Transmitter apparatus and communication system

• US 8,233,806 B2
• Filed: 08/15/2006
• Issued: 07/31/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 08/31/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Kyocera Corporation
• Original Assignee: Kyocera Corporation
• Inventors: Kitaji, Mitsuhiro
• Primary Examiner(s): Bello, Agustin
• Application Number:
  US12/065,073
• Publication Number:
  US 20090269073A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,177 Days
• Field of Search: 398118-131, 398/172
• US Class Current: 398/172
• 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 10/502 LED transmitters

Abstract

A transmitter apparatus to transmit information to a receiver apparatus by using visible light emitted from a plurality of light sources includes at least a first light source to transmit user data; at least a second light source to transmit a pilot signal; and at least a third light source to transmit notice information that is necessary for receiving the user data in the receiver apparatus, the third light source being placed at a position determined by the position of the second light source.

Claims

1. A transmitter apparatus to transmit information to a receiver apparatus by using visible light emitted from a plurality of light sources, the transmitter apparatus comprising:

at least a first light source to transmit user data;

at least a second light source to transmit a first signal; and

at least a third light source to transmit notice information that is necessary for receiving the user data in the receiver apparatus, the third light source being placed at a position determined by the position of the second light source, wherein

the first signal is the signal that is necessary for specifying the third light source in receiver apparatus.

2. The transmitter apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the notice information includes information that is necessary for specifying the first light source in the receiver apparatus.

3. The transmitter apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the notice information includes information of positions of the second and third light sources.

4. The transmitter apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the notice information includes information about a communication method for transmitting the user data.

5. The transmitter apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a selecting section for selecting the first light source used for transmitting the user data to the receiver apparatus from among the plurality of light sources.

6. The transmitter apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the selecting section selects the first light source when receiving a communication request from the receiver apparatus.

7. The transmitter apparatus according to claim 5, wherein, if a reception error of the user data from the receiver apparatus is received once or a plurality of times, the selecting section selects a light source other than the first light source that has transmitted the user data received in error, the selected light source being regarded as a new first light source.

8. The transmitter apparatus according to claim 5, further comprising an estimating section for estimating light sources visible in the receiver apparatus, wherein the selecting section selects the first light source from among the light sources that are estimated by the estimating section to be visible in the receiver apparatus.

9. The transmitter apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the estimating section estimates the light sources visible in the receiver apparatus based on a direction where the receiver apparatus exists.

10. The transmitter apparatus according to claim 9, further comprising a plurality of receiving elements, wherein the estimating section estimates the direction where the receiver apparatus exists based on a time difference of receiving information from the receiver apparatus in the plurality of receiving elements.

11. The transmitter apparatus according to claim 8, further comprising a plurality of receiving elements placed around the light sources, wherein the estimating section estimates that the light sources placed in a range surrounded by the receiving elements received information from the receiver apparatus are visible in the receiving apparatus.

12. The transmitter apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the selecting section selects the first light source from among the light sources visible in the receiver apparatus based on information about the light sources visible in the receiver apparatus from the receiver apparatus.

13. The transmitter apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the selecting section selects the first light source from among the light sources visible in the receiver apparatus in accordance with a temporal change of the light sources visible in the receiver apparatus.

14. The transmitter apparatus according to claim 13, wherein the selecting section comprises a plurality of selecting sections, which select the first light source from among the light sources that can become visible in the receiver apparatus within predetermined time.

15. The transmitter apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the selecting section comprises a plurality of selecting sections, which select the second and third light sources from among the light sources that are visible in any of a plurality of receiver apparatuses.

16. The transmitter apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of light sources constitute an illuminating device.

17. A communication system comprising the transmitter apparatus according to claim 1 and a receiver apparatus including receiving section for receiving information from the transmitter apparatus through visible light, wherein the receiving section specifies the third light source based on the first signal from the second light source and specifies the first light source based on notice information from the third light source so as to receive user data from the first light source.

18. The communication system according to claim 17, wherein the receiving section includes:

light collecting section for collecting visible light from the transmitter apparatus; and

a plurality of photoreceivers for receiving the visible light collected by the light collecting section.

19. The communication system according to claim 18, wherein the receiving section includes:

light collecting section for collecting visible light from the transmitter apparatus; and

a plurality of photoreceivers for receiving the visible light collected by the light collecting section.

20. The transmitter apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the second light source transmits the first signal as a pilot signal.

21. The transmitter apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the second light source comprises more than two light sources, and the third light is surrounded by the second light source.

22. The transmitter apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the second light source comprises more than two light sources, the transmitter apparatus including a square with four corners, and the third light is located on the center of the square of the transmitter apparatus, the corners of the square defined by the second light.