Modulation of LED Photo-Luminescence for Underwater Optical Communications

An optical wireless communication approach that exploits the photo-luminescent radiation of LEDs is presented. In this approach the photo-luminescence of an array of LEDs is modulated by varying the impedance connected to the LEDs. The LEDs are also employed to harvest radiant energy making possible fully passive optical communications tags. Possible applications of this approach include short-range underwater communications. Initial experimental results suggest that communication speeds of few kilobits per second can be achieved.