Abstract

In this paper, we analyze and compare the use and benefits of several combining schemes to create diversity at the optical receiver in a multi-cell indoor Visible Light Communication (VLC) system. Furthermore, its implementation in a pyramidal Angle Diversity Receiver (ADR) to mitigate Inter-Cell Interference (ICI) in the system is analyzed. Thus, four combining schemes in the receiver side are studied and implemented: Select Best Combining (SBC), Equal Gain Combining (EGC), Generalized Selection Combining (GSC), and Maximum Ratio Combining (MRC). These techniques, in conjunction with the presented ADR, configure an optical receiver that enhances the performance of the VLC system by selecting or combining the received optical signals. The results indicate that the ADR implemented with the MRC scheme outperforms the SBC, EGC and GSC schemes in terms of Signal-to-Interference-to-Noise Ratio and User Data Rate. This is because MRC assigns weights to both the interference and the received signals, thus improving the quality of the combined signal in the ADR in the presence of ICI.