CN111866411B

CN111866411B - Content display apparatus, method, device, and computer-readable storage medium

Info

Publication number: CN111866411B
Application number: CN201910362300.7A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 王楠; 刘冰洋; 李笑昕; 沈蕾; 虞险云; 于丹丹; 李德忠
Original assignee: Nokia Shanghai Bell Co Ltd; Nokia Solutions and Networks Oy
Current assignee: Nokia Shanghai Bell Co Ltd; Nokia Solutions and Networks Oy
Priority date: 2019-04-30
Filing date: 2019-04-30
Publication date: 2023-06-23
Anticipated expiration: 2039-04-30
Also published as: CN111866411A

Abstract

Embodiments of the present disclosure relate to content display apparatuses, methods, devices, and computer-readable storage media. The content display apparatus described herein includes: a deformation in a housing of the content display device, the deformation being adapted to reflect the combined visible light and to change a pattern characteristic of the combined visible light for positioning the content display device; and a Visible Light Communication (VLC) receiver disposed in the housing at a position corresponding to the deformation, and configured to convert the light signal emitted in the form of combined visible light into content corresponding to the position of the content display device. The method combines the visible light communication technology and the structured light positioning technology, reduces the number of wireless routers required, provides higher data rate, and ensures data security.

Description

Content display apparatus, method, device, and computer-readable storage medium

Technical Field

Embodiments of the present disclosure relate generally to the field of communications technology and, more particularly, relate to a device, method, apparatus, and computer-readable storage medium for content display.

Background

As users' demands for video experiences continue to increase, simulation techniques, such as interactive Virtual Reality (VR)/Augmented Reality (AR) techniques, provide ultra-high definition image quality and enable participants to interact with, and even be fully immersed in, the created virtual environment. Such interactive technology has a perception function, and can capture the reaction and behavior of the participants, and then generate image content suitable for the reaction and behavior of the participants through computer processing.

Wireless Local Area Networks (WLANs) conforming to the 802.11 family of standards are the most common techniques for providing effective bandwidth to VR-enabled wireless devices. Currently, to meet the need for multiple users to view VR images or experience VR games simultaneously, the number of wireless routers (e.g., wi-Fi APs) may be increased to extend wireless network coverage and increase available network bandwidth. However, interference may occur between Wi-Fi APs, degrading the user experience.

Disclosure of Invention

In general, example embodiments of the present disclosure propose content display devices, methods, apparatuses, and computer-readable storage media.

In a first aspect, a content display apparatus is provided. The content display apparatus includes: a deformation in a housing of the content display device, the deformation being adapted to reflect the combined visible light and to change a pattern characteristic of the combined visible light for positioning the content display device; and a Visible Light Communication (VLC) receiver disposed in the housing at a position corresponding to the deformation, and configured to convert the light signal emitted in the form of combined visible light into content corresponding to the position of the content display device.

In a second aspect, an integrated communication device is provided. The integrated communication device includes a Visible Light Communication (VLC) transmitter and a combined light projector. The VLC transmitter is configured to: modulating the content data signal into an optical signal; and emitting the optical signal in the form of visible light. The combined light projector is configured to: combining visible light with the pattern features to obtain combined visible light; and projecting the combined visible light.

In a third aspect, a media server is provided. The media server includes at least one processor and at least one memory including computer program code. The at least one memory and the computer program code are configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the media server to: a first communication address for downlink data transmission and a second communication address different from the first communication address for uplink data transmission are set for the content display apparatus according to the first aspect.

In a fourth aspect, a content display system is provided. The content display system includes: a content display device according to the first aspect, an integrated communication device according to the second aspect, and a media server according to the third aspect.

In a fifth aspect, a method for displaying content is provided. The method comprises the following steps: receiving, from the integrated communication device, an optical signal transmitted in the form of combined visible light, the optical signal being transmitted based on position information of the content display device, the position information of the content display device being determined using deformation of a housing located at the content display device; and converting the optical signal into content corresponding to the location of the content display apparatus.

In a sixth aspect, a method for communication is provided. The method comprises the following steps: modulating the content data signal into an optical signal; emitting an optical signal in the form of visible light; combining visible light with the pattern features to obtain combined visible light; and projecting the combined visible light.

In a seventh aspect, a method for communication is provided. The method comprises the following steps: a first communication address for downlink data transmission and a second communication address different from the first communication address for uplink data transmission are set for the content display apparatus according to the first aspect.

In an eighth aspect, an apparatus for displaying content is provided. The device comprises: means for receiving, from the integrated communication device, an optical signal emitted in the form of combined visible light, the optical signal being transmitted based on position information of the content display device, the position information of the content display device being determined using deformation of a housing located at the content display device; and means for converting the optical signal into content corresponding to the location of the content display device.

