Optical communication apparatus and optical communication method

• US 8,139,943 B2
• Filed: 01/17/2008
• Issued: 03/20/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 01/19/2007
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Asukai, Masamichi, Ebisawa, Kan, Sako, Yoichiro, Tsuruta, Masaaki, Ito, Taiji
• Primary Examiner(s): Li, Shi K
• Application Number:
  US12/009,201
• Publication Number:
  US 20080260391A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,524 Days
• Field of Search: 398/107, 398/108, 398/118, 398/169
• US Class Current: 398/118
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 10/1143 Bidirectional transmission

Abstract

An optical communication apparatus is disclosed. The optical communication apparatus includes a light transmission section, a light reception section, and a control section. The light transmission section causes a light emitting portion which outputs light in a visual line direction of a user to transmit information. The light reception section causes a light receiving portion which receives light from the visual line direction of the user to receive information. The control section determines whether or not another optical communication apparatus is an information communication target based on identification information when the light reception section has optically received communication request information and the identification information from the other optical communication apparatus and causes the light transmission section to optically transmit communication response information to the other optical communication apparatus when the control section has determined that the other optical communication apparatus be the information communication target.

Claims

1. An optical communication apparatus, comprising:

light transmission means for causing a light emitting portion, which outputs light in a visual line direction of a user, to transmit information;

light reception means for causing a light receiving portion, which receives light from the visual line direction of the user, to receive information;

display means in the visual line direction of the user for displaying an image and viewing therethrough, the display means having controllable transmissivity; and

control means for determining whether or not another optical communication apparatus is an information communication target based on identification information when the light reception means has optically received communication request information and the identification information from the other optical communication apparatus and causing the light transmission means to optically transmit communication response information to the other optical communication apparatus when the control means has determined that the other optical communication apparatus be the information communication target.

2. The optical communication apparatus as set forth in claim 1, further comprising:

storage means for storing providing information,

wherein the control means causes the light transmission means to optically transmit the providing information stored in the storage means along with the communication response information when the control means has determined that the other optical communication apparatus is the information communication target.

3. The optical communication apparatus as set forth in claim 1, further comprising:

storage means for storing providing information,

wherein the control means causes the light transmission means to optically transmit the providing information stored in the storage means when the light reception means has received the communication request information optically transmitted from the other optical communication apparatus.

4. The optical communication apparatus as set forth in claim 1, further comprising:

image capturing means for capturing the visual line direction of the user as an object direction,

wherein the control means causes the light transmission means to optically transmit communication request information and own identification information to the other optical communication apparatus according to an analysis result of the image capturing means.

5. The optical communication apparatus as set forth in claim 1,

wherein when the optical communication apparatus has a plurality of entries of own identification information, the control means causes the light transmission means to optically transmit communication request information and all or a selected part of the plurality of entries of own identification information.

6. The optical communication apparatus as set forth in claim 1, further comprising:

storage means for storing a communication management table with which at least the identification information is managed,

wherein the control means references the communication management table and determines whether or not the other optical communication apparatus is the information communication target when the light reception means has received the communication request information and the identification information optically transmitted from the other optical communication apparatus.

7. The optical communication apparatus as set forth in claim 6,

wherein the communication management table is configured to correlatively manage the identification information and the communication response information, and

wherein the control means causes the light transmission means to optically transmit the communication response information correlated with the identification information on the communication management table when the control means has determined that the other optical communication apparatus be the information communication target.

8. The optical communication apparatus as set forth in claim 6,

wherein the communication management table is configured to correlatively manage the identification information and the providing data, and

wherein the control means causes the light transmission means to optically transmit the providing data correlated with the identification information on the communication management table when the control means has determined that the other optical communication apparatus be the information communication target.

9. The optical communication apparatus as set forth in claim 1,

wherein the identification information is information about a group, and

wherein the control means determines that the other optical communication apparatus be the information communication target when the control means has recognized that the other optical communication apparatus belongs to the group which is the group to which the optical communication apparatus belongs, the recognition based on the identification information optically transmitted from the other optical communication apparatus.

10. The optical communication apparatus as set forth in claim 1,

wherein the control means performs a process of storing the identification information as communication history information when the light reception means has received the identification information.

11. The optical communication apparatus as set forth in claim 10,

wherein the control means performs a counting process of counting the communication history information so as to generate counted data for each entry of the identification information.

12. The optical communication apparatus as set forth in claim 10, further comprising:

communication means for performing a data communication with an external apparatus,

wherein the control means causes the communicating means to transmit the communication history information to an external counting server.

13. An optical communication method, comprising the steps of:

causing a light receiving portion which receives light from a visual line direction of a user to receive communication request information and identification information optically transmitted from another optical communication apparatus;

determining whether or not the other optical communication apparatus is an information communication target based on the received identification information;

displaying on a display in the visual line direction of the user at least a portion of data received from another optical communication apparatus, wherein the transmissivity of the display is controllable for viewing therethrough; and

causing a light emitting portion which outputs light in the visual line direction of the user to optically transmit communication response information when it has been determined that the other optical communication apparatus be an information communication target at the determining step.