Method and apparatus for the zonal transmission of data using building lighting fixtures

• US 7,006,768 B1
• Filed: 12/23/1997
• Issued: 02/28/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 01/02/1997
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Convergence Wireless, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Convergence Wireless, Inc.
• Inventors: Franklin, Philip G.
• Primary Examiner(s): Bello, Agustin
• Application Number:
  US08/997,570
• Time in Patent Office: 2,989 Days
• Field of Search: 359/180, 359/181, 359/172, 359/133, 398115-131, 398/162, 398/166, 398/172
• US Class Current: 398/127
• 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: H05B 41/392 using semiconductor devices, e.g. thyristor
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 47/19 via wireless transmission

Abstract

This invention relates to the zonal transmission of data by the modulation of the light output of arc lamps or discharge lamps; including the visible or invisible light output of fluorescent lamps, mercury vapor lamps, high or low-pressure sodium lamps, metal-halide based lamps, or other arc or discharge lamps. The method results in an easily installed, easily maintained, and economical to purchase, optical-wave communications system which exploits the existing infrastructure of a building or facility to facilitate the transmission of data in individual zones; thereby facilitating the transmission of wide-area as well as zonal-specific data to compatible receivers, and further facilitating the determination of location of remote devices or users, and the delivery or exchange of information or data, utilizing limited range transmission techniques.

Claims

1. A system providing bidirectional communication with remote devices comprising a plurality of lamp fixtures in fixed positions, each lamp fixture having identification information;

power lines connected to each fixture for supplying AC electrical energy for each lamp fixture; and

a base station coupled to the power lines;

each fixture comprising;

one or more lamps;

a power supply comprising a rectifier, a filter, and a dual voltage power supply, the power lines electrically connected to the power supply to provide AC electrical energy;

a power line carrier transceiver connected to the power lines adapted to receive a variable message including lamp fixture identification information transmitted by the base station over the power lines;

a switching circuit, the power supply electrically connected to the switching circuit to supply high voltage electrical energy to the switching circuit, the switching circuit electrically connected to each lamp to provide electrical energy to each lamp to cause each lamp to produce light;

the switching circuit capable of encoding a second variable message as an optical signal by generating a plurality of frequencies to modulate the high voltage electrical energy supplied to each lamp to frequency shift the light produced by each lamp to generate an optical signal;

a microprocessor control circuit having memory circuitry and programmed with lamp fixture identification information, the microprocessor control circuit coupled to the power line carrier transceiver and the switching circuit, the microprocessor control circuit receiving the variable message from the power line carrier transceiver, the microprocessor capable of decoding the variable message, and, in response to identifying the lamp identification information and the decoded variable message, encoding a second variable message, including at least one remote device address and the identification information of the fixture, by controlling the switching rate of the switching circuit to generate a plurality of frequencies to modulate the high voltage electric energy supplied to each lamp to modulate the light produced by each lamp to encode and transmit the second variable message as an optical signal; and

a radio transceiver that receives modulated radio signals from a remote device positioned to receive the modulate light from the lamps one or more of the fixtures, the remote device capable of decoding the second variable message encoded in the optical signal and responding to its address and the second variable message in the decoded optical signal by transmitting a radio signal to the radio transceiver, the radio signal including the identification information of the fixture from which the remote device received the optical signal.

2. The system as defined in claim 1, wherein at least one of the lamps is a gas discharge lamp.

3. The system as defined in claim 1, wherein at least one of the lamps is a fluorescent lamp.

4. The system as defined in claim 1, wherein at least one of the lamps is a metal halide lamp.

5. The system as defined in claim 1, wherein at least one of the lamps is a mercury vapor lamp.

6. The system as defined in claim 1, wherein at least one of the lamps is a sodium vapor lamp.

7. The system as defined in claim 1, wherein at least one of the lamps is a neon lamp.

8. The system as defined in claim 1, wherein each of the fixtures is capable of uniquely modulating the light generated by the fixture'"'"'s lamps to generate and transmit unique optical signals.

9. The system as defined in claim 1, wherein microprocessor control circuit is capable of receiving the radio signal from the radio transceiver and decoding the radio signal, encoding a third variable message from the decoded radio signal, and controlling the power line carrier transceiver to transmit the encoded third variable message via the power lines to the base station;

and the base station is capable of decoding the third variable message, the third variable message including the identification information of the fixture receiving the radio signal from the remote device.

10. The system as defined in claim 1, wherein each fixture has a first lamp and a second lamp, each lamp being independently controllable by the microprocessor control circuit to modulate the light of the first lamp at a first frequency shift and to modulate the light of the second lamp at a second frequency shift different from the first frequency shift to produce different optical signals.

