Information communication method

• US 10,531,009 B2
• Filed: 04/10/2019
• Issued: 01/07/2020
• 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): Dobson, Daniel G
• Application Number:
  US16/380,515
• Publication Number:
  US 20190238740A1
• Time in Patent Office: 272 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 10/116 Visible light communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 10/516 Details of coding or modulation
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/73 by influencing the exposure time

Abstract

An information communication method selectively obtains a location of a terminal device. Determining the location of the terminal device by wireless communication with a wireless access point includes receiving a radio signal including a first identification information to identify a location of the wireless access point, and calculating the location of the terminal device using the identified location of the wireless access point, which is identified by the first identification information. Determining the location of the terminal device by visible light communication with a subject provides higher accuracy and includes setting an exposure time of an image sensor having a plurality to exposure lines so that a bright line corresponding to each of the plurality of exposure lines included in the image sensor appears according to a change in luminance of the subject, obtaining a bright line image by capturing the subject, and demodulating data from the bright line image.

Claims

1. An information communication device for obtaining information from a subject, the information communication device comprising:

a processor; and

an image sensor having a plurality of exposure lines,

wherein the processor executes operations, including

setting an exposure time of the image sensor so that, in an image obtained by capturing the subject by the image sensor, a bright line corresponding to each of the plurality of exposure lines included in the image sensor appears according to a change in luminance of the subject;

obtaining a bright line image, including a plurality of bright lines, by capturing the subject that changes in luminance by the image sensor with the set exposure time;

obtaining the information of the subject, by demodulating data specified by a pattern of the plurality of bright lines included in the obtained bright line image;

obtaining a plurality of signal strengths of radios from a plurality of wireless communication transmitters by wireless communication with the plurality of wireless communication transmitters; and

specifying a position of the information communication device using the information of the subject and the plurality of signal strengths of radios.

2. A non-transitory recording medium that stores a program for controlling an information communication device for obtaining information from a subject, the information communication device including a processor and an image sensor having a plurality of exposure lines, the program executed by the processor causing the information communication device to execute operations, comprising:

setting an exposure time of the image sensor so that, in an image obtained by capturing the subject by the image sensor, a bright line corresponding to each of the plurality of exposure lines included in the image sensor appears according to a change in luminance of the subject;

obtaining a bright line image, including a plurality of bright lines, by capturing the subject that changes in luminance by the image sensor with the set exposure time;

obtaining the information of the subject, by demodulating data specified by a pattern of the plurality of bright lines included in the obtained bright line image;

obtaining a plurality of signal strengths of radios from a plurality of wireless communication transmitters by wireless communication with the plurality of wireless communication transmitters; and

specifying a position of the information communication device using the information of the subject and the plurality of signal strengths of radios.

3. A method for controlling an information communication device including an image sensor for obtaining information from a subject, the method comprising:

setting an exposure time of the image sensor having a plurality of exposure lines so that, in an image obtained by capturing the subject by the image sensor, a bright line corresponding to each of the plurality of exposure lines included in the image sensor appears according to a change in luminance of the subject;

obtaining a bright line image, including a plurality of bright lines, by capturing the subject that changes in luminance by the image sensor with the set exposure time;

obtaining the information of the subject, by demodulating data specified by a pattern of the plurality of bright lines included in the obtained bright line image;

obtaining a plurality of signal strengths of radios from a plurality of wireless communication transmitters by wireless communication with the plurality of wireless communication transmitters; and

specifying a position of the information communication device using the information of the subject and the plurality of signal strengths of radios.

4. The method according to claim 3,

wherein the plurality of wireless communication transmitters are related to WiFi.

5. The method according to claim 3,

wherein the information is identification information to specify the positon of the information communication device.