Data communication system, data transmitter and data receiver

• US 7,415,212 B2
• Filed: 09/09/2002
• Issued: 08/19/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 10/23/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Tajima, Shigeru, Rekimoto, Junichi, Ayatsuka, Yuji, Kohno, Michimune, Matsushita, Nobuyuki
• Primary Examiner(s): Phan; Hanh
• Application Number:
  US10/451,505
• Publication Number:
  US 20040161246A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,171 Days
• Field of Search: 398/140, 398/141, 398/153, 398/202, 398/212, 398/214, 398/182, 398/183, 398/187, 398/185, 398/189, 398/190, 398/191, 398/186, 398/135, 398/128, 398/130, 398/138, 398/118, 398/115, 398/127, 382/103, 382/107, 250/559.29, 250/559.31, 250/206.1, 250/206.2, 250/227.14, 250/208.6
• US Class Current: 398/140
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/002 Specific input/output arrangements not covered by G06F3/01 - G06F3/16 other optical apparatus G02B27/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/005 Input arrangements through a video camera
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0325 using a plurality of light emitters or reflectors or a plurality of detectors forming a reference frame from which to derive the orientation of the object, e.g. by triangulation or on the basis of reference deformation in the picked up image
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0481 based on specific properties of the displayed interaction object or a metaphor-based environment, e.g. interaction with desktop elements like windows or icons, or assisted by a cursor's changing behaviour or appearance
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04815 Interaction with a metaphor-based environment or interaction object displayed as three-dimensional, e.g. changing the user viewpoint with respect to the environment or object
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 10/1149 Arrangements for indoor wireless networking of information
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 10/66 Non-coherent receivers, e.g. using direct detection

Abstract

A transmitter formed of two or more light-emitting sections such as LEDs, which are physically arranged in a predetermined manner, is disposed in the real world object, and each light-emitting section transmits data by flashing at a flashing pattern representing the transmission data of a predetermined bit length. A receiver, on the other hand, includes a photoreceiving section formed from a two-dimensional photoreceiving surface, decodes the transmission data on the basis of the photoreceived flashing pattern, and recognizes the spatial information of an object on the basis of the flashing position on the two-dimensional photoreceiving surface. Therefore, information, such as an ID, can be obtained from the object in the real world, and also, the spatial position of the object can be recognized at the same time.

Claims

1. A data communication system comprising:

a transmission apparatus comprising a data processing section for generating transmission data and a light-emitting section for emitting an optical signal such that the transmission data is coded; and

a receiving apparatus comprising a photoreceiving section for receiving, on a two-dimensional photoreceiving surface, the optical signal from said transmission apparatus, and a data processing section for decoding the transmission data on the basis of a position at which the optical signal is received on said two-dimensional photoreceiving surface and from the photoreceived optical signal, wherein

a sampling frequency of the data in said photoreceiving section is higher than a transferring frequency of said transmission data; and

said transmission data includes an identifier of said transmission apparatus or an identifier of a real-world object related to said transmission apparatus.

2. The data communication system according to claim 1, wherein said sampling frequency is higher than two times said transferring frequency.

3. The data communication system according to claim 1, wherein said receiving apparatus is configured to operate in two or more operation modes, including an image mode for capturing an image of a scene and a decoding mode for receiving the optical signal, which is performed when not in the image mode.

4. The data communication system according to claim 1, wherein said transmission data forms a bit sequence containing two or more types of information.

5. The data communication system according to claim 1, wherein said transmission apparatus is disposed and used in a neighborhood of the real-world object, and is configured to emit an optical signal representing the identifier of the real-world object and one or more of:

a network address, a host name, a resource identifier, data content, and a program code.

6. The data communication system according to claim 1, wherein a sensor is connected to said transmission apparatus, and said transmission data includes at least a value of said sensor.

7. The data communication system according to claim 1, wherein

said transmission apparatus is configured to perform a predetermined modulation process on the transmission data in order to code the data into the optical signal, wherein the optical signal includes a flashing pattern of light or continuous variations of light intensity, and

said receiving apparatus is configured to perform a corresponding demodulation process in order to extract the original transmission data.

8. The data communication system according to claim 1, wherein said receiving apparatus further comprises an application part for performing processing services corresponding to the position at which the optical signal is received on said two-dimensional photoreceiving surface and to the transmission data decoded from the received optical signal.

9. The data communication system according to claim 8, further comprising a communication medium for connecting the real-world object to a user terminal,

wherein said application part is configured to obtain an address of the real-world object on said communication medium on the basis of the data decoded from the optical signal, and establish a connection between the user terminal and the real-world object.

