Information communication method for obtaining information using ID list and bright line image

• US 10,225,014 B2
• Filed: 12/21/2016
• Issued: 03/05/2019
• 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, Mukai, Tsutomu, Shin, Hidehiko, Matsushita, Yosuke, Iida, Shigehiro, Yamada, Kazunori, Maeda, Toshiyuki, Ueki, Akihiro, Suzuki, Takashi, Shiokawa, Akira, Aoto, Koji
• Primary Examiner(s): Hernandez Hernandez, Nelson D.
• Application Number:
  US15/386,814
• Publication Number:
  US 20170104533A1
• Time in Patent Office: 804 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 10/1143 Bidirectional transmission
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 10/116 Visible light communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 10/516 Details of coding or modulation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2803 Home automation networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2807 Exchanging configuration information on appliance services in a home automation network arrangements for maintenance or administration involving network analysis for automatically determining the actual topology of a network H04L41/12; hardware or software tools for network management using graphical user interfaces H04L41/22; address allocation H04L61/50
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/2841 Wireless
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/64 Computer-aided capture of images, e.g. transfer from script file into camera, check of taken image quality, advice or proposal for image composition or decision on when to take image
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/661 Transmitting camera control signals through networks, e.g. control via the Internet
• 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 4/50 Service provisioning or reconfiguring

Abstract

An apparatus is provided that includes a display, an image sensor having a plurality of exposure lines, a processor, and a memory storing a computer program, which when executed by the processor, causes the processor to perform operations. The operations include displaying a first assist image on the display, and executing a visible light communication mode. In the visible light communication mode, the operations include (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, and (iii) obtaining information by demodulating data specified by a pattern of the plurality of bright lines.

Claims

1. An apparatus, comprising:

a display;

an image sensor having a plurality of exposure lines;

a processor; and

a memory storing thereon a computer program, which when executed by the processor, causes the processor to perform operations including

displaying an assist image on the display to urge a user of the apparatus to move the apparatus, and

executing a visible light communication mode,

in the visible light communication mode,

(i) setting an 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 exposure time, and

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

wherein the displaying displays the assistant image when the obtaining of the information fails to obtain the information, and does not display the assistant image when the obtaining of the information succeeds to obtain the information.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the assist image urges the user to rotate the apparatus.

3. The apparatus according to claim 2,

wherein the assist image is an arrow urging the user to rotate the apparatus.

6. The apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the assistant image urges the user to tilt the apparatus.

4. A method, comprising:

displaying an assist image on a display of an apparatus to urge a user of the apparatus to move the apparatus; and

executing a visible light communication mode,

in the visible light communication mode,

(i) setting an exposure time of an image sensor so that, in an image obtained by capturing a subject by the image sensor, a plurality of bright lines corresponding to a 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 exposure time, and

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

wherein the displaying displays the assistant image when the obtaining of the information fails to obtain the information, and does not display the assistant image when the obtaining of the information succeeds to obtain the information.

5. 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:

displaying an assist image on a display of an apparatus to urge a user of the apparatus to move the apparatus; and

executing a visible light communication mode,

in the visible light communication mode,

(i) setting an exposure time of an image sensor so that, in an image obtained by capturing a subject by the image sensor, a plurality of bright lines corresponding to a 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 exposure time, and

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

wherein the displaying displays the assistant image when the obtaining of the information fails to obtain the information, and does not display the assistant image when the obtaining of the information succeeds to obtain the information.