Optical communication device, optical communication method, and program

Abstract

Provided is an optical communication device for carrying out optical communication, which is wireless communication using light. The optical communication device comprises: an optical communication unit that includes a plurality of light-receiving elements and a plurality of light-emitting elements and handles the optical communication in a plurality of colors; and a control unit that controls the optical communication unit to receive an optical signal from another optical communication device and transmit an optical signal to the other optical communication device with the same color or a pair of colors having sequential wavelengths which is selected from the plurality of colors.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to an optical communication device, an optical communication method, and a program. [Background technology]

[0002] For example, in underwater communications, optical communication systems are known that perform wireless communications using light (especially visible light) as a transmission medium. Because light has high directivity, conventional optical communication systems generally perform one-to-one optical communications by placing the transmitting and receiving sides opposite each other, assuming that the optical communication devices on each side are fixed. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 4-103232 Summary of the Invention

[0004] An optical communication device according to a first aspect is a device that performs optical communication, which is wireless communication using light. The optical communication device includes an optical communication unit that has a plurality of light receiving elements and a plurality of light emitting elements and is compatible with the optical communication of a plurality of colors, and a control unit that controls the optical communication unit to receive an optical signal from another optical communication device and transmit an optical signal to the other optical communication device using at least one of a pair of the same color and colors having consecutive wavelengths selected from the plurality of colors.

[0005] An optical communication method according to a second aspect is a method for performing optical communication, which is wireless communication using light. The optical communication method includes a step of controlling an optical communication unit that has a plurality of light receiving elements and a plurality of light emitting elements and that is compatible with the optical communication of a plurality of colors. The step of controlling includes a step of controlling the optical communication unit so that the reception of an optical signal from another optical communication device and the transmission of an optical signal to the other optical communication device are performed using at least one of a pair of the same color and colors having consecutive wavelengths selected from the plurality of colors.

[0006] A program according to a third aspect causes an optical communication device that performs optical communication, which is wireless communication using light, to execute a step of controlling an optical communication unit that has a plurality of light receiving elements and a plurality of light emitting elements and that is compatible with the optical communication of a plurality of colors, the step of controlling including a step of controlling the optical communication unit to receive an optical signal from another optical communication device and transmit an optical signal to the other optical communication device using at least one of a pair of the same color and colors having consecutive wavelengths selected from the plurality of colors. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0007] [Figure 1] 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of an optical communication system according to first and second embodiments. [Figure 2] 10 is a diagram illustrating a transmission operation in the UL of a terminal device according to the first and second embodiments. FIG. [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is a diagram for explaining an outline of the operation of the optical communication system according to the first and second embodiments. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of a base station device according to the first and second embodiments. [Figure 5] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of a terminal device according to the first and second embodiments. [Figure 6] 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of a communication frame used in the optical communication systems according to the first and second embodiments. FIG. [Figure 7] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating a first configuration example of a receiving system in an optical communication unit that supports multiple colors. [Figure 8] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating a second configuration example of a receiving system in an optical communication unit that supports multiple colors. [Figure 9] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating a first configuration example of a transmission system in an optical communication unit that supports multiple colors. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating a second configuration example of a transmission system in an optical communication unit that supports multiple colors. [Figure 11] 3 is a diagram showing a first example of arrangement of light receiving elements and light emitting elements according to the first and second embodiments. FIG. [Figure 12]10 is a diagram showing a second example of arrangement of light receiving elements and light emitting elements according to the first and second embodiments. FIG. [Figure 13] 10 is a diagram showing a third example of arrangement of light receiving elements and light emitting elements according to the first and second embodiments. FIG. [Figure 14] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a fourth example of arrangement of light receiving elements and light emitting elements according to the first and second embodiments. [Figure 15] 10A and 10B are diagrams illustrating other examples of arrangement of light receiving elements and light emitting elements according to the first and second embodiments. [Figure 16] 1 is a diagram showing an example of the external configuration of a terminal device to which a cluster arrangement according to the first and second embodiments is applied; [Figure 17] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of the external configuration of a base station device to which a cluster arrangement according to the first and second embodiments is applied. [Figure 18] 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of optical communication between a terminal device and a base station device to which a cluster arrangement according to the first and second embodiments is applied. [Figure 19] 10A and 10B are diagrams illustrating an example of transmission of optical signals of multiple colors from a base station device to which a cluster arrangement according to the first and second embodiments is applied. [Figure 20] 10A and 10B are diagrams for explaining an operation of establishing an optical communication connection according to the second embodiment. [Figure 21] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of an operation sequence for establishing an optical communication connection according to the second embodiment. [Figure 22] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of an operation led by a base station device according to the second embodiment. [Figure 23] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of operation of UL communication using two colors according to the second embodiment. [Figure 24] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of operation of DL communication using two colors according to the second embodiment. [Figure 25] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of an operation led by a terminal device according to the second embodiment. [Figure 26] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of an operation related to load balancing for each color according to the second embodiment. [Figure 27] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an optical communication device according to another embodiment. [Figure 28]FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an optical communication device according to another embodiment. [Figure 29] FIG. 10 is a diagram for explaining an optical communication system according to another embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0008] In the future, it is expected that optical communication between multiple terminal devices and base station devices will be realized in optical communication systems. In optical communication systems, various colors can be used for optical communication, and the throughput of the optical communication system can be improved by appropriately using different colors for each terminal device. However, conventional optical communication systems do not control the colors used for optical communication between terminal devices and base station devices so that there is room for improvement in terms of improving the throughput of the optical communication system.

[0009] Therefore, an object of the present disclosure is to improve the throughput of an optical communication system.

[0010] An optical communication system according to an embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings. In the description of the drawings, the same or similar parts are denoted by the same or similar reference numerals.

[0011] The optical communication system according to the embodiment is a system that performs optical communication using visible light as an example of light. However, the optical communication system may also perform optical communication using light other than visible light, for example, infrared light. Furthermore, the optical communication system according to the embodiment is a system that performs optical communication underwater. However, the optical communication system is not limited to a system that performs optical communication underwater, and may be, for example, a system that performs optical communication in space.

[0012] (1) First embodiment First, an optical communication system according to a first embodiment will be described.

[0013] (1.1) Overview of optical communication systems 1 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of an optical communication system 1 according to this embodiment. The optical communication system 1 includes a plurality of terminal devices 100 (100a, 100b) and a base station device 200. However, the number of terminal devices 100 and the number of base station devices 200 are not limited to those shown in the example.

[0014] Each terminal device 100 is an example of an optical communication device. The base station device 200 is another example of an optical communication device. Each of the terminal device 100 and the base station device 200 has multiple light receiving and emitting units whose optical axes (from another perspective, the directivity of optical communication) are oriented in different directions. Each light receiving and emitting unit includes at least one light receiving element and at least one light emitting element. This allows each of the terminal device 100 and the base station device 200 to use light as a transmission medium and perform optical communication using multiple light receiving and emitting units in various ways.

[0015] For each terminal device 100 connected to the base station device 200, the base station device 200 selects its own light receiving and emitting unit corresponding to the direction of the terminal device 100 and performs optical communication with the terminal device 100 using the selected light receiving and emitting unit. Similarly, the terminal device 100 selects its own light receiving and emitting unit corresponding to the direction of the base station device 200 that is its serving base station (the base station device to which it is connected) and performs optical communication with the base station device 200 using the selected light receiving and emitting unit. Note that the base station device 200 transmits its own unique synchronization optical signal and / or reference optical signal (hereinafter, these may be collectively referred to as "pilot optical signal") in all directions that the base station device 200 can support. The terminal device 100 may identify the direction of the base station device 200 based on such pilot optical signal, identify its own light receiving and emitting unit corresponding to that direction, and perform optical communication with the base station device 200 using the identified light receiving and emitting unit.

[0016] In the illustrated example, the base station device 200 is located near the water surface and is fixed to, for example, a buoy. The base station device 200 has, for example, a hemispherical housing, and a plurality of light receiving and emitting units are arranged in a two-dimensional array on the surface of the hemispherical housing. The base station device 200 is communicatively connected to the network 10 via a backhaul line. The backhaul line may be a wireless line. The backhaul line may be a wired line. To efficiently secure a communication area underwater, the base station device 200 may be installed at a predetermined distance from other base station devices. In FIG. 1, the communication area of ​​the base station device 200 is indicated by a dashed line. Such a communication area is also called a "cell."

[0017] The terminal device 100 is underwater. The terminal device 100 is configured to be able to move underwater. For example, the terminal device 100 may be a self-propelled terminal device 100 such as an underwater robot or an underwater drone. The terminal device 100 connects to a base station device 200 and performs optical communication with the connected base station device 200 (serving base station). The terminal device 100 may include a sensor such as an image sensor and generate sensor data. For example, each terminal device 100 may transmit uplink (UL) data including sensor data to the base station device 200 (serving base station) via optical communication. The terminal device 100 may receive downlink (DL) data including instruction data from the base station device 200 (serving base station) via optical communication. The terminal device 100 may move and perform a sensing operation (such as photographing) based on the instruction data.

[0018] FIG. 2 is a diagram schematically showing a transmission operation in the UL of the terminal device 100 according to this embodiment.

[0019] In the terminal device 100, for example, a plurality of light-emitting elements 121 (121a, 121b, ...) are arranged inside a transparent housing 150, and the light-emitting elements 121 transmit optical signals to the base station device 200 via the transparent housing 150. The plurality of light-emitting elements 121 are arranged in a two-dimensional array along the curved inner surface of the transparent housing 150, with their optical axes facing in different directions. For example, the optical axis of each light-emitting element 121 is facing in the normal direction to the curved surface of the transparent housing 150. Light has high directionality, and such a configuration makes it possible to perform optical communication in various directions.

[0020] As described above, in the optical communication system 1 according to this embodiment, the base station device 200 can cover a wide communication area. Furthermore, by appropriately selecting the light receiving and emitting units used for optical communication by each of the terminal device 100 and the base station device 200, optical communication that follows the movement of the terminal device 100 can be realized.

