JP2005318076A - Optical wireless communication apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an optical wireless communication apparatus wherein the configuration is simplified, the manufacturing is facilitated by decreasing the number of light emitting elements so as to make optical systems corresponding to the light emitting elements one optical system, and utilizing efficiency of incident light is enhanced to improve the communication reliability. <P>SOLUTION: The optical wireless communication apparatus includes: a condenser lens 11 being a variable focus liquid crystal lens onto which an incident light 5 from a communication opposite party apparatus is made incident; and a five-division light receiving element 16 for receiving the incident light via the condenser lens 11. The five-division light receiving element 16 detects the incident direction of the incident light by bringing the incident light to a defocus state and the five-division light receiving element 16 receives signal light by bringing the incident light to a focus state. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to an optical wireless communication apparatus that transmits and receives an information signal by optical wireless communication using a so-called narrow beam communication system.

  Conventionally, a narrow beam communication system has been proposed as a communication system using optical wireless communication. In this narrow beam communication system, by reducing the directivity of the light receiving / emitting unit, the attenuation of light power reaching the light receiving surface can be suppressed, and noise such as disturbance light can be suppressed in the light receiving unit. Therefore, this narrow beam communication method is suitable for high-speed communication represented by a high-speed wireless LAN. On the other hand, it is necessary to accurately radiate the emitted light to the light receiving unit on the other side, which is a technical problem.

  As described in Patent Document 1, an optical wireless communication apparatus used in a narrow beam communication system transmits a light beam incident from a communication partner apparatus via a lens 101 and a deflection mirror 102 as shown in FIG. The multi-divided light receiving element 103 receives the light and detects the direction of the communication counterpart device. The deflection mirror 102 is configured to be capable of deflection control by an electromagnetic actuator provided on the back surface of the mirror.

  In this optical wireless communication apparatus, incident light incident from a communication partner apparatus is reflected by the deflection mirror 102 through the lens 101 and is incident on the first beam splitter 104. In the first beam splitter 104, the incident light is divided into transmitted light and reflected light with respect to the reflecting surface at the inclined reflecting surface. The reflected light in the first beam splitter 104 is received by the multi-segment light receiving element 103 through the condenser lens 106. Further, the transmitted light in the first beam splitter 104 is incident on the second beam splitter 105.

  In the second beam splitter 105, the incident light is divided into transmitted light and reflected light with respect to the reflecting surface at the inclined reflecting surface. The reflected light in the second beam splitter 105 passes through the condenser lens 107 and is received by the light receiving element 108 for receiving signal light. The light receiving element 108 converts the received light beam into a current and supplies it to the data receiving unit.

  In this optical wireless communication device, when the incident light from the communication partner device is incident in parallel to the optical axis of the lens 101 (that is, in the case of vertical incidence), the deflection mirror 102 is not driven. Incident light that has passed through the lens 101 is collected on the center of the multi-segment light receiving element 103. Since the light receiving surface of the multi-segment light receiving element 103 is radially divided from the center, when incident light is collected on the center, the amount of light received by each light receiving surface is equal, and light from each light receiving surface is equal. The detection output becomes equal. Therefore, in this optical wireless communication apparatus, if the light detection output from the multi-segment light receiving element 103 is detected and the light detection output from each light receiving surface is equal, the light detection output from each light receiving surface is normal. If they are not equal, it can be determined that the incident light from the communication counterpart device is incident with an inclination with respect to the optical axis of the lens 101 (that is, oblique incidence).

  That is, the direction of the deflecting mirror 102 is adjusted so that the light detection outputs from the respective light receiving surfaces in the multi-segment light receiving element 103 are equal, and the incident light from the communication partner device is placed on the center of the multi-segment light receiving element 103. If the light is condensed, the direction of the communication partner device can be specified.

