Information communication method

• US 9,203,515 B2
• Filed: 06/12/2014
• Issued: 12/01/2015
• 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
• Primary Examiner(s): SINGH, DALZID E
• Application Number:
  US14/302,966
• Publication Number:
  US 20140294398A1
• Time in Patent Office: 537 Days
• Field of Search: 398/25, 398/118, 398/128, 398/130, 398/135, 398/136, 398/172, 348/222.1, 348/226.1
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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: H04L 12/282 based on user interaction within the home receiver circuitry for displaying additional information being controlled by a remote control apparatus H04N21/42204
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/2841 Wireless
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/73 by influencing the exposure time
• 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 information communication device includes an exposure time setter that sets an exposure time of an image sensor so that a bright line corresponding to an exposure line included in the image sensor appears according to a change in luminance of the light emitter. A first information obtainer obtains first information by demodulating data specified by a pattern of the bright line included in the obtained bright line image and a second information obtainer obtains second information by capturing a plurality of light emitting elements, each of which emits light with one of two different luminance values, and demodulating data specified by a light and dark sequence of luminance along a direction substantially parallel to the exposure line.

Claims

1. An information communication method for obtaining information from a light emitter, the information communication method comprising:

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

obtaining a bright line image, which is an image including the bright line, by capturing, by the image sensor with the set exposure time, the light emitter including a plurality of light emitting elements, the plurality of light emitting elements change in luminance in a same manner according to a pattern of a change in luminance for indicating first information;

obtaining the first information by demodulating data specified by a pattern of the bright line included in the obtained bright line image; and

obtaining second information by capturing the plurality of light emitting elements, each of which emits light with one of two different luminance values, and demodulating data specified by a light and dark sequence of luminance along a direction substantially parallel to the exposure line, the light and dark sequence being shown in an image obtained by capturing the plurality of light emitting elements.

2. The information communication method according to claim 1,

wherein a plurality of the exposure lines included in the image sensor each have an exposure time overlap with an adjacent one of the plurality of exposure lines.

3. An information communication device which obtains information from a light emitter, the information communication device comprising:

an exposure time setter configured to set an exposure time of an image sensor so that, in an image obtained by capturing the light emitter by the image sensor, a bright line corresponding to an exposure line included in the image sensor appears according to a change in luminance of the light emitter;

an image obtainer configured to obtain a bright line image, which is an image including the bright line, by capturing, by the image sensor with the set exposure time, the light emitter including a plurality of light emitting elements, the plurality of light emitting elements change in luminance, in a same manner according to a pattern of a change in luminance for indicating first information;

a first information obtainer configured to obtain the first information by demodulating data specified by a pattern of the bright line included in the obtained bright line image; and

a second information obtainer configured to obtain second information by capturing the plurality of light emitting elements, each of which emits light with one of two different luminance values, and demodulating data specified by a light and dark sequence of luminance along a direction substantially parallel to the exposure line, the light and dark sequence being shown in an image obtained by capturing the plurality of light emitting elements.

4. A non-transitory recording medium storing a program for controlling an information communication device for obtaining information from a light emitter, the program causing a processor of the information communication device to execute:

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

obtaining a bright line image, which is an image including the bright line, by capturing, by the image sensor with the set exposure time, the light emitter including a plurality of light emitting elements, the plurality of light emitting elements change in luminance in a same manner according to a pattern of a change in luminance for indicating first information;

obtaining the first information by demodulating data specified by a pattern of the bright line included in the obtained bright line image; and

obtaining second information by capturing the plurality of light emitting elements, each of which emits light with one of two different luminance values, and demodulating data specified by a light and dark sequence of luminance along a direction substantially parallel to the exposure line, the light and dark sequence being shown in an image obtained by capturing the plurality of light emitting elements.