[0021] FIG. 3 is a diagram for explaining an outline of the operation of the optical communication system 1 according to this embodiment.

[0022] In this embodiment, each of the terminal device 100 and the base station device 200 has a configuration compatible with optical communication of multiple colors. By varying the color used in optical communication for each terminal device 100, optical signals can be multiplexed and demultiplexed for each color, thereby improving the throughput of the optical communication system. Furthermore, when optical communication is performed underwater, the propagation characteristics differ depending on the color (i.e., wavelength) of light used in the optical communication. For example, assuming four colors, blue, green, red, and yellow, blue and green generally propagate farther than red and yellow even with the same transmission power because their attenuation rates are smaller.

[0023] In the following embodiment, an example in which the colors available for optical communication are three in total: red (R), green (G), and blue (B) will be mainly described. However, the colors available for optical communication may be four or more, for example, red (R), green (G), blue (B), and yellow (Y). Alternatively, the colors available for optical communication may be two, for example, green (G) and blue (B).

[0024] In this embodiment, an appropriate color is assigned to each terminal device 100. Furthermore, in this embodiment, a time division duplex (TDD) method is applied to optical communication between the terminal device 100 and the base station device 200. This allows each terminal device 100 to use the same color for UL and DL in optical communication with the base station device 200.

[0025] That is, the terminal device 100 according to this embodiment has multiple light receiving elements and multiple light emitting elements, and is configured to support optical communication of multiple colors. The terminal device 100 receives optical signals (DL) from the base station device 200 and transmits optical signals (UL) to the base station device 200 in a time-division manner using the TDD system. The terminal device 100 also uses the same color selected from multiple colors for receiving (DL) and transmitting (UL) optical signals. Similarly, the base station device 200 according to this embodiment has multiple light receiving elements and multiple light emitting elements, and is configured to support optical communication of multiple colors. The base station device 200 also receives optical signals (UL) from the terminal device 100 and transmits optical signals (DL) to the terminal device 100 in a time-division manner using the TDD system. The base station device 200 also uses the same color selected from multiple colors for receiving (UL) and transmitting (DL) optical signals.

[0026] In this embodiment, an appropriate color is assigned to the terminal device 100 based on, for example, the distance between the terminal device 100 and the base station device 200. As a method for measuring (estimating) the distance between the terminal device 100 and the base station device 200, the optical communication device (terminal device 100 and / or base station device 200) may have a means for transmitting and receiving sound waves (acoustics) and measure the distance by detecting the position of the communication partner using the sound waves (acoustics). The optical communication device (terminal device 100 and / or base station device 200) may have a camera and measure the distance by detecting the position of the communication partner using the camera. If the transmission output (emission intensity) of the pilot optical signal is known, the distance may be measured based on the path loss, which is the difference between the emission intensity and the received optical intensity detected on the receiving side. When the distance between the terminal device 100 and the base station device 200 and another optical communication device is a first distance, the terminal device 100 and the base station device 200 transmit and receive optical signals of a first color. On the other hand, when the distance is a second distance greater than the first distance, the terminal device 100 and the base station device 200 transmit and receive optical signals of a second color, which has a smaller attenuation rate in water than the first color. For example, the first color is red (R), and the second color is green (G) or blue (B). FIG. 3 shows an example in which green (G) or blue (B) is assigned to the terminal device 100a, which is far from the base station device 200, and red (R) is assigned to the terminal device 100b, which is closer to the base station device 200. In this way, by assigning an appropriate color to each terminal device 100, it is possible to improve the throughput of the optical communication system.

[0027] Here, by using the same color for UL and DL in optical communications using the TDD system, it is possible to utilize the reversibility of the UL and DL propagation paths. For example, a terminal device 100 that receives a DL optical signal estimates the DL propagation path state based on the received signal, and controls UL transmission by regarding the estimated propagation path state as the UL propagation path state, thereby enabling UL optical communication adapted to the propagation path. Similarly, a base station device 200 that receives a UL optical signal estimates the UL propagation path state based on the received signal, and controls DL transmission by regarding the estimated propagation path state as the DL propagation path state, thereby enabling DL optical communication adapted to the propagation path.

[0028] However, in optical communication devices (terminal device 100, base station device 200), the light receiving element that receives the optical signal and the light emitting element that transmits the optical signal are separate elements, so the UL propagation state and the DL propagation state may differ, and the reversibility of the propagation path may not be utilized. Therefore, in this embodiment, multiple light receiving elements and multiple light emitting elements are distributed and arranged in the optical communication device, and the light emitting element that is close to the light receiving element that receives the optical signal is controlled to transmit the optical signal, thereby making it possible to utilize the reversibility of the propagation path. Specific examples of the arrangement of light receiving elements and light emitting elements will be described later.

[0029] That is, the terminal device 100 according to this embodiment controls a light-emitting element adjacent to a light-receiving element that receives an optical signal (DL optical signal) from the base station device 200 so that the light-emitting element transmits an optical signal (UL optical signal) to the base station device 200. The terminal device 100 also estimates the propagation path state based on the optical signal (DL optical signal) received by the light-receiving element from the base station device 200, and controls transmission of the optical signal (UL optical signal) from the light-emitting element to the base station device 200 based on the estimated propagation path state.

[0030] In addition, when a light receiving element and a light emitting element are "close to each other," this means that the light receiving element and the light emitting element are close enough to each other that the reversibility of the propagation path can be utilized, and the light receiving element and the light emitting element do not necessarily have to be in contact with each other (adjacent to each other).

[0031] Similarly, the base station device 200 according to this embodiment controls a light-emitting element adjacent to a light-receiving element that receives an optical signal (UL optical signal) from the terminal device 100 so that the light-emitting element transmits an optical signal (DL optical signal) to the terminal device 100. The base station device 200 also estimates the propagation path state based on the optical signal (UL optical signal) received by the light-receiving element from the terminal device 100, and controls transmission of the optical signal (DL optical signal) from the light-emitting element to the terminal device 100 based on the estimated propagation path state.

[0032] (1.2) Example of optical communication device configuration Next, a configuration example of the optical communication device according to this embodiment will be described.

[0033] (1.2.1) Example of base station device configuration 4 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of a base station device 200 according to this embodiment. The base station device 200 includes an optical communication unit 201, a control unit 230, and a backhaul communication unit 240. The base station device 200 may include a battery for supplying power necessary for the operation of the base station device 200. The optical communication unit 201 is connected to the control unit 230 via a cable, and may be configured separately from the control unit 230.

[0034] The optical communication unit 201 performs optical communication (visible light communication in this embodiment) with the terminal device 100 under the control of the control unit 230. The optical communication unit 201 has a configuration that supports optical communication of multiple colors. A specific example of this configuration will be described later. That is, the optical communication unit 201 has the function of transmitting and receiving optical signals of multiple colors. A specific example of this configuration will be described later. In this embodiment, the optical communication unit 201 has a plurality of light receiving elements 211 (211#0, 211#1, . . . ), a plurality of receivers 212 (212#0, 212#1, . . . ), a plurality of light emitting elements 221 (221#0, 221#1, . . . ), and a plurality of transmitters 222 (222#0, 222#1, . . . ).

[0035] Each light receiving element 211 includes a photodiode (PD). Each light receiving element 211 may include a peripheral circuit for the PD. Each light receiving element 211 receives an optical signal, converts the received optical signal into an electrical signal (received signal), and outputs the received signal to the corresponding receiver 212. Each receiver 212 may be configured with an FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array) and / or an SoC (System-on-a-chip). Each receiver 212 converts the received signal output by the corresponding light receiving element 211, performs signal processing on the converted received signal, and outputs the converted signal to the control unit 230. At least a portion of each receiver 212 may be integrated with another receiver 212. At least a portion of each receiver 212 may be integrated with the transmitter 222. The light receiving element 211 and the corresponding receiver 212 form a light receiving unit that receives an optical signal under the control of the control unit 230.

[0036] Each light-emitting element 221 includes a laser diode (LD) or a light-emitting diode (LED). In this embodiment, each light-emitting element 221 includes an LED. Each light-emitting element 221 converts an electrical signal (transmission signal) output by the corresponding transmitter 222#0 for optical communication into an optical signal and transmits the optical signal. Each light-emitting element 221 may include peripheral circuits for the LED. LEDs can be constructed at lower cost than LDs, but have lower optical directionality than LDs. Specifically, LDs emit narrow beam-shaped optical signals that have traveled back and forth multiple times within a resonator, while LEDs emit optical signals with a certain degree of divergence. Each transmitter 222 performs signal processing on the transmission signal output by the control unit 230, converts the processed signal, and outputs it to the corresponding light-emitting element 221. At least a portion of each transmitter 222 may be integrated with another transmitter 222. At least a portion of each transmitter 222 may be integrated with the receiver 212. The light emitting element 221 and the corresponding transmitter 222 constitute a light emitting unit that transmits an optical signal under the control of the control unit 230 .

[0037] The control unit 230 controls the overall operation of the base station device 200. The above-mentioned operation of the base station device 200 and the operation of the base station device 200 described below may be controlled by the control unit 230. For example, the control unit 230 controls the optical communication unit 201. The control unit 230 includes at least one processor 231 and at least one memory 232. The memory 232 stores programs executed by the processor 231 and information used in processing by the processor 231. The processor 231 may include a digital signal processor and a CPU (Central Processing Unit). The digital signal processor performs modulation, demodulation, encoding, decoding, etc. of digital signals. The CPU executes programs stored in the memory to perform various processes. At least a portion of the control unit 230 may be integrated with the receiver 212. At least a portion of the control unit 230 may be integrated with the transmitter 222.

