Including Visible Light Modulation Patents (Class 398/172)
  • Patent number: 11670255
    Abstract: A signal light display determination device includes a memory to store a program; and a processor to execute the program, wherein the processor executes the program to acquire image information regarding a first region and a second region that is in close proximity to the first region, the first region and the second region being within a region containing at least a portion of a display of a signal light that is image-captured by a camera, determine, based on the acquired image information regarding the second region, a display state of the display included in the second region, and correct the acquired image information regarding the first region when a determination is made that the display state of the display included the second region has not continued in a state below a threshold for a predetermined time period, the correction being made based on the acquired image information regarding second region.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 24, 2020
    Date of Patent: June 6, 2023
    Assignee: CASIO COMPUTER CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Yoshiyuki Kato
  • Patent number: 11605942
    Abstract: An electrical circuit breaker system including an input terminal connecting an electrical current source and a plurality of output terminals for connecting electrical loads. Each output terminal includes an electrical switch and a current measuring unit. The circuit breaker system includes a current acquiring unit for acquiring current magnitudes measured at the output terminals and for determining a total current magnitude. A temperature acquiring unit acquires a temperature, and a computing unit is configured to determine a total current limit as a function of the acquired temperature. Further, a control unit is configured to select one of the plurality of output terminals based on a ranking of the output terminals and to interrupt the current supply at the selected output terminal by means of the corresponding electrical switch when the total current magnitude exceeds the determined total current limit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 20, 2021
    Date of Patent: March 14, 2023
    Assignee: PHOENIX CONTACT GMBH & CO. KG
    Inventors: Alexander Fomenko, Vjaceslav Magazinik, Gerhard Wölk
  • Patent number: 11496223
    Abstract: The present invention relates to a transmitter for transmitting data and for emitting electromagnetic radiation in the visible spectral range, wherein the transmitter comprises a) a radiation source for generating and emitting first electromagnetic radiation, b) a modulator being adapted to modulate the first electromagnetic radiation depending on the data to be transmitted generating modulated first electromagnetic radiation, and c) a frequency converter for converting at least a part of the modulated first electromagnetic radiation into modulated second electromagnetic radiation, said modulated second electromagnetic radiation being different from the modulated first electromagnetic radiation, wherein the frequency converter comprises a polymeric matrix material comprising at least one organic fluorescent colorant. Furthermore, the invention relates to an illumination device comprising such transmitter.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 23, 2018
    Date of Patent: November 8, 2022
    Inventors: Sebastian Valouch, Robert Send, Sorin Ivanovici, Hannah Stephanie Mangold, Martin Koenemann
  • Patent number: 11444697
    Abstract: A method of communicating information via optical data transmission between two utility vehicles includes providing a control unit on a first utility vehicle, a work light on the first utility vehicle, and a second utility vehicle. The method also includes generating activation signals by the control unit of the first utility vehicle in dependence on transmission data to be transmitted, activating the work light by the activation signals, and emitting light signals via the activated work light to the second utility vehicle. The light signals represent the transmission data.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 22, 2021
    Date of Patent: September 13, 2022
    Assignee: DEERE & COMPANY
    Inventors: Florian Schott, Norbert Fritz, Juergen Hollstein
  • Patent number: 11387900
    Abstract: An optical wireless communication (OWC) transmitter comprising a baseband chip comprises: a media access control (MAC) layer configured to receive data from a network; a first physical (PHY) layer associated with a first light source; and a second physical (PHY) layer associated with a second light source; wherein the first PHY layer is configured to receive first data from the MAC layer and provide a first signal to the first light source, so as to drive the first light source to emit first modulated light that comprises or is representative of the first data; and the second PHY layer is configured to receive second data from the MAC layer and provide a second signal to the second light source, so as to drive the second light source to emit second modulated light that comprises or is representative of the second data.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 11, 2018
    Date of Patent: July 12, 2022
    Assignee: PURELIFI LIMITED
    Inventor: Mostafa Afgani
  • Patent number: 11307296
    Abstract: The present disclosure relates to a time-of-flight distance measuring device. The light source (24) includes a plurality of emitting portions (70, 72), each of which illuminates a respective one of the sub-regions (R1, R2). The light receiver (26) includes a plurality of receiving portions (74, 76) corresponding to respective ones of the emitting portions (70, 72). The first controller (28) controls (i) a first emitting portion (70) to emit the emitted light including an Nth-order harmonic component of a fundamental frequency and (ii) a second emitting portion (72) to emit the emitted light including an Mth-order harmonic component. The second controller (30) controls a particular receiving portion (74) corresponding to the first emitting portion (70) to be sensible to the Nth-order Mth-order harmonic components. The multipath detector (82) detects occurrence of the multipath error when the particular receiving portion (74) senses both the Nth-order and Mth-order components.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 8, 2016
    Date of Patent: April 19, 2022
    Assignees: DENSO CORPORATION, ESPROS PHOTONICS AG
    Inventors: Toshiaki Nagai, Martin Popp, Cengiz Tugsav Kupcu
  • Patent number: 11309962
    Abstract: A device is provided having: a camera for capturing an image by capturing a repetitive series of a set of frames; wherein the camera comprises a first group of camera settings associated with detecting Visible Light Communication and a second group of camera settings not associated with detecting Visible Light Communication; wherein said set of frames comprises a first subset of frames and a second subset of frames, wherein each subset comprises at least one frame; a processor configured to switch the camera periodically between the first group of camera settings and the second group of camera settings for capturing the image by capturing each first subset of frames of the repetitive series of the set of frames with the first group of camera settings and each second subset of frames of the repetitive series of the set of frames with the second group of camera settings.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 22, 2019
    Date of Patent: April 19, 2022
    Assignee: SIGNIFY HOLDING B.V.
