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US 9,973,275 B2Granted
System and method for lighting and building occupant tracking
AssigneeMorgan State University
InventorsKofi Nyarko, Christian Emiyah, Samuel Mbugua
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Disclosed is a system and method for using visible light communication (“VLC”) to perform indoor position location. Through use of a system and method configured as set forth herein, the position of any appropriately marked person or item may be found indoors using data interconnected modules that communicate with one another via RF and visible light. A mobile receiver in the form of a tag or badge attached to the person or item to be tracked receives a VLC signal from a plurality of lighting modules, and transmits back to a processor the data it received so that the processor is able determine the tag's or badge's physical position with respect to the individual network modules.
Claims19
A system for detecting a location of a mobile receiver in an indoor location, comprising:
- a plurality of lighting modules each having a light source configured to provide visible light communication data signals to a mobile receiver, wherein said plurality of lighting modules are in data communication with one another so as to serially transmit unique identification codes from the plurality of lighting modules using time division multiplexing, each lighting module further comprising a controller configured to receive a virtual token from a first adjacent lighting module, in response to receiving said virtual token cause said light source to transmit a unique identification code, and transmit said virtual token to a second adjacent lighting module;
- a mobile receiver having a photodetector and a transmitter, and computer code configured to determine lighting module identification codes from visible light signals transmitted from said plurality of lighting modules, and to transmit data representative of determined module identification codes to a processor;
- and
- a processor in data communication with said mobile receiver, said processor having computer executable code stored thereon configured to receive said data representative of determined module identification codes, and to determine a physical location of said mobile receiver based on said data representative of determined module identification codes and data representative of a physical location of said plurality of lighting modules.
1 more element
A method for detecting a location of a mobile receiver in an indoor location, comprising the steps of:
- providing a plurality of lighting modules, each having a light source configured to provide visible light communication data signals to a mobile receiver, wherein said plurality of lighting modules are in data communication with one another so as to serially transmit unique identification codes from the plurality of lighting modules using time division multiplexing, each lighting module further comprising a controller configured to receive a virtual token from a first adjacent lighting module, in response to receiving said virtual token cause said light source to transmit a unique identification code, and transmit said virtual token to a second adjacent lighting module;
- providing a mobile receiver having a photodetector and a transmitter, and computer code configured to determine lighting module identification codes from visible light signals transmitted from said plurality of lighting modules, and to transmit data representative of determined module identification codes to a processor;
- providing a processor in data communication with said mobile receiver, said processor having computer executable code stored thereon configured to receive said data representative of determined module identification codes, and to determine a physical location of said mobile receiver based on said data representative of determined module identification codes and data representative of a physical location of said plurality of lighting modules;
- serially transmitting visible light communication data signals from said plurality of modules;
- receiving at said processor data transmissions from said mobile receiver comprising lighting module identification codes received by said mobile receiver from said lighting modules;
- and
- determining at said processor a physical location of said mobile receiver.
4 more elements
A method for detecting a location of a mobile receiver in an indoor location, comprising the steps of:
- providing a plurality of lighting modules, each having a light source configured to provide visible light communication data signals to a mobile receiver, wherein said plurality of lighting modules are in data communication with one another so as to serially transmit unique identification codes from the plurality of lighting modules to a mobile receiver using time division multiplexing, each lighting module further comprising a controller configured to receive a virtual token from a first adjacent lighting module, in response to receiving said virtual token cause said light source to transmit a unique identification code, and transmit said virtual token to a second adjacent lighting module;
- providing a processor configured for data communication with said mobile receiver, said processor having computer executable code stored thereon configured to receive from said mobile receiver data representative of module identification codes received by said mobile receiver, and to determine a physical location of said mobile receiver based on said data representative of determined module identification codes and data representative of a physical location of said plurality of lighting modules;
- serially transmitting visible light communication data signals from said plurality of modules;
- receiving at said processor data transmissions from said mobile receiver comprising lighting module identification codes received by said mobile receiver from said lighting modules;
- and
- determining at said processor a physical location of said mobile receiver.
3 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.