Infrared beacon and controlling method of same

A method for controlling a beacon, comprising:

• detecting, by an infrared-link detector of the beacon, an infrared-link signal transmitted from an external beacon, the infrared-link signal including a signaling code and clock synchronization data;
• adjusting, by a microcontroller of the beacon, a clock of the beacon to be synchronized with a clock of the external beacon according to the clock synchronization data;
• storing, by the microcontroller of the beacon, the signaling code in a memory of the beacon;
• and
• when a clock cycle signal generated by the clock indicates that it is a starting time of a clock cycle, controlling, by the microcontroller of the beacon, an infrared emitter to emit a beacon signal including the signaling code with a delay time relative to the starting time of the clock cycle, the delay time being stored in the memory of the beacon.

A beacon system, comprising;

• a plurality of beacons for emitting cascading beacon signals with an identical signaling code,
• wherein each of the beacons includes:
• an infrared emitter configured to emit beacon signals;
• an infrared-link emitter configured to emit infrared-link signals having a wavelength different from that of the beacon signals emitted by the infrared emitter;
• an infrared-link detector configured to detect infrared-link signals;
• a memory configured to store a delay time;
• a clock configured to generate a clock cycle signal;
• and
• a microcontroller configured to, in response to receiving an infrared-link signal including a signaling code and clock synchronization data from an external beacon via the infrared-link detector:
• adjust the clock to be synchronized with a clock of the external beacon, according to the clock synchronization data;
• store the signaling code in the memory;
• and
• when the clock cycle signal generated by the clock indicates that it is a starting time of a clock cycle period, control the infrared emitter to emit a beacon signal including the signaling code with the delay time relative to the starting time of the clock cycle period.