    Inventors: Bartel Marinus Van De Sluis, Dzmitry Viktorovich Aliakseyeu, Mustafa Tolga Eren, Stephanus Joseph Johannes Nijssen
  • Patent number: 11282823
    Abstract: A semiconductor device with at least one radiation emitting optical semiconductor chip, an integrated circuit, and exactly two connecting contacts. The semiconductor device has a variable radiation characteristic which is controlled as a function of a voltage signal both for data transmission and for supplying the semiconductor device which can be applied to the connecting contacts and varied over time.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 16, 2018
    Date of Patent: March 22, 2022
    Assignee: OSRAM OLED GmbH
    Inventor: Thomas Schwarz
  • Patent number: 11202357
    Abstract: A two-wire dimming lighting device includes an encoding circuit, a decoding circuit, a light source driving circuit, and an LED light emitting circuit. The encoding circuit wirelessly receives the dimming instruction, encodes an AC power according to the dimming instruction, and then outputs an encoded AC power. The decoding circuit receives the encoded AC power and then decodes the encoded AC power to obtain a light source driving instruction. The light source driving circuit receives the light source driving instruction and controls the changes of light emission of the LED light emitting circuit according to the light source driving instruction. The encoding circuit transmits the encoded AC power to the decoding circuit through a two-wire AC transmission wire.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 6, 2020
    Date of Patent: December 14, 2021
    Assignee: PARAGON SEMICONDUCTOR LIGHTING TECHNOLOGY CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Chia-Tin Chung, Pei-Chun Liu
  • Patent number: 11177883
    Abstract: Method for transmitting a coded light message, comprising: a step of the coded message being emitted by a light-emitting device, the coded message being emitted in the form of a series of colors emitted during regular consecutive time intervals, said message being coded by transitions between colors; a step of the coded message being received by a light sensor controlled to capture the colors emitted by the light emitter during consecutive time intervals and to thus determine the color transitions between consecutive time intervals, representative of the coded message.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 8, 2019
    Date of Patent: November 16, 2021
    Assignee: JCDECAUX SA
    Inventors: Simon Rousseau, Philippe Ebersold, Valentin Dessert
  • Patent number: 11120684
    Abstract: A system may be used for wirelessly transmitting data between a communication terminal positioned in a prescribed area and a remote communication station connected to a communication network. The system may include a lighting arrangement having a lighting device arranged in the prescribed region and at least one transmission device arranged in or directly on the lighting device. The transmission device may be configured to establish a first wireless optical communication connection to the remote communication stations and a second wireless communication to the communication terminal to transmit the data.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 16, 2018
    Date of Patent: September 14, 2021
    Assignee: OSRAM GMBH
    Inventor: Alexander Wanderer
  • Patent number: 11095367
    Abstract: The present disclosure is directed to examples of a light fixture. In one embodiment, the light fixture includes a light source to emit a light, a photo detector to detect an incoming light, a transceiver to receive incoming data and transmit data, a modulator/demodulator to modulate the light with the data and to demodulate the incoming light with the incoming data, and a processor communicatively coupled to the light source, the photo detector, the transceiver, and the modulator/demodulator, wherein the processor is to control the modulator/demodulator to modulate the light at a transmission frequency to transmit the data via the light.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 20, 2020
    Date of Patent: August 17, 2021
    Assignee: DIALIGHT CORPORATION
    Inventors: John Herbert Sondericker, III, Rizwan Ahmad
  • Patent number: 11075696
    Abstract: An LED driver for driving a plurality of LEDs or LED groups to transmit light in a VLC mode is described, wherein the LED driver comprises a control unit that is configured to: receive, at an input terminal, a set-point representing a desired illumination characteristic and data that is to be transmitted using VLC; determine a current profile for each of the plurality of LEDs or LED groups to generate the desired illumination characteristic, whereby an envelope of the combined current profile comprises a modulation in order for a corresponding intensity modulation as perceived by a sensor to represent a variable length VLC code representing the data, the VLC code comprising code words, a code word comprising a plurality of symbols; generate one or more control signals to drive the plurality of LEDs in accordance with the current profiles in order for the plurality of LEDs or LED groups to transmit the VLC code; and upon receipt of a further set-point representing a different illumination characteristic dur
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 8, 2018
    Date of Patent: July 27, 2021
    Assignee: ELDOLAB HOLDING B.V.
