Dual-use electronic transceiver set for wireless data networks

• US 6,198,230 B1
• Filed: 04/14/1999
• Issued: 03/06/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 04/15/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Philips Lighting BV (Koninklijke Philips N.V.)
• Original Assignee: Talking Lights
• Inventors: Leeb, Steven B., Lupton, Elmer C., Hovorka, George B., Jackson, Deron
• Primary Examiner(s): Wong, Don
• Assistant Examiner(s): TRAN, THUY V
• Application Number:
  US09/291,706
• Time in Patent Office: 692 Days
• Field of Search: 315/224, 315/200.R, 315/205, 315/247, 315/291, 315/307, 315/360, 315/DIG.4, 315/DIG.5, 315/DIG.7, 250/271, 250/493.1, 340/286.02, 340/309.15, 340/310.03, 455/73, 455/75
• US Class Current: 315/224
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 10/1143 Bidirectional transmission
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 10/116 Visible light communication
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 41/2827 using specially adapted components in the load circuit, e.g. feed-back transformers, piezoelectric transformers; using specially adapted load circuit configurations
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 47/195 the transmission using visible or infrared light

Abstract

An apparatus for generating electromagnetic radiation in which the radiation has both a first and second utility. The electromagnetic radiation is modulated to produce electronically detectable variations to achieve the second utility, the variations not affecting the first utility. In one embodiment, the electromagnetic radiation is visible light. In this embodiment, the first utility is illumination and the second utility is the transmission of data. In another embodiment, the invention provides a lamp for generating visible light capable of providing illumination and transmitting data to a receiver. Any variations in the visible light resulting from the data transmission are imperceptible by a human eye regardless of the nature of the data being transmitted.

Claims

1. An apparatus for generating electromagnetic radiation having a first and second utility, the electromagnetic radiation being modulated to produce electronically detectable variations to achieve the second utility, the variations not affecting the first utility wherein;

the electromagnetic radiation comprises visible light; and

the first utility is illumination and the second utility is the transmission of data, the variations in the visible light being imperceptible by a human eye regardless of the nature of data being transmitted.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the apparatus is a lamp.

3. An apparatus comprising:

a source of visible light capable of providing illumination and electronically detectable variations, the variations in the light effecting data transmission to a receiver and being imperceptible by a human eye; and

circuitry, including a ballast for modulating the signal output from the source of visible light to effect data transmission, the transmission occurring by means of analog FM.

4. The apparatus of claim 3 wherein the circuitry further includes:

a rectifier for drawing power from a AC source and controlling the power to have substantially the same shape and phase, but possibly different amplitude, as the AC source to ensure near-unity-power-factor operation; and

an inverter connected to receive power from the rectifier to create a high frequency alternating waveform, the output of the inverter forming an input to the lamp.

5. The apparatus of claim 4 wherein the inverter includes means for varying the frequency of the voltage produced by the inverter.

6. The apparatus of claim 4 wherein the inverter is operated in a zero-voltage switching mode.

7. The apparatus of claim 3 wherein the ballast further comprises a power supply and a safety isolation between the power supply and source of visible light.

8. The apparatus of claim 3 wherein the apparatus further comprises a source of data and the ballast includes safety isolation between the source of data and the circuitry.

9. The apparatus of claim 3 wherein the ballast operates as a transmitter in a transceiver set with a non-linear phase-locked loop in the receiver.

10. The apparatus of claim 3 wherein the ballast operates as a transmitter in a transceiver set with an analog FM receiver.

11. The apparatus of claim 3 wherein the ballast comprises a rectifier pre-regulator stage having a variable output voltage to provide light dimming operation.

12. The apparatus of claim 3 wherein the ballast operates with multiple sources of visible light.

13. The apparatus of claim 3 wherein said ballast operates from a DC power source.

14. The apparatus of claim 3 wherein the ballast operates from an AC power source.

15. The apparatus of claim 3 wherein said ballast is configured to allow multiple channels of data transmission from a single fixture, which fixture comprises at least one lamp.

16. The apparatus of claim 3 wherein said ballast operates as a transmitter in a transceiver set using two level digital pulse coding.

17. The apparatus of claim 3 wherein the data being transmitted is audio data.

18. The apparatus of claim 3 wherein the signal is restricted to exclude very low frequency content.

19. The apparatus of claim 3 wherein the variations in light are imperceptible by a human eye regardless of the nature of data being transmitted.

