Abstract: The method includes obtaining, using a face camera of a smart phone, identification information from a ceiling light of a facility with visible light communication, and obtaining location information of the ceiling light related to the identification information. The method also includes displaying a location related to the location information of the ceiling light on a map of the facility on a display of the smart phone. The smart phone is set on a cart in a state that the face camera is directed to a ceiling of the facility on which the ceiling light is attached, and the face camera is a CMOS sensor and the CMOS sensor is used only for the visible light communication.

Abstract: A method includes setting an exposure time of an image sensor included in a terminal device so that, in an image obtained by capturing a subject by the image sensor, a bright line corresponding to each of a plurality of exposure lines included in the image sensor appears according to a change in luminance of the subject. The method also includes obtaining a bright line image including a plurality of bright lines, obtaining identification information of the subject, and obtaining a direction of light of the subject. Additionally, the method includes calculating a distance between the terminal device and the subject, and obtaining a location of the subject. The method further includes calculating a location of the terminal device using the distance and the location of the subject, and sending the location of the terminal device to a server.

Abstract: A method includes setting an exposure time of an image sensor included in a terminal device so that, in an image obtained by capturing a subject by the image sensor, a bright line corresponding to each of a plurality of exposure lines included in the image sensor appears according to a change in luminance of the subject. The method also includes obtaining a bright line image including a plurality of bright lines, obtaining identification information of the subject, and obtaining a direction of light of the subject. Additionally, the method includes calculating a distance between the terminal device and the subject, and obtaining a location of the subject. The method further includes calculating a location of the terminal device using the distance and the location of the subject, and sending the location of the terminal device to a server.

Abstract: An information communication method is provided for obtaining information from a subject using a terminal device that includes an image sensor having a plurality of exposure lines. The method includes setting an exposure time of the image sensor so that, in an image obtained by capturing the subject by the image sensor, a bright line corresponding to each of the plurality of exposure lines included in the image sensor appears according to a change in luminance of the subject. The method also includes obtaining a bright line image including a plurality of bright lines, obtaining identification information of the subject, and sending the identification information to a server. The method further includes obtaining menu information related to the identification information from the server, the menu information related to a restaurant where the subject is installed, and displaying the menu information on a display of the terminal device.

Abstract: A method includes setting an exposure time of an image sensor of a terminal of a customer so that, in an image obtained by capturing a subject, a bright line corresponding to each of a plurality of exposure lines included in the image sensor appears according to a change in luminance of the subject. The method also includes obtaining a bright line image including a plurality of bright lines, by capturing the subject that changes in luminance by the image sensor with the set exposure time, and obtaining identification information of the subject, by demodulating data specified by a pattern of the plurality of bright lines. The method further includes sending the identification information to a server, obtaining a menu listing a product of the store from the server, displaying the menu on a display of the terminal, and sending product information of the product selected by the customer.

Abstract: An information communication method obtains information from a subject using a terminal device that includes an image sensor. The method includes setting an exposure time of the image sensor having a plurality of exposure lines so that a bright line corresponding to each of the plurality of exposure lines appears according to a change in luminance of the subject. The method also includes obtaining a bright line image including a plurality of bright lines, by capturing the subject that changes in luminance by the image sensor, and obtaining identification information of the subject. The subject has a rectangular shape, is captured with an around view of the subject. Each of the plurality of bright lines appears within the rectangular shape of the subject in the bright line image, and follows a direction between long sides of the rectangular shape of the subject in the bright line image.

Abstract: An information communication method selectively obtains a location of a terminal device. Determining the location of the terminal device by wireless communication with a wireless access point includes receiving a radio signal including a first identification information to identify a location of the wireless access point, and calculating the location of the terminal device using the identified location of the wireless access point, which is identified by the first identification information. Determining the location of the terminal device by visible light communication with a subject provides higher accuracy and includes setting an exposure time of an image sensor having a plurality to exposure lines so that a bright line corresponding to each of the plurality of exposure lines included in the image sensor appears according to a change in luminance of the subject, obtaining a bright line image by capturing the subject, and demodulating data from the bright line image.

Abstract: A transmitting method for enabling transmission of a visible light signal in short time includes: determining a pattern of change in luminance of the light emitter by modulating a signal; and transmitting the visible light signal by changing luminance of a red color represented by a light source according to the determined pattern. The visible light signal includes data, a preamble, and a payload. In the data, a first luminance value and a second luminance value appear along a time axis. In the payload, the first luminance value and the second luminance value appear alternately along the time axis, each of a time length in which the first luminance value is maintained and a time length in which the second luminance value is maintained is greater than a first predetermined value and is determined in accordance with the signal and a predetermined method.

Abstract: An information communication method obtains information from a subject using a terminal device that includes an image sensor. The method includes setting an exposure time of the image sensor having a plurality of exposure lines so that a bright line corresponding to each of the plurality of exposure lines included in the image sensor appears according to a change in luminance of the subject. The method also includes obtaining a bright line image including a plurality of bright lines, and obtaining identification information of the subject. In the obtaining of the bright line image, an exposure time of each of the plurality of exposure lines partially overlaps with an exposure time of an adjacent one of the plurality of exposure lines. During asynchronous communication, a minimum width of the stripe pattern corresponds to at least two bright lines in the obtained bright line image.

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.

