Systems and methods to communicate and control actions using light emitting diodes

• US 8,957,587 B2
• Filed: 12/23/2013
• Issued: 02/17/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 09/20/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Disney Enterprises Incorporated (The Walt Disney Company)
• Original Assignee: Disney Enterprises Incorporated (The Walt Disney Company)
• Inventors: Ong, Kenlip, Mkrtchyan, Armen, Watkinson, Courtney
• Primary Examiner(s): Hammond, Crystal L
• Application Number:
  US14/138,954
• Publication Number:
  US 20140111096A1
• Time in Patent Office: 421 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 315/150
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2009/1061 with electric features, e.g. light, wires
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2009/2444 Light detector
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2009/2454 with LED
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 3/00643 Electric board games; Electric features of board games electric word or number games A63F3/0421; computer chess G06F; electric raffle games A63F3/081
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 10/1143 Bidirectional transmission
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 10/116 Visible light communication
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 45/30 Driver circuits

Abstract

In some embodiments, a signal of light may be emitted from an illumination source of a first transceiver. A second transceiver may detect a signal of light from the first transceiver that exceeds a threshold luminosity; and activate, in response to the detecting of the signal of light that exceeds the threshold luminosity, an illumination source of the second transceiver to illuminate. An intensity of the illumination source of the first transceiver may then be reduced in response to the activating of the illumination source of the second transceiver to illuminate.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

emitting a modulated signal of light from an illumination source of a first transceiver, the modulated signal of light having a first characteristic;

detecting, by a second transceiver, a modulated signal of light having the first characteristic from the first transceiver that exceeds a threshold luminosity; and

activating, in response to the detecting of the modulated signal of light that exceeds the threshold luminosity, an illumination source of the second transceiver to illuminate.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said modulated signal of light is associated with controlling at least one of:

(i) a color of the light emitted, (ii) an intensity of the light emitted, (iii) a frequency of the light emitted, (iv) a signal bandwidth, and (v) a rate of state changes.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising electrically coupling the second transceiver to a base unit, wherein the base unit provides at least one of power and control processing to the second transceiver.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the base unit comprises at least one of:

a doll, a toy animal, a construction set, a puzzle, an action figure, a play structure, a toy vehicle, a board game component, and a playscape component.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein the activating includes invoking a functionality of the base unit in response to the detecting of the modulated signal of light having the first characteristic from the first transceiver that exceeds the threshold luminosity.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the functionality of the base unit comprises at least one of an electrical action, a mechanical action, an auditory action, a visual action, and a combination thereof.

7. The method of claim 3, wherein the activating includes invoking a functionality of the base unit.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising collecting the second transceiver subsequent to an activating of the illumination source of the second transceiver to illuminate.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the second transceiver further comprises more than one transceiver.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising activating, in response to the second transceiver detecting the modulated signal of light having the first characteristic and exceeding the threshold luminosity, an illumination source of the more than one transceivers of the second transceiver to illuminate.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

detecting, by the first transceiver, light illuminated from the second transceiver; and

reducing an intensity of the illumination source of the first transceiver in response to the detecting of the light illuminated from the illumination source of the second transceiver by the illumination source of the first transceiver.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the second transceiver comprises a plurality of transceivers each functional to detect the modulated signal of light having the first characteristic from the first transceiver that exceeds a threshold luminosity, and activating, in response to the detecting of the signal of light that exceeds the threshold luminosity by the plurality of second transceivers, the illumination source of each of the plurality of second transceivers to illuminate.

13. A system, comprising:

a first transceiver having an illumination source to emit a modulated signal of light having a first characteristic and to reduce an intensity of the signal of light emitted from the illumination source of the first transceiver in response to a detection of a light signal thereon; and

a second transceiver to detect a modulated signal of light having the first characteristic from the illumination source of the first transceiver that exceeds a threshold luminosity and to activate, in response to a detection of the modulated signal of light having the first characteristic from the illumination source of the first transceiver that exceeds the threshold luminosity, an illumination source of the second transceiver to illuminate.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein said modulated signal of light is associated with controlling at least one of:

(i) a color of the light emitted, (ii) an intensity of the light emitted, (iii) a frequency of the light emitted, (iv) a signal bandwidth, and (v) a rate of state changes.

15. The system of claim 13, further comprising a base unit to electrically couple to the second transceiver, the base unit to provide at least one of power and control processing to the second transceiver.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the base unit comprises at least one of:

a doll, a toy animal, a construction set, a puzzle, an action figure, a play structure, a play vehicle, a board game component, and a playscape component.

17. The system of claim 15, wherein the activating includes invoking a functionality of the base unit.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the functionality of the base unit comprises at least one of an electrical action, a mechanical action, an auditory action, a visual action, and a combination thereof.

19. The system of claim 13, wherein the illumination source of the second transceiver is located on, in, or coupled to the second transceiver.

20. The system of claim 13, wherein the second transceiver is removably attached to the base unit.

21. The system of claim 13, wherein the second transceiver further comprises more than one transceiver.

22. The system of claim 21, wherein the more than one transceivers of the second transceiver is activated to illuminate in response to the more than one transceivers detecting the modulated signal of light having the first characteristic and exceeding the threshold luminosity.

23. The system of claim 13, wherein the second transceiver comprises a plurality of transceivers each functional to detect the modulated signal of light having the first characteristic from the first transceiver that exceeds a threshold luminosity;

and to activate, in response to a detection of the signal of light that exceeds the threshold luminosity by the plurality of transceivers, an illumination source of each of the plurality of transceivers to illuminate.