  A light beam from the light emitting element 109 for data transmission is incident on the first beam splitter 105 through the collimator lens 110. The first beam splitter 105 places the light beam from the light emitting element 109 on the optical path of the incident light so as to be coaxial with the incident light. That is, the light beam emitted from the light emitting element 109 is shaped into a beam close to parallel light by the collimator lens 110, passes through the first and second beam splitters 105 and 104, is reflected by the deflection mirror 102, and is communicated with. Radiated toward the side device. The optical axis of this radiated light coincides in advance with the optical axis of the optical system for light reception including the multi-divided light receiving element 103, and in the state where the output signal levels from the respective light receiving surfaces of the multi-divided light receiving element 103 are equal. The radiating optical axis from this device and the incident optical axis from the communication counterpart device coincide with each other.

  In this optical wireless communication apparatus, first, in order to find a communication partner side, a scanning operation by a deflection mirror is performed to search for a light beam from the communication partner side apparatus. As described above, the light beam from the communication partner device is received by the multi-segment light receiving element 103 and the light receiving element 108, and at the time of searching, the direction of the communication partner device is based on the output from the multi-segment light receiving element 103. When the search is completed, communication is started by the light receiving element 108 for receiving signal light.

Conventionally, as described in Patent Document 2, a liquid crystal lens has been proposed as a condensing lens having a variable focal length.
JP 2003-8515 A Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 11-64817

  By the way, in the optical wireless communication apparatus proposed in Patent Document 1, the light receiving element 108 for receiving signal light and the multi-part light receiving element 103 for detecting the direction of the communication counterpart apparatus are 2 Two light receiving elements are required, and two optical systems corresponding to these light receiving elements 108 and 103 are required.

  Therefore, this optical wireless communication apparatus has a complicated configuration and is complicated to manufacture.

  Further, in the above-described optical wireless communication device, incident light from a communication partner device is distributed and received by two light receiving elements, so that the utilization efficiency of incident light is halved.

  Therefore, the present invention is proposed in view of the above-described circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide an optical wireless communication apparatus in which incident light is efficiently used while the structure is simplified and the manufacture is facilitated. Is to provide.

  In order to solve the above-described problems, an optical wireless communication apparatus according to the present invention includes a converging lens having a variable focal length on which incident light from a communication partner apparatus is incident, and a plurality of incident lights that have passed through the condensing lens. A multi-divided light receiving element having a plurality of light receiving surfaces, wherein incident light is defocused in the multi-divided light receiving element, and incident light is incident on the basis of a difference in received light amount of incident light for each light receiving surface of the multi-divided light receiving element. The direction is detected, the incident light is focused in the multi-divided light receiving element, and the signal light is received by one light receiving surface of the multi-divided light receiving element.

  According to the present invention, in the above-described optical wireless communication device, the multi-divided light receiving element is configured monolithically with one light receiving surface for detecting signal light and four light receiving surfaces for detecting the incident direction. It is characterized by this.

  Furthermore, the present invention is characterized in that, in the above-described optical wireless communication apparatus, the condensing lens is a liquid crystal lens.

  In the optical wireless communication apparatus described above, the present invention is characterized in that the liquid crystal lens is composed of a liquid crystal element whose refractive index can be switched by an electric signal.

  According to the present invention, in the above-described optical wireless communication apparatus, the liquid crystal element is configured using a polymer dispersed liquid crystal.

  In the optical wireless communication apparatus according to the present invention, by changing the focal length of the condensing lens, the incident light is defocused in the multi-divided light receiving element, and the received light amount difference of the incident light for each light receiving surface of the multi-divided light receiving element The incident direction of the incident light is detected based on the above, and the signal light is received by one light receiving surface of the multi-divided light receiving element with the incident light focused in the multi-divided light receiving element.

  Therefore, in this optical wireless communication apparatus, the incident direction of incident light can be detected and the signal light can be received by a single light receiving element, and the optical system corresponding to this light receiving element can be a single system. Simplification of the configuration, size reduction, and ease of manufacture can be achieved.

  Further, in this optical wireless communication apparatus, since the optical system is a single system, the utilization efficiency of incident light can be increased, the S / N ratio at the time of receiving signal light is improved, and communication with high reliability is achieved. It can be performed.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to provide an optical wireless communication apparatus in which the configuration is simplified and manufacturing is facilitated, and the utilization efficiency of incident light is increased.

