Controlling communications between visible light communication access points and user equipments

A coordination node for controlling communications between Visible Light Communication (“VLC”) Access Points (“APs”) and a plurality of user equipments (“UEs”), the coordination node comprising:

• a network interface;
• a processor coupled to the network interface;
• and
• a memory coupled to the processor and storing program code that when executed by the processor causes the processor to perform operations comprising:
• identifying occurrence of an event relating to operation of a first VLC AP;
• responsive to identifying the occurrence of the event, determining that a second VLC AP has a communication coverage area that is at least partially within a communication coverage area of the first VLC AP;
• and
• responsive to determining that the second VLC AP has a communication coverage area that is at least partially within a communication coverage area of the first VLC AP, controlling the second VLC AP to perform an operation to avoid the second VLC AP from interfering with communications between the first VLC AP and any UEs within a common communication coverage area of the second VLC AP and the first VLC AP, the operation comprising:
• controlling the second VLC AP to prevent use of at least one light frequency band by the second VLC AP.

A non-transitory computer-readable medium having instructions stored therein that are executable by a coordination node to perform operations for controlling communications between Visible Light Communication (“VLC”) Access Points (“APs”) and user equipments (“UEs”), the operations comprising:

• identifying occurrence of an event relating to operation of a first VLC AP;
• responsive to identifying the occurrence of the event, determining that a second VLC AP and a third VLC AP each have communication coverage areas that are at least partially within a communication coverage area of the first VLC AP;
• and
• responsive to identifying the occurrence of the event, controlling the second VLC AP to avoid it interfering with communications between the first VLC AP and a UE while it is within a common communication coverage area of the first VLC AP and the second VLC AP;
• and
• responsive to identifying the occurrence of the event, controlling the third VLC AP to avoid it interfering with communications between the first VLC AP and the UE while it is within a common communication coverage area of the first VLC AP and the second VLC AP.