Switched pixel visible light transmitting method, apparatus and program

• US 9,608,727 B2
• Filed: 12/18/2015
• Issued: 03/28/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 12/27/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Panasonic Intellectual Property Corporation of America (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Panasonic Intellectual Property Corporation of America (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Aoyama, Hideki, Oshima, Mitsuaki, Nakanishi, Koji, Maeda, Toshiyuki, Ueki, Akihiro, Miyoshi, Kengo, Mukai, Tsutomu
• Primary Examiner(s): CURS, NATHAN M
• Application Number:
  US14/973,783
• Publication Number:
  US 20160191158A1
• Time in Patent Office: 466 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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 10/54 Intensity modulation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/007 Unequal error protection for format H04L1/0078; for codes per se H03M13/35
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/0072 Error control for data other than payload data, e.g. control data
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72412 using two-way short-range wireless interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/52 including functional features of a camera constructional features concerning the integration of cameras in portable phones H04M1/0264

Abstract

In a transmitting method that enables communication between various devices including devices other than lightings, a luminance change pattern is determined by modulating a visible light signal, a common switch for turning ON, in common, a plurality of light sources which are included in a light source group of a display and are each used for representing a pixel in an image is switched according to the luminance change pattern, and a first pixel switch for turning ON a first light source among the plurality of light sources included in the light source group is turned ON, to cause the first light source to be ON only for a period in which the common switch is ON and the first pixel switch is ON, to transmit the visible light signal.

Claims

1. A transmitting method of transmitting a visible light signal by way of luminance change, the transmitting method comprising:

determining a luminance change pattern to transmit the visible light signal;

switching a common switch according to the luminance change pattern, the common switch being for turning ON a plurality of light sources in common, the plurality of light sources being included in a light source group of a display and each light source representing a pixel in an image; and

turning ON a first pixel switch for turning ON a first light source, to cause the first light source to be ON only for a period in which the common switch is ON and the first pixel switch is ON, to transmit the visible light signal, the first light source being one of the plurality of light sources included in the light source group,

wherein, in the determining, the luminance change pattern is determined for each symbol,

in the turning ON of a first pixel switch, the first pixel switch is switched in synchronization with a period for transmitting the symbol, and

in the turning ON of a first pixel switch, when the image is displayed on the display, the first pixel switch is switched to increase a lighting period that corresponds to the first light source, by a length of time equivalent to a period in which the first light source is OFF for transmission of the visible light signal, the lighting period being a period for representing a pixel value of a pixel in the image.

2. The transmitting method according to claim 1,

wherein the pixel value of the pixel in the image is changed to increase the lighting period.

3. The transmitting method according to claim 2,

wherein the pixel value is changed in a cycle that is one half of the period for transmitting the symbol.

4. The transmitting method according to claim 1, further comprising

turning ON a second pixel switch for turning ON a second light source, to cause the second light source to be ON only for a period in which the common switch is ON and the second pixel switch is ON, to transmit the visible light signal, the second light source being included in the light source group,

wherein, in the turning ON of a first pixel switch and in the turning ON of a second pixel switch,

when the first light source transmits a symbol included in the visible light signal and the second light source transmits a symbol included in the visible light signal simultaneously, and the symbol transmitted from the first light source and the symbol transmitted from the second light source are the same,

among a plurality of timings at which the first pixel switch and the second pixel switch are turned ON and OFF for transmission of the symbol, a timing at which a luminance rising edge unique to the symbol is obtained is adjusted to be the same for the first pixel switch and for the second pixel switch, and a remaining timing is adjusted to be different between the first pixel switch and the second pixel switch, and

an average luminance of an entirety of the first light source and the second light source in a period in which the symbol is transmitted is matched with predetermined luminance.

5. The transmitting method according to claim 1,

wherein, in the turning ON of a first pixel switch,

when a symbol included in the visible light signal is transmitted in a first period, a symbol included in the visible light signal is transmitted in a second period subsequent to the first period, and the symbol transmitted in the first period and the symbol transmitted in the second period are the same,

among a plurality of timings at which the first pixel switch is turned ON and OFF for transmission of the symbol, a timing at which a luminance rising edge unique to the symbol is obtained is adjusted to be the same in the first period and in the second period, and a remaining timing is adjusted to be different between the first period and the second period, and

an average luminance of the first light source in an entirety of the first period and the second period is matched with predetermined luminance.

6. The transmitting method according to claim 1,

wherein in the turning ON of a first pixel switch, the first pixel switch is ON for a signal transmission period in which the common switch is switched according to the luminance change pattern, and

the transmitting method further comprises

displaying a pixel in an image to be displayed, by (i) keeping the common switch ON for an image display period different from the signal transmission period and (ii) turning ON the first pixel switch in the image display period according to the image, to cause the first light source to be ON only for a period in which the common switch is ON and the first pixel switch is ON.

7. A transmitting apparatus that transmits a visible light signal by way of luminance change, the transmitting apparatus comprising:

a memory storing instructions;

a processor, when executing the instructions stored in the memory, that performs operations comprising;

determining a luminance change pattern to transmit the visible light signal;

switching a common switch according to the luminance change pattern, the common switch being for turning ON a plurality of light sources in common, the plurality of light sources being included in a light source group of a display and each light source representing a pixel in an image; and

turning ON a pixel switch for turning ON a light source to be controlled, to cause the light source to be ON only for a period in which the common switch is ON and the pixel switch is ON, to transmit the visible light signal, the light source being one of the plurality of light sources included in the light source group,

wherein, in the determining, the luminance change pattern is determined for each symbol,

in the turning ON of a pixel switch, the pixel switch is switched in synchronization with a period for transmitting the symbol, and

in the turning ON of a pixel switch, when the image is displayed on the display, the pixel switch is switched to increase a lighting period that corresponds to the light source, by a length of time equivalent to a period in which the light source is OFF for transmission of the visible light signal, the lighting period being a period for representing a pixel value of a pixel in the image.

8. A program recorded on a non-transitory computer-readable recording medium, for transmitting a visible light signal by way of luminance change, the program causing a computer to execute:

determining a luminance change pattern to transmit the visible light signal;

switching a common switch according to the luminance change pattern, the common switch being for turning ON a plurality of light sources in common, the plurality of light sources being included in a light source group of a display and each light source representing a pixel in an image; and

turning ON a pixel switch for turning ON a light source to be controlled, to cause the light source to be ON only for a period in which the common switch is ON and the pixel switch is ON, to transmit the visible light signal, the light source being one of the plurality of light sources included in the light source group,

wherein, in the determining, the luminance change pattern is determined for each symbol,

in the turning ON of a pixel switch, the pixel switch is switched in synchronization with a period for transmitting the symbol, and

in the turning ON of a pixel switch, when the image is displayed on the display, the pixel switch is switched to increase a lighting period that corresponds to the light source, by a length of time equivalent to a period in which the light source is OFF for transmission of the visible light signal, the lighting period being a period for representing a pixel value of a pixel in the image.