Self-locating light-based communication enabled luminaires

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10187163-B2
Application number	US-201715450071-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 6, 2017
Priority date	Mar 6, 2017
Publication date	Jan 22, 2019
Grant date	Jan 22, 2019

Abstract

Techniques are disclosed for programming a luminaire position for light-based communication (LCom) luminaires within an array of luminaires using position information provided by passing mobile computing devices. This position information can be received as, for example, as a specific coordinate (e.g., x-y coordinates of a grid-based map) or as movement data of the mobile computing device relative to an initial known reference location. The disclosed techniques can be used, for example, to reduce the time, labor, and expense associated with programming and re-programming a luminaire with a luminaire position, and to increase the flexibility of navigation system installations. In some cases, the disclosed techniques can be used, for example, to improve the precision of a luminaire position programmed into a newly installed luminaire.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method for programming luminaire position into a luminaire, the method comprising:
providing a reference location of an origin luminaire to a mobile computing device;
receiving position information from the mobile computing device, wherein the position information is based on the reference location and an estimated displacement of the mobile computing device from the reference location;
adjusting a confidence level based on a comparison of the position information from the mobile computing device with a current luminaire position value;
refining the current luminaire position value of the luminaire using the position information from the mobile computing device; and
broadcasting the refined current luminaire position value from the luminaire when the confidence level is equal to or greater than a threshold.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the luminaire is a LCom-enabled luminaire configured to receive the position information from the mobile computing device and refine the current luminaire position value, wherein the LCom-enabled luminaire is capable of transmitting a visible-light communication signal generated using a visible-light communication waveform.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein a server is configured to provide the reference location to the mobile computing device, receive the position information from the mobile computing device, and refine the current luminaire position value of the luminaire.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the reference location includes at least one of an identifier of the origin luminaire and a location of the origin luminaire within an array of luminaires.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the estimated displacement of the mobile computing device is a distance between a current location of the mobile computing device and the reference location.

6. The method of claim 1 , the method further comprising locking the value of the current luminaire position value when the confidence level does not change significantly over a period of time.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the confidence level is adjusted higher when the position information from the mobile computing device is within a tolerance range of the current luminaire position value and is adjusted lower or remains the same when the position information from the mobile computing device is outside of the tolerance range.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the confidence level is calculated using a first-in-first-out buffer that stores the most recent position information received from one or more mobile computing devices.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the confidence level is further adjusted based on at least one of an identifier of the mobile computing device and a quality indicator associated with the position information received from the mobile computing device.

10. The method of claim 1 , wherein an initial value of the confidence level is set below the threshold when the luminaire is not programmed with an initial current luminaire position value and is set at or above the threshold when the luminaire is programmed with an initial current luminaire position value.

11. A non-transitory computer program product comprising a plurality of instructions encoded thereon that when executed by one or more processors cause a process to be carried out, the process comprising:
providing a reference location of a first luminaire to a mobile computing device;
receiving position information from the mobile computing device, wherein the position information is based on the reference location and an estimated displacement of the mobile computing device from the reference location;
adjusting a confidence level based on a comparison of the position information from the mobile computing device with a current luminaire position value;
refining a current luminaire position value of a second luminaire using the position information from the mobile computing device; and,
broadcasting the refined current luminaire position value from the second luminaire when the confidence level is equal to or greater than a threshold.

12. The computer program product of claim 11 , wherein the reference location includes at least one of an identifier of the first luminaire and a location of the first luminaire within an array of luminaires.

13. The computer program product of claim 11 , the process further comprising identifying the second luminaire proximate to the estimated displacement of the mobile computing device.

14. The computer program product of claim 13 , wherein the current luminaire position value of the second luminaire is determined using a look-up table and at least one of an identifier of the second luminaire and the estimated displacement of the mobile computing device, the look-up table comprising position and identifier information for a plurality of luminaires.

15. The computer program product of claim 14 , wherein the look-up table is stored on a server communicatively coupled to the first luminaire, the second luminaire, and the mobile computing device.

16. A system for programming luminaire position into a luminaire, the system comprising:
an array of luminaires comprising:
an first luminaire programmed with a position, wherein the position is a reference location that is transmitted to a mobile computing device;
a second luminaire storing a current luminaire position value;

a transceiver configured for receiving position information from the mobile computing device; and
a processor configured to:
adjusting a confidence level based on a comparison of the position information from the mobile computing device with the current luminaire position value;
use the received position information from the mobile computing device to refine the current luminaire position value of the second luminaire; and
provide the refined luminaire position value to the second luminaire via the transceiver, wherein the second luminaire is further configured to broadcast the refined current luminaire position value when the confidence level is equal to or greater than a threshold.

17. The system of claim 16 , wherein the position information received from the mobile computing device comprises the reference location and an estimated displacement of the mobile computing device from the first luminaire.

18. The system of claim 16 , wherein the processor is disposed within the second luminaire.

19. The system of claim 16 , wherein the processor is disposed within a server that is in communication with the array of luminaires via a network.

20. The system of claim 19 , wherein the server is in communication with the second luminaire, such that the second luminaire indirectly receives the position information from the mobile computing device.

Assignees

• Breuer Christian
• Vogt Carsten
• Aggarwal Anant
• Stout Barry
• Osram Sylvania Inc

Inventors

• Breuer Christian
• Vogt Carsten
• Aggarwal Anant
• Stout Barry

Classifications

• G01S2201/01

  adapted for specific applications or environments · CPC title

• H05B47/165

  following a pre-assigned programmed sequence; Logic control [LC] · CPC title

• H04B10/116

  Visible light communication · CPC title

• H04B10/1149

  Arrangements for indoor wireless networking of information · CPC title

• H04B10/80 Primary

  Optical aspects relating to the use of optical transmission for specific applications, not provided for in groups H04B10/03 - H04B10/70, e.g. optical power feeding or optical transmission through water · CPC title