# US 10,484,091 B2 · Light-based fiducial communication > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 10,484,091 B2 - Document ID: US10484091B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 15/636,653 - Filed: 2017-06-29 - Published: 2019-01-03 - Granted: 2019-11-19 - Earliest claimed: 2017-06-29 - Assignees: Osram Sylvania Inc. - Applicants: Barry Stout; Christian Breuer; Yang Li - Inventors: Barry Stout; Christian Breuer; Yang Li - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10484091B2 ## CPC - H05B 45/50: responsive to malfunctions or undesirable behaviour of LEDs; responsive to LED life; Protective circuits - G01C 3/08: Use of electric radiation detectors - G01C 21/206: {specially adapted for indoor navigation} - G01S 1/7034: {Mounting or deployment thereof} - G01S 1/7038: {Signal details} - G01S 5/163: {Determination of attitude (using inertial means G01C9/00; control of attitude G05D1/49)} - G01S 11/12: using electromagnetic waves other than radio waves - G06F 18/23: Clustering techniques - G06T 7/90: Determination of colour characteristics - H04B 10/0795: {Performance monitoring; Measurement of transmission parameters} - H04B 10/114: Indoor or close-range type systems - H04B 10/1149: {Arrangements for indoor wireless networking of information} - H04B 10/116: Visible light communication - H04B 10/501: {Structural aspects} - H04B 10/502: {LED transmitters} - H04B 10/516: Details of coding or modulation - H04B 10/5563: {Digital frequency modulation} - H04J 3/10: Arrangements for reducing cross-talk between channels - H04J 14/086: {Medium access (H04J3/16 takes precedence)} - H04N 25/531: by controlling rolling shutters in CMOS SSIS - H05B 47/155: Coordinated control of two or more light sources - G01S 2201/02: Indoor positioning, e.g. in covered car-parks, mining facilities, warehouses - G06T 2207/10004: Still image; Photographic image - G06T 2207/20021: Dividing image into blocks, subimages or windows - H05B: ELECTRIC HEATING; ELECTRIC LIGHT SOURCES NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; CIRCUIT ARRANGEMENTS FOR ELECTRIC LIGHT SOURCES, IN GENERAL - G01C: MEASURING DISTANCES, LEVELS OR BEARINGS; SURVEYING; NAVIGATION; GYROSCOPIC INSTRUMENTS; PHOTOGRAMMETRY OR VIDEOGRAMMETRY (measuring liquid level G01F; radio navigation, determining distance or velocity by use of propagation effects, e.g. Doppler effects, propagation time, of radio waves, analogous arrangements using other waves G01S) - G01S: RADIO DIRECTION-FINDING; RADIO NAVIGATION; DETERMINING DISTANCE OR VELOCITY BY USE OF RADIO WAVES; LOCATING OR PRESENCE-DETECTING BY USE OF THE REFLECTION OR RERADIATION OF RADIO WAVES; ANALOGOUS ARRANGEMENTS USING OTHER WAVES - G06F: ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING (computer systems based on specific computational models G06N) - G06T: IMAGE DATA PROCESSING OR GENERATION, IN GENERAL - H04B: TRANSMISSION - H04J: MULTIPLEX COMMUNICATION (transmission in general H04B; peculiar to transmission of digital information H04L5/00; systems for the simultaneous or sequential transmission of more than one television signal H04N7/08; in exchanges H04Q11/00; stereophonic systems H04S) - H04N: PICTORIAL COMMUNICATION, e.g. TELEVISION ## Abstract Techniques and architecture are disclosed for navigating an area with multi-panel luminaires configured to display fiducial patterns. In an embodiment, a system includes a plurality of luminaires located in an area and configured to display one or more fiducial patterns recognizable by a mobile computing device. The luminaire includes a plurality of panels, each panel associated with one or more solid-state light sources. The luminaire also includes at least one driver configured to control the light sources to transmit light through the plurality of panels at varying light intensities to display a fiducial pattern and configured to detect errors in the display of the fiducial pattern. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A luminaire comprising: a plurality of panels, each panel associated with one or more solid-state light sources, wherein the one or more solid-state light sources are configured to produce light; and at least one driver configured to: control the one or more solid-state light sources to transmit light through the plurality of panels at varying light intensities to display a first fiducial pattern recognizable by a mobile computing device, wherein the first fiducial pattern represents position information; detect an error in the display of the first fiducial pattern by monitoring electrical current to the one or more solid-state light sources in each of the plurality of panels, wherein an error is detected when a difference between the monitored electrical current and a stored electrical current exceeds a threshold; and control the one or more solid-state light sources to display a coarse fiducial pattern when the mobile computing device is located a long distance from the luminaire and a fine fiducial pattern when the mobile computing device is located near the luminaire. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The luminaire of claim 1, wherein the plurality of panels includes at least one fault indicator panel configured to indicate an error in the display of the first fiducial pattern to the mobile computing device. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The luminaire of claim 2, wherein the fault indicator panel is illuminated and forms part of the first fiducial pattern when there is no error in the display of the first fiducial pattern. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The luminaire of claim 1, wherein the luminaire further comprises a communication module configured to transmit the changes in electrical current to a computing system, wherein the computing system is configured to detect an error in the display of the first fiducial pattern. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The luminaire of claim 1, wherein in response to detecting an error in the display of the first fiducial pattern, the driver is further configured to control the one or more solid-state light sources to display a second fiducial pattern in place of the first fiducial pattern. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The luminaire of claim 1, wherein the coarse fiducial pattern represents fewer bits of information than the fine fiducial pattern. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The luminaire of claim 1, wherein the first fiducial pattern defines a shape such that a relative position of a mobile computing device from the luminaire is determined based on the shape of the first fiducial pattern. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The luminaire of claim 1, wherein the driver is further configured to operate the luminaire in a first mode and a second mode, wherein: the first mode comprises operating the one or more solid-state light sources at a first light intensity level; and the second mode comprises operating the one or more solid-state light sources at a second light intensity level different from the first light intensity level in order to display the first fiducial pattern. ### Claim 9 (depends on 8) The luminaire of claim 8, wherein the first light intensity level is a full light intensity level and the first mode further comprises modulating the frequency of light output to provide one or more light-based communication messages. ### Claim 10 (depends on 1) The luminaire of claim 1, wherein the at least one driver is further configured to control the one or more solid-state light sources to alternate between displaying the coarse fiducial pattern and the fine fiducial pattern. ### Claim 11 A system for navigating an area, the system comprising: a plurality of multi-panel luminaires located in the area, each multi-panel luminaire configured to display a fiducial pattern recognizable by a mobile computing device, wherein the fiducial pattern represents position information; and a computing system in communication with the plurality of multi-panel luminaires via a network and configured to: detect an error in the display of at least one fiducial pattern displayed by a first multi-panel luminaire by monitoring electrical current to one or more solid-state light sources in each of the plurality of multi-panel luminaires, wherein an error is detected when a difference between the monitored electrical current and a stored electrical current exceeds a threshold; and control the first multi-panel luminaire to display a coarse fiducial pattern when the mobile computing device is located a long distance from the first multi-panel luminaire and a fine fiducial pattern when the mobile computing device is located near the first multi-panel luminaire. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) The system of claim 11, wherein each multi-panel luminaire further comprises: a plurality of panels, each panel associated with one or more solid-state light sources, wherein the one or more solid-state light sources are configured to produce light; and at least one driver configured to control the one or more solid-state light sources by varying light intensities to display the fiducial pattern. ### Claim 13 (depends on 12) The system of claim 12, wherein each multi-panel luminaire further comprises a fault indicator panel configured to indicate an error in the display of the fiducial pattern. ### Claim 14 (depends on 11) The system of claim 11, wherein the computing system is further configured to transmit instructions to the first multi-panel luminaire and in response the first multi-panel luminaire adjusts the displayed fiducial pattern from a first fiducial pattern produced by a first combination of solid-state light sources to a second fiducial pattern produced by a second combination of solid-state light sources. ### Claim 15 (depends on 14) The system of claim 14, wherein the instructions are transmitted in response to detecting an error in the display of the fiducial pattern by the first multi-panel luminaire. ### Claim 16 (depends on 11) The system of claim 11, wherein in response to detecting the error the computing system is further configured to update at least one of a map and database content stored on the computing system, wherein the mobile computing device uses at least the map and the database content to adjust a received image of the fiducial pattern on the mobile computing device. ### Claim 17 (depends on 11) The system of claim 11, wherein the computing system is further configured to control the first multi-panel luminaire to alternate between displaying the coarse fiducial pattern and the fine fiducial pattern. ### Claim 18 A luminaire comprising: a housing with one or more solid-state light sources disposed therein; at least one driver configured to control the one or more solid-state light sources to produce an output of light; and a mask attached to the housing and positioned over at least one of the solid-state light sources, the mask being opaque with one or more transparent sections defining one or more panels configured to transmit the output of light to display a fiducial pattern that is recognizable by a mobile computing device, wherein the fiducial pattern represents position information; wherein the luminaire is configured to: detect an error in the display of the fiducial pattern by monitoring electrical current to the one or more solid-state light sources, wherein an error is detected when a difference between the monitored electrical current and a stored electrical current exceeds a threshold; and control the one or more solid-state light sources to display a coarse fiducial pattern when the mobile computing device is located a long distance from the luminaire and a fine fiducial pattern when the mobile computing device is located near the luminaire. ### Claim 19 (depends on 18) The luminaire of claim 18, further comprising a diffuser attached to the housing and positioned between the solid-state light sources and the mask. ### Claim 20 (depends on 18) The luminaire of claim 18, wherein the mask further comprises one or more polarized lenses that polarize light produced by the solid-state light sources such that the fiducial pattern is not visually detectable by a human eye. ### Claim 21 (depends on 18) The luminaire of claim 18, wherein the luminaire is further configured to control the one or more solid-state light sources to alternate between displaying the coarse fiducial pattern and the fine fiducial pattern.