[0038] The backhaul communication unit 240 performs backhaul communication (wired communication and / or wireless communication) via a backhaul line under the control of the control unit 230. The backhaul communication unit 240 may have a network communication unit 241 that performs communication with the network 10, and an inter-base station communication unit 242 that performs inter-base station communication with other base stations. For example, the network communication unit 241 receives data to be transmitted to the terminal device 100 from the network 10, and outputs the received data to the control unit 230. Furthermore, the network communication unit 241 transmits data that the optical communication unit 201 has received from the terminal device 100 to the network 10. The inter-base station communication unit 242 transmits and receives control data to and from other base stations, for example, for cooperative control with other base stations.

[0039] In the base station device 200 configured as described above, the optical communication unit 201 has a plurality of light receiving elements 211 and a plurality of light emitting elements 221, and is configured to support optical communication of multiple colors. The control unit 230 controls the optical communication unit 201 to receive (UL) optical signals from the terminal device 100 and transmit (DL) optical signals to the terminal device 100 in a time-division manner using the TDD method. The control unit 230 also controls the optical communication unit 201 to use the same color selected from a plurality of colors for receiving (UL) and transmitting (DL) optical signals.

[0040] Furthermore, the control unit 230 controls the optical communication unit 201 so that the light emitting element 221 adjacent to the light receiving element 211 that receives the optical signal (UL optical signal) from the terminal device 100 transmits an optical signal (DL optical signal) to the terminal device 100. Here, the control unit 230 estimates the propagation path state based on the optical signal (UL optical signal) received by the light receiving element 211 from the terminal device 100, and controls the transmission of the optical signal (DL optical signal) from the light emitting element 221 to the terminal device 100 based on the estimated propagation path state.

[0041] (1.2.2) Example of terminal device configuration 5 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of a terminal device 100 according to this embodiment. The terminal device 100 includes an optical communication unit 101, a control unit 130, and a movement mechanism 140. The terminal device 100 may include a battery for supplying power necessary for the operation of the terminal device 100. The terminal device 100 may include a sensor such as an image sensor and generate sensor data. The optical communication unit 101 may be connected to the control unit 130 via a cable and configured separately from the control unit 130.

[0042] The optical communication unit 101 performs optical communication (visible light communication in this embodiment) with the base station device 200 under the control of the control unit 130. The optical communication unit 101 has a configuration that supports optical communication of multiple colors. That is, the optical communication unit 101 has the function of transmitting and receiving optical signals of multiple colors. A specific example of this configuration will be described later. In this embodiment, the optical communication unit 101 has a plurality of light receiving elements 111 (111#0, 111#1,...), a plurality of receivers 112 (112#0, 112#1,...), a plurality of light emitting elements 121 (121#0, 121#1,...), and a plurality of transmitters 122 (122#0, 122#1,...).

[0043] Each light receiving element 111 includes a photodiode (PD). Each light receiving element 111 may include a peripheral circuit for the PD. Each light receiving element 111 receives an optical signal, converts the received optical signal into an electrical signal (received signal), and outputs the received signal to the corresponding receiver 112. Each receiver 112 may be configured with an FPGA and / or an SoC. Each receiver 112 converts the received signal output by the corresponding light receiving element 111, performs signal processing on the converted received signal, and outputs the converted received signal to the control unit 130. At least a portion of each receiver 112 may be integrated with another receiver 112. At least a portion of each receiver 112 may be integrated with the transmitter 122. The light receiving element 111 and the corresponding receiver 112 form a light receiving unit that receives an optical signal under the control of the control unit 130.

[0044] Each light-emitting element 121 includes a laser diode (LD) or a light-emitting diode (LED). In this embodiment, each light-emitting element 121 includes an LED. Each light-emitting element 121 converts an electrical signal (transmission signal) output by the corresponding transmitter 122#0 for optical communication into an optical signal and transmits the optical signal. Each light-emitting element 121 may include a peripheral circuit for the LED. Each transmitter 122 performs signal processing on the transmission signal output by the control unit 130, converts the processed signal, and outputs it to the corresponding light-emitting element 121. At least a portion of each transmitter 122 may be integrated with another transmitter 122. At least a portion of each transmitter 122 may be integrated with the receiver 112. The light-emitting element 121 and the corresponding transmitter 122 constitute a light-emitting unit that transmits an optical signal under the control of the control unit 130.

[0045] The control unit 130 controls the overall operation of the terminal device 100. The operations of the terminal device 100 described above and later may be controlled by the control unit 130. For example, the control unit 130 controls the optical communication unit 101. The control unit 130 includes at least one processor 131 and at least one memory 132. The memory 132 stores programs executed by the processor 131 and information used in processing by the processor 131. The processor 131 may include a digital signal processor and a CPU (Central Processing Unit). The digital signal processor performs modulation, demodulation, encoding, decoding, etc. of digital signals. The CPU executes programs stored in the memory to perform various processes. At least a portion of the control unit 130 may be integrated with the receiver 112. At least a portion of the control unit 130 may be integrated with the transmitter 122.

[0046] The movement mechanism 140 moves the terminal device 100 under the control of the control unit 130. The movement mechanism 140 includes, for example, a motor and a screw connected to the rotation shaft of the motor.

[0047] In the terminal device 100 configured as described above, the optical communication unit 101 has a plurality of light receiving elements 111 and a plurality of light emitting elements 121, and is configured to support optical communication of multiple colors. The control unit 130 receives optical signals from the base station device 200 (DL) and transmits optical signals to the base station device 200 (UL) in a time-division manner using the TDD method. The control unit 130 also uses the same color selected from the multiple colors for receiving (DL) and transmitting (UL) optical signals.

[0048] Furthermore, the control unit 130 controls the optical communication unit 101 so that the light emitting element 121 located close to the light receiving element 111 that receives the optical signal (DL optical signal) from the base station device 200 transmits the optical signal (UL optical signal) to the base station device 200. Here, the control unit 130 estimates the propagation path state based on the optical signal (DL optical signal) received by the light receiving element 111 from the base station device 200, and controls the transmission of the optical signal (UL optical signal) from the light emitting element 121 to the base station device 200 based on the estimated propagation path state.

[0049] (1.3) Example of communication frame configuration Next, with reference to FIG. 6, an example of the configuration of a communication frame used in the optical communication system 1 according to this embodiment will be described.

[0050] In the illustrated example, one communication frame is made up of 10 time slots, but the number of time slots making up one communication frame is not limited to 10. Each time slot is made up of a predetermined number of symbol intervals.

[0051] In this frame configuration example, the communication frame is a TDD frame and is composed of a DL period and an UL period. A guard time may be provided between the DL period and the UL period. The DL period includes one synchronization slot (Sync.), one control slot (Ctrl.), and four DL slots (DL slots) #0 to #3. The UL period includes four UL slots (UL slots) #0 to #3.

[0052] The synchronization slot (Sync.) is a time slot in which the base station device 200 transmits a pilot optical signal such as a synchronization optical signal. The terminal device 100 identifies the base station device 200 by the pilot optical signal received from the base station device 200 and establishes synchronization with the base station device 200 using the pilot optical signal.

[0053] The control slot (Ctrl.) is a time slot in which the base station device 200 transmits a control optical signal. The control optical signal may be transmitted by broadcast from the base station device 200. The control optical signal may include information indicating, for example, DL and UL resource allocation (time slot allocation) and / or color allocation.

[0054] The base station device 200 allocates each of DL slots #0 to #3 to one or more terminal devices 100. The base station device 200 transmits a DL data optical signal in each DL slot. A reference signal (Ref.TxElement) specific to a light-emitting element and a data optical signal may be allocated in time division in each DL slot. Furthermore, the base station device 200 allocates each of UL slots #0 to #3 to one or more terminal devices 100. The terminal devices 100 transmit UL data optical signals in the allocated UL slots.

[0055] The base station device 200 can communicate simultaneously with multiple terminal devices 100 located in different directions. Specifically, the base station device 200 can multiplex multiple terminal devices 100 located in different directions by spatial division. Furthermore, the base station device 200 can multiplex multiple terminal devices 100 by frequency division by assigning a different color to each terminal device 100. Therefore, the base station device 200 may assign one DL slot or one UL slot to multiple terminal devices 100.

[0056] (1.4) Example of optical communication unit configuration supporting multiple colors Next, a configuration example of an optical communication unit that supports multiple colors according to this embodiment will be described. Here, a configuration example of the optical communication unit 101 will be mainly described using the terminal device 100 as an example of an optical communication device, but the optical communication unit 201 of the base station device 200 also has a similar configuration to the optical communication unit 101 of the terminal device 100.

[0057] FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a first configuration example of a receiving system in the optical communication unit 101 that supports multiple colors.

[0058] In this configuration example, the optical communication unit 101 shares one light receiving element 111 for multiple colors. Specifically, each receiver 112 of the optical communication unit 101 includes a bandpass filter (BPF) 1121 that separates the received signal of the corresponding light receiving element 111 by color. In the illustrated example, each receiver 112 includes a blue bandpass filter 1121B, a green bandpass filter 1121G, and a red bandpass filter 1121R. Each bandpass filter 1121 extracts the received signal of the corresponding color component from the received signal of the light receiving element 111 and outputs the extracted received signal.

[0059] FIG. 8 is a diagram showing a second configuration example of the receiving system in the optical communication unit 101 that supports multiple colors.

[0060] In this configuration example, the optical communication unit 101 has light receiving elements 111 provided for each color. Specifically, the optical communication unit 101 includes a plurality of light receiving elements 111 provided with color filters of each color. In the illustrated example, the plurality of light receiving elements 111 corresponding to each receiver 112 include a blue light receiving element 111B, a green light receiving element 111G, and a red light receiving element 111R. Each light receiving element 111 is connected to a corresponding receiver 112.

[0061] FIG. 9 is a diagram showing a first configuration example of a transmission system in the optical communication unit 101 that supports multiple colors.

[0062] In this configuration example, the optical communication unit 101 shares one light-emitting element 121 for multiple colors. Specifically, each light-emitting element 121 of the optical communication unit 101 is configured as a multi-color light-emitting element. The multi-color light-emitting element has three LEDs (red, green, and blue (RGB)) mounted in one transparent resin housing, and has pins (terminals) for each color. The transmitter 122 can switch the light emission color of the multi-color light-emitting element by supplying a drive signal to any of the pins of the multi-color light-emitting element.

