Visible light communication system

• US 9,258,057 B2
• Filed: 06/19/2014
• Issued: 02/09/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 06/28/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Panasonic Intellectual Property Management Co., Ltd. (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Panasonic Intellectual Property Management Co., Ltd. (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Yamasaki, Shigeaki, Shiohama, Eiji, Kido, Shojirou
• Primary Examiner(s): Vanderpuye, Ken
• Assistant Examiner(s): SANCHEZ, DIBSON J
• Application Number:
  US14/309,026
• Publication Number:
  US 20150003832A1
• Time in Patent Office: 600 Days
• Field of Search: 398115-131
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 10/116 Visible light communication

Abstract

A server is configured to manage second positional information, which shows a location of the lighting device, so that the second positional information is associated with the ID information of the lighting device. The server is configured to determine whether or not the ID information received from the receiving terminal is justifiable based on the second positional information, which corresponds to the ID information received from the receiving terminal, and the first positional information, which is received from the receiving terminal. The server is configured to reply, to the receiving terminal, the service information corresponding to the ID information received from the receiving terminal when determining that the ID information received from the receiving terminal is justifiable. The server is configured not to reply the service information to the receiving terminal when determining that the ID information received from the receiving terminal is not justifiable.

Claims

1. A visible light communication system, comprising:

at least one lighting device assigned with unique ID information, the lighting device being configured to transmit the ID information with illumination light as a communication medium;

a server configured to manage service information corresponding to the ID information; and

a portable receiving terminal configured to receive the illumination light emitted from the lighting device to acquire the ID information, the receiving terminal being configured to transmit the acquired ID information to the server to receive, from the server, the service information corresponding to the acquired ID information,

wherein the receiving terminal comprises;

a positional information acquisition unit configured to acquire first positional information showing a present location of the receiving terminal; and

a transmitter configured to transmit, to the server, the ID information and the first positional information acquired by the positional information acquisition unit,

wherein the server is configured to manage second positional information, which shows a location of the lighting device, so that the second positional information corresponds to the ID information of the lighting device, and

wherein the server is configured to calculate a positional error based on the second positional information, which shows a location of the lighting device and corresponds to the ID information received from the receiving terminal, and the first positional information, which shows the present location of the receiving terminal and is received from the receiving terminal, the position error being a distance between a position shown by the first positional information and a position shown by the second positional information,

the server being configured to reply, to the receiving terminal, the service information corresponding to the ID information received from the receiving terminal when the position error is within a predetermined acceptable range,

the server being configured not to reply the service information to the receiving terminal when the position error is out of the acceptable range.

2. The visible light communication system according to claim 1,

wherein the positional information acquisition unit is configured to acquire the first positional information with a global positioning system.

3. The visible light communication system according to claim 2, wherein when acquiring the service information from the server, the receiving terminal is configured to execute prescribed application software based on the service information.

4. The visible light communication system according to claim 2,

wherein when the positional error is out of the acceptable range, the server is configured to reply error information to the receiving terminal, and

wherein when receiving the error information from the server, the receiving terminal is configured to perform a prescribed error processing.

5. The visible light communication system according to claim 2, wherein the at least one lighting device comprises a plurality of lighting devices.

6. The visible light communication system according to claim 1,

wherein the receiving terminal comprises a radio communication unit as the positional information acquisition unit, the radio communication unit having a mobile-phone function for performing radio communication with a base station for mobile phones, and

wherein the radio communication unit is configured to acquire base station information, which shows a location of the base station, from the base station with the mobile-phone function and regard the base station information as the first positional information.

7. The visible light communication system according to claim 6, wherein when acquiring the service information from the server, the receiving terminal is configured to execute prescribed application software based on the service information.

8. The visible light communication system according to claim 6,

wherein when the positional error is out of the acceptable range, the server is configured to reply error information to the receiving terminal, and

wherein when receiving the error information from the server, the receiving terminal is configured to perform a prescribed error processing.

9. The visible light communication system according to claim 6, wherein the at least one lighting device comprises a plurality of lighting devices.

10. The visible light communication system according to claim 1,

wherein the receiving terminal comprises a radio communication unit as the positional information acquisition unit, the radio communication unit having a radio-communication function for performing radio communication with an access point for wireless LAN, and

wherein the radio communication unit is configured to acquire access point information, which shows a location of the access point, from the access point with the radio-communication function and regard the access point information as the first positional information.

11. The visible light communication system according to claim 10, wherein when acquiring the service information from the server, the receiving terminal is configured to execute prescribed application software based on the service information.

12. The visible light communication system according to claim 10,

wherein when the positional error is out of the acceptable range, the server is configured to reply error information to the receiving terminal, and

wherein when receiving the error information from the server, the receiving terminal is configured to perform a prescribed error processing.

13. The visible light communication system according to claim 10, wherein the at least one lighting device comprises a plurality of lighting devices.

14. The visible light communication system according to claim 1,

wherein when acquiring the service information from the server, the receiving terminal is configured to execute prescribed application software based on the service information.

15. The visible light communication system according to claim 1,

wherein when the positional error is out of the acceptable range, the server is configured to reply error information to the receiving terminal, and

wherein when receiving the error information from the server, the receiving terminal is configured to perform a prescribed error processing.

16. The visible light communication system according to claim 1, wherein the at least one lighting device comprises a plurality of lighting devices.

17. A server configured to manage service information corresponding to ID information that a portable receiving terminal has acquired from a lighting device with illumination light, as a communication medium, emitted from at least one lighting device assigned with unique ID information,

the server being configured to receive, from the receiving terminal, the ID information that the receiving terminal acquires from the lighting device and first positional information showing a present location of the receiving terminal,

the server being configured to manage second positional information, which shows a location of the lighting device, so that the second positional information corresponds to the ID information of the lighting device,

the server being configured to calculate a positional error based on the second positional information, which shows a location of the lighting device and corresponds to the ID information received from the receiving terminal, and the first positional information, which shows the present location of the receiving terminal and is received from the receiving terminal, the positional error being a distance between a position shown by the first positional information and a position shown by the second positional information,

the server being configured to reply, to the receiving terminal, the service information corresponding to the ID information received from the receiving terminal when the positional error is within a predetermined acceptable range,

the server being configured not to reply the service information to the receiving terminal when the positional error is out of the acceptable range.