    Inventors: Marc Saes, Andy Johanna Elisabeth Otten
  • Patent number: 11057108
    Abstract: A lighting system employs out-of-band (OOB) commissioning techniques, and includes a plurality of uncommissioned luminaires located in a space and a commissioning device. The commissioning device receives, via a visible light camera, over a VLC communication band, a respective VLC code of a respective uncommissioned luminaire. Commissioning device receives via a radio frequency (RF) transceiver, over an RF commissioning network band, a respective RF identifier of the respective uncommissioned luminaire. In response to receiving the respective VLC code and the respective RF identifier, commissioning device determines whether the respective uncommissioned luminaire is in a candidate luminaire roster of candidate luminaires suitable for commissioning in the space. Based on the determination of whether respective uncommissioned luminaire is in the candidate luminaire roster, commissioning device accepts or rejects commissioning of the respective uncommissioned luminaire in the space.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 26, 2020
    Date of Patent: July 6, 2021
    Assignee: ABL IP HOLDING LLC
    Inventors: Antonio F. Mondragon, Sajin George, Mitri J. Abou-Rizk
  • Patent number: 11044017
    Abstract: An optical wireless transmission method according to an embodiment of the present invention comprises the steps of: a modulator receiving transmission data and a transmission image; the modulator generating a reference image on the basis of the transmission image; the modulator generating a data embedded image on the basis of the transmission data and the transmission image; and the transmitter sequentially transmitting the reference image and the data embedded image by means of a light source panel.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 13, 2017
    Date of Patent: June 22, 2021
    Assignee: KOOKMIN UNIVERSITY INDUSTRY ACADEMY COOPERATION FOUNDATION
    Inventors: Yeong Min Jang, Van Trang Nguyen
  • Patent number: 11025342
    Abstract: A method includes receiving X pilot symbols, determining light source sequence numbers of the X light sources based on the X pilot symbols, receiving M×X undersampled pulse width modulation-based pulse position modulation (UPPM) symbols and parsing the M×X UPPM symbols thereby obtaining original data from a sending node by using N light sources. Each of the X pilot symbols includes W waveform segments. Each of the W waveform segments includes a first light source sequence number indication part that indicates a light source sequence number. Waveforms of waveform segments with odd sequence numbers in the W waveform segments are the same, waveforms of waveform segments with even sequence numbers in the W waveform segments are the same, and a duration of each of the W waveform segments is equal. The X pilot symbols are in a one-to-one correspondence with X light sources.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 7, 2020
    Date of Patent: June 1, 2021
    Assignee: HUAWEI TECHNOLOGIES CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Pengfei Luo, Tong Jiang
  • Patent number: 10873397
    Abstract: In various embodiments, a lighting system is provided. The lighting system includes at least two visual light communication units (VLC units), and at least one effect luminaire, at which one of the VLC units is provided. The further VLC unit is arrangeable at an object. At least one item of state information of at least one of the object or the effect luminaire is transferable between the VLC units by at least one light signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 8, 2019
    Date of Patent: December 22, 2020
    Assignee: OSRAM GmbH
    Inventors: Norbert Haas, Norbert Magg
  • Patent number: 10819428
    Abstract: A transmitting method includes: receiving a dimming ratio which is specified for a light source as a specified dimming ratio (S551); transmitting a signal encoded in a first mode by changing luminance while causing the light source to emit light at the specified dimming ratio when the specified dimming ratio is less than or equal to a first value; and transmitting the signal encoded in a second mode by changing the luminance while causing the light source to emit light at the specified dimming ratio when the specified dimming ratio is greater than the first value (S552). Here, a peak current value of the light source when the specified dimming ratio is greater than the first value and less than or equal to a second value is less than the peak current value of the light source when the specified dimming ratio is the first value.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 10, 2019
    Date of Patent: October 27, 2020
    Assignee: PANASONIC INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY CORPORATION OF AMERICA
    Inventors: Hideki Aoyama, Mitsuaki Oshima
  • Patent number: 10778330
    Abstract: Lights may be misconfigured during installation or after they are installed in a facility, such that these lights, also known as orphaned nodes, cannot receive control messages sent by a lighting control system. After installation, a mobile device can be used to identify the network a particular light source is communicating on, by use of a photodetector that detects, in the visible light signal emitted by a light source, data representing the network ID used by the light source. The mobile device can determine from that data whether or not the light source is communicating over the wrong network. If it is determined that a light source is on the wrong network, and therefore orphaned, the mobile device can switch its own configuration so as to be able to communicate to the orphaned light source, and provide instructions to reconfigure the light source to use a corrected network ID.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 3, 2018
    Date of Patent: September 15, 2020
    Assignee: Synapse Wireless, Inc.
