MIMO characterization of indoor wireless optical link using a diffuse-transmission configuration

Performance of a diffuse optical link may potentially be degraded by temporal dispersions resulting from surface reflections. In order to devise techniques to alleviate the adverse effect of dispersion, an accurate channel model is needed. Obtaining the impulse response (IR) for a given receiver location requires not only consideration of direct path, but also reflections up to nth order. The IR is only valid for a specific location and specific receiver parameters. If a receiver moves, IR has to be recalculated. In this paper, we propose a new approach for characterizing diffuse links that both results in a tremendous saving in calculations and gives more insight on the channel characteristics. The new approach is based on consolidating the dependence of receiver parameters, transmitter parameters, and indoor environment into independent components. Thus, changing one of the parameters of the link requires recalculation of one of these components. The new model is utilized to obtain an accurate profile of delay spread and received power throughout a room.