Intelligent transportation systems (ITS) are designed to enhance road safety and traffic efficiency. Connected autonomous vehicles are a critical component of ITS, and platooning among vehicles can enhance close coordination and improve driving efficiency. This requires high-capacity links, which can be facilitated by light communication. However, due to the small area of optical photodiodes, the light communication link can suffer misalignment, leading to reduced reliability during maneuvering on-road curvatures. Solar panels present a potential solution having a larger receiver area and the ability to convert the optical signal to its electrical equivalent. However, solar panel 3-dB bandwidth for communication is limited to only a few tens of kHz range, resulting in low data throughput. In this work, we develop an analog circuit to enhance the 3-dB bandwidth of solar panel receivers, effectively mitigating misalignment issues by maintaining connectivity even at high orientation. Experimental results demonstrate that the solar receiver can maintain communication despite extreme misalignment of the order of ±50°. Furthermore, the results indicate that the solar panel can still provide connectivity even when 90% of its area is in blockage. Specifically, on the transmitter side, we have employed near-infrared light-emitting diodes (LEDs) to mitigate the glare effect caused by white LEDs. Also, IR LEDs cause less attenuation loss in outdoor environments, thus consuming less power than white LEDs to transmit information. Analytical expressions for designed analog circuitry and the impact of using solar panels in the dead zone are derived, and the comparison results with conventional photodiode is presented. The findings indicate that solar panels, when used as optical receivers, meet the communication requirements for the connected vehicles and effectively address issues such as loss of communication links.

Solar panels, traditionally used for energy harvesting, are emerging as viable optical receivers for visible light communication (VLC). This work investigates the impact of different solar panel configurations—series, parallel, and standalone (single panel)—on their performance as VLC receivers. A series configuration reduces junction capacitance, enhancing bandwidth and response time and making it ideal for high-speed optical communication. However, the increased impedance may affect signal reception efficiency. In contrast, a parallel configuration increases overall capacitance, which can limit bandwidth and slow response time but provide better signal strength. The single-panel configuration offers a balanced approach, ensuring efficient signal reception without additional circuit complexities. Experimental evaluations focus on key communication metrics such as bandwidth and solar panel time response. While the impact on energy harvesting is acknowledged, the primary emphasis is on optimizing signal reception for high-speed VLC applications. Solar panel enabled long distance communication links can enhance mid-haul and front-haul networking, extending connectivity to rural and remote areas.

This paper presents a bandwidth enhancement circuit that enhances the 3 dB bandwidth of an off-the-shelf solar panel based receiver system for optical wireless communication. Experiment results show enhancement of the 3 dB bandwidth from 163 kHz to 1.62 MHz. A data rate of 1.5 Mbps is achieved with the OOK modulation scheme over the VLC link of 1 m. To the best of our knowledge, this is the highest data rate using solar panel as a receiver with OOK modulation. Low-cost, larger receiving area, ease of integration with other devices make the proposed system an environment-friendly and energy-efficient solution for optical wireless communication.

Data is the new currency impacting everybody's lives. As the modern world receives & sends millions of Terabytes of data every day, the present-day wireless data communication technologies comprising of Wi-Fi & 4G-LTE is on the verge of becoming partially inept for information exchange as they suffer from spectrum congestion in both controlled and uncontrolled environments. Li-Fi, also known as light fidelity, is a full duplex communication network enabling transmittal of data. The potency of bidirectional Visible Light Communication allows us to build an ideal medium, independent of congested radio frequencies and interference from electromagnetic waves, thus, resulting in faster data transfer. Inception of LED technology for lighting in 90's paved the way for high growth trajectory for LED Lighting industry which we have witnessed from the last 2 decades. As semiconductors, LEDs were poised to develop much bigger applications like integrated sensors apart from normal dimming and ambient lighting. Li-Fi is a technology which creates a bridge between the world of data communication & LED Lighting. Multiple forward & backward integration are poised to happen in coming years when lighting players will develop enterprise communication enabled lighting products. Even system integrators will look forward to Li-Fi enabled luminaires for establishing wireless networks. Li-Fi is being seen as a big step forward in enabling 5G telecommunication networks. Security benefits and outdoor long-range communication capabilities Li-Fi a potential technology for Defence & Smart Cities applications. Li-Fi uses the visible and invisible frequency band (380nm - 1500nm) which is 10,000 times broader than usable RF frequency band. The property of light spectrum to be unlicensed and free from any health regulations makes it even more desirable for us. Its applications can extend in areas where the RF technology lacks its presence like aircrafts and hospitals (operation theatres), power plants and various other areas, where electromagnetic (Radio) interference is of great concern for safety and security of equipment's and people. Since there is no potential health hazard associated with light, it can be used safely in such locations or areas. Li-Fi / OWC has applications in both indoor (≅) and outdoor ( ) scenarios.

This paper presents a new method to design digital circuits for low pattern counts, one of the key factors shaping cost-effective VLSI test schemes. The method identifies the largest conflicts between internal signals that prevent efficient test compaction in ATPG. These locations are modified by inserting conflict-reducing test points (CRTP) to significantly reduce the ATPG-produced pattern counts. Experimental results obtained for large industrial designs with on-chip test compression demonstrate, on average, 3x -- 4x reduction in stuck-at and transition patterns and 3x shorter ATPG times.