    Inventor: Jeremy Jacob Zoller
  • Patent number: 10771156
    Abstract: Techniques are described herein for to improving optical wireless communications based on mobility patterns. In various embodiments, one or more mobility patterns observed in an area over time may be determined (302). The area may be illuminated by one or more lighting units (102) configured to transmit information using optical wireless communications (“OWC”). An applicable mobility pattern may be selected (308) from the one or more mobility patterns. Based on the selected mobility pattern, usage in the area of a plurality of OWC-based mobile apps (230) may be predicted (310). One or more OWC resources of at least one of the one or more lighting units may be allocated (312) for transmission of data to one or more of the plurality of OWC-based mobile apps operating on one or more mobile devices operated within the area. In various embodiments, the allocating may be based at least in part on the predicted usage.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 2, 2017
    Date of Patent: September 8, 2020
    Assignee: SIGNIFY HOLDING B.V.
    Inventors: Abhishek Murthy, Sirisha Rangavajhala, Olaitan Philip Olaleye, Talmai Brandão De Oliveira, Rohit Kumar, Jasleen Kaur, Alexandru Darie, Hassan Mohanna
  • Patent number: 10735231
    Abstract: Demodulating a modulated signal. A method may include receiving a modulated signal, wherein the modulated signal is a signal modulated according to a modulation function varying faster than the signal. The modulation function is a function of the signal. The modulated signal received is demodulated with an artificial neural network system, or ANN system, which is trained to identify bit values from signal patterns as caused by the modulation function, by identifying bit values from patterns of the modulated signal received. Related modulation and demodulation systems are disclosed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 19, 2018
    Date of Patent: August 4, 2020
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Jean Fompeyrine, Stefan Abel
  • Patent number: 10616978
    Abstract: Disclosed is a lighting arrangement (10) comprising a lighting device (20) having an adjustable luminous output; a control arrangement (30) communicatively coupled to the dimmable lighting device including a controller (39) adapted to adjust the luminous output of the lighting device a data storage device accessible by the controller storing calibration data for a light measurement device of a mobile communication device, the calibration data being a function of a distance between the mobile communication device and the lighting device and a communication module (31) communicatively coupled to the controller, wherein the control arrangement is adapted to control the lighting device such that the lighting device produces a predefined luminous output; receive a luminous output measurement from the mobile communication device at an unknown distance from the lighting device; retrieve distance information regarding the distance between the mobile communication device and the lighting device from the calibration da
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 11, 2016
    Date of Patent: April 7, 2020
    Assignee: SIGNIFY HOLDING B.V.
    Inventors: Wei Wang, Yi Zhang, Feng He, Haitao Liu
  • Patent number: 10554308
    Abstract: The invention relates to a system for communication by means of visible light and to the corresponding method, where a channel for transmitting visible light has abnormal conditions, for example, in tunnels of an underground mine with a high degree of dust concentration in the atmosphere and also in rural and urban tunnels in which the fumes generated by an accident produce high concentrations of powdery material in the transmission channel. This problem is solved by using in the system a transceiver for transmitting visible light, a means for receiving visible light, and a Deep Neural Network (DNN), with a specific arrangement, proximity or distance, of ceiling-mounted transceivers formed by LEDs lamps (arrangement of the plurality of LEDs) and Digital Single Lens Reflex (D-SLR) transceivers (formed by reflex cameras in which the lens that forms the image also provides the image in the viewfinder).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 28, 2016
    Date of Patent: February 4, 2020
    Assignee: Universidad de Santiago de Chile
    Inventors: Ismael Soto, Carolina Lagos
  • Patent number: 10521668
    Abstract: A display method is for a display apparatus to display an image, and includes: obtaining a captured display image by an image sensor included in a terminal device; obtaining a light ID by visible light communication with a subject; obtaining an AR image and recognition information which are associated with the light ID from a memory included in the terminal device; recognizing a target region within the captured display image using the recognition information; and displaying the captured display image in which the AR image is superimposed on the target region.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 12, 2019
    Date of Patent: December 31, 2019
    Assignee: PANASONIC INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY CORPORATION OF AMERICA
    Inventors: Hideki Aoyama, Mitsuaki Oshima, Koji Nakanishi, Toshiyuki Maeda, Akihiro Ueki, Kengo Miyoshi, Tsutomu Mukai
  • Patent number: 10404370
    Abstract: Disclosed is a communication device for facilitating communication using light radiation. Further, the communication device may include an input port configured to receive input data and a processing device communicatively coupled to the input port. Further, the communication device may include a memory device communicatively coupled to the processing device. Further, the memory device may be configured to store the input data. Further, the communication device may include at least three light emitters configured to emit light radiation characterized by at least three frequencies. Further, the at least three light emitters may be communicatively coupled to the processing device. Further, an operational state of the at least three light emitters may be controllable by the processing device based on the input data. Further, the communication device may include a power source configured to provide electrical energy to the at least three light emitters, the processing device, and the memory device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 13, 2018
