US 9,287,976 B2 · Independent beacon based light position system

Abstract

Systems and methods are provided that disclose providing a positioning service for devices based on light received from one or more light sources. This light based positioning service uses light information transmitted by each light source to determine the position of the device. The positioning information can include three dimension position information in a building that can then be used to deliver services and information to a mobile device. The content delivered to a mobile device can include multimedia, text, audio, and/or pictorial information. The positioning information along with other location or positioning information can be used in providing augmented reality or location aware services. The light sources can be independent beacons that broadcast information in visible light at a rate that is undetectable by the human eye. Content can be retrieved from a server over a communications connection.

Claims31

Dependent claims

A method of determining a position of a mobile device when the mobile device is indoors by using asynchronous light sources that each autonomously, and without communication to or from a server, broadcast an identifier as a modulated broadband light signal, the method comprising:

capturing, with an image sensor of the mobile device, an image comprising a modulated broadband light signal from one of the asynchronous light sources;
analyzing the captured image, using the mobile device, to demodulate the modulated broadband light signal from the one asynchronous light source and to determine an identifier specific to the one asynchronous light source;
and
transmitting the identifier determined from the captured image over a wireless communication link from the mobile device to the server, without communication to any light source, to obtain the position of the mobile device without using identifiers from the other asynchronous light sources,
wherein the identifier corresponds to a pattern of distortions within the captured image, the pattern of distortions being related to a modulation frequency of the modulated broadband light signal from the one asynchronous light source.

2 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Independent beacon based light position system

Life of this patent

Independent beacon based light position system

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims31