# US 2014/0192226 A1 · Information communication device

> Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt

- Number: US 2014/0192226 A1
- Document ID: US20140192226A1
- Status: Published application
- Kind: A1
- Application number: 14/210,768
- Filed: 2014-03-14
- Published: 2014-07-10
- Earliest claimed: 2012-05-24
- Assignees: Panasonic Corporation
- Applicants: Panasonic Corporation
- Inventors: Mitsuaki OSHIMA; Kazunori YAMADA; Hideki AOYAMA; Ikuo FUCHIGAMI; Hidehiko SHIN; Tsutomu MUKAI; Yosuke MATSUSHITA; Shigehiro IIDA; Koji NAKANISHI
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20140192226A1

## CPC

- H04B 10/1143: {Bidirectional transmission}
- H04B 10/11: Arrangements specific to free-space transmission, i.e. transmission through air or vacuum
- H04B 10/116: Visible light communication
- H04B 10/541: {Digital intensity or amplitude modulation}
- H04L 12/2803: {Home automation networks}
- H04N 23/631: {Graphical user interfaces [GUI] specially adapted for controlling image capture or setting capture parameters}
- H04N 23/661: Transmitting camera control signals through networks, e.g. control via the Internet
- H04N 23/72: Combination of two or more compensation controls
- H04N 23/73: by influencing the exposure time
- H04N 23/76: by influencing the image signals
- H04W 4/50: Service provisioning or reconfiguring
- H04L 2012/2841: {Wireless}
- H04N 25/531: by controlling rolling shutters in CMOS SSIS
- H04B: TRANSMISSION
- H04L: TRANSMISSION OF DIGITAL INFORMATION, e.g. TELEGRAPHIC COMMUNICATION (arrangements common to telegraphic and telephonic communication H04M)
- H04N: PICTORIAL COMMUNICATION, e.g. TELEVISION
- H04W: WIRELESS COMMUNICATION NETWORKS (broadcast communication H04H; communication systems using wireless links for non-selective communication, e.g. wireless extensions H04M1/72)

## Abstract

An information communication method includes: setting an exposure time of an image sensor so that, in an image obtained by capturing a subject by the image sensor, a bright line corresponding to an exposure line included in the image sensor appears according to a change in luminance of the subject; capturing the subject that changes in luminance by the image sensor with the set exposure time, to obtain the image including the bright line; and obtaining information by demodulating data specified by a pattern of the bright line included in the obtained image.

## Claims

### Claim 1

An information communication method of obtaining information from a subject using an image sensor including a plurality of exposure lines, the information communication method comprising:
obtaining first image data by starting exposure sequentially for the plurality of exposure lines in the image sensor each at a different time and performing image capture with a first exposure time so that 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
obtaining second image data by starting exposure sequentially for the plurality of exposure lines each at a different time and performing image capture with a second exposure time shorter than the first exposure time so that 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 obtaining information by demodulating a bright line pattern that appears in the second image data, the bright line pattern corresponding to the plurality of exposure lines,
wherein in the obtaining of second image data: the second exposure time is set to less than or equal to 1/480 second and a sensitivity of the image sensor is set to a value higher than a sensitivity of the image sensor in the obtaining of first image data, to cause the bright line pattern to appear in the second image data; and the information is obtained by demodulating a frequency specified by the bright line pattern.

### Claim 2

An information communication device that obtains information from a subject using an image sensor including a plurality of exposure lines, the information communication device comprising:
a normal imaging unit configured to obtain first image data by starting exposure sequentially for the plurality of exposure lines in the image sensor each at a different time and performing image capture with a first exposure time so that 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
a visible light communication unit configured to obtain second image data by starting exposure sequentially for the plurality of exposure lines each at a different time and performing image capture with a second exposure time shorter than the first exposure time so that 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 obtain information by demodulating a bright line pattern that appears in the second image data, the bright line pattern corresponding to the plurality of exposure lines,
wherein the visible light communication unit is configured to: set the second exposure time to less than or equal to 1/480 second and set a sensitivity of the image sensor to a value higher than a sensitivity of the image sensor for obtaining the first image data, to cause the bright line pattern to appear in the second image data; and obtain the information by demodulating a frequency specified by the bright line pattern.

### Claim 3

A non-transitory computer-readable recording medium for use in a computer, the recording medium having recorded thereon a computer program for obtaining information from a subject using an image sensor including a plurality of exposure lines and causing the computer to execute:
obtaining first image data by starting exposure sequentially for the plurality of exposure lines in the image sensor each at a different time and performing image capture with a first exposure time so that 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
obtaining second image data by starting exposure sequentially for the plurality of exposure lines each at a different time and performing image capture with a second exposure time shorter than the first exposure time so that 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 obtaining information by demodulating a bright line pattern that appears in the second image data, the bright line pattern corresponding to the plurality of exposure lines,
wherein in the obtaining of second image data: the second exposure time is set to less than or equal to 1/480 second and a sensitivity of the image sensor is set to a value higher than a sensitivity of the image sensor in the obtaining of first image data, to cause the bright line pattern to appear in the second image data; and the information is obtained by demodulating a frequency specified by the bright line pattern.