Information communication method

• US 10,368,005 B2
• Filed: 01/31/2019
• Issued: 07/30/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 12/27/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Panasonic Intellectual Property Corporation of America (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Panasonic Intellectual Property Corporation of America (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Oshima, Mitsuaki, Nakanishi, Koji, Aoyama, Hideki, Fuchigami, Ikuo, Shin, Hidehiko, Mukai, Tsutomu, Matsushita, Yosuke, Iida, Shigehiro, Yamada, Kazunori
• Primary Examiner(s): Dobson, Daniel G
• Application Number:
  US16/263,240
• Publication Number:
  US 20190166295A1
• Time in Patent Office: 180 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 10/116 Visible light communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 10/516 Details of coding or modulation
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/73 by influencing the exposure time

Abstract

A method includes setting an exposure time of an image sensor included in a terminal device so that, in an image obtained by capturing a subject by the image sensor, a bright line corresponding to each of a plurality of exposure lines included in the image sensor appears according to a change in luminance of the subject. The method also includes obtaining a bright line image, including a plurality of bright lines, by capturing the subject, obtaining identification information of the subject, and obtaining an angle of light of the subject. The method further includes calculating a distance between the terminal device and the subject using the angle, obtaining a position of the subject that is specified by the identification information, and calculating a position of the terminal device using the distance and the position of the subject.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

setting an exposure time of an image sensor included in a terminal device so that, in an image obtained by capturing a subject by the image sensor, a bright line corresponding to each of a plurality of exposure lines included in the image sensor appears according to a change in luminance of the subject;

obtaining a bright line image, including a plurality of bright lines, by capturing the subject that changes in luminance by the image sensor with the set exposure time;

obtaining identification information of the subject, by demodulating data specified by a pattern of the plurality of bright lines included in the obtained bright line image;

obtaining an angle of light of the subject, the light of the subject entering into the image sensor,

calculating a distance between the terminal device and the subject using the angle;

obtaining a position of the subject that is specified by the identification information; and

calculating a position of the terminal device using the distance and the position of the subject.

2. The method according to claim 1,

wherein the calculating of the distance includes

calculating a distance between a user of the terminal device and a ceiling in which the subject is installed, and

calculating the distance between the terminal device and the subject using (i) the distance between user of the terminal device and the ceiling, and (ii) the angle.

3. The method according to claim 1,

wherein the angle of the light of the subject is obtained using a angle sensor of the terminal device.

4. The method according to claim 1,

wherein the image sensor is a facing camera of the terminal device.

5. The method according to claim 4,

wherein the image sensor is installed in a side of the terminal device in which the display is installed.

6. The method according to claim 1,

wherein the terminal device has the ID list that includes a plurality of IDs and a plurality of positions of subjects, each of the plurality of IDs corresponds to each of the plurality of positions of subjects, and

wherein obtaining of the position of the subject includes

searching one of IDs that corresponds to the identification information, and

obtaining the position of the subject that corresponds to the one of IDs.

7. The method according to claim 1,

wherein the set exposure time is shorter than 1/480 second.

8. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

obtaining a plurality of signal strength of radios from a plurality of wireless communication transmitters by wireless communication with the plurality of wireless communication transmitters;

calculating a position of the terminal device using the plurality of signal strength of radios; and

outputting one of the position of the terminal device, which is calculated using the identification information, and the position of the terminal device, which is calculated using the plurality of signal strength of radios.

9. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

displaying the position of the terminal device on a map on a display of the terminal device.

10. A device, comprising:

a processor,

an image sensor having a plurality of exposure lines; and

a memory storing thereon a computer program, which when executed by the processor, causes the processor to perform operations, including

setting an exposure time of the image sensor so that, in an image obtained by capturing the subject by the image sensor, a bright line corresponding to each of the plurality of exposure lines included in the image sensor appears according to a change in luminance of the subject;

obtaining a bright line image, including a plurality of bright lines, by capturing the subject that changes in luminance by the image sensor with the set exposure time;

obtaining identification information of the subject, by demodulating data specified by a pattern of the plurality of bright lines included in the obtained bright line image;

obtaining an angle of light of the subject, the light of the subject entering into the image sensor;

calculating a distance between the terminal device and the subject using the angle;

obtaining a position of the subject that is specified by the identification information; and

calculating a position of the terminal device using the distance and the position of the subject.

11. A non-transitory recording medium storing thereon a computer program, which when executed by a processor, causes the processor to perform operations, including:

setting an exposure time of an image sensor included in a terminal device so that, in an image obtained by capturing a subject by the image sensor, a bright line corresponding to each of a plurality of exposure lines included in the image sensor appears according to a change in luminance of the subject;

obtaining a bright line image, including a plurality of bright lines, by capturing the subject that changes in luminance by the image sensor with the set exposure time;

obtaining identification information of the subject, by demodulating data specified by a pattern of the plurality of bright lines included in the obtained bright line image;

obtaining an angle of light of the subject, the light of the subject entering into the image sensor,

calculating a distance between the terminal device and the subject using the angle;

obtaining a position of the subject that is specified by the identification information; and

calculating a position of the terminal device using the distance and the position of the subject.

12. A method, comprising:

transmitting identification information from a subject to a terminal device by a change in luminance of the subject;

setting an exposure time of an image sensor included in the terminal device so that, in an image obtained by capturing the subject by the image sensor, a bright line corresponding to each of a plurality of exposure lines included in the image sensor appears according to a change in luminance of the subject;

obtaining a bright line image, including a plurality of bright lines, by capturing the subject that changes in luminance by the image sensor with the set exposure time;

obtaining the identification information of the subject, by demodulating data specified by a pattern of the plurality of bright lines included in the obtained bright line image;

obtaining an angle of light of the subject, the light of the subject entering into the image sensor,

calculating a distance between the terminal device and the subject using the angle;

obtaining a position of the subject that is specified by the identification information; and

calculating a position of the terminal device using the distance and the position of the subject.

13. A system, comprising:

a transmitter configured to transmit identification information to a terminal device by a change in luminance of the transmitter, and

a terminal device, including

a processor,

an image sensor having a plurality of exposure lines; and

a memory storing thereon a computer program, which when executed by the processor, causes the processor to perform operations, including

setting an exposure time of the image sensor so that, in an image obtained by capturing the transmitter by the image sensor, a bright line corresponding to each of the plurality of exposure lines included in the image sensor appears according to a change in luminance of the transmitter,

obtaining a bright line image, including a plurality of bright lines, by capturing the transmitter that changes in luminance by the image sensor with the set exposure time;

obtaining the identification information of the transmitter, by demodulating data specified by a pattern of the plurality of bright lines included in the obtained bright line image;

obtaining an angle of light of the transmitter, the light of the transmitter entering into the image sensor,

calculating a distance between the terminal device and the transmitter using the angle;

obtaining a position of the transmitter that is specified by the identification information; and

calculating a position of the terminal device using the distance and the position of the transmitter.