Fuji Television: World's First Visible Light Communications by LCD Display Backlight

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Nov 22, 2007 20:58 Toshiyuki Oomori, Nikkei Electronics

Fuji Television Network Inc demonstrated the world's first visible light communications using an LCD display backlight at Inter BEE 2007, which is taking place from Nov 20-22, 2007.

In the demonstration, the company used a display unit equipped with a LED backlight. While the regular image content is being displayed on the LCD screen, the LEDs in the backlight are turned on/off at a high speed to transmit text data. Then, the data is received by a PDA device equipped with a light-receiving adapter so that the text is displayed on the PDA.

The communication system was developed by NEC Corp. The communications in the demo were carried out based on the standard for the "visible light tag" specified by Visible Light Communications Consortium. The frequency of blinking is 28.8kHz and the data transmission rate is 4.8kbps.

One of the main features of this communication system is that it can selectively deliver specific information to those who need it. For example, the system allows the transmission of information to hearing- or sight-impaired people.

The problem is that a display unit with a built-in LED backlight is still expensive. According to the company, the technology was developed with the expectation that display light sources using LEDs will be pervasive in the future.

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