[0063] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a second configuration example of a transmission system in the optical communication unit 101 that supports multiple colors.

[0064] In this configuration example, the optical communication unit 101 has light emitting elements 121 provided for each color. In the illustrated example, the light emitting elements 121 correspond to the respective transmitters 122 and include a light emitting element 121B for blue, a light emitting element 121G for green, and a light emitting element 121R for red. Each light emitting element 121 is connected to a corresponding transmitter 122.

[0065] (1.5) Example of arrangement of light receiving element and light emitting element Next, an example of the arrangement of the light receiving element 111 and the light emitting element 121 in the optical communication unit 101 according to this embodiment will be described. Here, an example of the arrangement of the light receiving element 111 and the light emitting element 121 in the optical communication unit 101 will be mainly described using the terminal device 100 as an example of the optical communication device, but the optical communication unit 201 of the base station device 200 also has a similar configuration to the optical communication unit 101 of the terminal device 100. In addition, the control unit 230 of the base station device 200 performs control similar to that of the control unit 130 of the terminal device 100.

[0066] FIG. 11 is a diagram showing a first arrangement example of the light receiving element 111 and the light emitting element 121 according to this embodiment.

[0067] In this arrangement example, the multiple light receiving elements 111 and the multiple light emitting elements 121 are arranged in a two-dimensional array along the curved surface of the optical communication device (in this example, the terminal device 100). Note that each light receiving element 111 and each light emitting element 121 does not have to be exposed on the curved surface of the terminal device 100. Each light receiving element 111 and each light emitting element 121 may be housed in a hemispherical or spherical transparent housing. In the illustrated example, the multiple light receiving elements 111 and the multiple light emitting elements 121 are arranged in a lattice pattern. Because the surface of the terminal device 100 is spherical rather than flat, the arrangement is not a perfect lattice pattern, but the arrangement is achieved by reducing the spacing between elements and / or thinning out elements, etc.

[0068] In this arrangement example, one light receiving element 111 and one light emitting element 121 are alternately arranged in each of the vertical and horizontal directions of the two-dimensional array. However, two light receiving elements 111 may be arranged consecutively in the vertical or horizontal direction of the two-dimensional array, or two light emitting elements 121 may be arranged consecutively.

[0069] The control unit 130 of the terminal device 100 controls the optical communication unit 101 so that a light emitting element 121 surrounded by a plurality of light receiving elements 111 that receive an optical signal from the base station device 200 at a predetermined light receiving intensity or higher transmits an optical signal to the base station device 200. In the illustrated example, one light receiving element 111 and one light emitting element 121 are alternately arranged in each of the vertical and horizontal directions of the two-dimensional array. Therefore, each light emitting element 121 is surrounded by a light receiving element set consisting of four light receiving elements 111 on the top, bottom, left, and right of itself. Such an element group consisting of one light emitting element 121 and four light receiving elements 111 on the top, bottom, left, and right of it may be a type of cluster, which will be described later.

[0070] In this arrangement example, the control unit 130 of the terminal device 100 uses, for transmission, a light-emitting element 121 surrounded by a light-receiving element set (four light-receiving elements 111) with a high light-receiving intensity. For example, after measuring the light-receiving intensity of all the light-receiving elements 111, the control unit 130 calculates the total value of the light-receiving intensity for each light-receiving element set, identifies the light-receiving element set with the highest total value, and uses the central light-emitting element 121 surrounded by the identified light-receiving element set for transmitting an optical signal.

[0071] Furthermore, the control unit 130 of the terminal device 100 estimates the propagation path state (e.g., DL propagation loss) based on the optical signal received by the specified photodetector set from the base station device 200. Then, the control unit 130 controls the transmission of the optical signal from the light-emitting element 121 (central transmitting light-emitting element) to the base station device 200 based on the estimated propagation path state. For example, the control unit 130 estimates the propagation loss of each of the four photodetectors 111 constituting the specified photodetector set, calculates the average value of these propagation losses, and approximates the propagation loss from the central light-emitting element 121 (transmitting light-emitting element) to another optical communication device (base station device 200). Note that examples of the control of the transmission of the optical signal include control of the transmission output (emission intensity) of optical communication and / or selection of a modulation and coding method for optical communication.

[0072] FIG. 12 is a diagram showing a second arrangement example of the light receiving element 111 and the light emitting element 121 according to this embodiment.

[0073] In this arrangement example, the multiple light receiving elements 111 and the multiple light emitting elements 121 form multiple clusters arranged on the curved surface of the optical communication device (terminal device 100). Each cluster is arranged at a distance from the other clusters. In each cluster, the two or more light receiving elements 111 are arranged close to one or more light emitting elements 121 so that the two or more light receiving elements 111 surround the one or more light emitting elements 121. Note that the light receiving elements 111 and the light emitting elements 121 do not have to be exposed on the curved surface of the terminal device 100. The light receiving elements 111 and the light emitting elements 121 may be housed in a hemispherical or spherical transparent housing.

[0074] In the illustrated example, an element group consisting of one light-emitting element 121 and four light-receiving elements 111 above, below, left, and right of the light-emitting element 121 constitutes one cluster. However, the number of light-receiving elements 111 included in one cluster is not limited to four, as long as it is one or more. Furthermore, the number of light-emitting elements 121 included in one cluster is not limited to one, and may be two or more.

[0075] In this arrangement example, the control unit 130 of the terminal device 100 uses, for transmission, the light-emitting elements 121 in a cluster having four light-receiving elements 111 with high received light intensity. That is, the control unit 130 controls the optical communication unit 101 so that the light-emitting elements 121 surrounded by light-receiving elements 111 that receive an optical signal from the base station device 200 at a predetermined received light intensity or higher transmit an optical signal to the base station device 200. For example, the control unit 130 measures the received light intensity of all the light-receiving elements 111, then calculates the sum of the received light intensity for each cluster, identifies the cluster with the largest sum, and uses the light-emitting elements 121 in the identified cluster for transmitting an optical signal.

[0076] The control unit 130 of the terminal device 100 estimates a propagation path state (for example, DL propagation loss) based on an optical signal received by four light receiving elements 111 in one cluster from the base station device 200. The control unit 130 controls transmission of an optical signal from one light emitting element 121 in the one cluster to the base station device 200 based on the estimated propagation path state.

[0077] In this arrangement example, in each of a plurality of clusters, the light receiving elements 111 and the light emitting elements 121 are arranged on the same plane so that the optical axes of the light receiving elements 111 and the light emitting elements 121 face in the same direction. That is, although the optical communication device as a whole has a hemispherical shape, the light receiving elements 111 and the light emitting elements 121 in one cluster are arranged on the same plane. As a result, the optical communication device has a polyhedral shape with each cluster forming a surface. This makes it possible to align the directivities of the light receiving elements 111 and the light emitting elements 121 in the same cluster.

[0078] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing a third example of arrangement of the light receiving element 111 and the light emitting element 121 according to this embodiment.

[0079] This arrangement example is a cluster arrangement similar to the second arrangement example described above, but the configuration within each cluster is different from the second arrangement example described above. In each cluster, eight light receiving elements 111 are arranged in close proximity to three light emitting elements 121 so that the eight light receiving elements 111 surround the three light emitting elements 121. The three light emitting elements 121 may be provided for each color, red, green, and blue (RGB). Alternatively, each of the three light emitting elements 121 may be configured to include a multicolor LED corresponding to red, green, and blue (RGB).

[0080] The control using the cluster is the same as in the second arrangement example described above. Alternatively, the control unit 130 of the terminal device 100 may perform propagation path estimation for all light receiving elements 111 in a cluster and control the optical communication unit 101 to perform simultaneous transmission from all light emitting elements 121 in the cluster. In simultaneous transmission, the same optical signal is transmitted from multiple light emitting elements 121. Such simultaneous transmission can improve resistance to movement and improve the S / N ratio by power combining.

[0081] FIG. 14 is a diagram showing a fourth example of the arrangement of the light receiving element 111 and the light emitting element 121 according to this embodiment.

[0082] This arrangement example is a cluster arrangement similar to the second and third arrangement examples described above, but the configuration within each cluster is different from the second and third arrangement examples described above, with elements arranged in a lattice pattern. In the example shown, in each cluster, four light receiving elements 111 are arranged above, below, left and right of one central light emitting element 121, and eight light emitting elements 121 are arranged to surround the four light receiving elements 111. Control using the clusters is similar to the third arrangement example described above.

[0083] In the first to fourth arrangement examples described above, in TDD, the influence of light leakage from the light emitting element 121 to the light receiving element 111 in the optical communication device can be ignored, and therefore it is possible to place the light receiving element 111 and the light emitting element 121 as close as possible to each other, as in the arrangement example shown in Fig. 15. For example, in the optical communication device, the light receiving element 111 and the light emitting element 121 constituting a pair of adjacent light receiving elements 111 and light emitting elements 121 may be arranged adjacent to each other without providing a light blocking member (for example, a light blocking wall) between the pair.

[0084] FIG. 16 is a diagram showing an example of the external configuration of a terminal device 100 to which a cluster arrangement according to this embodiment is applied.

[0085] In the illustrated example, the terminal device 100 has a hemispherical transparent housing 150 and a main body 160 connected to the transparent housing 150. However, the terminal device 100 may be configured as a sphere in its entirety. The transparent housing 150 houses a plurality of clusters (seven clusters #0 to #6 in the illustrated example) that are distributed. Each cluster is provided with a set of at least one light receiving element 111 and at least one light emitting element 121. The light receiving element 111 and the light emitting element 121 included in each cluster are arranged on the same plane so that their optical axes face the same direction. This configuration enables the terminal device 100 to perform optical communication with base station devices 200 in various directions.

[0086] FIG. 17 is a diagram showing an example of the external configuration of a base station device 200 to which a cluster arrangement according to this embodiment is applied.