In a ninth aspect, an apparatus for communication is provided. The device comprises: means for modulating the content data signal into an optical signal; means for emitting an optical signal in the form of visible light; means for combining visible light with the pattern features to obtain combined visible light; and means for projecting the combined visible light.

In a tenth aspect, an apparatus for communication is provided. The device comprises: means for setting a first communication address for downlink data transmission and a second communication address different from the first communication address for uplink data transmission for the content display apparatus according to the first aspect.

In an eleventh aspect, a computer-readable storage medium having a computer program stored thereon is provided. The computer program comprises instructions which, when executed by a processor on a device, cause the device to perform the method according to the fifth aspect.

In a twelfth aspect, example embodiments of the present disclosure provide a computer-readable storage medium having a computer program stored thereon. The computer program comprises instructions which, when executed by a processor on a device, cause the device to perform the method according to the sixth aspect.

In a thirteenth aspect, example embodiments of the present disclosure provide a computer-readable storage medium having a computer program stored thereon. The computer program comprises instructions which, when executed by a processor on a device, cause the device to perform the method according to the seventh aspect.

It should be understood that the description in this summary is not intended to limit key or critical features of the disclosed embodiments, nor is it intended to limit the scope of the disclosure. Other features of the present disclosure will become apparent from the following description.

Drawings

The above and other features, advantages and aspects of embodiments of the present disclosure will become more apparent by reference to the following detailed description when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. In the drawings, wherein like or similar reference numerals denote like or similar elements, in which:

FIG. 1 illustrates an example communication system in which embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented;

FIG. 2 shows a schematic diagram of the structured light positioning principle;

FIG. 3 illustrates a flow chart of an interaction process according to an example embodiment of the present disclosure;

fig. 4A shows a schematic diagram of a content display apparatus according to an example embodiment of the present disclosure;

fig. 4B shows a block diagram of a Visible Light Communication (VLC) receiver according to an example embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 5 illustrates a flowchart of a method for implementation at a content display device, according to an example embodiment of the present disclosure;

fig. 6A shows a block diagram of an integrated communication device according to an example embodiment of the present disclosure;

fig. 6B shows a block diagram of a Visible Light Communication (VLC) transmitter according to an example embodiment of the present disclosure;

fig. 7 shows a flowchart of a method for implementation at an integrated communication device, according to an example embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 8 illustrates a block diagram of a media server according to an example embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 9 illustrates a flowchart of a method for implementation at a media server according to an example embodiment of the present disclosure;

fig. 10 shows a block diagram of a device suitable for implementing example embodiments of the present disclosure.

Detailed Description

Some example embodiments will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. While example embodiments of the present disclosure are illustrated in the drawings, it should be understood that the present disclosure may be embodied in various forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein, but rather should be provided to provide a more thorough and complete understanding of the present disclosure. It should be understood that the drawings and embodiments of the present disclosure are for illustration purposes only and are not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure.

The term "Visible Light (VLC) communication" as used herein refers to a wireless communication mode in which light in the visible light band is used as an information carrier to directly transmit an optical signal in the air. Visible light communication technology can achieve data rates of 1Gbps to 3.4 Gbps. Fluorescent lamps, incandescent lamps, fluorescent lamps, light Emitting Diodes (LEDs), etc. may be used as the light source for visible light. For ease of discussion, example embodiments of the present disclosure are described with LEDs as examples of sources of visible light.

The term "combined visible light" as used herein refers to visible light having structural or pattern features and having digital signals modulated thereon. The structural or pattern features may include stripe patterns, spot patterns, circle patterns, grid patterns, and any suitable combination thereof, according to particular needs. By projecting combined visible light to a device supporting VLC techniques, it is possible to simultaneously implement the functions of measuring position information of the device and transmitting data to the device.

The term "content display device" as used herein refers to a device for displaying images having wireless communication capabilities, and may be a multimedia player, tablet, smart phone, wearable device, or the like. For ease of discussion, example embodiments of the present disclosure are described with a Virtual Reality (VR)/Augmented Reality (AR) all-in-one machine as an example of a content display device.

The term "Ultra High Definition (UHD)" as used herein refers to ultra high definition, which has a resolution up to 4K and above. For example, 4K is a resolution standard of 3840×2160 pixels, and 8K is a resolution standard of 7680×4320 pixels. The term "High Definition (HD)" refers to a full high definition above 720P, with a resolution up to a standard of 1280 x 720 pixels above. The term "Standard Definition (SD)" refers to standard definition, which can reach a resolution standard of 720 x 480 or more pixels.

