Information communication apparatus, method, and recording medium using switchable normal mode and visible light communication mode

• US 9,918,016 B2
• Filed: 05/23/2016
• Issued: 03/13/2018
• 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: Oshima, Mitsuaki, Nakanishi, Koji, Aoyama, Hideki, Fuchigami, Ikuo, Shin, Hidehiko, Mukai, Tsutomu, Matsushita, Yosuke, Iida, Shigehiro, Yamada, Kazunori
• Primary Examiner(s): HERNANDEZ, NELSON D
• Application Number:
  US15/161,657
• Publication Number:
  US 20160269608A1
• Time in Patent Office: 659 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 10/11 Arrangements specific to free-space transmission, i.e. transmission through air or vacuum
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 10/1143 Bidirectional transmission
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 10/116 Visible light communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/66 Remote control of cameras or camera parts, e.g. by remote control devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/667 Camera operation mode switching, e.g. between still and video, sport and normal or high- and low-resolution modes
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/73 by influencing the exposure time
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 25/531 by controlling rolling shutters in CMOS SSIS
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/20 Services signaling; Auxiliary data signalling, i.e. transmitting data via a non-traffic channel
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/21 for social networking applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/50 Service provisioning or reconfiguring

Abstract

An apparatus includes a processor and a recording medium having a program, the program causing the processor to execute operations. The operations include providing a normal mode and a visible light communication mode, wherein the normal mode and the visible light communication mode are switchable. In the normal mode, first image data is obtained by image capture with a first exposure time by sequentially starting exposure for a plurality of exposure lines in an image sensor each at a different time and each of the plurality of exposure lines partially overlaps in exposure time an adjacent exposure line. In the visible light communication mode, (i) a second exposure time of the image sensor is set, (ii) a bright line image is obtained, and (iii) information is obtained by demodulating data specified by a pattern of the plurality of bright lines included in the obtained bright line image.

Claims

1. An apparatus, comprising:

a display;

a processor; and

a recording medium having a program, the program causing the processor to execute operations including

executing a normal mode and a visible light communication mode, wherein the normal mode and the visible light communication mode are switchable,

in the normal mode, obtaining first image data by image capture with a first exposure time by sequentially starting exposure for a plurality of exposure lines in an image sensor each at a different time and each of the plurality of exposure lines partially overlaps in exposure time an adjacent exposure line,

in the visible light communication mode,

(i) setting a second exposure time of the image sensor so that, in an image obtained by capturing a subject by the image sensor, a plurality of bright lines corresponding to the plurality of exposure lines included in the image sensor appear according to a change in luminance of the subject,

(ii) obtaining a bright line image including the plurality of bright lines, by capturing the subject changing in luminance by the image sensor with the set second exposure time by sequentially starting exposure for the plurality of exposure lines in the image sensor each at the different time and each of the plurality of exposure lines partially overlaps in exposure time the adjacent exposure line, and

(iii) obtaining information by demodulating data specified by a pattern of the plurality of bright lines included in the obtained bright line image; and

displaying a first image, using the first image data, on the display during a period when the visible light communication mode is executed using the image sensor,

wherein the normal mode and the visible light communication mode are executed alternatively using the image sensor.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the first image is obtained before executing the visible light communication mode.

3. The apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the first image is obtained immediately before executing the visible light communication mode.

4. The apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the operations further including obtaining an augmented reality image data specified by the obtained information, and

wherein in the displaying, an augmented reality image is superimposed on the first image using the augmented reality image data.

5. The apparatus according to claim 4, further comprising:

a sensor obtaining a rotation angle of the apparatus,

wherein the operations further including obtaining the rotation angle of the apparatus, and

wherein in the displaying, a position of the augmented reality image in the first image is estimated using the rotation angle.

6. The apparatus according claim 4,

wherein in the normal mode, a plurality of first images are obtained,

wherein the operations further including obtaining moving direction information from the plurality of first images, and

wherein in the displaying, a position of the augmented reality image in the first image is estimated using the moving direction information.

7. A method, comprising:

executing providing a normal mode and a visible light communication mode, wherein the normal mode and the visible light communication mode are switchable,

in the normal mode, obtaining first image data by image capture with a first exposure time by sequentially starting exposure for a plurality of exposure lines in an image sensor each at a different time and each of the plurality of exposure lines partially overlaps in exposure time an adjacent exposure line,

in the visible light communication mode,

(i) setting a second exposure time of the image sensor so that, in an image obtained by capturing a subject by the image sensor, a plurality of bright lines corresponding to the plurality of exposure lines included in the image sensor appear according to a change in luminance of the subject,

(ii) obtaining a bright line image including the plurality of bright lines, by capturing the subject changing in luminance by the image sensor with the set second exposure time by sequentially starting exposure for the plurality of exposure lines in the image sensor each at the different time and each of the plurality of exposure lines partially overlaps in exposure time the adjacent exposure line, and

(iii) obtaining information by demodulating data specified by a pattern of the plurality of bright lines included in the obtained bright line image; and

displaying a first image, using the first image data, during a period when the visible light communication mode is executed using the image sensor,

wherein the normal mode and the visible light communication mode are executed alternatively using the image sensor.

8. A non-transitory computer-readable recording medium having a program stored therein that when executed by a processor causes the processor to execute operations including:

executing a normal mode and a visible light communication mode, wherein the normal mode and the visible light communication mode are switchable,

in the normal mode, obtaining first image data by image capture with a first exposure time by sequentially starting exposure for a plurality of exposure lines in an image sensor each at a different time and each of the plurality of exposure lines partially overlaps in exposure time an adjacent exposure line,

in the visible light communication mode,

(i) setting a second exposure time of the image sensor so that, in an image obtained by capturing a subject by the image sensor, a plurality of bright lines corresponding to the plurality of exposure lines included in the image sensor appear according to a change in luminance of the subject,

(ii) obtaining a bright line image including the plurality of bright lines, by capturing the subject changing in luminance by the image sensor with the set second exposure time by sequentially starting exposure for the plurality of exposure lines in the image sensor each at the different time and each of the plurality of exposure lines partially overlaps in exposure time the adjacent exposure line, and

(iii) obtaining information by demodulating data specified by a pattern of the plurality of bright lines included in the obtained bright line image; and

displaying a first image, using the first image data, during a period when the visible light communication mode is executed using the image sensor,

wherein the normal mode and the visible light communication mode are executed alternatively using the image sensor.