Wide field-of-view single-sourced full-duplex underwater wireless optical communication system using a digital micromirror device projector and camera

Full-duplex underwater wireless optical communication (UWOC) is an essential technology for future autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) applications, especially for bi-directional communication between AUVs and base stations. It is crucial for reducing redundancy and integration difficulty in AUVs. In this Letter, we demonstrate a full-duplex UWOC system using only one laser source, with optical camera communication (OCC) employed for the uplink and an IM/DD system for downlink high-speed transmission. A digital micromirror device (DMD), consisting of 1920 × 1080 pixels and supporting a high switching frequency over 10 kHz, serves as the projector. We experimentally achieve an uplink data rate of 17.4 kbps over a 1-m water tank. The DMD's high-speed switching and excellent programmability significantly benefit flexible and efficient data transmission through patterns. In addition, a CMOS camera is used as the uplink receiver, providing a 30° field of view (FOV) that enhances system robustness in underwater environments. High-speed avalanche photodetector (APD) is used for downlink receiver, and 1.85 Gbps downlink data rate was achieved without any equalization methods. The proposed system features a low-cost, compact structure, showing great potential for underwater applications.