Freeform optics for optical wireless communications

An optical wireless communication (OWC) receiver for receiving light encoded with one or more data signals from one or more light sources of one or more OWC transmitters and for generating one or more electrical signals which are representative of the received light, wherein the OWC receiver comprises:

• a photodetector configured to generate the one or more electrical signals comprising one or more light sensitive regions, wherein each light sensitive region is configured to generate a corresponding electrical signal in response to the incidence of light on the light sensitive region;
• and
• a freeform optical component comprising a plurality of lenslets, each lenslet comprising a corresponding lenslet optical surface,
• wherein at least one of the lenslet optical surfaces is translationally and cylindrically asymmetric,
• wherein the freeform optical component comprises a three-dimensional freeform optical surface which includes the lenslet optical surfaces, and
• wherein the freeform optical component and the photodetector are configured so that the freeform optical component directs at least a portion of the light that is incident on the freeform optical component from the light source onto the photodetector.