Abstract: Methods, systems, apparatuses, and devices are described for transmitting and receiving data using rateless visible light communication (VLC). A codeword having a plurality of symbols is identified. The codeword is repetitively transmitted in a VLC signal while, from one transmission of the codeword to a next transmission of the codeword, imparting changes in timings of the symbols of the codeword relative to a timing reference of an image capture frame of an image sensor configured to receive the codeword. A VLC signal including repetitions of a codeword is received. The codeword has a plurality of symbols. A determination is made regarding whether at least one symbol of the codeword is undetected in a repetition of the codeword. Upon determining that the at least one symbol is undetected in the repetition of the codeword, at least one other repetition of the codeword is searched to detect the at least one symbol.

Abstract: A method, an apparatus, and a computer program product for wireless communication are provided. The apparatus captures one or more images of at least a first indicator and a second indicator, identifies the first indicator based on first identifying information and identifies the second indicator based on second identifying information, and determines an orientation of the mobile device based on the captured one or more images of the at least the first indicator and the second indicator.

Abstract: Methods and apparatus related to peer to peer communication networks are described. Embodiments directed to methods and apparatus for establishing traffic data transmission rates and/or transmission power levels between wireless terminals is described. Embodiments direct to methods and apparatus of making decisions whether or not to transmit as a function of the received power of the received response signals are also described. Transmission of pilot signals after granting of a transmission request and a decision to transmit traffic data has been made occurs in some embodiments. Rate information to be used in determining a traffic rate may be received in response to the pilot signal from a peer to peer (P2P) device.

Abstract: A user equipment (UE) device includes a VLC receiver including a photodiode and a radio receiver. The UE device supports a plurality of alternative technologies, communications protocols, and/or frequencies. During a first mode of operation, e.g., a discovery mode, a low reverse bias voltage value is applied to the photodiode. The low reverse bias voltage is adequate to support the recovery of small amounts of communicated information, and the power consumed by the battery of the UE device is relatively low. During discovery, information communicated includes, e.g., a light transmitter ID, an access point ID, services available at the access point, configuration information for a light receiver and/or for an auxiliary radio receiver. During a second mode of operation, e.g., a data traffic mode, the reverse bias voltage applied to the photodiode is set to a high reverse bias voltage to support higher data rate using VLC.

Abstract: Methods and apparatus of varying transmit power of signals for increasing system throughput and spectral reuse in an unlicensed spectrum are disclosed. One method includes transmitting from a first mobile device to a second mobile device a request to send (RTS) signal having a first transmit data power level based on a channel gain between the first mobile device and the second mobile device, receiving, at the first mobile device, a clear to send (CTS) signal from the second mobile device, and transmitting data at the first transmit data power level from the first mobile device to the second mobile device.

Abstract: Systems and methodologies are described that facilitate detecting and/or identifying peers in a local area peer-to-peer network. Times (e.g., peer discovery intervals) for performance of mutual detection and identification between peers may be synchronized (e.g., based upon a signal broadcast to the peers). Further, within each partitioned peer discovery interval, a wireless terminal may select a portion of time to transmit (e.g., broadcast) short messages that may be employed by peers to detect and/identify the wireless terminal. Moreover, the remainder of the time within the partitioned peer discovery interval may be employed to listen to short messages received from peers.

Abstract: Methods, systems, and devices are described for determining positioning information of a mobile device using modulated light signals. A modulated light signal may be received from each of at least one light source. Each modulated light signal may be decoded to obtain identification information identifying the at least one light source. An angle of arrival of each modulated light signal may also be identified. Each angle of arrival of may be associated with an identified light source.

Abstract: Methods and apparatus related to peer to peer communication networks are described. Embodiments directed to methods and apparatus for establishing traffic data transmission rates and/or transmission power levels between wireless terminals is described. Embodiments direct to methods and apparatus of making decisions whether or not to transmit as a function of the received power of the received response signals are also described. Transmission of pilot signals after granting of a transmission request and a decision to transmit traffic data has been made occurs in some embodiments. Rate information to be used in determining a traffic rate may be received in response to the pilot signal from a peer to peer (P2P) device.