    Date of Patent: September 3, 2019
    Inventor: Steven Wayne Newell
  • Patent number: 10348402
    Abstract: Embodiments of the present application provide a visible light signal receiving and control method, a control apparatus, and a receiving device. The method comprises: determining a communication performance between a visible light signal receiving device and at least one visible light signal transmit device; and in response to an increase in the communication performance between the visible light signal receiving device and the at least one visible light signal transmit device, combining two first logic pixel units of an image sensor related to the at least one visible light signal transmit device as one second logic pixel unit to be read, when reading an inductive charge of the image sensor of the visible light signal receiving device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 10, 2015
    Date of Patent: July 9, 2019
    Assignee: BEIJING ZHIGU RUI TUO TECH CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Ran Xu, Lin Du
  • Patent number: 10348401
    Abstract: Embodiments of the present application provide a visible light signal receiving and control method, a control apparatus, and a receiving device. The method comprises: determining a communication performance between a visible light signal receiving device and at least one visible light signal transmit device; and in response to a reduction of the communication performance between the visible light signal receiving device and the at least one visible light signal transmit device, using a first logic pixel unit of an image sensor related to the at least one visible light signal transmit device as at least two second logic pixel units for reading separately when reading inductive charges of the image sensor of the visible light signal receiving device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 10, 2015
    Date of Patent: July 9, 2019
    Assignee: BEIJING ZHIGU RUI TUO TECH CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Ran Xu, Lin Du
  • Patent number: 10218439
    Abstract: A reception device acquires multiple frames for a period corresponding to an optical signal format and determines whether a color change region within the frames includes any of red (R), green (G), and blue (B), which is a first color, and black (Bk) in the non-emission period corresponding to a header, which is a second color. Moreover, when the color change region within the multiple frames for a period corresponding to an optical signal format includes any of red (R), green (G), and blue (B) and black (Bk), the reception device controls decoding of a bit data string corresponding to the red (R), green (G), and blue (B) colors in the color change region to acquire communication target information.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 23, 2017
    Date of Patent: February 26, 2019
    Assignee: CASIO COMPUTER CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Masaaki Kikuchi
  • Patent number: 10218440
    Abstract: A visible light communication (VLC) method in which a transmission device having a display transmits a signal to a reception device having a camera according to the present invention includes outputting, by the transmission device, a visible light signal including data for transmission (referred to as “transmission data” below) through the display using at least one of a color and a pattern, and receiving, by the reception device, the visible light signal through the camera and extracting the transmission data.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 8, 2016
    Date of Patent: February 26, 2019
    Assignee: FOUNDATION FOR RESEARCH AND BUSINESS, SEOUL NATIONAL UNIVERSITY OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
    Inventor: Jae Sang Cha
  • Patent number: 10135529
    Abstract: A vehicle and a method of communication for a vehicle is disclosed. The vehicle includes an on-board gateway for communication using visible light communication (VLC) and a visible light transceiver that is operated by the on-board gateway to enable VLC data communication. The transceiver can communicate with a VLC-enabled device that is within a communication range of the vehicle. The VLC-enabled device can be internal to or external to the vehicle. In one embodiment, a VLC signal is communicated between the vehicle and another vehicle having an on-board VLC gateway and transceiver. The on-board gateway and VLC transceiver enable provide traffic management. A traffic management signal is transmitted from a signal origination device and received at the vehicle using visible light communication, allowing the vehicle to be driven according to the traffic management signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 16, 2017
    Date of Patent: November 20, 2018
    Assignee: GM GLOBAL TECHNOLOGY OPERATIONS LLC
    Inventors: Kobi J. Scheim, Yohay Buchbut, Nadav Levkovich, Eilon Riess
  • Patent number: 10090926
    Abstract: An example of a method of processing visible light signals includes determining a property of light received from a light source at a device; determining a mode of operation of the device based on the property of the light, the mode of operation corresponding to a color discrimination capability of at least one image sensor of the device; detecting the light, using the at least one image sensor in the determined mode of operation, to produce a plurality of detection signals, the at least one image sensor including a plurality of pixels and each detection signal of the plurality of detection signals being associated with a respective pixel of the plurality of pixels; and extracting information from the plurality of detection signals.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 2, 2017
    Date of Patent: October 2, 2018
    Assignee: QUALCOMM Incorporated
    Inventors: Suresh Kumar Bitra, Meghna Agrawal, Sreekanth Hosahudya Venkataramanappa
  • Patent number: 10034159
