INFORMATION COMMUNICATION DEVICE

• US 20150139659A1
• Filed: 03/19/2014
• Published: 05/21/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 11/21/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Panasonic Intellectual Property Corporation of America (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Panasonic Corporation (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: OSHIMA, Mitsuaki, NAKANISHI, Koji, AOYAMA, Hideki, IIDA, Shigehiro, YOSHIDA, Chikara, OGATA, Shinsuke, MIYOSHI, Kengo
• Granted Patent: US 9,294,188 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 398/118
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/70 Determining position or orientation of objects or cameras camera calibration G06T7/80
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 10/116 Visible light communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/635 Region indicators; Field of view indicators
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/6811 based on the image signal
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/71 Circuitry for evaluating the brightness variation
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/72 Combination of two or more compensation controls

Abstract

An information communication method includes: determining whether conflict over use of a light receiving unit will occur between a first program for performing visible light communication and a second program for performing processing different from the visible light communication; notifying a user that the conflict will occur if it is determined that the conflict will occur; permitting one of the first program and the second program to use the light receiving unit in response to an operation by the user; and causing, by the first program, a computer to execute visible light communication according to light detected by the light receiving unit if the first program is permitted to use the light receiving unit.

Claims

1. An information communication method for performing visible light communication, the information communication method comprising:

(a) determining whether conflict over use of a light receiving unit which detects light will occur between a first program for performing visible light communication using the light receiving unit and a second program for performing processing different from the visible light communication, using the light receiving unit;

(b) notifying a user of the light receiving unit that the conflict will occur if it is determined that the conflict will occur;

(c) permitting one of the first program and the second program to use the light receiving unit in response to an operation by the user; and

(d) causing, by the first program, a computer to execute visible light communication according to light detected by the light receiving unit if the first program is permitted to use the light receiving unit.

2. The information communication method according to claim 1,

wherein in step (b), a selection screen for selecting one of the first program and the second program which use the light receiving unit is further displayed, and

in step (c), if one of the first program and the second program is selected in response to an operation on the selection screen by the user, the selected one of the first program and the second program is permitted to use the light receiving unit.

3. The information communication method according to claim 2,

wherein in step (b), the selection screen is displayed which includes information indicating whether the first program runs in background and whether the second program runs in background.

4. The information communication method according to claim 1,

wherein in step (c), another light receiving unit is assigned to one of the first program and the second program in response to the operation by the user, and

in step (d), the first program causes the computer to execute visible light communication according to light detected by the other light receiving unit if the other light receiving unit is assigned to the first program.

5. The information communication method according to claim 1,

wherein in step (d), data is obtained by executing the visible light communication,

the information communication method further comprising:

(e) displaying an application selection screen for selecting one of plural application programs for which the obtained data is usable; and

(f) if one of the plural application programs is selected in response to an operation on the application selection screen by the user, causing, by the selected one of the application programs, the computer to execute processing performed using the data.

6. The information communication method according to claim 1, further comprising:

(g) continuously capturing an image of a subject which transmits a signal by changing luminance, with an image sensor which is the light receiving unit;

(h) displaying a captured image which includes a box and a subject image for identifying the subject, while continuously updating a position of the subject image on the captured image, according to a positional relationship between the image sensor and the subject established when the image of the subject is captured; and

(i) determining whether the subject image is in the box,

wherein in step (d), when it is determined that the subject image is in the box, the first program causes the computer to receive the signal transmitted by the subject.

7. The information communication method according to claim 1, further comprising:

(j) capturing images of plural subjects each of which transmits a signal by changing luminance, with an image sensor which is the light receiving unit;

(k) displaying a captured image which includes the images of the plural subjects and is obtained in step (j); and

(l) determining whether a terminal device which includes the image sensor has been shaken,

wherein in step (d), the first program causes the computer to receive the signals transmitted by the plural subjects, and

in step (k),

an information notification image generated according to a signal from one of the plural subjects among the signals transmitted by the plural subjects and received, and showing information regarding the subject is superimposed on the captured image in a state where the information notification image is associated with the image of the subject, and

if it is determined that the terminal device has been shaken, another information notification image generated according to a signal from another one of the plural subjects which is in a direction in which the terminal device has been shaken, and showing information regarding the other subject is superimposed on the captured image in a state where the other information notification image is associated with the image of the other subject.

8. The information communication method according to claim 7,

wherein in step (k), for an image of each of one or more remaining subjects other than the image of the one or the other one of the plural subjects that is associated with the information notification image or the other information notification image, an information-presentable notification image for notifying that information regarding the remaining subject is further presentable is superimposed on the captured image.

9. The information communication method according to claim 1, further comprising

(m) obtaining first image data by performing capturing with a first exposure time so that exposure starts sequentially for a plurality of exposure lines in the image sensor each at a different time and each of the plurality of exposure lines partially overlaps in exposure time an adjacent one of the plurality of exposure lines,

wherein in step (d), second image data is obtained by performing capturing with a second exposure time shorter than the first exposure time so that exposure starts sequentially for the plurality of exposure lines each at a different time and each of the plurality of exposure lines partially overlaps in exposure time an adjacent one of the plurality of exposure lines, and information is obtained by demodulating a bright line pattern that appears in the second image data and corresponds to the plurality of exposure lines, and

in step (d), the bright line pattern is caused to appear in the second image data by setting the second exposure time to be less than or equal to 1/480 second.

10. The information communication method according to claim 1, further comprising:

(n) performing processing of receiving a request to distribute information from a requester;

(o) distributing the requested information as associated information associated with a signal received through the visible light communication performed by the first program; and

(p) performing information processing for charging the requester according to the distribution of the information.

11. An information communication device which performs visible light communication, the information communication device comprising:

a determination unit configured to determine whether conflict over use of a light receiving unit configured to detect light will occur between a first program for performing visible light communication using the light receiving unit and a second program for performing processing different from the visible light communication, using the light receiving unit;

a notification unit configured to notify a user of the light receiving unit that the conflict will occur if it is determined that the conflict will occur;

a conflict settlement unit configured to permit one of the first program and the second program to use the light receiving unit in response to an operation by the user; and

a visible light communication unit configured to cause, according to the first program, a computer to execute visible light communication according to light detected by the light receiving unit if the first program is permitted to use the light receiving unit.

12. A communication control program for performing visible light communication, the communication control program causing a computer to execute:

(a) determining whether conflict over use of a light receiving unit which detects light will occur between a first program for performing visible light communication using the light receiving unit and a second program for performing processing different from the visible light communication, using the light receiving unit;

notifying a user of the light receiving unit that the conflict will occur if it is determined that the conflict will occur; and

permitting one of the first program and the second program to use the light receiving unit in response to an operation by the user,

wherein the first program causes a computer to execute visible light communication according to light detected by the light receiving unit if the first program is permitted to use the light receiving unit.