LIGHT-BASED COMMUNICATION TRANSMISSION PROTOCOL

• US 20150280819A1
• Filed: 12/16/2014
• Published: 10/01/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 03/25/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: OSRAM Sylvania Inc. (Ams-Osram AG)
• Original Assignee: OSRAM Sylvania Inc. (Ams-Osram AG)
• Inventors: Breuer, Christian, Aggarwal, Anant, Siessegger, Bernhard
• Granted Patent: US 9,780,873 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/206 specially adapted for indoor navigation
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 3/08 Use of electric radiation detectors
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 1/7032 Transmitters
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 11/12 using electromagnetic waves other than radio waves
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/163 Determination of attitude using inertial means G01C9/00; control of attitude G05D1/49
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 18/23 Clustering techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/10004 Still image; Photographic image
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/20021 Dividing image into blocks, subimages or windows
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/90 Determination of colour characteristics
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 10/0795 Performance monitoring; Measurement of transmission parameters
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 10/114 Indoor or close-range type systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 10/1149 Arrangements for indoor wireless networking of information
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 10/116 Visible light communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 10/501 Structural aspects
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 10/502 LED transmitters
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 10/516 Details of coding or modulation
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 10/5563 Digital frequency modulation
• CPC Class Codes: H04J 14/086 Medium access H04J3/16 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04J 3/10 Arrangements for reducing cross-talk between channels
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 25/531 by controlling rolling shutters in CMOS SSIS

Abstract

Techniques are disclosed for providing light-based communication (LCom) between a receiver device and one or more transmitting LCom-enabled luminaires. In accordance with some embodiments, LCom data to be transmitted may be allocated over multiple colors of light output by multiple LCom-enabled luminaires and transmitted in parallel across the multiple colors of light using a time division multiple access (TDMA) scheme. In some cases, the disclosed techniques can be used, for example, to allow for multiple LCom-enabled luminaires to communicate simultaneously over multiple active LCom channels with a single receiver device. In some instances, the disclosed techniques may be used, for example, to provide channel redundancy that facilitates successful completion of LCom data transmission when an LCom channel is broken. In some instances, the disclosed techniques may be used, for example, to provide more accurate positioning for indoor navigation.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

a first solid-state luminaire configured to emit a first pulsing light signal encoded with data;

a second solid-state luminaire configured to emit a second pulsing light signal encoded with data; and

at least one controller configured to control a color of light emitted by the first solid-state luminaire and a color of light emitted by the second solid-state luminaire.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one controller is configured to control light emitted by the first and second solid-state luminaires such that they emit via orthogonal color-based communication channels.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the at least one controller is configured to control light emitted by the first and second solid-state luminaires such that each orthogonal color-based communication channel is spread over spatial and temporal domains.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one controller is configured to control light emitted by the first and second solid-state luminaires such that independent data packets are transmitted in a sequential manner via time division multiple access (TDMA).

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the first and second solid-state luminaires are configured for dual-white light emissions.

6. The system of claim 1 further comprising a third solid-state luminaire configured to emit a third pulsing light signal encoded with data, wherein the at least one controller is further configured to control a color of light emitted by the third solid-state luminaire.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the first, second, and third solid-state luminaires are configured for red-green-blue (RGB) light emissions.

8. The system of claim 6, wherein the at least one controller is configured to control light emitted by the first, second, and third solid-state luminaires such that independent data packets are transmitted in a sequential manner via time division multiple access (TDMA) in a round-robin fashion.

9. The system of claim 1 further comprising:

a computing device comprising at least one light-sensing device configured to detect at least one of the first and second pulsing light signals encoded with data.

10. A method of light-based communication comprising:

transmitting a first pulsing light signal encoded with data via a first color of light emitted by a first solid-state luminaire at a first time; and

transmitting a second pulsing light signal encoded with data via a second color of light emitted by a second solid-state luminaire at the first time.

11. The method of claim 10 further comprising:

transmitting the second pulsing light signal encoded with data via the second color of light emitted by the first solid-state luminaire at a second time; and

transmitting the first pulsing light signal encoded with data via the first color of light emitted by the second solid-state luminaire at the second time.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the first and second solid-state luminaires are configured for dual-white light emissions.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein the first and second pulsing light signals encoded with data are emitted by the first and second solid-state luminaires such that independent data packets are transmitted in a sequential manner via time division multiple access (TDMA).

14. The method of claim 10 further comprising:

transmitting a third pulsing light signal encoded with data via a third color of light emitted by a third solid-state luminaire at the first time.

15. The method of claim 14 further comprising:

transmitting the second pulsing light signal encoded with data via the second color of light emitted by the first solid-state luminaire at a second time;

transmitting the third pulsing light signal encoded with data via the third color of light emitted by the second solid-state luminaire at the second time;

transmitting the first pulsing light signal encoded with data via the first color of light emitted by the third solid-state luminaire at the second time;

transmitting the third pulsing light signal encoded with data via the third color of light emitted by the first solid-state luminaire at a third time;

transmitting the first pulsing light signal encoded with data via the first color of light emitted by the second solid-state luminaire at the third time; and

transmitting the second pulsing light signal encoded with data via the second color of light emitted by the third solid-state luminaire at the third time.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein the first, second, and third solid-state luminaires are configured for red-green-blue (RGB) light emissions.

17. The method of claim 13, wherein the first, second, and third pulsing light signals encoded with data are emitted by the first, second, and third solid-state luminaires such that independent data packets are transmitted in a sequential manner via time division multiple access (TDMA) in a round-robin fashion.

18. A non-transitory computer program product encoded with instructions that, when executed by one or more processors, causes a process to be carried out, the process comprising:

transmitting a first pulsing light signal encoded with data via a first color of light emitted by a first solid-state luminaire at a first time; and

transmitting a second pulsing light signal encoded with data via a second color of light emitted by a second solid-state luminaire at the first time.

19. The non-transitory computer program product of claim 18, wherein:

the process further comprises;

transmitting the second pulsing light signal encoded with data via the second color of light emitted by the first solid-state luminaire at a second time; and

transmitting the first pulsing light signal encoded with data via the first color of light emitted by the second solid-state luminaire at the second time; and

the first and second pulsing light signals encoded with data are emitted by the first and second solid-state luminaires such that independent data packets are transmitted in a sequential manner via time division multiple access (TDMA).

20. The non-transitory computer program product of claim 18, wherein:

the process further comprises;

transmitting a third pulsing light signal encoded with data via a third color of light emitted by a third solid-state luminaire at the first time;

transmitting the second pulsing light signal encoded with data via the second color of light emitted by the first solid-state luminaire at a second time;

transmitting the third pulsing light signal encoded with data via the third color of light emitted by the second solid-state luminaire at the second time;

transmitting the first pulsing light signal encoded with data via the first color of light emitted by the third solid-state luminaire at the second time;

transmitting the third pulsing light signal encoded with data via the third color of light emitted by the first solid-state luminaire at a third time;

transmitting the first pulsing light signal encoded with data via the first color of light emitted by the second solid-state luminaire at the third time; and

transmitting the second pulsing light signal encoded with data via the second color of light emitted by the third solid-state luminaire at the third time; and

the first, second, and third pulsing light signals encoded with data are emitted by the first, second, and third solid-state luminaires such that independent data packets are transmitted in a sequential manner via time division multiple access (TDMA) in a round-robin fashion.