Abstract: Methods and apparatus for efficiently communicating small amounts of information relatively frequently in a wireless communications system are described. An access point's uplink timing frequency structure includes a set of dedicated uplink communications resources, e.g., expression advertisement interval air link resources, which may be in addition to regular traffic channel resources. The set of dedicated uplink communications resources comprises a small fraction of the total uplink communications resources. An individual one of the set of dedicated uplink communications resources can carry a small amount of information bits. An expression advertisement interval occurs relatively frequently. A wireless communications device, registered with the access point, is allocated one of the set of dedicated uplink resources. The wireless communications device can transmit information using its allocated resource in both a sleep state and an active state.

Abstract: Techniques for transmitting information in a long term evolution (LTE) wireless communication network are disclosed. A base station may receive a first user equipment (UE) expression and first UE location information of a UE seeking peers. The base station may also receive a second UE expression and second UE location information of at least one of the peers. In accordance with the first and second UE expressions and the first and second UE location information, the base station may match ones of the peers proximate to the UE. The base station may transmit, using a data exchange efficiency technique, information to alert the UE to the presence of the peers. This transmission may comprise wide area network (WAN)-specific signaling.

Abstract: Methods and apparatus for increasing power efficiency and decreasing latency of communication of a mobile device operating in an unlicensed spectrum using global timing data are disclosed. The method includes receiving, at the mobile device, the global timing data from an external timing source, the mobile device communicating in the unlicensed spectrum, obtaining, at the mobile device, a time from the global timing data, and determining, at the mobile device, a wake time to switch the mobile device from a sleep state to an active state based on the time obtained from the global timing data.

Abstract: Methods and apparatus related to the detection of low-rate visible light communication (VLC) signals and the recovery of information communicated by the VLC signals are described. Various methods and apparatus are well suited for embodiments in which a device, e.g., a smartphone, including a camera which uses a rolling shutter. The rolling shutter facilitates the collection of different time snapshots of a received low rate time varying VLC signal with different pixel rows in the image sensor of a frame corresponding to different time snapshots. In some embodiments, demodulation is used to recover and identify a single tone being communicated in a frame from among a plurality of possible alternative tones that may be communicated, each different tone corresponding to a different set of information bits.

Abstract: Methods and apparatus for controlling access to secure areas are described. Time varying values are generated from access device identifiers, e.g., door identifiers. The time varying value, e.g., a hashed door identifier value, is transmitted as a VLC signal by a luminaire near the door to which the hashed identifier corresponds. A mobile detects the transmitted hashed door identifier value and sends an access request via a wireless signal, e.g., a radio signal. The access request includes a value generated from the received hashed door identifier and a mobile device identifier. A control device determines, from information in the access request and stored information indicating which mobile devices have authority to access which doors, if access should be granted to the door corresponding to the hashed access device identifier from which the received information was generated. The received information may be hash of the mobile identifier and hashed door identifier.

Abstract: A method, an apparatus, and a computer program product for communication are provided. The apparatus obtains a message for communication using visible light communication (VLC) through a light emitting diode (LED) luminary device and formats the message using a synchronization signal followed by one or more data signals. The synchronization signal and/or the one or more data signals are modulated using a Frequency Shift Keying (FSK) modulation scheme. The apparatus further receives a dimming level value associated with a brightness of light to be emitted from the LED luminary device, generates a waveform with frequencies based on the formatted message and a duty cycle for the LED luminary device based on the dimming level value, and sends the generated waveform to the LED luminary device for communication using VLC.

