Multi-frequency dual-use system

• US 8,150,268 B1
• Filed: 08/02/2006
• Issued: 04/03/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 04/15/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Signify Holding B.V. (Signify N.V.)
• Original Assignee: Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. (Koninklijke Philips N.V.)
• Inventors: Leeb, Steven B., Avestruz, Al-Thaddeus, Lupton, Elmer C., Hinman, Roderick, Livshin, Gary, Rodriguez, John, Peterson, Nels
• Primary Examiner(s): PASCAL, LESLIE C
• Application Number:
  US11/497,951
• Time in Patent Office: 2,071 Days
• Field of Search: 398/172
• US Class Current: 398/172
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/713 using frequency hopping
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 10/116 Visible light communication

Abstract

The present invention relates to the dual-use of radiation, for example, but not limited to, visible or infrared light, for both a conventional application, e.g., illumination, combined with the additional or “dual-use” application of transmitting information without wires.

Claims

1. A system for transmitting information and providing illumination comprising:

at least one transmitter for transmitting information using a plurality of distinct transmission frequencies and for simultaneously providing optical illumination, wherein the information and illumination do not interfere with one another; and

at least one receiver for receiving information being transmitted from the at least one transmitter on two or more distinct transmission frequencies

comprising one single lamp which is generating a plurality of distinct transmission frequencies.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the receiver is capable of simultaneously receiving information from the transmitter on two or more distinct transmission frequencies

and in which the receiver receives information on the two or more distinct transmission frequencies transmitted from the single lamp which is generating a plurality of distinct transmission frequencies.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the illumination has no flicker or other phenomena which is distracting to the human eye

and in which the illumination which has no flicker or other phenomena which is distracting to the human eye is generated by the single lamp which is generating a plurality of distinct transmission frequencies.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the transmission frequencies are color frequencies

and in which the color frequencies are generated by the single lamp which is generating a plurality of distinct transmission frequencies.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the transmission frequencies are carrier frequencies

and in which the carrier frequencies are generated by the single lamp which is generating a plurality of distinct transmission frequencies.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the transmission frequencies are modulation frequencies

and in which the modulation frequencies are generated by the single lamp which is generating a plurality of distinct transmission frequencies.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one receiver uses the received information to determine the position of the at least one receiver with to the at least one transmitter

and in which the at least one transmitter relative to which the at least one receiver is determining position is the single lamp which is generating a plurality of distinct transmission frequencies.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one receiver simultaneously receives and processes information from two or more distinct transmission frequencies

and in which the receiver processes information generated by the single lamp which is generating a plurality of distinct transmission frequencies.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one receiver comprises on-board digital computational capabilities

and in which the receiver processes information generated by the single lamp which is generating a plurality of distinct transmission frequencies.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one receiver comprises on-board analog computation capabilities

and in which the receiver processes information generated by the single lamp which is generating a plurality of distinct transmission frequencies.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one receiver comprises a means to transmit received information

and in which the receiver processes information generated by the single lamp which is generating a plurality of distinct transmission frequencies.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the at least one receiver comprises a computing means to make computations based on the received information;

and a means to transmit information

and in which the receiver processes information generated by the single lamp which is generating a plurality of distinct transmission frequencies.

13. The transceiver set of claim 11, wherein the receiver receives the same information on two or more distinct color frequencies of modulated light

and in which the receiver processes information generated by the single lamp which is generating a plurality of distinct transmission frequencies.