Data Connectivity in Flights using Visible Light Communication

Visible light is the only waves in Electromagnetic (EM) spectrum which we can see and get exposed to in our daily life. It sounds interesting to send data through LEDs. Feasibility of sending data through LEDs has already been proved by many researchers. In 2011, Professor Harald Haas from the University of Edinburgh in the UK, suggested an idea called "Data through illumination". It has wide scope for short range high speed data transmission in future communication techniques. One of the applications of Visible Light Communication (VLC) is in aviation. In airplanes, it is advised to put phones on airplane mode as EM waves interfere with (light system. VLC could replace RF communication in aviation which would provide media services for passengers. In this work, a prototype of VLC is designed and developed to verify data communication over visible light spectrum. By very high flickering of light which is not detectable to human eye, data can be transmitted which is received by optical receiver. LEDs may be connected in different topologies to increase the distance of communication. Existing infrastructure of LEDs may also be used for VLC which further is a vital aspect for its popularity. Data connectivity can be setup with help of VLC in which LED could be connected to optical fibers and optical fibers gets data from a dedicated block which is responsible for RF connectivity. This will help the flights to have electromagnetic interference free communication but there is need to implement and prove the feasibility of the concept.