  Embodiments in which an optical wireless communication apparatus according to the present invention is applied to an optical wireless transmission apparatus will be described below.

  The optical wireless transmission apparatus is used by being connected to a terminal (such as a personal computer) installed on a desk or the like, for example. The optical wireless transmission apparatus performs bidirectional beam transmission using an optical wireless transmission master unit installed at an upper position such as a ceiling and connected to a network trunk line or server as a communication counterpart apparatus.

  The optical wireless transmission device and the optical wireless transmission master unit emit laser light whose intensity is modulated for data communication, and based on the light flux incident from the communication counterpart device, the direction of the communication counterpart device Is detected, and the optical axis is adjusted and controlled so that the radiation optical axis and the incident optical axis coincide with each other, and then data transmission is performed.

  FIG. 1 is a side view showing a configuration of an optical wireless communication apparatus according to the present invention.

  In this optical wireless transmission apparatus, as shown in FIG. 1, incident light 5 incident from a communication partner apparatus is reflected by a deflection mirror 18 that can be deflected through a fisheye lens 19 and incident on a beam splitter 17. Is done. In the beam splitter 17, incident light is divided into transmitted light and reflected light with respect to the reflecting surface at an inclined reflecting surface. The reflected light from the beam splitter 17 passes through a condensing lens 11 having a variable focal length and is received by a five-divided photodiode 16 which is a multi-divided light receiving element.

  The deflection mirror 18 is configured to be capable of deflection control by an electromagnetic actuator provided on the back surface of the mirror.

  FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing the configuration of the condenser lens 11 in this optical wireless communication apparatus.

  The condensing lens 11 is a liquid crystal lens, and is configured with a pair of lens-shaped glass substrates 1 and 1 ′ facing each other as shown in FIG. 2. Transparent electrodes 2 and 2 'are formed on the lens surfaces of the lens-like glass substrates 1 and 1' facing each other. A polymer-dispersed liquid crystal 3 is sealed between the transparent electrodes 2 and 2 ′. The polymer dispersed liquid crystal 3 is in contact with the transparent electrodes 2 and 2 ′. The outer peripheral portion of each lens-shaped glass substrate 1, 1 ′ is sealed with a spacer 4.

  The polymer-dispersed liquid crystal 3 is made of a material having an average refractive index with respect to incident light that is equivalent to the refractive index of the polymer solvent.

  FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view for explaining the function of the condenser lens 11 in the optical wireless communication apparatus.

  As shown in FIG. 3A, an AC power source is applied to each of the transparent electrodes 2 and 2 ′ of the condenser lens 11 so that an electric field for on-off control of the polymer dispersed liquid crystal 3 can be applied. 6 is connected.

  When no electric field is applied to the polymer-dispersed liquid crystal 3, the liquid crystal layer is randomly oriented as shown in FIG. In this state, the incident light 5 is focused (condensed) with respect to the light receiving surface of the five-divided photodiode 16.

  When an electric field is applied to the polymer-dispersed liquid crystal 3, the liquid crystal layer is oriented perpendicular to the lens surface (parallel to the incident light) as shown in FIG. The refractive index becomes smaller. In this state, the incident light 5 is defocused (non-condensed) with respect to the light receiving surface of the five-divided photodiode 16.

  FIG. 4 is a front view showing a configuration of a five-divided photodiode in this optical wireless communication apparatus.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the five-divided photodiode 16 has one light-receiving surface 7 for detecting signal light at the center portion and four light-receiving surfaces 8 for detecting incident directions that are radially divided from the center. These are configured monolithically. The five-divided photodiode 16 converts the light applied to each of the light receiving surfaces 7 and 8 into an electric current, and an independent light detection output can be obtained from each of the light receiving surfaces 7 and 8. These light detection outputs are taken out via wirings 9 and 10 formed corresponding to the light receiving surface 7 for detecting signal light and the light receiving surface 8 for detecting the incident direction.

  Note that the light receiving surface 7 for detecting signal light needs to have a high-speed response and the dead zone of the light receiving surface 8 for detecting the incident direction needs to be reduced. Is formed to be approximately 10 μm to 20 μm.

