirm that the proposed MC-VPPM shows a comparable BER curve and much greater achievable data rate than the conventional VPPM scheme using a visible light optical channel environment.