[0087] In the illustrated example, the base station device 200 has a hemispherical transparent housing 250 and a main body 260 connected to the transparent housing 250. However, the base station device 200 may be configured as a sphere in its entirety. The transparent housing 250 houses a plurality of clusters (19 clusters #0 to #18 in the illustrated example) that are distributed. Each cluster is provided with a set of at least one light receiving element 211 and at least one light emitting element 221. The light receiving element 211 and the light emitting element 221 included in each cluster are arranged on the same plane so that their optical axes face the same direction. This configuration enables the base station device 200 to perform optical communication with terminal devices 100 in various directions.

[0088] FIG. 18 is a diagram showing an example of optical communication between a terminal device 100 and a base station device 200 to which a cluster arrangement according to this embodiment is applied.

[0089] Each cluster of the base station device 200 forms a communication range. The communication range of each cluster is indicated by a dashed line. The base station device 200 performs optical communication with the terminal device 100 using a cluster corresponding to the direction of the terminal device 100. Similarly, the terminal device 100 performs optical communication with the base station device 200 using a cluster corresponding to the direction of the base station device 200.

[0090] FIG. 19 is a diagram showing an example of transmission of optical signals of multiple colors from the base station device 200 to which the cluster arrangement according to this embodiment is applied.

[0091] The base station device 200 may be capable of transmitting optical signals of multiple colors in each of its clusters. In the example shown, the base station device 200 transmits optical signals of red, green, and blue (RGB) in one cluster. Similarly, the terminal device 100 may be capable of transmitting optical signals of multiple colors in each of its clusters.

[0092] (2) Second embodiment Next, the second embodiment will be described, focusing mainly on the differences from the first embodiment described above. The configuration of the optical communication device according to the second embodiment is similar to that of the first embodiment described above.

[0093] In the above-described first embodiment, an example has been described in which an appropriate color is assigned to the terminal device 100 based on the distance between the terminal device 100 and the base station device 200. However, depending on the turbidity and / or plankton concentration in the water, red (and yellow) may have better propagation characteristics than blue and green. Therefore, in this embodiment, the color with the highest received light intensity actually measured in the terminal device 100 is assigned to the terminal device 100 as a general rule. In TDD, the reversibility of the propagation path is utilized, and a color with good propagation characteristics in DL can also be considered to have good propagation characteristics in UL.

[0094] However, it is preferable to use for optical communication the color that is optimal within the cell of the base station device 200, taking into consideration interference and / or communication load, rather than the color that is optimal for each terminal device 100. Furthermore, if a large number of terminal devices 100 use a specific color for optical communication, a bias toward that specific color occurs, which is not preferable from the perspective of improving throughput.

[0095] In this embodiment, an operation for appropriately selecting a color to be used in optical communication so as to enhance the effect of improving the throughput of the optical communication system 1 will be described.

[0096] The base station device 200 according to this embodiment transmits pilot optical signals of multiple colors. The terminal device 100 and / or the base station device 200 selects a color to be used for optical communication between the base station device 200 and the terminal device 100 from the multiple colors based on the received optical intensity of the pilot optical signals of each color received by the terminal device 100 from the base station device 200.

[0097] (2.1) Operation for establishing optical communication connection FIG. 20 is a diagram for explaining the operation of establishing an optical communication connection according to this embodiment.

[0098] The terminal device 100 measures the received light intensity of pilot optical signals of each color from the base station device 200, and identifies the color whose received light intensity is equal to or greater than a threshold and whose received light intensity is the lowest. The terminal device 100 then establishes an optical communication connection with the base station device 200 by transmitting an optical signal of the identified color (for example, a connection request optical signal) to the base station device 200. In the illustrated example, the received light intensity of red light is the highest, but the terminal device 100 selects green light, whose received light intensity is equal to or greater than a threshold and whose received light intensity is the lowest, and starts optical communication with the base station device 200.

[0099] This makes it possible to prevent the terminal devices 100 from concentrating on a particular color within a cell, and makes it possible to efficiently use communication resources of each color.

[0100] FIG. 21 is a diagram showing an example of an operation sequence for establishing an optical communication connection according to this embodiment.

[0101] In step S101, the base station device 200 transmits pilot optical signals in all colors and directions that the base station device 200 can support. For example, the base station device 200 transmits pilot optical signals from all of its light-emitting elements 221. The terminal device 100 receives (monitors) the pilot optical signals of each color.

[0102] In step S102, the terminal device 100 measures the received light intensity of the pilot optical signal of each color.

[0103] In step S103, the terminal device 100 selects the color with the smallest received light intensity from among the colors whose received light intensity measured in step S102 is equal to or greater than the threshold. For example, the terminal device 100 selects the light receiving element 111 of the color whose received light intensity is equal to or greater than the threshold and is the smallest.

[0104] Prior to step S103, the terminal device 100 may receive a control optical signal broadcast from the base station device 200, the control optical signal including a threshold common to multiple colors or an individual threshold for each color. The terminal device 100 may compare the received light intensity measured in step S102 with the threshold received from the base station device 200.

[0105] In step S104, the terminal device 100 attempts to access the base station device 200 and establish an optical communication connection with the base station device 200 by transmitting a connection request optical signal to the base station device 200 from the light-emitting element 121 of the selected color that is adjacent to the light-receiving element 111 selected in step S103. For example, the terminal device 100 transmits the connection request optical signal to the base station device 200 from the light-emitting element 121 of the selected color that is adjacent to the light-receiving element 111 selected in step S103.

[0106] In step S105, the terminal device 100 establishes an optical communication connection with the base station device 200. Here, the base station device 200 may establish the optical communication connection by transmitting an acknowledgment optical signal to the terminal device 100 in response to the connection request optical signal in step S104. The terminal device 100 and the base station device 200 use, for optical communication, the color that the terminal device 100 used at the time of access.

[0107] (2.2) Example of color change and / or addition during optical communication During optical communication after an optical communication connection is established, the terminal device 100 and the base station device 200 can change and / or add colors to be used in the optical communication.

[0108] That is, after establishing an optical communication connection between the base station device 200 and the terminal device 100, the terminal device 100 and the base station device 200 change and / or add colors to be used for optical communication between the base station device 200 and the terminal device 100 based on the received optical intensity of the pilot optical signal of each color received by the terminal device 100 from the base station device 200.

[0109] (2.2.1) Example of base station-led operation 22 is a diagram showing an example of operation initiated by a base station device according to this embodiment. In this example of operation, after establishing an optical communication connection between the base station device 200 and the terminal device 100, the terminal device 100 reports the received optical intensity of a pilot optical signal received by the terminal device 100 from the base station device 200 to the base station device 200 periodically or when a predetermined threshold condition is satisfied. The predetermined threshold condition includes a first condition that the received optical intensity of a communication color (a color used for optical communication) is equal to or less than a threshold and / or a second condition that the received optical intensity of a non-communication color (a color not used for optical communication) is equal to or greater than a threshold. The predetermined threshold condition may further include a third condition that the first condition and / or the second condition is satisfied for a certain period of time.

[0110] In the illustrated example, the terminal device 100 establishes an optical communication connection with the base station device 200 in step S201.

[0111] In step S202, the base station device 200 transmits to the terminal device 100 a control optical signal including configuration information for configuring measurements and measurement reports in the terminal device 100. The terminal device 100 receives the control optical signal including the configuration information.

[0112] Here, the base station device 200 may set the reporting interval of the received optical intensity of the pilot optical signal to the terminal device 100 by broadcasting or individually. This allows the terminal device 100 to periodically report the received optical intensity of the pilot optical signal to the base station device 200.

[0113] The base station device 200 may set a threshold for the received optical intensity of the pilot optical signal of the color currently in communication individually to the terminal device 100. This allows the terminal device 100 to report to the base station device 200 when the received optical intensity of the pilot optical signal of the color currently in communication falls below the threshold (i.e., when the first condition is satisfied).

[0114] The base station device 200 may set a threshold for the received optical intensity of the pilot optical signal of the color not in communication individually to the terminal device 100. This allows the terminal device 100 to report to the base station device 200 when the received optical intensity of the pilot optical signal of the color not in communication becomes equal to or greater than the threshold (i.e., when the second condition is satisfied).

[0115] The base station device 200 may broadcast or individually set the number of consecutive measurements of the received optical intensity of the pilot optical signal to the terminal device 100. In this way, when the first condition and / or the second condition are continuously met for the set number of times or for the set period of time, the base station device 200 can have the terminal device 100 report that fact to the base station device 200.

[0116] In step S203, the base station device 200 transmits pilot optical signals in all colors and directions that the base station device 200 can support. For example, the base station device 200 transmits pilot optical signals from all of its light-emitting elements 221. The terminal device 100 receives (monitors) the pilot optical signals of each color.

[0117] In step S204, the terminal device 100 measures the received light intensity of the pilot optical signal of each color. That is, the terminal device 100 periodically determines the received light intensity of the pilot optical signal of each color even after establishing a communication link (optical communication device) with the base station device 200.

[0118] In step S205, the terminal device 100 determines whether or not the reporting condition for the received optical intensity of the pilot optical signal is satisfied. If the reporting condition is not satisfied (step S205: NO), the process returns to step S203.

[0119] On the other hand, if the reporting condition is met (step S205: YES), in step S206, the terminal device 100 transmits a measurement report optical signal including the received light intensity (measurement result) measured in step S204 to the base station device 200. The base station device 200 receives the measurement report optical signal. The measurement report optical signal may include measurement results by color. The measurement report optical signal may include information indicating the type of reporting condition met in step S205.

[0120] In step S207, the base station device 200 determines to change and / or add a color to be used for optical communication with the terminal device 100 based on the measurement report in step S206.

[0121] In step S208, the base station device 200 transmits to the terminal device 100 a control optical signal including information instructing the change and / or addition of the color determined in step S207. The terminal device 100 that has received the control optical signal changes and / or adds the color used in optical communication with the base station device 200 in accordance with the instruction from the base station device 200. Specifically, when instructed to change the color, the terminal device 100 changes from the previous communication color to the new communication color. When instructed to add a color, the terminal device 100 adds another color to the optical communication with the base station device 200 in addition to the previous communication color.

