Optical data receiver employing a solar cell resonant circuit and method for remote optical data communication

A method for receiving a signal having a given carrier frequency, comprising the steps of:

• providing a solar cell receiver having a selected capacitance and an inductive device having a selected inductance and coupled to said solar cell receiver, said solar cell receiver and said inductive device cooperating to form a resonant circuit having a selected resonant frequency associated therewith and being a function of said selected capacitance and said selected inductance;
• providing a filter capable of passing said carrier frequency and attenuating ambient light, said ambient light including sunlight;
• disposing said filter in an overlying relationship to said solar cell receiver, such that said filter is intermediate said ambient light and said solar cell receiver;
• and
• receiving said signal at said given carrier frequency into said resonant circuit, said resonant circuit resonating in response to a change in said signal to thereby allow said solar cell receiver to receive data carried by said signal.

A remote controllable fluid control system, comprising:

• a remote control transmitter circuit for transmitting a signal having a given carrier frequency and data carried thereby;
• a receiver circuit for receiving said signal from said remote control transmitter circuit and including:
• a solar cell receiver having a selected capacitance, and
• an inductive device having a selected inductance and coupled to said solar cell receiver in electrical parallel, said solar cell receiver and said inductive device cooperating to form a parallel resonant circuit having a selected resonant frequency associated therewith and being a function of said selected capacitance and said selected inductance, said parallel resonant circuit resonating in response to a change in said signal to thereby allow said solar cell receiver to receive said data carried by said signal;
• an optical filter interposed between said transmitter circuit and said receiver circuit for attenuating ambient light, said ambient light including sunlight, such that said signal is received by said receiver circuit, but substantially all of said ambient light is attenuated;
• a decoder circuit coupled to said receiver circuit for decoding said signal as received by said receiver circuit and producing, in response thereto, a command signal representing a control command for said fluid control system;
• and
• fluid control circuitry coupled to said amplifier circuit and adapted to receive and respond to said command signal by controlling a fluid control mechanism.