Protocols for visible light communications

• US 20150071644A1
• Filed: 12/12/2012
• Published: 03/12/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 12/23/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Signify Holding B.V. (Signify N.V.)
• Original Assignee: Koninklijke Philips N.V.
• Inventors: Rietman, Ronald, Davies, Robert James
• Granted Patent: US 9,871,585 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 398/118
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 10/116 Visible light communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/04 Protocols for data compression, e.g. ROHC
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/22 Parsing or analysis of headers

Abstract

The invention relates to the field of IEEE 802.15.4 based networks, and in particular to methods and devices for transmitting and receiving messages in IEEE 802.15.4 based networks. The existing IEEE 802.15.4 standard is further improved and adapted to better fit the properties of a network of lighting devices. The improvements and adaptations of the existing IEEE 802.15.4 standard allow for more flexible addressing. Bits which are indicative of use of address fields and/or whether one or two frame control fields is/are present in the ordered data portions of the message to be transmitted are defined by the device transmitting the message in the IEEE 802.15.4 based network. Existing features of the existing IEEE 802.15.4 standard protocol are retained.

Claims

1. A method for transmitting a message in a network via visible light communication based on the IEEE 802.15.4 standard, the message comprising a sequence of ordered data portions, wherein said sequence of ordered data portions comprises address fields and one or two frame control fields, the method comprising:

at least one of defining bits in a first subfield of the ordered data portions indicative of use of said address fields,

and defining bits in a second subfield of the ordered data portions indicative of whether one or two frame control fields are present in said ordered data portions;

transmitting said message comprising said first subfields, said first frame control fields; and

transmitting said message comprising said second frame control fields depending on whether said bits are defined in said second subfield.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein said message comprises a medium access control, MAC, header, wherein the MAC header comprises a frame control field, and wherein said frame control field at least comprises said first subfield and said second subfield.

4. The method according to claim 3, wherein said bits of said first subfield are further indicative of destination address not being present in said MAC header.

5. The method according to claim 3, wherein said bits of said first subfield are further indicative of source address not being present in said MAC header.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein said first subfield has a first sub-subfield which represents group identifier compression.

7. The method according to claim 6, wherein said first sub-subfield has one bit, the method further comprising:

defining said one bit of said first sub-subfield to decimal value ‘

1’

with meaning presence of destination group identifier, whereby the source group identifier is not transmitted and is equal to the destination group identifier.

8. The method according to claim 1, wherein said first subfield has a second sub-subfield which represents destination addressing mode, DAM.

9. The method according to claim 8, the method further comprising:

defining bits of said second sub-subfield with meaning group identifier is not present and destination address is long, preferably eight bytes.

10. The method according to claim 1, wherein said first subfield has a third sub-subfield which represents source addressing mode, SAM.

11. The method according to claim 10, the method further comprising:

defining bits of said third sub-subfield with meaning group identifier is not present and source address is long, preferably eight bytes.

12. The method according to claim 1, wherein said second subfield has a first sub-subfield which represents frame version and wherein said bits indicative of whether one or two frame control fields is/are present in said ordered data portions are part of said first sub-subfield.

2. (canceled)

13. A method for receiving a message in a network by means of visible light communication based on the IEEE 802.15.4 standard, the message comprising a sequence of ordered data portions, wherein said sequence of ordered data portions comprises address fields and one or two frame control fields, the method comprising:

receiving the message;

reading bits in a first subfield of the ordered data portions indicative of use of said address fields; and

/or

reading bits in a second subfield of the ordered data portions indicative of whether one or two frame control fields is/are present in said ordered data portions; and

reading said first frame control field and optionally, depending on said bits in said second subfield, said second frame control field.

14. A transmitting lighting device for transmitting a message in a network via visible light communication based on the IEEE 802.15.4 standard, the message comprising a sequence of ordered data portions, wherein said sequence of ordered data portions comprises address fields and one or two frame control fields, the lighting device comprising:

a processing unit arranged to define bits in a first subfield of the ordered data portions indicative of use of said address fields; and

/or arranged to define bits in a second subfield of the ordered data portions indicative of whether one or two frame control fields is/are present in said ordered data portions; and

a transmitter arranged to transmit said message comprising said first subfields, said first frame control field and said message comprising said second frame control fields depending on whether said bits are defined in said second subfield.

15. A receiving lighting device for receiving a message in a network via visible light communication based on the IEEE 802.15.4 standard, the message comprising a sequence of ordered data portions, wherein said sequence of ordered data portions comprises address fields and one or two frame control fields, the lighting device comprising:

a receiver arranged to receive the message;

a processing unit arranged to read bits in a first subfield of the ordered data portions indicative of use of said address fields; and

/or arranged to read bits in a second subfield of the ordered data portions indicative of whether one or two frame control fields are present in said ordered data portions; and

arranged to read said first frame control field and read said message comprising said second frame control fields depending on whether said bits are defined in said second subfield.