Methods and apparatus for efficient joint power line and visible light communication

摘要

A hybrid communications system implements different communication technologies to communicate data and information for particular communications directions in different portions of the system. Power line communications (PLC) signaling is used to deliver data and information from a gateway device to a light access point. Visible light communications (VLC) signaling is used to communicate data and information from the light access point to a user equipment (UE) device. Wireless radio signaling, wireless infrared (IR) signaling, or a combination of wireless IR signaling and PLC signaling is used to communicate data/information from the UE device to the gateway device. To efficiently control the VLC communications channel between the light access point and UE device, the UE device measures the VLC channel, e.g., calculating SNRs on a per VLC tone basis, and communicating VLC channel quality feedback information to the gateway device, which is forwarded to the light access point.

主权项

1. A method of operating user equipment (UE) device, comprising:
receiving a light signal from an access point communicating information to the UE, said light signal including at least some data from a gateway device which supplied said data to the access point via a power line communications link; and communicating feedback information from said UE device to the gateway device via a communications channel which includes a wireless uplink, said feedback information communicating visible light communications (VLC) channel quality information and including a suggested modulation constellation size or suggested coding rate to be used by the access point during future VLC transmissions, said feedback information based at least in part on measurements made by the UE of the received light signal.