Channel Modelling and Error Performance Investigation for Reading Lights Based In-flight LiFi

TL;DR

This paper develops a detailed optical channel model for in-flight LiFi communication, evaluating its performance and the impact of cabin environment and terminal mobility on data transmission quality.

Contribution

It introduces a novel Monte Carlo Ray Tracing channel modeling technique and a realistic simulator for in-flight LiFi, considering cabin details and measurement-based parameters.

Findings

Location of mobile terminal significantly affects performance.

Accurate cabin modeling improves channel condition predictions.

Operational wavelength and mobility influence optical channel quality.

Abstract

The new generation of communication technologies are constantly being pushed to meet a diverse range of user requirements such as high data rate, low power consumption, very low latency, very high reliability and broad availability. To address all these demands, 5G radio access technologies have been extended into a wide range of new services. However, there are still only a limited number of applications for RF based wireless communications inside aircraft cabins that comply with the 5G vision. Potential interference and safety issues in on-board wireless communications pose significant deployment challenges. By transforming each reading light into an optical wireless AP, LiFi, could provide seamless on-board connectivity in dense cabin environments without RF interference. Furthermore, the utilization of available reading lights allows for a relatively simple, cost-effective deployment with the high energy and spectral efficiency. To successfully implement the aeronautical cabin LiFi applications, comprehensive optical channel characterization is required. In this paper, we propose a novel MCRT channel modelling technique to capture the details of in-flight LiFi links. Accordingly, a realistic channel simulator, which takes the cabin models, interior elements and measurement based optical source, receiver, surface material characteristics into account is developed. The effect of the operation wavelength, cabin model accuracy and user terminal mobility on the optical channel conditions is also investigated. As a final step, the on-board DCO-OFDM performance is evaluated by using obtained in-flight LiFi channels. Numerical results show that the location of a mobile terminal and accurate aircraft cabin modelling yield as much as 12 and 2 dB performance difference, respectively.