If you use a pulsating LED with a suitable BANDPASS filter it might work. Sunlight would give DC or a very low frequency out of the detector, that is why a low pass filter is no good. A high pass might be better. The sunlight might be driving the detector diode into saturation, i.e. if it gets more light it will not give any more output. If you suspect this is happening try operating another detector with a filter on it, it will not give so much output, but you might get some of your pulsating frequency through it. If you choose a colour, say blue and use a blue filter and a LED which gives a lot of blue light and a detector with a blue filter and high output in the blue spectrum, it could help.
Frank