METHODS AND APPARATUS FOR COMMUNICATIONS USING VISIBLE LIGHT COMMUNICATIONS SIGNALING IN COMBINATION WITH WIRELESS RADIO SIGNALING

• US 20140153923A1
• Filed: 12/01/2012
• Published: 06/05/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 12/01/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Inventors: Casaccia, Lorenzo, Li, Junyi, Richardson, Thomas Joseph, Jovicic, Aleksandar
• Granted Patent: US 9,143,230 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 398/58
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 10/11 Arrangements specific to free-space transmission, i.e. transmission through air or vacuum
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 10/1149 Arrangements for indoor wireless networking of information
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 10/116 Visible light communication

Abstract

Various exemplary methods and apparatus are directed to using Visible Light Communication (VLC) in a downlink, e.g., a supplemental downlink, in combination with a wireless radio downlink/ uplink pair. A gateway is coupled, via a wireline link, to a VLC access point. In some embodiments, the gateway includes a wireless radio base station. A user equipment device detects a visible light signal from the VLC access point, and transmits a radio signal to a communications device, e.g., a gateway including a base station or a macro base station, indicating that the UE device is in a VLC coverage area. The gateway configures the VLC access point to serve as a supplemental wireless cell which supports downlink communications. The gateway sends traffic signals to the VLC access point, via the wireline, which are converted by the VLC access point into VLC signals which are transmitted. The UE device receives VLC downlink traffic signals and transmits a corresponding acknowledgment signal via an uplink radio channel.

Claims

1. A method of operating a gateway comprising:

receiving a signal from a user equipment (UE) device indicating that the UE device is in a visible light communications (VLC) coverage area; and

configuring a visible light communications access point controlled by said gateway as a supplemental wireless cell which supports downlink communications.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said visible light communications access point is an LED access point coupled to said gateway by a powerline communications link.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

scheduling transmissions to said UE device on a light channel corresponding to said visible light communications access point.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising:

using a wireless radio control channel to transmit light channel transmission scheduling information to said user equipment device.

5. The method of claim 3, further comprising:

using a wireless radio control channel to transmit radio channel transmission scheduling information to said user equipment device.

6. A gateway comprising:

means for receiving a signal from a user equipment (UE) device indicating that the UE device is in a visible light communications (VLC) coverage area; and

means for configuring a visible light communications access point controlled by said gateway as a supplemental wireless cell which supports downlink communications.

7. The gateway of claim 6, wherein said visible light communications access point is an LED access point coupled to said gateway by a powerline communications link.

8. The gateway of claim 6, further comprising:

means for scheduling transmissions to said UE device on a light channel corresponding to said visible light communications access point.

9. The gateway of claim 8, further comprising:

means for using a wireless radio control channel to transmit light channel transmission scheduling information to said user equipment device.

10. The gateway of claim 8, further comprising:

means for using a wireless radio control channel to transmit radio channel transmission scheduling information to said user equipment device.

11. A computer program product for use in a gateway, the computer program product comprising:

a non-transitory computer readable medium comprising;

code for causing at least one computer to receive a signal from a user equipment (UE) device indicating that the UE device is in an a visible light communications (VLC) coverage area; and

code for causing said at least one computer to configure a visible light communications access point controlled by said gateway as a supplemental wireless cell which supports downlink communications.

12. A gateway comprising:

at least one processor configured to;

receive a signal from a user equipment (UE) device indicating that the UE device is in a visible light communications (VLC) coverage area; and

configure a visible light communications access point controlled by said gateway as a supplemental wireless cell which supports downlink communications; and

memory coupled to said at least one processor.

13. The gateway of claim 12, wherein said visible light communications access point is an LED access point coupled to said gateway by a powerline communications link.

14. The gateway of claim 12, wherein said at least one processor is further configured to:

schedule transmissions to said UE device on a light channel corresponding to said visible light communications access point.

15. The gateway of claim 14, wherein said at least one processor is further configured to:

use a wireless radio control channel to transmit light channel transmission scheduling information to said user equipment device.

16. A method of operating user equipment (UE) device comprising:

detecting a light signal from a visible light communications (VLC) access point; and

transmitting a radio signal to a communications device indicating that the UE device is in a visible light communications (VLC) coverage area, wherein said communications device is one of a gateway or a macro base station.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein said communications device is a gateway, and

wherein said visible light communications access point is a LED access point coupled to said gateway by a powerline communications link.

18. The method of claim 16, wherein said communications device is a gateway, the method further comprising:

receiving an assignment signal from said gateway scheduling a transmissions on a downlink light channel corresponding to said visible light communications access point.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein said received assignment signal from said gateway scheduling transmission on a downlink light channel corresponding to said visible light communications access point is received on a wireless radio control channel.

20. The method of claim 18, further comprising:

receiving an assignment signal from said gateway scheduling transmission on a wireless downlink radio channel via a wireless radio control channel.

21. A user equipment (UE) device comprising:

means for detecting a light signal from a visible light communications (VLC) access point; and

means for transmitting a radio signal to a communications device indicating that the UE device is in an a visible light communications (VLC) coverage area, wherein said communications device is one of a gateway or a macro base station.

22. The user equipment device of claim 21, wherein said communications device is a gateway, and

wherein said visible light communications access point is a LED access point coupled to said gateway by a powerline communications link.

23. The user equipment of claim 21, wherein said communications device is a gateway, the user equipment device further comprising:

means for receiving an assignment signal from said gateway scheduling a transmissions on a downlink light channel corresponding to said visible light communications access point.

24. The user equipment device of claim 23, wherein said received assignment signal from said gateway scheduling transmission on a downlink light channel corresponding to said visible light communications access point is received on a wireless radio control channel.

25. The user equipment device of claim 23, further comprising:

means for receiving an assignment signal from said gateway scheduling transmission on a wireless downlink radio channel via a wireless radio control channel.

26. A computer program product for use in a user equipment (UE) device, the computer program product comprising:

a non-transitory computer readable medium comprising;

code for causing at least one computer to detecting a light signal from a visible light communications (VLC) access point; and

code for causing said at least one computer to transmit a radio signal to a communications device indicating that the UE device is in a visible light communications (VLC) coverage area, wherein said communications device is one of a gateway or a macro base station.

27. A user equipment (UE) device comprising:

at least one processor configured to;

detect a light signal from a visible light communications (VLC) access point; and

transmit a radio signal to a communications device indicating that the UE device is in an a visible light communications (VLC) coverage area, wherein said communications device is one of a gateway or a macro base station; and

memory coupled to said at least one processor.

28. The UE device of claim 27, wherein said communications device is a gateway, and wherein said visible light communications access point is a LED access point coupled to said gateway by a powerline communications link.

29. The UE device of claim 27, wherein said communications device is a gateway, and wherein said at least one processor is further configured to:

receive an assignment signal from said gateway scheduling a transmissions on a downlink light channel corresponding to said visible light communications access point.

30. The UE device of claim 29, wherein said received assignment signal from said gateway scheduling transmission on a downlink light channel corresponding to said visible light communications access point is received on a wireless radio control channel.