  Light detection outputs from the light receiving surface 7 for detecting signal light and the light receiving surface 8 for detecting the incident direction are sent to a control unit (not shown). This control unit controls and deflects the deflection mirror 18 so that the level of the output signal corresponding to each received light receiving surface 8 for detecting the incident direction is kept equal.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 1, a light beam from a light emitting element (semiconductor laser) 14 for data transmission enters the beam splitter 17 through a collimator lens 15. The beam splitter 17 has a function of making the light beam from the light emitting element 14 coaxial with the incident light and placing it on the optical path of the incident light.

  That is, the expanded light beam (laser light) emitted from the light emitting element 14 is formed into a beam close to parallel light by the collimator lens 15, passes through the beam splitter 17, is reflected by the deflection mirror 18, and passes through the fisheye lens 19. , And emitted toward the communication counterpart device. The optical axis of this radiated light coincides in advance with the optical axis of the optical system for receiving light including the five-divided photodiode 16, and an output signal from each light receiving surface 8 for detecting the incident direction of the five-divided photodiode 16. In a state where the levels are equal, the radiating optical axis from this device matches the incident optical axis from the communication counterpart device.

  As shown in FIG. 1, each element constituting the optical wireless communication apparatus is positioned and arranged on the base plate and housed in the outer casing.

  FIG. 5 is a side view for explaining the function of the optical wireless communication apparatus.

  In this optical wireless communication apparatus, when the incident direction is detected, as shown in FIG. 5B, a voltage is applied to the polymer dispersed liquid crystal 3 of the condenser lens 11 to reduce the refractive index, thereby dividing the photo into five parts. Incident light is defocused on the light receiving surface of the diode 16. In this state, the incident direction is detected by controlling the deflection mirror 18 so that the output signal level from each light receiving surface 8 for detecting the incident direction of the five-divided photodiode 16 becomes equal.

  In this optical wireless communication apparatus, when the incident direction detection is completed, as shown in FIG. 5A, the refractive index is increased so that no voltage is applied to the polymer dispersed liquid crystal 3 of the condenser lens 11. Thus, the incident light is focused on the light receiving surface of the five-divided photodiode 16. In this state, signal light reception (data reception) is performed based on an output signal from the light receiving surface 7 for detecting signal light of the five-divided photodiode 16.

  At this time, the light-emitting element 14 emits a data transmission light beam toward the communication counterpart device.

It is a side view which shows the structure of the optical wireless communication apparatus which concerns on this invention. It is sectional drawing which shows the structure of the liquid crystal lens in the said optical wireless communication apparatus. It is sectional drawing explaining the function of the liquid crystal lens in the said optical wireless communication apparatus. It is a front view which shows the structure of the 5-part dividing photodiode in the said optical wireless communication apparatus. It is a side view explaining the function of the said optical wireless communication apparatus. It is a side view which shows the structure of the conventional optical wireless communication apparatus.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Lens-like glass substrate 2 Transparent electrode 3 Polymer dispersion liquid crystal 4 Spacer 5 Incident light 6 AC power supply 7 Light-receiving surface for signal reception 8 Light-receiving surface for detection of incident direction 11 Condensing lens 16 Five-division photodiode 18 Deflection mirror 19 Fisheye lens

Claims (3)

A condensing lens with variable focal length on which incident light from a communication partner device enters;
A multi-divided light receiving element having a plurality of light receiving surfaces for receiving incident light having passed through the condenser lens;
The incident light is defocused in the multi-divided light receiving element, and the incident direction of the incident light is detected based on the received light amount difference of the incident light for each light receiving surface of the multi-divided light receiving element. An optical wireless communication apparatus characterized in that the incident light is focused in the divided light receiving element, and signal light is received by one light receiving surface of the multi-divided light receiving element. 2. The optical wireless communication according to claim 1, wherein the multi-divided light receiving element is configured monolithically with one light receiving surface for detecting signal light and four light receiving surfaces for detecting incident directions. apparatus. The optical wireless communication apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the condensing lens is a liquid crystal lens.

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