The term "circuitry" as used herein refers to one or more of the following:

(a) Hardware-only circuit implementations (such as analog-only and/or digital-circuit implementations); and

(b) A combination of hardware circuitry and software, such as (if applicable): (i) A combination of analog and/or digital hardware circuitry and software/firmware, and (ii) any portion of a hardware processor and software (including digital signal processors, software, and memory that work together to cause an apparatus, such as an OLT or other computing device, to perform various functions); and

(c) Hardware circuitry and/or a processor, such as a microprocessor or a portion of a microprocessor, that requires software (e.g., firmware) for operation, but may not have software when software is not required for operation.

The definition of circuit applies to all scenarios in which this term is used in this application, including in any claims. As another example, the term "circuitry" as used herein also covers an implementation of only a hardware circuit or processor (or multiple processors), or a portion of a hardware circuit or processor, or its accompanying software or firmware. For example, if applicable to the particular claim element, the term "circuitry" also covers a baseband integrated circuit or processor integrated circuit or similar integrated circuit in an OLT or other computing device.

The term "including" and variations thereof as used herein are intended to be open-ended, i.e., including, but not limited to. The term "based on" is based at least in part on. The term "one embodiment" means "at least one embodiment"; the term "another embodiment" means "at least one additional embodiment". Related definitions of other terms will be given in the description below.

Currently, with the popularity of VR/AR technology, more and more UHD VR/AR applications, such as interactive VR/AR video or gaming applications, are popular with a wide variety of users. As previously described, in conducting the VR/AR experience, the VR/AR system needs to capture the participant's reactions and behaviors to translate into the necessary interaction inputs. For example, the user's location in the virtual environment may be located by tracking the user's head movements through a head-mounted VR all-in-one machine used by the user. This requires the headset VR/AR all-in-one to provide high precision tracking and positioning functions. To not limit the movement of the user, the headset VR/AR all-in-one generally employs wireless communication technology. At the same time, the head mounted VR/AR all-in-one should also be as small as possible and lightweight in order not to degrade the user experience. However, in the conventional VR/AR all-in-one machine, the functions for tracking and positioning and the functions for wireless communication are provided by two independent systems, respectively. This is clearly detrimental to the weight, bulk and cost of the VR/AR all-in-one machine.

On the other hand, to support UHD 360 degree panorama technology such as VR/AR video applications, adequate WLAN coverage is required and the bandwidth requirements far above the SD standard are met. However, the data rates provided by the commonly employed 802.11 family of standards are insufficient to support many users simultaneously with a UHD VR/AR experience. By way of example, 802.11ay is the wireless standard that is the highest data rate that can be achieved in the current 802.11 family of standards. According to the standard set by IEEE, the 802.11ay can achieve a single-stream transmission rate of 44 Gbps, and a four-stream concurrent transmission rate of 176 Gbps, wherein 44 Gbps is used for downlink and 132 Gbps is used for uplink. Assuming that the downlink data rate required by a single user is 2 Gbps in an indoor environment (such as a cinema, a game bar, a game cabin, a passenger cabin of an airplane or cruise ship, etc.) capable of providing VR/AR video or game experience, one 802.11ay AP can only support about 22 users for experience at the same time.

As previously mentioned, one solution is to expand the coverage of the WLAN and provide adequate data rates by deploying wireless routers such as Wi-Fi APs at high density. However, this solution suffers from at least the following problems: 1) The wireless routers interfere with each other, thereby reducing the effective transmission rate; 2) It is very difficult to allocate radio spectrum resources for high density deployed wireless routers; 3) The wireless router may cause interference to other radio communication systems deployed within the same scenario; and 4) data transmitted via Wi-Fi is easily intercepted in the air, so that the data security is not guaranteed.

The inventor realizes that the visible light communication has the advantages of high transmission rate, strong data security, no electromagnetic interference, no need of spectrum authentication and the like, and can well solve the problems if the Visible Light Communication (VLC) technology can be complemented with the Wi-Fi, LTE, 5G and other radio communication technologies.

To this end, example embodiments of the present disclosure propose an interactive communication mechanism that combines VLC technology with structured light technology. The mechanism modulates the media data into an optical signal that is carried in visible light and combines the visible light with pattern features for positioning to form combined visible light. In this way, when the combined visible light is projected to a content display device (e.g., a head-mounted VR device, VR all-in-one), the content display device may receive streaming media data via the downlink using, for example, a VLC enabled receiver. Meanwhile, since a part of the combined visible light is reflected by the content display apparatus, the pattern characteristics of the part of the combined visible light are changed, and the position information of the content display apparatus can be determined based on the degree of the change.

In other words, the communication mechanism according to the exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure simultaneously implements the functions of positioning and data transmission by means of combining visible light, which will greatly alleviate the problem of insufficient effective bandwidth, reduce the number of wireless routers required, and provide a positioning function with high accuracy. Such interactive communication mechanisms enable more users to conduct VR/AR video or game experience simultaneously within the same space.