[0122] Here, if a color used for optical communication is added, two or more colors will be used for optical communication between the terminal device 100 and the base station device 200. In this case, the terminal device 100 and the base station device 200 may communicate the same data using each of the two or more colors. This provides redundancy to the data, thereby improving reliability and improving communication quality. Alternatively, the terminal device 100 and the base station device 200 may communicate different data using each of the two or more colors. This can improve communication speed.

[0123] Fig. 23 is a diagram showing an example of operation of UL communication using two colors according to this embodiment. The upper sequence of Fig. 23 shows an example of operation in which the same data is communicated using each of the two colors.

[0124] In step S300, when instructing the base station device 200 to add a color to be used in optical communication with the terminal device 100, the base station device 200 instructs the terminal device 100 to transmit the same information as that being transmitted in the original color in a different color.

[0125] In steps S301 and S302, in response to an instruction from the base station device 200, the terminal device 100 transmits the same data (data A) in each of two colors (color A and color B) to the base station device 200.

[0126] In step S303, the base station device 200 combines the data received in steps S301 and S302 for each color.

[0127] The lower sequence of FIG. 23 shows an example of an operation in which different data is communicated for each of the two colors.

[0128] In step S310, when instructing the base station device 200 to add a color to be used in optical communication with the terminal device 100, the base station device 200 instructs the terminal device 100 to transmit, in a different color, information different from the information being transmitted in the original color.

[0129] In steps S311 and S312, the terminal device 100 transmits different data (data A and data B) for each of the two colors (color A and color B) to the base station device 200 in response to an instruction from the base station device 200.

[0130] In step S313, the base station device 200 combines the data received for each color in steps S311 and S312.

[0131] Fig. 24 is a diagram showing an example of operation of DL communication using two colors. The sequence on the top side of Fig. 24 shows an example of operation in which the same data is communicated in each of the two colors.

[0132] In step S330, when instructing the addition of a color to be used in optical communication with the terminal device 100, the base station device 200 notifies that the same information as that being sent in the original color will be transmitted in a different color.

[0133] In steps S331 and S332, the base station device 200 transmits the same data (data A) to the terminal device 100 in each of the two colors (color A and color B).

[0134] In step S333, the terminal device 100 combines the data received in steps S331 and S332 in the respective colors.

[0135] The lower sequence in FIG. 24 shows an example of an operation in which different data is communicated for each of the two colors.

[0136] In step S340, when instructing the addition of a color to be used in optical communication with the terminal device 100, the base station device 200 notifies that information different from the information being sent in the original color will be transmitted in a different color.

[0137] In steps S341 and S342, the base station device 200 transmits different data (data A and data B) for each of the two colors (color A and color B) to the terminal device 100.

[0138] In step S343, the terminal device 100 combines the data received in steps S341 and S342 in the respective colors.

[0139] (2.2.2) Example of terminal-driven operation The above-described example of operation led by the base station device may be changed to an example of operation led by the terminal device. For example, the base station device 200 can change and / or add a color at the initiative of the terminal device by giving the terminal device 100 permission to change and / or add a color used in optical communication in advance, along with the conditions for doing so. In this example of operation, the terminal device 100 changes and / or adds a color used in optical communication with the base station device 200 when the received light intensity of the pilot optical signal satisfies the color change condition and / or the color addition condition.

[0140] FIG. 25 is a diagram showing an example of a terminal device-led operation according to this embodiment.

[0141] In the illustrated example, the terminal device 100 establishes an optical communication connection with the base station device 200 in step S401.

[0142] In step S402, the base station device 200 transmits a control optical signal including information on permission and conditions for changing and / or adding the color used in optical communication to the terminal device 100. The terminal device 100 receives the control optical signal including the information.

[0143] For example, the base station device 200 may set a threshold for the received light intensity of the pilot optical signal of the color currently being communicated to the terminal device 100. Here, the base station device 200 may permit the terminal device 100 to change and / or add a color to be used for optical communication with the base station device 200 when the received light intensity of the pilot optical signal of the communication color falls below the threshold.

[0144] The base station device 200 may set a threshold for the received light intensity of the pilot optical signal of the non-communication color individually for the terminal device 100. Here, the base station device 200 may permit the terminal device 100 to change and / or add a color to be used for optical communication with the base station device 200 when the received light intensity of the pilot optical signal of the non-communication color becomes equal to or greater than the threshold.

[0145] The base station device 200 may broadcast or individually set the number of consecutive measurements or duration of the received optical intensity of the pilot optical signal to the terminal device 100. Here, the base station device 200 may permit the terminal device 100 to change and / or add a color to be used for optical communication with the base station device 200 when the condition is met for the number of consecutive measurements / duration.

[0146] In step S403, the base station device 200 transmits pilot optical signals in all colors and directions that the base station device 200 can support. For example, the base station device 200 transmits pilot optical signals from all of its light-emitting elements 221. The terminal device 100 receives (monitors) the pilot optical signals of each color.

[0147] In step S404, the terminal device 100 measures the received light intensity of the pilot optical signal of each color. That is, the terminal device 100 periodically determines the received light intensity of the pilot optical signal of each color even after establishing a communication link (optical communication device) with the base station device 200.

[0148] In step S405, the terminal device 100 determines whether the conditions for changing and / or adding a color are satisfied. If the conditions are not satisfied (step S405: NO), the process returns to step S403.

[0149] On the other hand, if the condition is met (step S405: YES), the terminal device 100 determines to change and / or add a color to be used for optical communication with the base station device 200 in step S406.

[0150] In step S407, the terminal device 100 transmits a notification signal notifying the base station device 200 of the decision made in step S406. As a result, the terminal device 100 and the base station device 200 change and / or add a color to be used for optical communication. If a color to be used for optical communication is added, two or more colors will be used for optical communication between the terminal device 100 and the base station device 200. The operation in this case is similar to that in FIGS. 23 and 24.

[0151] Here, when a color to be used for optical communication is added, the terminal device 100 may notify the base station device 200 that it will transmit, in a different color, the same information as the information transmitted in the original color (step S407). Alternatively, when a color to be used for optical communication is added, the terminal device 100 may notify the base station device 200 that it will transmit, in a different color, information different from the information transmitted in the original color (step S407). Alternatively, when a color to be used for optical communication is added, the terminal device 100 may request the base station device 200 to transmit, in a different color, the same information as the information transmitted in the original color (step S407). When a color to be used for communication is added, the terminal device 100 may request the base station device 200 to transmit, in a different color, information different from the information transmitted in the original color (step S407).

[0152] (2.3) Example of load balancing for each color FIG. 26 is a diagram for explaining this operation example. In this operation example, the color used for optical communication is changed taking into consideration the communication resource usage status for each color. As a result, when a large number of terminal devices 100 use a particular color for optical communication, a bias toward that particular color occurs, and the communication resources for that particular color become constrained (i.e., when the load on that particular color increases), the load can be distributed to other colors. In the illustrated example, since the communication resource usage for red light is high, the communication color of the terminal devices 100 that use red light is changed to blue, thereby showing an example of reducing the communication resource usage for red light.

[0153] In this operation example, the base station device 200 changes the color used for optical communication between the base station device 200 and the terminal device 100 based on the received light intensity of the pilot optical signal measured by the terminal device 100 and the communication resource usage status of each color. For example, when establishing a communication link (optical communication connection) with the terminal device 100, the base station device 200 instructs the terminal device 100 to feed back the received light intensity of the pilot optical signal of a color other than the communication color (non-communication color). The terminal device 100 may perform feedback to the base station device 200 when the received light intensity of the pilot optical signal of the non-communication color is equal to or greater than a threshold. The terminal device 100 may perform feedback at regular intervals. The base station device 200 changes the color used for optical communication with the terminal device 100 based on the communication resource usage status of each color and the received light intensity of the fed-back pilot optical signal.

[0154] Alternatively, instead of such a base station device-driven method, a terminal device-driven method may be used. For example, the base station device 200 broadcasts load information for each color (communication resource usage status for each color). The terminal device 100 changes the color used for optical communication based on the received light intensity of the pilot optical signal and the load information broadcast from the base station device 200.

[0155] As a specific example of changing the communication color taking into consideration the communication resource usage status for each color, when the resource usage status of a certain color (color A) indicates that the resources are constrained, the base station device 200 or the terminal device 100 may perform communication using another color (color B) if the resources of that color are not constrained and the received optical intensity of the pilot optical signal is equal to or greater than a threshold. The terminal device 100 may add an offset to the threshold used for color selection according to the resource usage status and determine the color to connect to.

[0156] (3) Other embodiments In the above embodiment, an example has been described in which the same colors are used for UL and DL optical communications in a TDD system, thereby utilizing the reciprocity of the UL and DL propagation paths. However, a frequency division duplex (FDD) system may be used instead of the TDD system. In this case, a pair of colors with similar propagation characteristics (e.g., a pair of blue and light blue, or a pair of green and yellow-green) may be used as the UL and DL pair. Specifically, the optical communication device (terminal device 100, base station device 200) performs UL communication and DL communication by frequency division using a pair of colors with consecutive wavelengths. By using such a pair of colors, the reciprocity of the UL and DL propagation paths can be utilized even in the FDD system.

[0157] In the above-described embodiment, the optical communication device (terminal device 100, base station device 200) may have a sensor that measures underwater communication environment parameters (turbidity and / or plankton concentration, etc.). The optical communication device may select a communication color based on the measurement value obtained by the sensor. For example, the optical communication device may select red or yellow when the turbidity and / or plankton concentration in the water is higher than a threshold value.

[0158] In the above embodiment, an example has been described in which the base station device 200 is installed on the water surface. However, the base station device 200 may be installed on the bottom of the water. In this case, the terminal device 100 moving underwater may perform visible light communication with the base station device 200 located below it. Alternatively, the base station device 200 may be installed on a wall surface underwater. The terminal device 100 may perform visible light communication with the base station device 200 while moving vertically underwater.