    Abstract: Disclosed wireless systems, devices, and methods accommodate interference between different communication protocols. One illustrative wireless communications system embodiment includes: an accessory device and a media device. The accessory device supports a wireless streaming protocol and a wireless control protocol that interferes with the wireless streaming protocol. The media device intermittently communicates with the accessory device via the wireless control protocol while streaming an audio signal to the accessory device via the wireless streaming protocol, limiting a duration of each wireless control protocol communication interval to less than a guaranteed packet loss threshold (which exceeds twice the potential packet loss threshold) of the wireless streaming protocol. The devices may each include a radio module and a controller.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 10, 2017
    Date of Patent: July 24, 2018
    Assignee: SEMICONDUCTOR COMPONENTS INDUSTRIES, LLC
    Inventor: Christopher John Deck
  • Patent number: 10027729
    Abstract: The present disclosure enables a multicast and/or unicast transmitting UE to configure a multicast device-to-device communication and/or the unicast device-to-device communication such that UE may distinguish between the unicast and multicast device-to-device communications. The apparatus receives a unicast device-to-device communication including a destination identifier. The apparatus also receives a multicast device-to-device communication including the destination identifier. The apparatus differentiates the unicast device-to-device communication from the multicast device-to-device communication based on information provided in a header of the unicast device-to-device communication.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 18, 2016
    Date of Patent: July 17, 2018
    Assignee: QUALCOMM Incorporated
    Inventors: Hong Cheng, Sudhir Kumar Baghel, Michaela Vanderveen, Haris Zisimopoulos, Shailesh Patil, Zhibin Wu
  • Patent number: 10020881
    Abstract: In an aspect of the disclosure, a method, a computer-readable medium, and an apparatus are provided. An apparatus is for determining position using visible light. The apparatus receives positional information regarding a plurality of stationary light fixtures. The apparatus receives reset information indicating an occurrence of a reset event. The apparatus receives an identifier from a first stationary light fixture of the plurality of stationary light fixtures via visible light. The apparatus determines a position of the first stationary light fixture based on the received identifier, the received positional information and the received reset information. The positional information and the reset information are received via a wireless communication medium different from visible light.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 19, 2015
    Date of Patent: July 10, 2018
    Assignee: QUALCOMM Incorporated
    Inventor: Aleksandar Jovicic
  • Patent number: 9999114
    Abstract: A control system includes: a first human detector that detects the presence or absence of a human within a first detection range; a second human detector that has a second detection range that overlaps with the first detection range, and detects the presence or absence of a human within the second detection range; a determiner that has a plurality of determination modes for determining the presence or absence of a human; a transmitter that transmits a control signal to a control target based on a result of determination made by the determiner; and a load that receives the control signal and serves as the control target whose operation mode is switched according to the control signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 13, 2015
    Date of Patent: June 12, 2018
    Assignee: Panasonic Intellectual Property Management Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Toshiharu Takenouchi, Yusuke Hashimoto, Hiroshi Matsuda, Yasuhiro Mori, Koichiro Kui
  • Patent number: 9991955
    Abstract: A mobile device includes: a communications circuit which performs wireless communication; a receiver which receives input of a destination from a user; an output which outputs guidance information for guiding the user from a current location to the destination; and a controller which causes the output to output notification information for notifying presence of a transmitting device which emits light for visible light communications, if the communications circuit receives a wireless signal from a transmitting device by the wireless communication.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 30, 2016
    Date of Patent: June 5, 2018
    Assignee: Panasonic Intellectual Property Management Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Shigeaki Yamasaki, Yoshihiko Matsukawa, Masaaki Ikehara
  • Patent number: 9971184
    Abstract: Discussed is a liquid crystal display device that includes a substrate having a pixel electrode and a common electrode formed thereon, a first polarizing plate on a bottom surface of the substrate, and having a polarizing axis of a first direction, a nanocapsule liquid crystal layer on the pixel electrode and the common electrode, and including a buffer layer and nanocapsules, each nanocapsules being filled with liquid crystal molecules, being oil-soluble, and being dispersed in the buffer layer, and a second polarizing plate on the nanocapsule liquid crystal layer, and having a polarizing axis of a second direction perpendicular to the first direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 22, 2015
    Date of Patent: May 15, 2018
    Assignees: LG DISPLAY CO., LTD., IMAGELAB CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Kyeong-Jin Kim, Min-Geun Choi, Kyung-Su Ha, Hyun-Ha Hwang, Seung-Gon Kang
  • Patent number: 9961662
    Abstract: A system for tracking assets. The system includes a visible light source that includes a wireless signal generator configured to produce wireless signals and a tag that includes a detector that detects the presence of the wireless signals produced by the visible light source. The tag includes a transmitter that is configured to send additional wireless signals. The system further includes a tag monitor that includes a receiver that is configured to receive the additional wireless signals. The tag monitor determines a location of the tag based on the additional wireless signals received from the tag.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 1, 2016
    Date of Patent: May 1, 2018
    Assignee: Honeywell International Inc.
