Survey of Visible Light Communication Research in Japan

Abstract

Visible light communication (VLC) evolved from early Japanese studies showing that white LEDs can provide both illumination and data transmission, and has grown into a broader “VLC family” spanning optical wireless communication (OWC), optical camera/image sensor communication (OCC/ISC), display/screen-camera communication (DCC/SCC), and underwater OWC (UOWC). In parallel, LiFi reframed VLC from point-to-point links to networked optical wireless systems. This paper reviews research trends in Japan across these domains. We first adopt a transmitter-centric perspective, from camera-compatible, high-speed architectures to multi-functional co-designs and dynamic, machine-learning-integrated emitters. We then take a reception-centric view of OCC/ISC— including rolling-shutter camera reception and DCC/SCC—followed by an overview of UOWC as an emerging application domain.