20. The apparatus of claim 3 wherein the data transmission occurs by use of the sideband FM method.

21. The apparatus of claim 3 wherein the data transmission occurs at a data rate of at least 250 bits per second.

22. The apparatus of claim 3 wherein the signal comprises a frequency spectrum restricted to minimize frequencies of less than 44 Hz.

23. An apparatus comprising:

a source of visible light capable of providing illumination and electronically detectable variations, the variations effecting data transmission to a receiver and being imperceptible by a human eye; and

circuitry, including a ballast for modulating the signal output from the source of visible light to effect data transmission, the transmission occurring by means comprising discrete pulse code FM with an orthogonal bit coding scheme.

24. The apparatus of claim 23 wherein the circuitry further includes:

a rectifier for drawing power from an AC source and controlling the power to allow alterations in the signal amplitude without substantially affecting the signal shape or phase and provide near-unity-power factor operation; and

an inverter connected to the rectifier for receiving power and creating a high frequency alternating waveform, the output of the inverter forming an input into the source of visible light.

25. The apparatus of claim 24 wherein the inverter includes a means for varying the frequency of the voltage produced by the inverter.

26. The apparatus of claim 24 wherein the inverter is operated in a zero-voltage switching mode.

27. The apparatus of claim 23 wherein the ballast further comprises a power supply and a safety isolation between the power supply and the source of visible light.

28. The apparatus of claim 23 wherein the apparatus further comprises a source of data and the ballast includes safety isolation between the source of data and the circuitry.

29. The apparatus of claim 23 wherein the ballast operates as a transmitter in a transceiver set with a non-linear phase-locked loop in the receiver.

30. The apparatus of claim 23 wherein the ballast operates as a transmitter in a transceiver set with an analog FM receiver.

31. The apparatus of claim 23 wherein the ballast comprises a rectifier pre-regulator stage having a variable output voltage to provide light dimming operation.

32. The apparatus of claim 23 wherein the ballast operates with multiple sources of visible light.

33. The apparatus of claim 23 wherein the ballast operates from a DC power source.

34. The apparatus of claim 23 wherein the ballast operates from an AC power source.

35. The apparatus of claim 23 wherein the ballast is configured to allow multiple channels of data transmission from a single fixture, which fixture comprises at least one lamp.

36. The apparatus of claim 23 wherein said ballast operates as a transmitter in a transceiver set using two level digital pulse coding.

37. The apparatus of claim 36 wherein the circuitry further includes:

a rectifier for drawing power from an AC source and controlling the power to allow alternations in the signal amplitude without substantially affecting the signal shape or phase, to provide near-unity-power factor operation; and

an inverter connected to the rectifier for receiving power and creating a high frequency alternating waveform, the output of the inverter forming an input into the source of visible light.

38. The apparatus of claim 37 wherein the inverter includes a means for varying the frequency of the voltage produced by the inverter.

39. The apparatus of claim 37 wherein the inverter is operated in a zero-voltage switching mode.

40. The apparatus of claim 36 wherein the ballast further comprises a power supply and a safety isolation between the power supply and the source of visible light.

41. The apparatus of claim 36 wherein the apparatus further comprises a source of data and the ballast includes safety isolation between the source of data and the circuitry.

42. The apparatus of claim 36 wherein the ballast operates as a transmitter in a transceiver set with a non-linear phase-locked loop in the receiver.

43. The apparatus of claim 36 wherein the ballast operates as a transmitter in a transceiver set with an analog FM receiver.

44. The apparatus of claim 36 wherein the ballast comprises a rectifier pre-regulator stage having a variable output voltage to provide light dimming operation.

45. The apparatus of claim 36 wherein the ballast operates with multiple sources of visible light.

46. The apparatus of claim 36 wherein the ballast operates from a DC power source.

47. The apparatus of claim 36 wherein the ballast operates from an AC power source.

48. The apparatus of claim 36 wherein the ballast is configured to allow multiple channels of data transmission from a single fixture, which fixture comprises at least one lamp.

49. The apparatus of claim 36 wherein the variations in the light are imperceptible by a human eye regardless of the nature of the data being transmitted.

50. The apparatus of claim 36 wherein the data transmission occurs at a data rate of at least 250 bits per second.

51. The apparatus of claim 36 wherein the signal comprises a frequency spectrum restricted to minimize frequencies of less than 44 Hz.

52. The apparatus of claim 23 wherein the variations in the light are imperceptible by a human eye regardless of the nature of data being transmitted.

53. The apparatus of claim 23 wherein data transmission occurs at a data rate of at least 250 bits per second.

54. The apparatus of claim 23 wherein the signal comprises a frequency spectrum restricted to minimize frequencies of less than 44 Hz.