    Inventors: Arun V. Mahasenan, Amit Kulkarni
  • Patent number: 9906298
    Abstract: A visible light communication system having a transmission apparatus for modulating a transmission signal to a multiple-value number and a reception apparatus for demodulating a multiple-value modulated transmission signal is provided. The transmission apparatus includes a plurality of light emitters for emitting light in different colors, a chromaticity coordinates calculator for mapping a digital value to a chromaticity coordinates value, and a light intensity controller for controlling a light intensity of each of the light emitters based on the chromaticity coordinates value corresponding to the digital value. The reception apparatus includes a plurality of light receivers having different spectral characteristics, a chromaticity coordinates calculator for calculating a chromaticity coordinates value according to a received light intensity detected by each of the light receivers, and a demodulator for demodulating the digital value from the chromaticity coordinates value.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 5, 2016
    Date of Patent: February 27, 2018
    Assignee: SAMSUNG ELECTRONICS CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Mitsuhiro Togashi
  • Patent number: 9892633
    Abstract: Reflection interference control can comprise: determining, according to identification information comprised in a light signal from a reflection surface to a field of view of a user, that a reflection interference phenomenon exists on the reflection surface; and generating a control signal for lowering the level of the reflection interference. For example, by using the characteristic that a light source identifier is modulated in a light signal transmitted by a light source in the existing wireless optical communication, whether a reflection interference phenomenon exists can be determined according to identification information comprised in a light signal received by a field of view of a user from a reflection surface, and reflection interference is automatically controlled if it is determined that the reflection interference phenomenon exists, which is simple and quick and does not require user intervention.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 30, 2015
    Date of Patent: February 13, 2018
    Assignee: BEIJING ZHIGU RUI TUO TECH CO., LTD
    Inventors: Ran Xu, Wei Shi
  • Patent number: 9882639
    Abstract: A light source emits a modulated light, and a radio-frequency transceiver disposed therewith emits a radio-frequency signal. A mobile device may receive either or both signals and determine its position based thereon. The light and radio-frequency sources may be disposed in node in a network of said sources, and the nodes may communicate via the radio-frequency transceivers.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 20, 2016
    Date of Patent: January 30, 2018
    Assignee: ABL IP HOLDING LLC
    Inventors: Daniel Ryan, Kelby Edward Green, Emanuel Paul Malandrakis, Konstantin Klitenik
  • Patent number: 9871587
    Abstract: An information processing program causes a computer to execute: encoding information to be transmitted, to determine a luminance change frequency; and outputting a signal of the determined luminance change frequency to cause a light emitter to change in luminance according to the determined luminance change frequency to transmit the information. In the encoding, each of a first frequency and a second frequency different from the first frequency is determined as the luminance change frequency. In the outputting, each of a signal of the first frequency and a signal of the second frequency is output as the signal of the determined luminance change frequency, to cause the light emitter to change in luminance according to the first frequency during a first time and change in luminance according to the second frequency during a second time different from the first time after the first time elapses.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 8, 2016
    Date of Patent: January 16, 2018
    Assignee: PANASONIC INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY CORPORATION OF AMERICA
    Inventors: Hideki Aoyama, Mitsuaki Oshima, Koji Nakanishi, Toshiyuki Maeda, Akihiro Ueki, Kengo Miyoshi, Tsutomu Mukai
  • Patent number: 9838120
    Abstract: An optical signal receiver receives an optical signal superimposed on illumination light from an illumination apparatus which repetitively transmits as the optical signal a frame including predetermined information and a preamble indicating the start of the frame. Further, the optical signal receiver includes a light receiving unit configured to receive the optical signal, and a controller configured to control the light receiving unit based on the optical signal received by the light receiving unit such that the optical signal receiver operates in either one of an intermittent reception mode of intermittently receiving the optical signal and a continuous reception mode of continuously receiving the optical signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 12, 2015
    Date of Patent: December 5, 2017
    Assignee: Panasonic Intellectual Property Management Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Masaaki Ikehara, Yoshihiko Matsukawa
  • Patent number: 9762320
    Abstract: Techniques are disclosed for coding light-based communication (LCom) data in a manner that allows for detection thereof, for example, via a standard low-speed (e.g., 30 frames per second) smartphone camera. In accordance with some embodiments, the disclosed techniques can be used, for example, in encoding and decoding LCom data in a manner that: (1) prevents or otherwise minimizes perceivable flicker of the light output by a transmitting LCom-enabled luminaire; and/or (2) avoids or otherwise reduces a need for additional, specialized receiver hardware at the receiver computing device including the camera. In some cases, the disclosed techniques can be used, for example, to enhance the baud rate between a transmitting LCom-enabled luminaire and a receiver device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 18, 2014
    Date of Patent: September 12, 2017
    Assignee: OSRAM SYLVANIA Inc.
