Lighting apparatus and positioning system

• US 9,746,542 B2
• Filed: 08/11/2015
• Issued: 08/29/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 09/09/2014
• 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: Ikehara, Masaaki, Kido, Shojirou, Kondo, Yosuke
• Primary Examiner(s): Curs, Nathan
• Application Number:
  US14/823,195
• Publication Number:
  US 20160072581A1
• Time in Patent Office: 749 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 1/042 Transmitters
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 1/7034 Mounting or deployment thereof
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2201/01 adapted for specific applications or environments
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/0264 at least one of the systems being a non-radio wave positioning system
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 10/1141 One-way transmission
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 10/116 Visible light communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information

Abstract

A lighting apparatus that is used in a positioning system and is locatable in plural number in a limited area is provided. The lighting apparatus for use in the positioning includes a power supplier that supplies power, a lighting unit that is lit by the power supplied by the power supplier, and a beacon transmitter. The beacon transmitter operates by the power supplied by the power supplier, and transmits a beacon that is a signal for positioning. The beacon includes a long-distance beacon transmitted with first transmission power and a short-distance beacon transmitted with a second transmission power less than the first transmission power. The beacon transmitter transmits at least the long-distance beacon intermittently.

Claims

1. A lighting apparatus for use in a positioning system comprising:

a power supplier that supplies power;

a lighting unit that is lit by the power supplied by the power supplier; and

a beacon transmitter that operates by the power supplied by the power supplier, and transmits a beacon which is a signal for positioning,

wherein the beacon includes a long-distance beacon transmitted with first transmission power and a short-distance beacon transmitted with second transmission power less than the first transmission power, and

the beacon transmitter transmits at least the long-distance beacon less frequently than the short-distance beacon,

the lighting apparatus further comprising;

an optical communicator that transmits an optical signal by modulating light to be emitted from the lighting unit;

a detector that detects occurrence of a predetermined event; and

a controller that causes the optical communicator and the beacon transmitter to operate (i) in an operation mode previously determined as a normal mode, when the detector detects no predetermined event, and (ii) in an operation mode previously determined as a disaster mode, when the detector detects the predetermined event,

wherein the beacon transmitter transmits a radio wave beacon,

the controller causes, in the disaster mode, the beacon transmitter to include identification information in the radio wave beacon, and to perform a push communication to a terminal device located within reach of the radio wave beacon, the identification information corresponding to the predetermined event, and

wherein the identification information corresponding to the predetermined event is identification information for allowing the terminal device to display a message that indicates a location to move the terminal device to, wherein the optical signal from the optical communicator is obtainable at the location.

2. The lighting apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the beacon transmitter transmits the long-distance beacon and the short-distance beacon using radio waves.

3. The lighting apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the beacon transmitter transmits an optical signal using one of visible light, ultraviolet light, and infrared light, when transmitting the short-distance beacon.

4. The lighting apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the beacon transmitter transmits the long-distance beacon in synchronization with a timing at which another lighting apparatus in the positioning system transmits another long-distance beacon.

5. The lighting apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the beacon transmitter transmits the long-distance beacon at a timing different from the timing at which the another lighting apparatus transmits the another long-distance beacon.

6. The lighting apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the power supplier includes a storage battery;

the lighting unit is lit by power supplied by the storage battery; and

the beacon transmitter obtains, from a terminal device, information held in the terminal device, and transfers the obtained information to a beacon transmitter included in another lighting apparatus in the positioning system.

7. The lighting apparatus according to claim 6,

wherein the optical communicator transmits maintenance information using the optical signal, the maintenance information indicating at least one of a lighting state of the lighting unit, a charging level of the storage battery, and a state of the beacon transmitter.

8. The lighting apparatus according to claim 7,

wherein the optical communicator transmits the maintenance information using the optical signal, when detecting an instruction from an outside source.

9. The lighting apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the controller causes, in the disaster mode, the optical communicator to include identification information in the optical signal, and to transmit the optical signal to the terminal device, the identification information corresponding to a type of the predetermined event detected by the detector.

10. The lighting apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the controller causes, in the disaster mode, the optical communicator to include identification information in the optical signal, and to transmit the optical signal to the terminal device, the identification information being used for allowing the terminal device to display a manual.

11. A positioning system comprising:

the lighting apparatus according to claim 1; and

a terminal device that receives a beacon transmitted from the lighting apparatus, and performs positioning using the received beacon.