Abstract: An information communication method obtains information from a subject using a terminal device that includes an image sensor having a plurality of exposure lines. The method includes setting an exposure time of the image sensor so that, in an image obtained by capturing the subject by the image sensor, a bright line corresponding to each of the plurality of exposure lines included in the image sensor appears according to a change in luminance of the subject. The method also includes obtaining a bright line image by capturing the subject that changes in luminance by the image sensor with the set exposure time, and obtaining identification information of the subject. An exposure time of each of the plurality of exposure lines partially overlaps with an exposure time of an adjacent one of the plurality of exposure lines, and the subject includes a first area and a second area.

Abstract: An information communication method obtains information from a subject using a terminal device that includes an image sensor having a plurality of exposure lines. The method includes setting an exposure time of the image sensor so that a bright line corresponding to each of the plurality of exposure lines included in the image sensor appears according to a change in luminance of the subject. The method also includes obtaining a bright line image including a plurality of bright lines, and obtaining identification information of the subject. In obtaining of the bright line image, an exposure time of each of the plurality of exposure lines partially overlaps with an exposure time of an adjacent one of the plurality of exposure lines. A pattern of a change in luminance of the subject is the same as a pattern of a change in luminance of another adjacent subject.

Abstract: A display method capable of displaying an image valuable to a user is provided. The display method for a display device to display an image includes: obtaining a captured display image and an image for decoding by an image sensor capturing a subject; decoding the image for decoding to obtain light identification information (light ID); transmitting the light ID to a server; obtaining an augmented reality (AR) image and recognition information corresponding to the light ID from the server; out of the captured display image, recognizing a region corresponding to the recognition information as a target region; and displaying the captured display image with the AR image superimposed on the target region.

Abstract: A communication method including: determining whether a terminal is capable of performing visible light communication; when the terminal is determined to be capable of performing the visible light communication, obtaining a decode target image by an image sensor capturing a subject whose luminance changes, and obtaining, from a striped pattern appearing in the decode target image, first identification information transmitted by the subject; and when the terminal is determined to be incapable of performing the visible light communication in the determining pertaining to the visible light communication, obtaining a captured image by the image sensor capturing the subject, specifying a predetermined specific region by performing edge detection on the captured image, and obtaining, from a line pattern in the specific region, second identification information transmitted by the subject.

Abstract: A method includes setting an exposure time of an image sensor included in a terminal device so that a bright line corresponding to each of a plurality of exposure lines included in the image sensor appears according to a change in luminance of each of the plurality of subjects. The method also includes obtaining a bright line image including a plurality of bright lines corresponding to each of the plurality of subjects, and obtaining a plurality of identification information from the plurality of subjects. The method further includes specifying locations of the plurality of subjects, determining directions of arrival of lights from the plurality of subjects, calculating distances between the terminal device and each of the plurality of subjects using each of the directions of the arrival of lights, and calculating a location of the terminal device using the locations of the plurality of the subjects and the distances.

Abstract: A signal generating method for generating a visible light signal is provided. The method includes determining, as a method for transmitting a visible light signal from a transmitter, one of a single-frame transmitting method for transmitting data as one frame and a multiple-frame transmitting method for transmitting the data while dividing the data into a plurality of frames. The method further includes, when the multiple-frame transmitting method is determined, generating partition type information indicating a type of data to be transmitted, and generating combination data by adding the partition type information to the data to be transmitted. Further, the method includes generating the plurality of frames each of which includes each of a plurality of data parts by dividing the combination data into the plurality of data parts, and generating the visible light signal by adding a preamble to a head of each of the plurality of frames.

Abstract: A recoding medium storing a computer program, which, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform operations including: determining a pattern of a change in luminance, by modulating the signal to be transmitted; and transmitting the signal, by at least one light emitter changing in luminance according to the determined pattern of the change in luminance. The signal has a plurality of blocks, each block of the plurality of blocks includes (i) address information that indicates a position of a data segment in the signal and (ii) the data segment. In the transmitting, the signal is transmitted repeatedly at different times. The address information is used to identify a same location of the block data segment in the signal transmitted at a first time and in the signal transmitted at a second time, which is different from the first time. The signal has a check signal.

Abstract: An information communication method obtains information from a subject using a terminal device that includes an image sensor having a plurality of exposure lines. The method includes setting an exposure time of the image sensor so that, in an image obtained by capturing the subject by the image sensor, a bright line corresponding to each of the plurality of exposure lines included in the image sensor appears according to a change in luminance of the subject. The method also includes obtaining a bright line image by capturing the subject that changes in luminance by the image sensor with the set exposure time, and obtaining identification information of the subject. An exposure time of each of the plurality of exposure lines partially overlaps with an exposure time of an adjacent one of the plurality of exposure lines, and the subject includes a first area and a second area.

Abstract: An apparatus is provided that includes a light source, a memory storing a visible light signal, a control circuit configured to control change in luminance of the light source in accordance with the visible light signal, and a receiver configured to receive another visible light signal, which rewrites over the visible light signal, by a communication method that is different from a visible light communication. The control circuit determines whether the visible light signal is rewritten by the another visible light signal or not when the receiver receives the another visible light signal, and the visible light signal is rewritten by the another visible light signal when the control circuit determines the visible light signal is rewritten by the another visible light signal. The control circuit controls the change in luminance of the light source to transmit the another visible light signal.

Abstract: A portable terminal includes a receiver, a barcode former configured to form barcodes and a display. The barcode former forms a barcode from the data received by the receiver and the display displays the formed barcode.