Self identifying modulated light source

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9307515-B1
Application number	US-201414490207-A
Country	US
Kind code	B1
Filing date	Sep 18, 2014
Priority date	Jul 26, 2011
Publication date	Apr 5, 2016
Grant date	Apr 5, 2016

Abstract

In one aspect, the present disclosure relates to a self identifying light source including an emitter that produces visible light; and an autonomous modulator in electrical communication with the emitter that automatically and continually modulates the visible light produced by the emitter, wherein the modulated visible light represents an identification code of the light source. In some embodiments, the emitter is a light emitting diode (LED) and further comprising an LED driver that provides a specified voltage and current to each LED in the light source.

First claim

We claim:

1. A method for determining a position of a mobile device within an area containing a plurality of modulated light beacons, each beacon broadcasting an identification code via modulated light, the method comprising:
receiving from the mobile device approximate location information derived from a signal acquired by the mobile device, the approximate location information not being derived from visible light received by the mobile device;
receiving from the mobile device one or more identification codes of modulated light beacons, each identification code being acquired by the mobile device;
determining the position of the mobile device based on the approximate location information and the one or more identification codes of the modulated light beacons; and
transmitting information related to the position of the mobile device to the mobile device.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein determining the position of the mobile device comprises querying a database, records of the database relating identification codes of modulated light beacons to physical locations thereof.

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein a search space of the database query is restricted based on the received approximate location information.

4. The method of claim 1 , where a plurality of modulated light beacons in the area each broadcast the same identification code.

5. The method of claim 1 , where a plurality of modulated light beacons in the area all broadcast identification codes unique from each other.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the signal from which the approximate location information is derived comprises at least one of a GPS signal, a GSM signal, a WiFi signal, a Bluetooth signal, or a cellular-tower-identification signal.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the one or more identification codes each correspond to a pattern of distortions within an image acquired by the mobile device, each pattern of distortions being related to a modulation frequency of light emitted by a modulated light beacon.

8. The method of claim 7 , wherein the pattern of distortions in the image results at least in part from different portions of the image being acquired by the mobile device at different times.

9. A method for determining a position of a mobile device within an area containing a plurality of modulated light beacons, each beacon broadcasting an identification code via modulated light, the method comprising:
acquiring at the mobile device a signal providing approximate location information, the signal not being derived from visible light received by the mobile device;
acquiring one or more identification codes of modulated light beacons at the mobile device;
determining the position of the mobile device based on the approximate location information and the one or more identification codes of the modulated light beacons; and
displaying at least one of the position of the mobile device or information related to the position of the mobile device on the mobile device.

10. The method of claim 9 , further comprising receiving at the mobile device a map pack based on the approximate location information, the map pack containing at least one of (i) at least a portion of a map of the area, or (ii) a location of one or more of the modulated light beacons within the area.

11. The method of claim 9 , wherein the position of the mobile device is determined locally at the mobile device.

12. The method of claim 9 , wherein the position of the mobile device is determined at a server remote from the mobile device.

13. The method of claim 9 , wherein determining the position of the mobile device comprises querying a database, records of the database relating identification codes of modulated light beacons to physical locations thereof.

14. The method of claim 13 , wherein a search space of the database query is restricted based on the approximate location information.

15. The method of claim 9 , where a plurality of modulated light beacons in the area each broadcast the same identification code.

16. The method of claim 9 , where a plurality of modulated light beacons in the area all broadcast identification codes unique from each other.

17. The method of claim 9 , wherein the signal providing approximate location information comprises at least one of a GPS signal, a GSM signal, a WiFi signal, a Bluetooth signal, or a cellular-tower-identification signal.

18. The method of claim 9 , wherein the one or more identification codes each correspond to a pattern of distortions within an image acquired by the mobile device, each pattern of distortions being related to a modulation frequency of light emitted by a modulated light beacon.

19. The method of claim 18 , wherein the pattern of distortions in the image results at least in part from different portions of the image being acquired by the mobile device at different times.

20. A mobile device, comprising:
a rolling shutter camera;
a processor coupled to the rolling shutter camera;
a memory; and
software in the memory to be run by the processor, wherein running of the software by the processor configures the mobile device to implement functions, including functions to:
acquire a signal providing approximate location information of the mobile device, the signal not being derived from visible light received by the mobile device;
acquire, via the rolling shutter camera and from modulated light broadcast by one or more modulated light beacons within an area, one or more identification codes of the one or more modulated light beacons;
determine a position of the mobile device based on the approximate location information and the one or more identification codes of the one or more modulated light beacons; and
display at least one of the position of the mobile device or information related to the position of the mobile device on the mobile device.

21. The mobile device of claim 20 , wherein the implemented functions further include a function to:
receive a map pack based on the approximate location information, the map pack containing at least one of (i) at least a portion of a map of the area, or (ii) a location of one or more of the one or more modulated light beacons within the area.

22. The mobile device of claim 20 , further comprising a network adapter, wherein the function to determine the position of the mobile device further comprises a function to query, via the network adapter, a database, records of the database relating identification codes of modulated light beacons to physical locations thereof.

23. The mobile device of claim 20 , wherein the function to acquire the signal providing approximate location information further comprises a function to acquire the signal via at least one of GPS, GSM, WiFi, Bluetooth, or cellular tower identification.

24. The mobile device of claim 20 , wherein the function to acquire the one or more identification codes further comprises functions to:
operate the rolling shutter camera to capture one or more images including the modulated light broadcast by the one or more modulated light beacons;
demodulate the modulated light from the captured one or more images to obtain at least one data carried in the modulated light; and
determine, from the at least one data, the one or more identification codes, the one or more identification codes each corresponding to a pattern of distortions within the captured one or more images, each pattern of distortions being related to a modulation

Assignees

• Abl Ip Holding Llc

Inventors

• Ganick Aaron
• Ryan Daniel

Classifications

• H04N23/745

  Detection of flicker frequency or suppression of flicker wherein the flicker is caused by illumination, e.g. due to fluorescent tube illumination or pulsed LED illumination · CPC title

• G01C21/206

  specially adapted for indoor navigation · CPC title

• H04W4/029

  Location-based management or tracking services · CPC title

• H05B47/1965

  using handheld communication devices · CPC title

• H05B47/195

  the transmission using visible or infrared light · CPC title