11. The system as defined in claim 1, wherein the microprocessor control circuit includes preprogrammed data that corresponds to the unique identification information of the fixture, the microprocessor responsive to the variable message from the power line carrier transceiver capable of generating switching rates to the switching circuit to modulate the light generated by the lamp in the fixture in response to the variable message and to modulate the light generated by the lamp in the fixture in response to the preprogrammed data.

12. The system as defined in claim 1, wherein the switching circuit switching rate modulates the light generated by a lamp in the fixture.

13. The system as define in claim 1, wherein each lamp fixture has a unique identification information.

14. The system as defined in claim 1, wherein the remote device is a movable remote device.

15. The system as defined in claim 9, wherein the plurality of fixtures are located in predetermined locations such that the location of the remote device can be determined by the base station by monitoring the identification information of the fixture receiving the radio signal from the remote device.

16. The system as defined in claim 14, wherein the movable remote device is a handheld device.

17. The system as defined in claim 14, wherein the remote device is a movable device.

18. The system as defined in claim 16, wherein the movable device is a handheld device.

19. A method for locating a remote device, comprising:

transmitting a command signal with unique identification information for one or more lamp fixtures to a plurality of lamp fixtures;

receiving and decoding the command signal in the lamp fixtures with the unique identification information and encoding a message in an optical signal by modulating the light produced by lamps in the fixtures in response to the command;

receiving the optical signal from at least one of the lamp fixtures by a remote device, the modulated light received by the remote device including the encoded message in the optical signal responsive to the command and including the address of the remote device and the identification information of the lamp fixture from which the movable device receives the optical signal; and

transmitting a radio signal from the remote device to a radio receiver in the lamp fixture with the unique identification information, the radio signal including the identification information of the lamp fixture transmitting the optical signal received by the remote device to thereby identify the lamp fixture.

20. A system providing bidirectional communication with remote devices comprising a plurality of fluorescent lamp fixtures in fixed positions, each lamp fixture having unique identification information, each lamp fixture is capable of uniquely modulating the light generated by the fixture'"'"'s lamps to generate and transmit unique optical signals, the lamp fixtures located in predetermined locations;

power lines connected to each fixture for supplying AC electrical energy for each lamp fixture; and

a base station coupled to the power lines;

each fixture comprising;

one or more lamps;

a power supply comprising a rectifier, a filter, and a dual voltage power supply, the power lines electrically connected to the power supply to provide AC electrical energy;

a power line carrier transceiver connected to the power lines adapted to receive a variable message including lamp fixture identification information transmitted by the base station over the power lines;

a switching circuit, the power supply electrically connected to the switching circuit to supply high voltage electrical energy to the switching circuit, the switching circuit electrically connected to each lamp to provide electrical energy to each lamp to cause each lamp to produce light;

the switching circuit capable of encoding a second variable message as an optical signal by generating a plurality of frequencies to modulate the high voltage electrical energy supplied to each lamp to frequency shift the light produced by each lamp to generate an optical signal;

a microprocessor control circuit having memory circuitry and programmed with lamp fixture identification information, the microprocessor control circuit coupled to the power line carrier transceiver and the switching circuit, the microprocessor control circuit receiving the variable message from the power line carrier transceiver, the microprocessor capable of decoding the variable message, and, in response to identifying the lamp identification information and the decoded variable message, encoding a second variable message, including at least one remote device address and the identification information of the fixture, by controlling the switching rate of the switching circuit to generate a plurality of frequencies to modulate the high voltage electric energy supplied to each lamp to modulate the light produced by each lamp to encode and transmit the second variable message as an optical signal; and

a radio transceiver that receives modulated radio signals from a remote device positioned to receive the modulate light from the lamps one or more of the fixtures, the remote device capable of decoding the second variable message encoded in the optical signal and responding to its address and the second variable message in the decoded optical signal by transmitting a radio signal to the radio transceiver, the radio signal including the identification information of the fixture from which the remote device received the optical signal.

21. The system as defined in claim 20, wherein the microprocessor control circuit includes preprogrammed data that corresponds to the unique identification information of the fixture, the microprocessor responsive to the variable message from the power line carrier transceiver capable of generating switching rates to the switching circuit to modulate the light generated by the lamp in the fixture in response to the variable message and to modulate the light generated by the lamp in the fixture in response to the preprogrammed data.

22. The system as defined in claim 20, wherein the remote device is a movable remote device.

23. The system as defined in claim 20, wherein the movable remote device is a handheld device.