10. The data communication system according to claim 8, wherein

said receiving apparatus further comprises connection means for accessing an external information providing space, and

said application part is configured to search said information providing space on the basis of the data obtained by decoding the optical signal, and extract information content related to the real-world object.

11. The data communication system according to claim 8, wherein said receiving apparatus further comprises captured-image processing means for processing a captured image corresponding to a brightness of the optical signal which is photoreceived on said two-dimensional photoreceiving surface, and image display means for displaying an image, and

said application part is configured to display the captured image on a screen, and to display, on the captured image, the data obtained by decoding the optical signal in an overlaid manner at a place corresponding to the photoreceived position of the optical signal.

12. The data communication system according to claim 8, wherein said transmission apparatus comprises a plurality of light-emitting sections, and

said application part is configured to specify a spatial position of said transmission apparatus based on positions of optical signals from the plurality of light-emitting sections detected on said two-dimensional photoreceiving surface.

13. The data communication system according to claim 8, wherein said receiving apparatus comprises a plurality of two-dimensional photoreceiving surfaces, and

said application part is configured to specify a spatial position of said transmission apparatus by performing stereo matching on the basis of the optical signal detected on each of the plurality of two-dimensional photoreceiving surfaces and the photoreceived position thereof.

14. The data communication system according to claim 1, wherein said receiving apparatus further comprises captured-image processing means for processing a captured image according to a brightness of the optical signal received on said two-dimensional photoreceiving surface.

15. The data communication system according to claim 1, wherein, on said receiving apparatus, said data processing section is configured to divide the two-dimensional photoreceiving surface of said photoreceiving section into an area in which the photoreceived signal is too strong and data reproduction is impossible, an area in which the photoreceived signal has a sufficient intensity and data reproduction is possible, and an area in which the photoreceived signal is very weak and reception is impossible, and to decode the transmission data by using the photoreceived signal from the area in which data reproduction is possible.

16. The data communication system according to claim 15, wherein said data processing section is configured to determine a position of the center of gravity of the area in which data reproduction is possible, and to specify a spatial position of the transmission apparatus on the basis of the position of the center of gravity.

17. The data communication system according to claim 1, wherein a plurality of transmission apparatuses are disposed in the real world, and

on said receiving apparatus, said photoreceiving section is configured to receive the optical signal from the plurality of transmission apparatuses at the same time, said data processing section is configured to separate the optical signal on the basis of the photoreceived position on said two-dimensional photoreceiving surface, and said application part is configured to separate and detect each item of the decoded transmission data decoded on the basis of the photoreceived position on said two-dimensional photoreceiving surface.

18. A data transmission apparatus for use with a receiving apparatus comprising a photoreceiving section for photoreceiving an optical signal on a two-dimensional photoreceiving surface on the basis of a photoreceived position of the optical signal on said two-dimensional photoreceiving surface and from the two or more photoreceived optical signals, the data transmission apparatus comprising:

a data processing section for generating transmission data; and

a light-emitting section for coding the transmission data into the optical signal and sending the optical signal, wherein

the transmission data includes an identifier of said transmission apparatus or an identifier of a real-world object related to said transmission apparatus, and wherein

a transferring frequency of said transmission data is lower than a sampling frequency of the photoreceiving section.

19. The data transmission apparatus according to claim 18, wherein said sampling frequency is higher than two times said transferring frequency.

20. The data transmission apparatus according to claim 18, wherein said transmission data forms a bit sequence containing two or more types of information.

21. The data transmission apparatus according to claim 18, wherein said data transmission apparatus is disposed and used in a neighborhood of a real-world object, and

said data processing section is configured to generate the identifier of the real-world object and one or more of:

a network address, a host name, a resource identifier, data content, and a program code, and said light-emitting section is configured to send the transmission data which is coded into the optical signal.

22. The data transmission apparatus according to claim 18, wherein said transmission apparatus is connected to a sensor, and

said transmission data contains at least the value of said sensor.

23. The data transmission apparatus according to claim 18, wherein said light-emitting section is configured to perform a predetermined modulation process on the transmission data so that the data is coded into the optical signal, and the optical signal comprises a flashing pattern of light or continuous variations of light intensity.

24. The data transmission apparatus according to claim 18, wherein a plurality of light-emitting sections are provided, so that space information in the real world is represented by a physical arrangement between the plurality of light-emitting sections.