    Inventors: Christian Breuer, Anant Aggarwal, Bernhard Siessegger
  • Patent number: 9705596
    Abstract: An optical communication apparatus includes a light receiving unit, a wavelength band determining unit and an estimating unit. The light receiving unit receives light which changes to predetermined wavelength bands in a predetermined cycle according to communication object information, for a predetermined light reception period. The wavelength band determining unit determines each wavelength band of the light received by the light receiving unit. The estimating unit estimates that a wavelength band of the light received by the light receiving unit is any one of the predetermined wavelength bands, in a case where said wavelength band determined by the wavelength band determining unit is not any one of the predetermined wavelength bands.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 18, 2015
    Date of Patent: July 11, 2017
    Assignee: CASIO COMPUTER CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Nobuo Iizuka, Masaaki Kikuchi
  • Patent number: 9699855
    Abstract: An add-on IPS (Indoor Positioning System) controller for an LED lighting device includes a power input port, a power output port, a housing, a control unit in the housing, and at least one data signal receiver in the control unit. A power input of the control unit is connected to the power input port. A power output of the control unit is connected to the power output port. The data signal receiver is configured to receive data from the external data source. The control unit further includes a two-way wireless module configured to send and receive the data between the IPS server and the IPS-enabled end-user device. The control unit is configured to activate and deactivate the power output port to supply output voltage responsive to the data signals.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 29, 2015
    Date of Patent: July 4, 2017
    Assignee: ALEDDRA INC.
    Inventors: Chia-Yiu Maa, Chun-Te Yu
  • Patent number: 9692509
    Abstract: A driving method of a light emitting device including visible light emitting elements is provided. In a first visible light communication mode, a first portion of the visible light emitting elements is driven and a second portion of the visible light emitting elements is idled for the first portion of the visible light emitting elements having a first current density. In a second visible light communication mode, each of the visible light emitting elements is driven so as to have a second current density. An illumination brightness difference of the light emitting device between the first visible light communication mode and the second visible light communication mode is smaller than 15%.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 21, 2015
    Date of Patent: June 27, 2017
    Assignee: Industrial Technology Research Institute
    Inventors: Chia-Hsin Chao, Yen-Hsiang Fang, Ming-Hsien Wu
  • Patent number: 9673902
    Abstract: A visible light communication system is provided. The communication system includes at least one of a FFD and a visible light communication light source, and a RFD, wherein the visible light communication light source is configured to carry data information in a visible light signal and send the visible light signal; the RFD is in communication with the FFD and/or in communication with the visible light communication light source, and is configured to receive the visible light signal and demodulate the received visible light signal to recover data information; and the FFD is configured to achieve at least one of the following functions: the function of the visible light communication light source, the function of the RFD, and a function for forwarding the received visible light signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 16, 2013
    Date of Patent: June 6, 2017
    Assignee: ZTE CORPORATION
    Inventor: Yang Guo
  • Patent number: 9559773
    Abstract: An add-on VLC (Visible Light Communication) controller for an LED lighting device includes a power input port, a power output port, a housing, a control unit in the housing, and at least one data signal receiver in the control unit. A power input of the control unit is connected to the power input port. A power output of the control unit is connected to the power output port. The data signal receiver is configured to receive data from the external data source. The control unit further includes VLC protocol engine configured for interpreting the received data according to VLC protocol, and a VLC transceiver for converting the received data into one or more LIBM (Light Intensity Baseband Modulation) modulated signals. The control unit is configured to activate and deactivate the power output port to supply output voltage responsive to the one or more LIBM-modulated signals.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 1, 2015
    Date of Patent: January 31, 2017
    Assignee: ALEDDRA INC.
    Inventors: Chia-Yiu Maa, Chun-Te Yu
  • Patent number: 9485020
    Abstract: A remote sensor device comprises at least one sensor that produces an output signal indicative of the value of a measure, and a reflective display that is positioned such that it is visible along a line of sight from a remote location, the reflective display comprising at least two retro-reflective assemblies, each of which is arranged to reflect a variable fraction of radiation incident upon the reflective assembly back towards a source in response to respective control signals applied to the reflector assemblies. Each of the reflector assemblies preferentially reflects one wavelength of the incident radiation or preferentially removes at least one wavelength of the incident radiation that is not preferentially reflected or removed by the other reflector assembly.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 10, 2013
    Date of Patent: November 1, 2016
    Assignee: TRW Limited
    Inventor: Roger John Hazelden