LED light dongle communication system

• US 9,768,868 B2
• Filed: 08/08/2016
• Issued: 09/19/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 05/24/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Federal Law Enforcement Development Services, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Federal Law Enforcement Development Services, Inc.
• Inventors: Pederson, John C., Brown, Paul R., Vogt, Timothy J.
• Primary Examiner(s): WOLDEKIDAN, HIBRET ASNAKE
• Application Number:
  US15/231,106
• Publication Number:
  US 20160344477A1
• Time in Patent Office: 407 Days
• Field of Search: 398172, 398135-139, 398128, 398130, 398191, 398189, 398190
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 1/7034 Mounting or deployment thereof
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 1/7038 Signal details
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2201/01 adapted for specific applications or environments
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 10/00 Transmission systems employing electromagnetic waves other than radio-waves, e.g. infrared, visible or ultraviolet light, or employing corpuscular radiation, e.g. quantum communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 10/11 Arrangements specific to free-space transmission, i.e. transmission through air or vacuum
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 10/114 Indoor or close-range type systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 10/1141 One-way transmission
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 10/1143 Bidirectional transmission
• 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: H04B 10/40 Transceivers
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 10/502 LED transmitters
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 3/54 Systems for transmission via power distribution lines
• CPC Class Codes: H04K 1/10 by using two signals transmitted simultaneously or successively
• CPC Class Codes: H04K 2203/22 for communication related to vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: H04K 3/22 including jamming detection and monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: H04K 3/90 related to allowing or preventing navigation or positioning, e.g. GPS
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 11/0003 Details
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/025 using location based information parameters
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 45/20 Controlling the colour of the light
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 47/115 : by determining the presence or movement of objects or living beings
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 47/185 : via power line carrier transmission
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 47/195 : the transmission using visible or infrared light
• CPC Class Codes: Y02B 20/40 : Control techniques providing energy savings, e.g. smart controller or presence detection

Abstract

A Universal Serial Bus (USB) dongle may include an optical transceiver having a USB interface for engagement to an electronic device such as a laptop computer or other USB-configured device. The USB dongle may include a converter or buffering, isolation, modulation or amplification circuitry. The USB dongle sends and receives data signals which may be carried upon an optical transmission as generated by an LED light source which in turn is in communication with a host device such as a network processor. The USB dongle may also include operational amplifiers (op-amps) and transistor amplifiers.

Claims

1. A light emitting diode light communication device comprising:

a housing comprising at least one optical transceiver, said at least one optical transceiver comprising at least one light emitting diode, at least one photodetector, and a universal serial bus interface,

wherein said universal serial bus interface is releasably engaged to, and is in communication with at least one electronic device,

wherein said at least one optical transceiver receives at least one received light signal comprising light in the visible spectrum carried within light emitting diode (LED) illumination, said at least one received light signal being generated by a second optical transceiver spatially distanced from said at least one optical transceiver, said at least one received light signal being observable to unaided eyes of an individual,

said at least one received light signal comprising a plurality of rapid flashes of light, said rapid flashes of light in the visible spectrum having a frequency which is not observable to the unaided eyes of said individual, wherein said rapid flashes of light transmit information or data from said second optical transceiver to said at least one optical transceiver, said information or data comprising at least one location identifier for said at least one optical transceiver.

2. The light emitting diode light communication device according to claim 1, wherein said at least one optical transceiver transmits at least one transmitted light signal comprising light in the visible spectrum, and wherein said at least one light emitting diode and said at least one photodetector are isolated from emitter receiver feedback.

3. The light emitting diode light communication device according to claim 1, wherein said at least one transmitted light signal comprises a plurality of rapid flashes of light in the visible spectrum, said rapid flashes of light having a frequency which is not observable to the unaided eyes of said individual.

4. The light emitting diode light communication device of claim 1, said information or data comprising global positioning system information.

5. The light emitting diode light communication device of claim 1, said optical transceiver further comprising a converter.

6. The light emitting diode light communication device of claim 5, said optical transceiver further comprising buffering circuitry.

7. The light emitting diode light communication device of claim 6, said optical transceiver further comprising isolation circuitry.

8. The light emitting diode light communication device of claim 7, said optical transceiver further comprising modulation circuitry.

9. The light emitting diode light communication device of claim 8, said optical transceiver further comprising amplification circuitry.

10. The light emitting diode light communication device of claim 1, said information or data comprising at least one origin optical transceiver location identifier.

11. A light emitting diode light communication device comprising:

a housing comprising at least one optical transceiver, said at least one optical transceiver comprising at least one light emitting diode, at least one photodetector, and a universal serial bus interface,

wherein said universal serial bus interface is releasably engaged to, and is in communication with at least one electronic device,

wherein said at least one optical transceiver receives at least one received light signal comprising light in the visible spectrum,

said at least one received light signal being observable to unaided eyes of an individual, said at least one received light signal comprising a plurality of rapid flashes of light, said rapid flashes of light in the visible spectrum having a frequency which is not observable to the unaided eyes of said individual, wherein said rapid flashes of light transmit information or data, said information or data comprising at least one optical transceiver location identifier, said information or data comprising at least one origin optical transceiver location identifier, and said information or data comprising at least one intermediate optical transceiver location identifier.

12. The light emitting diode light communication device of claim 11, said information or data comprising at least one destination optical transceiver location identifier.