[0159] In the above-described embodiment, an example has been described in which the transparent housing 150 of the terminal device 100 and the transparent housing 250 of the base station device 200 are configured in a hemispherical shape. However, the terminal device 100 and / or the base station device 200 may be configured in an overall spherical shape (or a mirror ball shape from another perspective) as shown in FIG. 27 . For example, the terminal device 100 and / or the base station device 200 may form a polyhedron, each face of the polyhedron may form a light-emitting and receiving unit (a cluster from another perspective), and a set of light-emitting elements and light-receiving elements may be arranged on each face. Alternatively, the terminal device 100 and / or the base station device 200 may be configured in an overall rod shape as shown in FIG. 28 . For example, the terminal device 100 and / or the base station device 200 may form a prism, each side of the prism may form a light-emitting and receiving unit (cluster), and a set of light-emitting elements and light-receiving elements may be arranged on each side.

[0160] In order to form a wide underwater communication area regardless of the position and / or orientation of the terminal device 100, multiple base station devices 200 may be arranged three-dimensionally underwater, as shown in FIG. 29. Each of the base station devices 200a and 200b is located near the water surface and is fixed to a buoy, for example. Each of the base station devices 200a and 200b has a hemispherical housing, and multiple light receiving and emitting units are arranged in an array on the surface of the hemispherical housing. Each of the base station devices 200a and 200b is communicatively connected to the network 10 via a backhaul line. A base station device 200c is suspended from the base station device 200a via a rope and / or cable (hereinafter referred to as "cable, etc."). A base station device 200e is suspended from the base station device 200c via a cable, etc. Similarly, a base station device 200d is suspended from the base station device 200b adjacent to the base station device 200a via a cable, etc. Base station device 200f is suspended from base station device 200d via a cable, etc. Each of base station devices 200c, 200d, 200e, and 200f has a spherical housing, and a plurality of light receiving and emitting units are arranged in an array on the surface of the spherical housing.

[0161] A program may be provided that causes a computer to execute each process performed by the optical communication device (terminal device 100 or base station device 200). The program may be recorded on a computer-readable medium. Using the computer-readable medium, the program can be installed on a computer. Here, the computer-readable medium on which the program is recorded may be a non-transitory recording medium. The non-transitory recording medium is not particularly limited, and may be, for example, a recording medium such as a CD-ROM or a DVD-ROM. Furthermore, circuits that execute each process performed by the terminal device 100 or the base station device 200 may be integrated, and at least a part of the terminal device 100 or the base station device 200 may be configured as a semiconductor integrated circuit (chip set, SoC).

[0162] As used in this disclosure, the terms "based on" and "depending on / in response to" do not mean "based only on" or "depending only on," unless expressly stated otherwise. The term "based on" means both "based only on" and "based at least in part on." Similarly, the term "depending on" means both "depending only on" and "depending at least in part on." The terms "include," "comprise," and variations thereof do not mean including only the listed items, but may mean including only the listed items or including additional items in addition to the listed items. Additionally, the term "or," as used in this disclosure, is not intended to mean an exclusive or. Furthermore, any reference to elements using designations such as "first," "second," etc., as used in this disclosure does not generally limit the quantity or order of those elements. These designations may be used in this disclosure as a convenient method of distinguishing between two or more elements. Thus, a reference to a first and a second element does not imply that only two elements may be employed therein or that the first element must precede the second element in some way. In this disclosure, where articles are added by translation, such as a, an, and the in English, these articles shall include the plural unless the context clearly indicates otherwise.

[0163] The above describes the embodiments in detail with reference to the drawings, but the specific configuration is not limited to that described above, and various design changes can be made within the scope that does not deviate from the gist of the invention.

[0164] This application claims priority from Japanese Patent Application No. 2022-152931 (filed September 26, 2022), the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.

[0165] (4) Supplementary notes Additional notes will be given regarding the features of the above-described embodiment.

[0166] (Appendix 1) An optical communication device that performs optical communication, which is wireless communication using light, an optical communication unit having a plurality of light receiving elements and a plurality of light emitting elements and capable of optical communication of a plurality of colors; a control unit that controls the optical communication unit so that reception of an optical signal from another optical communication device and transmission of an optical signal to the other optical communication device are performed using at least one of a pair of the same color and colors having consecutive wavelengths selected from the plurality of colors. Optical communication equipment.

[0167] (Appendix 2) The control unit controls the optical communication unit so that the reception and the transmission using the same color are performed in a time division duplex manner. 2. The optical communication device of claim 1.

[0168] (Appendix 3) When the optical communication device performs the optical communication underwater, the control unit controlling the optical communication unit to transmit and receive an optical signal of a first color when a distance between the optical communication device and the other optical communication device is a first distance; When the distance is a second distance that is greater than the first distance, the optical communication unit is controlled to transmit and receive an optical signal of a second color that has a smaller attenuation rate in water than the first color. 3. The optical communication device of claim 2.

[0169] (Appendix 4) The control unit controls the optical communication unit to perform the reception and the transmission using the color pair by frequency division duplexing. 2. The optical communication device of claim 1.

[0170] (Appendix 5) The control unit controls the optical communication unit so that a light emitting element adjacent to a light receiving element that receives an optical signal from the other optical communication device transmits an optical signal to the other optical communication device. 2. The optical communication device of claim 1.

[0171] (Appendix 6) The control unit estimating a propagation path state between the optical communication device and the other optical communication device based on an optical signal received by the light receiving element from the other optical communication device; Controlling transmission of an optical signal from the light emitting element to the other optical communication device based on the estimated propagation path state. 6. The optical communication device of claim 5.

[0172] (Appendix 7) The plurality of light receiving elements and the plurality of light emitting elements are arranged in a two-dimensional array along the curved surface of the optical communication device. 7. An optical communication device according to any one of claims 1 to 6.

[0173] (Appendix 8) One or more light receiving elements and one or more light emitting elements are alternately arranged in each of the vertical and horizontal directions of the two-dimensional array. 8. The optical communication device of claim 7.

[0174] (Appendix 9) The control unit controls the optical communication unit so that a light emitting element surrounded by a plurality of light receiving elements that receive an optical signal from the other optical communication device at a predetermined light receiving intensity or more transmits an optical signal to the other optical communication device. 9. The optical communication device of claim 8.

[0175] (Appendix 10) the plurality of light receiving elements and the plurality of light emitting elements form a plurality of clusters arranged on a curved surface of the optical communication device, In each of the plurality of clusters, two or more light receiving elements are arranged in proximity to one or more light emitting elements so that the two or more light receiving elements surround the one or more light emitting elements. 7. An optical communication device according to any one of claims 1 to 6.

[0176] (Appendix 11) The control unit estimating a propagation path state between the optical communication device and the other optical communication device based on an optical signal received by a light receiving element in one cluster from the other optical communication device; Controlling transmission of an optical signal from a light-emitting element in one cluster to another optical communication device based on the estimated propagation path state. 11. The optical communication device of claim 10.

[0177] (Appendix 12) In each of the plurality of clusters, the two or more light receiving elements and the one or more light emitting elements are arranged on the same plane so that the optical axes of the two or more light receiving elements and the one or more light emitting elements are oriented in the same direction. 11. The optical communication device of claim 10.

[0178] (Appendix 13) In the plurality of light receiving elements and the plurality of light emitting elements, the light receiving elements and the light emitting elements constituting the pair are arranged adjacent to each other without providing a light blocking member between the pair of the light receiving elements and the light emitting elements adjacent to each other. 2. The optical communication device of claim 1.

[0179] (Appendix 14) the optical communication device is one of a terminal device and a base station device, and the other optical communication device is the other of the terminal device and the base station device, the base station device transmits pilot optical signals of a plurality of colors; The control unit selects a color to be used for optical communication between the base station device and the terminal device from the plurality of colors based on the received light intensity of a pilot optical signal of each color received by the terminal device from the base station device. 7. An optical communication device according to any one of claims 1 to 6.

[0180] (Appendix 15) the optical communication device is the terminal device, and the other optical communication device is the base station device, The control unit Identifying a color for which the received light intensity is equal to or greater than the threshold value and the received light intensity is the lowest; An optical communication connection is established by transmitting an optical signal of the specified color to the base station device. 15. The optical communication device of claim 14.

[0181] (Appendix 16) the optical communication unit receives a control optical signal broadcast from the base station device, the control optical signal including the threshold common to the plurality of colors or the threshold individual to each color; The control unit compares the received light intensity with the threshold value received from the base station device. 16. The optical communication device of claim 15.

[0182] (Appendix 17) After establishing an optical communication connection between the base station device and the terminal device, the control unit changes and / or adds a color to be used in the optical communication between the base station device and the terminal device based on the received light intensity of a pilot optical signal of each color received by the terminal device from the base station device. 15. The optical communication device of claim 14.

[0183] (Appendix 18) The control unit changes the color used for optical communication between the base station device and the terminal device based on the received light intensity and the communication resource usage status of each color. 18. The optical communication device of claim 17.

[0184] (Appendix 19) the optical communication device is the terminal device, and the other optical communication device is the base station device, After establishing an optical communication connection between the base station device and the terminal device, the control unit controls the optical communication unit to report to the base station device the received optical intensity of a pilot optical signal received by the terminal device from the base station device periodically or when a predetermined threshold condition is satisfied. 15. The optical communication device of claim 14.

[0185] (Appendix 20) When two or more colors are simultaneously used for optical communication between the base station device and the terminal device, the control unit controls the optical communication unit so that the same data is communicated in each of the two or more colors. 15. The optical communication device of claim 14.

[0186] (Appendix 21) When two or more colors are simultaneously used for optical communication between the base station device and the terminal device, the control unit controls the optical communication unit so that different data is communicated in each of the two or more colors. 15. The optical communication device of claim 14.

