Light device and positional information management system

• US 9,232,614 B2
• Filed: 06/05/2013
• Issued: 01/05/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 06/12/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ricoh Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Ricoh Company Limited
• Inventors: Hiroi, Takaaki
• Primary Examiner(s): Zweizig, Jeffrey
• Application Number:
  US13/910,401
• Publication Number:
  US 20130328481A1
• Time in Patent Office: 944 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: F21K 9/27 Retrofit light sources for lighting devices with two fittings for each light source, e.g. for substitution of fluorescent tubes
• CPC Class Codes: F21K 9/66 Details of globes or covers forming part of the light source
• CPC Class Codes: F21Y 2115/10 Light-emitting diodes [LED]
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 45/30 Driver circuits
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 47/19 via wireless transmission

Abstract

A light device includes a light source that irradiates light to the outside; a base part that has a mounting part on which the light source is mounted; a cover part that is formed to cover the light source, and is mounted on a bottom side of the base part; a wireless communication device that carries out wireless communication with a wireless terminal; and a positional information transmitter that transmits positional information of the wireless terminal, wherein the positional information transmitter has a pattern antenna employing an electrode that transmits visible light, and the pattern antenna is provided in the cover part.

Claims

1. A light device comprising:

a light source that irradiates light to the outside;

a base part that has a mounting part on which the light source is mounted;

a cover part that is formed to cover the light source, and is mounted on a bottom side of the base part; and

a positional information transmitter that transmits positional information of the light device, wherein

the positional information transmitter has a pattern antenna employing an electrode that transmits visible light, and

the pattern antenna is provided in the cover part.

2. The light device as claimed in claim 1, further comprising:

a wireless communication device that carries out wireless communication with a wireless terminal, wherein

the wireless communication device has a pattern antenna employing an electrode that transmits visible light, and

the pattern antenna of the wireless communication device is provided in the cover part.

3. The light device as claimed in claim 2, wherein

the pattern antennas are formed in a sheet-like member that transmits visible light, and

the sheet-like member is affixed to any one of the inside and outside of the cover part.

4. The light device as claimed in claim 3, wherein

the pattern antennas are formed as a result of ITO thin films being laminated onto a surface of the sheet-like member.

5. The light device as claimed in claim 3, wherein

the sheet-like member is formed by a plastic film that transmits visible light, and adheres to an inside curved surface or an outside curved surface near the center along a longitudinal direction of the cover part.

6. The light device as claimed in claim 1, wherein

the pattern antenna is built-in near the center along a longitudinal direction of the cover part.

7. The light device as claimed in claim 1, wherein

the positional information transmitter transmits the positional information using a communication method by which indoor positioning can be carried out.

8. The light device as claimed in claim 1, wherein

the light source includes a plurality of semiconductor light emitting elements arranged at every predetermined interval on the mounting part of the base part.

9. A positional information management system comprising:

a light device that has positional information of the light device;

a wireless terminal that receives the positional information from the light device and transmits the positional information and identification information to the light device; and

a management server that receives the positional information and the identification information from the light device and manages a position of the wireless terminal, wherein

the light device comprises;

a light source that irradiates light to the outside;

a base part that has a mounting part on which the light source is mounted;

a cover part that is formed to cover the light source, and is mounted on a bottom side of the base part; and

a positional information transmitter that transmits the positional information of the light device, wherein

the positional information transmitter has a pattern antenna employing an electrode that transmits visible light, and

the pattern antenna is provided in the cover part.

10. The positional information management system as claimed in claim 9, wherein the light device further comprises:

a wireless communication device that carries out wireless communication with the wireless terminal, and wherein

the management server manages the positional information of the light device and the identification information of the wireless terminal device to be associated with each other to provide information indicating that the position of the wireless terminal corresponds to a position of the light device.