A Practical Teaching Tool for Optical Camera Communications

Abstract

Optical camera communication (OCC) is a rapidly growing research field within optical wireless communication (OWC) technologies that uses light-emitting diodes and cameras to provide wireless communication between devices in the visible light spectrum. Its growth has been propelled by the extensive availability of digital cameras in the consumer market in the form of smartphones, navigation cameras, surveillance systems, and others. Therefore, training new students with the necessary skills to apply and develop this technology is essential. This paper presents a practical teaching tool for the field of OCC aimed at students in undergraduate and postgraduate programs in electronics, telecommunications, and computer engineering. The tool is an interactive demonstrator of the OCC technology based on open-source hardware and software that is easy to reproduce and adjust. The workflow for presenting the tool covers the basic principles of OCC, including modulation techniques and image acquisition and processing techniques. As a core part of the class, students are given hands-on experience with OCC equipment to test the technology in a didactic way. This paper provides a resource for educators interested in adopting experimental learning into their courses on OWC.