[0187] (Appendix 22) An optical communication method for performing optical communication, which is wireless communication using light, a step of controlling an optical communication unit that has a plurality of light receiving elements and a plurality of light emitting elements and that is compatible with the optical communication of a plurality of colors; The controlling step includes: and controlling the optical communication unit so that the reception of an optical signal from another optical communication device and the transmission of an optical signal to the other optical communication device are performed using at least one of a pair of the same color and colors having consecutive wavelengths selected from the plurality of colors. Optical communication method.

[0188] (Appendix 23) An optical communication device that performs optical communication, which is wireless communication using light, Executing a step of controlling an optical communication unit that has a plurality of light receiving elements and a plurality of light emitting elements and is compatible with the optical communication of a plurality of colors; The controlling step includes: and controlling the optical communication unit so that the reception of an optical signal from another optical communication device and the transmission of an optical signal to the other optical communication device are performed using at least one of a pair of the same color and colors having consecutive wavelengths selected from the plurality of colors. program. [Explanation of symbols]

[0189] 1: Optical communication system 10: Network 100: Terminal device 101: Optical Communications Department 111: Light receiving element 112: Receiver 121: Light-emitting element 122: Transmitter 130: Control unit 131: Processor 132: Memory 140: Movement mechanism 150: Transparent housing 160: Main body 200:Base station equipment 201: Optical Communications Department 211: Photodetector 212: Receiver 221: Light-emitting element 222: Transmitter 230: Control unit 231: Processor 232: Memory 240: Backhaul communication unit 241: Network Communications Department 242: Base station communication unit 250: Transparent housing 260: Main body 1121: Bandpass filter

Claims

1. An optical communication device that performs optical communication, which is wireless communication using light, an optical communication unit having a plurality of light receiving elements and a plurality of light emitting elements and capable of optical communication of a plurality of colors; a control unit that controls the optical communication unit so that reception of an optical signal from another optical communication device and transmission of an optical signal to the other optical communication device are performed using the same color selected from the plurality of colors, the plurality of light receiving elements and the plurality of light emitting elements form a plurality of clusters arranged on a curved surface of the optical communication device, In each of the plurality of clusters, two or more light receiving elements are arranged in proximity to one or more light emitting elements so that the two or more light receiving elements surround the one or more light emitting elements. Optical communication equipment.

2. The control unit controls the optical communication unit to perform the reception and the transmission using the same color in a time division duplex manner.

2. The optical communication device according to claim 1.

3. When the optical communication device performs the optical communication underwater, the control unit controlling the optical communication unit to transmit and receive an optical signal of a first color when a distance between the optical communication device and the other optical communication device is a first distance; When the distance is a second distance that is greater than the first distance, the optical communication unit is controlled to transmit and receive an optical signal of a second color that has a smaller attenuation rate in water than the first color.

3. The optical communication device according to claim 2.

4. The control unit controls the optical communication unit so that a light emitting element adjacent to a light receiving element that receives an optical signal from the other optical communication device transmits an optical signal to the other optical communication device.

2. The optical communication device according to claim 1.

5. The control unit estimating a propagation path state between the optical communication device and the other optical communication device based on an optical signal received by the light receiving element from the other optical communication device; Controlling transmission of an optical signal from the light emitting element to the other optical communication device based on the estimated propagation path state.

5. The optical communication device according to claim 4.

6. The plurality of light receiving elements and the plurality of light emitting elements are arranged in a two-dimensional array along the curved surface of the optical communication device.

6. An optical communication device according to claim 1.

7. One or more light receiving elements and one or more light emitting elements are alternately arranged in each of the vertical and horizontal directions of the two-dimensional array.

7. The optical communication device according to claim 6.

8. The control unit controls the optical communication unit so that a light emitting element surrounded by a plurality of light receiving elements that receive an optical signal from the other optical communication device at a predetermined light receiving intensity or more transmits an optical signal to the other optical communication device.

8. The optical communication device according to claim 7.

9. The control unit estimating a propagation path state between the optical communication device and the other optical communication device based on an optical signal received by a light receiving element in one cluster from the other optical communication device; Controlling transmission of an optical signal from a light-emitting element in one cluster to another optical communication device based on the estimated propagation path state.

2. The optical communication device according to claim 1.

10. In each of the plurality of clusters, the two or more light receiving elements and the one or more light emitting elements are arranged on the same plane so that the optical axes of the two or more light receiving elements and the one or more light emitting elements are oriented in the same direction.

2. The optical communication device according to claim 1.

11. In the plurality of light receiving elements and the plurality of light emitting elements, the light receiving elements and the light emitting elements constituting the pair are arranged adjacent to each other without providing a light blocking member between the pair of the light receiving elements and the light emitting elements adjacent to each other.

2. The optical communication device according to claim 1.

12. An optical communication device for performing optical communication, which is wireless communication using light, an optical communication unit having a plurality of light receiving elements and a plurality of light emitting elements and capable of optical communication of a plurality of colors; a control unit that controls the optical communication unit so that reception of an optical signal from another optical communication device and transmission of an optical signal to the other optical communication device are performed using the same color selected from the plurality of colors, the optical communication device is one of a terminal device and a base station device, and the other optical communication device is the other of the terminal device and the base station device, the base station device transmits pilot optical signals of a plurality of colors; The control unit selects a color to be used for optical communication between the base station device and the terminal device from the plurality of colors based on the received light intensity of a pilot optical signal of each color received by the terminal device from the base station device. Optical communication equipment.

13. the optical communication device is the terminal device, and the other optical communication device is the base station device, The control unit Identifying a color for which the received light intensity is equal to or greater than a threshold value and the received light intensity is the lowest; An optical communication connection is established by transmitting an optical signal of the specified color to the base station device.

13. The optical communication device according to claim 12.

14. the optical communication unit receives a control optical signal broadcast from the base station device, the control optical signal including the threshold common to the plurality of colors or the threshold individual to each color; The control unit compares the received light intensity with the threshold value received from the base station device.

14. The optical communication device according to claim 13.

15. After establishing an optical communication connection between the base station device and the terminal device, the control unit changes and / or adds a color to be used in the optical communication between the base station device and the terminal device based on the received light intensity of a pilot optical signal of each color received by the terminal device from the base station device.

13. The optical communication device according to claim 12.

16. The control unit changes the color used for optical communication between the base station device and the terminal device based on the received light intensity and the communication resource usage status of each color.

16. The optical communication device according to claim 15.

17. the optical communication device is the terminal device, and the other optical communication device is the base station device, After establishing an optical communication connection between the base station device and the terminal device, the control unit controls the optical communication unit to report to the base station device the received optical intensity of a pilot optical signal received by the terminal device from the base station device periodically or when a predetermined threshold condition is satisfied.

13. The optical communication device according to claim 12.

18. When two or more colors are simultaneously used for optical communication between the base station device and the terminal device, the control unit controls the optical communication unit so that the same data is communicated in each of the two or more colors.

13. The optical communication device according to claim 12.

19. When two or more colors are simultaneously used for optical communication between the base station device and the terminal device, the control unit controls the optical communication unit so that different data is communicated in each of the two or more colors.

13. The optical communication device according to claim 12.

20. An optical communication method for performing optical communication, which is wireless communication using light, by an optical communication device, comprising: a step of controlling an optical communication unit that has a plurality of light receiving elements and a plurality of light emitting elements and that is compatible with the optical communication of a plurality of colors; The controlling step includes: controlling the optical communication unit so that reception of an optical signal from another optical communication device and transmission of an optical signal to the other optical communication device are performed using the same color selected from the plurality of colors; the plurality of light receiving elements and the plurality of light emitting elements form a plurality of clusters arranged on a curved surface of the optical communication device, In each of the plurality of clusters, two or more light receiving elements are arranged in proximity to one or more light emitting elements so that the two or more light receiving elements surround the one or more light emitting elements. Optical communication method.

21. An optical communication method for performing optical communication, which is wireless communication using light, by an optical communication device, comprising: a step of controlling an optical communication unit that has a plurality of light receiving elements and a plurality of light emitting elements and that is compatible with the optical communication of a plurality of colors; The controlling step includes: controlling the optical communication unit so that reception of an optical signal from another optical communication device and transmission of an optical signal to the other optical communication device are performed using the same color selected from the plurality of colors; the optical communication device is one of a terminal device and a base station device, and the other optical communication device is the other of the terminal device and the base station device, the base station device transmits pilot optical signals of a plurality of colors; In the step of controlling the optical communication unit, a color to be used for optical communication between the base station device and the terminal device is selected from the plurality of colors based on the received light intensity of a pilot optical signal of each color received by the terminal device from the base station device. Optical communication method.

22. An optical communication device that performs optical communication, which is wireless communication using light, Executing a step of controlling an optical communication unit that has a plurality of light receiving elements and a plurality of light emitting elements and is compatible with the optical communication of a plurality of colors; The controlling step includes: controlling the optical communication unit so that reception of an optical signal from another optical communication device and transmission of an optical signal to the other optical communication device are performed using the same color selected from the plurality of colors; the plurality of light receiving elements and the plurality of light emitting elements form a plurality of clusters arranged on a curved surface of the optical communication device, In each of the plurality of clusters, two or more light receiving elements are arranged in proximity to one or more light emitting elements so that the two or more light receiving elements surround the one or more light emitting elements. program.

23. An optical communication device for performing optical communication, which is wireless communication using light, comprising: Executing a step of controlling an optical communication unit that has a plurality of light receiving elements and a plurality of light emitting elements and is compatible with the optical communication of a plurality of colors; The controlling step includes: controlling the optical communication unit so that reception of an optical signal from another optical communication device and transmission of an optical signal to the other optical communication device are performed using the same color selected from the plurality of colors; the optical communication device is one of a terminal device and a base station device, and the other optical communication device is the other of the terminal device and the base station device, the base station device transmits pilot optical signals of a plurality of colors; In the step of controlling the optical communication unit, a color to be used for optical communication between the base station device and the terminal device is selected from the plurality of colors based on the received light intensity of a pilot optical signal of each color received by the terminal device from the base station device. program.

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