Abstract: Methods and apparatus related to communicating advertisements and/or service announcements to devices in a communications system are described. In various embodiments mobile devices are used as mobile advertisement transmission platforms. Advertisements may be downloaded to the wireless communications device along with transmission constraints. Transmission of an advertisement is made when a transmission constraint, e.g., target audience constraint is satisfied. The wireless terminal may change its transmission frequency, coding rate and/or other transmission characteristics to satisfy a transmission constraint and/or optimize revenue. The mobile device reports advertisements transmissions to a network device, e.g., advertisement server and the owner of the device is compensated for the transmissions. Transmission constraints may involve a number of devices to be reached, the type of devices to be reached, and/or other constraints relating to the demographics of device users.

Abstract: Methods and apparatus for supporting multiple modes of communication operation, e.g., with different parameters and/or frequency bands being used in the different modes of operation are described. One or more adjustments are made based on a signal or signals received in a first frequency band from a second communications device, e.g., an access router with reliable timing. The communications device selects between and operates in either the first frequency band, e.g., a WAN frequency band, or in a second frequency band, e.g., a LAN frequency band. The WAN and LAN frequency bands may be non-overlapping. One or more parameters used in the second frequency band have a predetermined relationship to one or more parameters used for communications in the first frequency band making the adjustment based on the signal received in the first frequency band relevant and useful to support communications in the second frequency band.

Abstract: A hybrid communications system implements different communication technologies to communicate data and information for particular communications directions in different portions of the system. Power line communications (PLC) signaling is used to deliver data and information from a gateway device to a light access point. Visible light communications (VLC) signaling is used to communicate data and information from the light access point to a user equipment (UE) device. Wireless radio signaling, wireless infrared (IR) signaling, or a combination of wireless IR signaling and PLC signaling is used to communicate data/information from the UE device to the gateway device. To efficiently control the VLC communications channel between the light access point and UE device, the UE device measures the VLC channel, e.g., calculating SNRs on a per VLC tone basis, and communicating VLC channel quality feedback information to the gateway device, which is forwarded to the light access point.

Abstract: Methods and apparatus for resolving an ambiguity with regard to a mobile device's location are described. In various embodiments, when a level of ambiguity with regard to the location of a mobile device is detected, and the level of ambiguity is above a threshold, an ambiguity resolution request signal is generated and transmitted. In this manner, a wireless terminal needing help in determining its location reliably may request such help but at other times may determine its own location without assistance. In some embodiments the ambiguity resolution request signal includes information, e.g., location probabilities, on one or more locations which are under consideration as possible locations of the mobile device. A device responding to the ambiguity resolution request provides information allowing the mobile device confronted with a location ambiguity to eliminate at least on location under consideration or to generate a new probability for one or more locations under consideration.

Abstract: Various exemplary methods and apparatus are directed to using Visible Light Communication (VLC) in a downlink, e.g., a supplemental downlink, in combination with a wireless radio downlink/ uplink pair. A gateway is coupled, via a wireline link, to a VLC access point. In some embodiments, the gateway includes a wireless radio base station. A user equipment device detects a visible light signal from the VLC access point, and transmits a radio signal to a communications device, e.g., a gateway including a base station or a macro base station, indicating that the UE device is in a VLC coverage area. The gateway configures the VLC access point to serve as a supplemental wireless cell which supports downlink communications. The gateway sends traffic signals to the VLC access point, via the wireline, which are converted by the VLC access point into VLC signals which are transmitted. The UE device receives VLC downlink traffic signals and transmits a corresponding acknowledgment signal via an uplink radio channel.

Abstract: Methods and apparatus related to determining location of one or more mobile devices based on signals received by mobile device and signals received by fixed devices such as access points (APs) in a communications system are described. In accordance with various embodiments, mobile devices, e.g., peer devices, measure one or more signal characteristics, e.g., received signal power level, of signals received from peer devices and report this information along with information identifying the peer devices to which individual signal measurements correspond. The time of the signal measurements is also reported allowing a location determination server to time align signal measurements made by multiple different devices, e.g., mobile devices and access points, and use signals measurements from the multiple devices to determine the location of one or mobile devices, e.g., at one or more points in time, with more accuracy than if AP signal measurement alone were used.