CONTENT SUPPLYING SYSTEM WHICH USES SPATIAL LIGHT TRANSMISSION

• US 20130343762A1
• Filed: 11/27/2012
• Published: 12/26/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 06/22/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: VLC Co., Ltd. (VLC HOLDINGS CO., LTD.)
• Original Assignee: Outstanding Technology Co., Ltd.
• Inventors: Murayama, Fumitaka, Kurokawa, Hiroyuki, Narusawa, Hiroki
• Granted Patent: US 9,025,961 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 398/130
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 10/1141 One-way transmission
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 10/1149 Arrangements for indoor wireless networking of information
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 10/116 Visible light communication

Abstract

A spatial light transmitter of a content supplying system stores ID information of its own and emits spatial light on which the ID information is superimposed from a light emitting portion. A spatial light receiver is used by being connected to a handheld terminal and receives spatial light emitted from the spatial light transmitter. When a user carries the handheld terminal and moves close to the spatial light transmitter, the spatial light receiver receives spatial light emitted from the spatial light transmitter, and ID information obtaining means of the spatial light receiver obtains the ID information which is superimposed on spatial light from a light receiving signal of the light receiving portion, thereby outputting the ID information to the handheld terminal. Alternatively, the ID information obtaining means of the handheld terminal obtains the ID information on the basis of the light receiving signal, and the handheld terminal reproduces the content selected on the basis of the ID information.

Claims

1. A content supplying system which uses spatial light transmission comprising:

a spatial light transmitter which is provided with an ID information storage portion for storing ID information of its own and also provided with a light emitting portion for emitting spatial light on which the ID information is superimposed;

a handheld terminal which is provided with content storing means for storing content information so as to correspond to the ID information and also provided with content reproducing means for reproducing content read from the content storing means as text, images, video or sounds; and

a spatial light receiver which is connected to the handheld terminal and provided with a light receiving portion for receiving spatial light emitted from the light emitting portion of the spatial light transmitter, wherein

ID information obtaining means for obtaining the ID information which is transmitted by being superimposed on spatial light from a light receiving signal of the light receiving portion is installed at the spatial light receiver or the handheld terminal, and

when a user carries the handheld terminal and moves close to the spatial light transmitter, the light receiving portion of the spatial light receiver receives spatial light emitted from the spatial light transmitter, the ID information obtaining means obtains the ID information which is superimposed on spatial light from the light receiving signal of the light receiving portion, and the content reproducing means of the handheld terminal reproduces the content selected on the basis of the ID information.

2. The content supplying system which uses spatial light transmission according to claim 1, wherein

the content information is stored at a content server on a network so as to correspond to the ID information, and the handheld terminal accesses the content server to collect content information, thereby storing the content information at the content storing means so as to correspond to the ID information.

3. The content supplying system which uses spatial light transmission according to claim 2, wherein

the content information is stored at the content server on the network so as to correspond to the ID information as control information such as information on activation of application software which operates on the handheld terminal.

4. The content supplying system which uses spatial light transmission according to claim 2, wherein

the content information is a URL of content reference information and stored at the content server on the network so as to correspond to the ID information, and the handheld terminal obtains the URL of content reference information from the content server according to the ID information and accesses a server to be referenced on the network on the basis of the URL of content reference information, thereby collecting a main body of content information from the server to be referenced.

5. The content supplying system which uses spatial light transmission according to claim 1, wherein

the spatial light receiver is provided with a USB port, the spatial light receiver is connected to the handheld terminal by way of a USB, and when the ID information obtaining means installed at the spatial light receiver receives and obtains the ID information sent by being superimposed on spatial light from the spatial light transmitter, the ID information is output to the handheld terminal through the USB port.

6. The content supplying system which uses spatial light transmission according to claim 1, wherein

the spatial light receiver is provided with a light receiving circuit for inputting a light receiving signal of the light receiving portion and an output terminal for outputting the light receiving signal from the light receiving circuit, the output terminal of the spatial light receiver is connected to a microphone input terminal of the handheld terminal, and the ID information obtaining means installed at the handheld terminal inputs the light receiving signal containing ID information through the microphone input terminal, thereby extracting and obtaining the ID information from the light receiving signal.

7. The content supplying system which uses spatial light transmission according to claim 1, wherein

the spatial light transmitter is provided at the leading end of a main body case with a light emitting portion which emits spatial light from a light emitting element, inside the main body case, there are disposed;

a light emission driving circuit for activating the light emitting element so as to emit light;

an ID information storage portion for storing ID information in advance on the spatial light transmitter or an installation place thereof;

a transmission signal reproducing portion for modulating a carrier wave by an information signal which contains at least the ID information, reproducing a transmission signal and outputting the signal to the light emission driving circuit; and

a power source circuit which inputs electricity supplied through a screw fitting of an electric bulb as a power-source input portion to supply direct-current electricity to the light emission driving circuit and the transmission signal reproducing portion; and

the screw fitting of the electric bulb is attached to an end of the main body case as the power-source input portion.

8. The content supplying system which uses spatial light transmission according to claim 7, wherein

the transmission signal reproducing portion is provided with a carrier wave oscillator for oscillating a high-frequency signal of a carrier wave and a modulation portion for modulating the carrier wave by an information signal containing the ID information.

9. The content supplying system which uses spatial light transmission according to claim 1, wherein

the spatial light receiver is housed inside the handheld terminal.

10. The content supplying system which uses spatial light transmission according to claim 1, wherein

the spatial light transmitter is housed inside a liquid crystal display device having a light element light source on a liquid crystal panel, the light element light source of the liquid crystal display device is used as a light emitting element of the projector of the spatial light transmitter, there is supplied to the light emission driving circuit of the light element light source a transmission signal in which ID information read from the ID information storage portion which stores the ID information of its own is modulated, and visible light irradiated from the light element light source is emitted, with the transmission signal superimposed thereon.