Optical communication apparatus, wavelength band estimating apparatus, optical communication method and storage medium

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9705596-B2
Application number	US-201514975379-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 18, 2015
Priority date	Jan 28, 2015
Publication date	Jul 11, 2017
Grant date	Jul 11, 2017

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.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An optical communication apparatus comprising:
a sensor that receives light which changes among a plurality of predetermined wavelength bands in a predetermined change cycle to communicate object information by optical transmission, the sensor receiving the light in each of a plurality of light reception periods of a predetermined imaging cycle; and
a processor which is configured to:
determine, for a first wavelength band of the light received by the sensor in a first light reception period from among the plurality of light reception periods, whether the first wavelength band belongs to one of predetermined colors; and
estimate, by referring to a color of a second wavelength band of the light which was received by the sensor in a second light reception period preceding the first light reception period, which one of the predetermined colors the first wavelength band should be allocated to, in a case in which it is determined that the first wavelength band does not belong to one of the predetermined colors.

2. The optical communication apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein:
the processor estimates which one of the predetermined colors the first wavelength band should be allocated to, based on a relation between the first wavelength band and the second wavelength band; and
the second wavelength band is a wavelength band that was determined by the processor to belong to one of the predetermined colors or estimated by the processor to be allocated to one of the predetermined colors, in the second light reception period.

3. The optical communication apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein:
the processor estimates which one of the predetermined colors the first wavelength band should be allocated to, in a case in which the processor determines that the first wavelength band is between the second wavelength band and a third wavelength band; and
the third wavelength band is a wavelength band to which one of the predetermined colors belongs.

4. The optical communication apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein:
the processor estimates which one of the predetermined colors the first wavelength band should be allocated to, for each wavelength band of the light received by the sensor in consecutive ones of the light reception periods of the predetermined imaging cycle.

5. A wavelength band estimating apparatus comprising:
a memory; and
a processor which executes a program stored in the memory to perform functions comprising:
determining, for a first wavelength band of light received in a first light reception period from among a plurality of light reception periods of a predetermined cycle, whether the first wavelength band belongs to one of predetermined colors; and
estimating, by referring to a color of a second wavelength band of light which was received in a second light reception period preceding the first light reception period, which one of the predetermined colors the first wavelength band should be allocated to, in a case in which it is determined that the first wavelength band does not belong to one of the predetermined colors.

6. The wavelength band estimating apparatus according to claim 5 , wherein:
the processor estimates which one of the predetermined colors the first wavelength band should be allocated to, based on a relation between the first wavelength band and the second wavelength band; and
the second wavelength band is a wavelength band that was determined by the processor to belong to one of the predetermined colors or estimated by the processor to be allocated to one of the predetermined colors, in the second light reception period.

7. The wavelength band estimating apparatus according to claim 6 , wherein:
the processor estimates which one of the predetermined colors the first wavelength band should be allocated to, in a case in which the processor determines that the first wavelength band is between the second wavelength band and a third wavelength band; and
the third wavelength band is a wavelength band to which one of the predetermined colors belongs.

8. The wavelength band estimating apparatus according to claim 6 , wherein:
the processor estimates which one of the predetermined colors the first wavelength band should be allocated to, for each wavelength band of the light received in consecutive ones of the light reception periods of the predetermined cycle.

9. An optical communication method comprising:
receiving light which changes among a plurality of predetermined wavelength bands in a predetermined change cycle to communicate object information by optical transmission, the light being received in each of a plurality of light reception periods of a predetermined cycle;
determining, for a first wavelength band of the light received in a first light reception period from among the plurality of light reception periods, whether the first wavelength band belongs to one of predetermined colors; and
estimating, by referring to a color of a second wavelength band of the light received in a second light reception period preceding the first light reception period, which one of the predetermined colors the first wavelength band should be allocated to, in a case in which it is determined that the first wavelength band does not belong to one of the predetermined colors.

10. The optical communication method according to claim 9 , wherein:
the estimating estimates which one of the predetermined colors the first wavelength band should be allocated to, based on a relation between the first wavelength band and the second wavelength band; and
the second wavelength band is a wavelength band that was determined to belong to one of the predetermined colors or estimated to be allocated to one of the predetermined colors, in the second light reception period.

11. The optical communication method according to claim 10 , wherein:
the estimating estimates which one of the predetermined colors the first wavelength band should be allocated to, in a case in which the first wavelength band is between the second wavelength band and a third wavelength band; and
the third wavelength band is a wavelength band to which one of the predetermined colors belongs.

12. The optical communication method according to claim 10 , wherein:
the estimating estimates which one of the predetermined colors the first wavelength band should be allocated to, for each wavelength band of the light received in consecutive ones of the light reception periods of the predetermined cycle.

13. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having a program stored thereon, the program being executable by a processor to control the processor to perform functions comprising:
receiving light which changes among a plurality of predetermined wavelength bands in a predetermined change cycle to communicate object information by optical transmission, the light being received in each of a plurality of light reception periods of a predetermined cycle;
determining, for a first wavelength band of the light received in a first light reception period from among the plurality of light reception periods, whether the first wavelength band belongs to one of predetermined colors; and
estimating, by referring to a color of a second wavelength band of the light received in a second light reception period preceding the first light reception period, which one of the predetermined colors the first wavelength band should be allocated to, in a case in which it is determined that the first wavelength band does not belong to one of the predetermined colors.

14. The storage medium according to claim 13 , wherein:
the estimating estimates wh

Assignees

• Casio Computer Co Ltd

Inventors

• Iizuka Nobuo
• Kikuchi Masaaki

Classifications

• H04B10/116 Primary

  Visible light communication · CPC title

• H04B10/60

  Receivers · CPC title