25. A data receiving apparatus comprising:

a photoreceiving section for photoreceiving, on a two-dimensional photoreceiving surface, an optical signal such that transmission data is coded, a sampling frequency of the data being higher than a transferring frequency of said transmission data; and

a data processing section for performing data processing based on a combination of a photoreceived position of the optical signal on said two-dimensional photoreceiving surface and the data decoded from the photoreceived optical signal,

wherein the transmission data contains an identifier of a transmission apparatus or an identifier of a real-world object related to the transmission apparatus.

26. The data receiving apparatus according to claim 25, wherein said sampling frequency is higher than two times said transferring frequency.

27. The data receiving apparatus according to claim 25, wherein said receiving apparatus is configured to operate in two or more operation modes, including an image mode for capturing an image of a scene and a decoding mode, which is performed when not in the image mode, for receiving the optical signal.

28. The data receiving apparatus according to claim 25, wherein said transmission data forms a bit sequence containing two or more types of information.

29. The data receiving apparatus according to claim 25, wherein, based on a predetermined modulation process performed on the transmission data, the transmission data is coded into a flashing pattern of light or continuous variations of light intensity, and

said data processing section is configured to perform a corresponding demodulation process in order to extract the original transmission data.

30. The data receiving apparatus according to claim 25, further comprising an application part for performing processing services corresponding to the photoreceived position of the optical signal on said two-dimensional photoreceiving surface and to the transmission data decoded from the photoreceived optical signal.

31. The data receiving apparatus according to claim 30, wherein said application part is configured to extract, based on the decoded transmission data, an identifier of the real-world object in which a light source which emits the optical signal is disposed and one or more of:

a network address, a host name, a resource identifier, data content, and a program code.

32. The data receiving apparatus according to claim 30, further comprising a communication medium for connecting the real-world object to a user terminal,

wherein said application part is configured to obtain an address of the real-world object on said communication medium on the basis of the data decoded from the optical signal, and to establish a connection between the user terminal and the real-world object.

33. The data receiving apparatus according to claim 30, further comprising captured-image processing means for processing a captured image corresponding to a brightness of the optical signal which is photoreceived on said two-dimensional photoreceiving surface, and image display means for displaying an image, and

wherein said application part is configured to display the captured image on a screen, and and to display, on the captured image, the data obtained by decoding the optical signal in an overlaid manner at a place corresponding to the photoreceived position of the optical signal.

34. The data receiving apparatus according to claim 30, wherein said application part is configured to specify a spatial position of the transmission apparatus which emits the optical signal on the basis of photoreceived positions of a plurality of optical signals detected on said two-dimensional photoreceiving surface.

35. The data receiving apparatus according to claim 30, wherein a plurality of transmission apparatuses are disposed in the real world,

said photoreceiving section is configured to photoreceive the optical signal from the plurality of transmission apparatuses at the same time,

said data processing section is configured to separate and decode the optical signal according to the photoreceived position on said two-dimensional photoreceiving surface, and

said application part is configured to separate and detect each item of the decoded transmission data according to the photoreceived position on said two-dimensional photoreceiving surface.

36. The data receiving apparatus according to claim 25, wherein said transmission data contains at least a value of a sensor connected to the transmission apparatus.

37. The data receiving apparatus according to claim 25, further comprising connection means for accessing an external information providing space,

wherein an application part is configured to search said information providing space on the basis of the data obtained by decoding the photoreceived optical signal, and to extract information content related to the real-world object.

38. The data receiving apparatus according to claim 25, further comprising captured-image processing means for processing a captured image according to a brightness of the optical signal which is photoreceived on said two-dimensional photoreceiving surface.

39. The data receiving apparatus according to claim 25, wherein said data processing section is configured to divide the two-dimensional photoreceiving surface of said photoreceiving section into an area in which the photoreceived signal is too strong and data reproduction is impossible, an area in which the photoreceived signal has a sufficient intensity and data reproduction is possible, and an area in which the photoreceived signal is very weak and reception is impossible, and to decode the transmission data by using the photoreceived signal from the area in which data reproduction is possible.

40. The data receiving apparatus according to claim 39, wherein said data processing section is configured to determine a position of the center of gravity of the area in which data reproduction is possible, and to specify a spatial position of the transmission apparatus on the basis of the position of the center of gravity.

41. The data receiving apparatus according to claim 25, wherein a plurality of two-dimensional photoreceiving surfaces are provided, and

an application part is configured to specify a spatial position of said transmission apparatus which emits the optical signal by performing stereo matching on the basis of the optical signal detected on the plurality of two-dimensional photoreceiving surfaces and the photoreceived positions thereof.