In particular, such a communication mechanism can be well compatible with indoor environments where electromagnetic wave transmission is limited, obstacles are many, and because visible light sources (e.g., LEDs, incandescent lamps, fluorescent lamps, etc.) are widely present therein, it is more energy efficient and economical in practice.

Furthermore, the communication mechanism according to example embodiments of the present disclosure is safer and more reliable than a communication mechanism that relies entirely on WLAN.

Fig. 1 illustrates an example communication system in which embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented. As shown in fig. 1, the communication system 100 includes a content display device 110, an integrated communication device 120, a media server 130, a wireless router 140, and a route switch device 150.

The content display device 110 may communicate wirelessly with the media server 130 via the wireless router 140 and the route switch device 150, for example, send uplink data to the media server 130 or receive downlink data from the media server 130. The content display device 110 and the integrated communication device 120 communicate wirelessly using VLC techniques, for example, the content display device 110 may receive downlink data from visible light projected by the integrated communication device 120. As will be discussed in detail later with respect to the content display apparatus 110.

The integrated communication device 120 communicates with the media server 130 either wired or wireless via a broadband local area network (e.g., via gigabit ethernet) or any suitable network. In some example embodiments, the integrated communication device 120 may be configured to request a content data signal from the media server 130. As will be discussed in detail later with respect to the integrated communication device 120.

In the communication system shown in fig. 1, the media server 130 may act as a data source providing content data signals to the integrated communication device 120 to cause the integrated communication device 120 to transmit the content data signals to the content display device 110. In other example embodiments, the media server 130 may retrieve content data from a remote node, such as an application server, portal server, content server, or cloud server (not shown), via the internet, and provide it to the integrated communication device 120. In such embodiments, the content server may store all content data and act as a data source, and the portal server and application server may be configured to support VR/AR applications installed on the content display device 110 and provide an Electronic Program Guide (EPG) system to provide indexing and navigation of various services to the content display device 110. As will be discussed in detail later with respect to the media server 130.

The wireless router 140 is connected to the media server via the route switch device 150 and is configured to provide wireless network coverage to the indoor environment in which the user is located. Wireless router 140 may be a network device conforming to the 802.11 family of standards or implemented by any suitable device, such as a Wi-Fi AP, the scope of the disclosure being not limited in this respect.

Routing switch 150 may be any suitable network device capable of implementing a network interconnection, the scope of the present disclosure being not limited in this respect.

In particular, in an example embodiment, the communication system 100 may be a Content Delivery Network (CDN) architecture based communication system. At this point, the media server 130 may act as a CDN edge delivery server or edge node, while the remote node may act as a central content server.

It should also be appreciated that the communication system 100 is described for exemplary purposes only and does not imply any limitation as to the scope of the present disclosure. For example, the example embodiments of the present disclosure may also be applied to a system different from the communication system 100. The number of elements or entities shown is merely an example and is not limiting. Moreover, any communication technique currently known, as well as developed in the future, may be employed between elements or entities for communication. As an example, in a scene of a VR/AR cinema, a game bar, or a passenger cabin of an airplane or cruise ship supporting a VR/AR display system, etc., there may be many users who are doing VR/AR experience at the same time. At this time, the communication system 100 may include more than one content display device 110 and more than one integrated communication device 120, and a single integrated communication device 120 may correspond to one or more content display devices 110.

Example embodiments of the present disclosure track the motion of the content display device 110 by means of structured light based measurement techniques, utilizing the principle that the pattern features of structured light will change when encountering obstacles or people, thereby enabling high accuracy positioning of the user. Fig. 2 illustrates the structured light positioning principle. As shown in fig. 2, when structured light having a stripe pattern projected from the projector 210 encounters the convex structure 220, its pattern characteristics change such as distortion or deformation. The camera 230 captures reflected structured light with varying pattern features, and the position of the raised structures 220 can be calculated based on the degree of variation of the pattern features. Many algorithms are known in calculating location information and are therefore not described in detail herein.

FIG. 3 illustrates a flowchart of an example interaction process, according to an example embodiment of the present disclosure. For discussion purposes, the example interaction process 300 will be described with reference to FIG. 1. Process 300 may involve content display device 110, integrated communication device 120, and media server 130 as shown in fig. 1. It should be appreciated that although process 900 is described with respect to communication system 100 of fig. 1, the process illustrated in fig. 3 is equally applicable to other communication scenarios.

In process 300, media server 130 sets (305) a first communication address for downlink data transmission and a second communication address for uplink transmission for content display device 110. Depending on the wireless communication technology used, the communication address may comprise an IP address or any other type of wireless communication address, such as a device address compliant with the bluetooth protocol, a device address compliant with the ZigBee protocol, etc.

According to example embodiments of the present disclosure, the content display device 110 may be implemented by any suitable device that supports image/video playback, VR/AR display systems, including but not limited to multimedia players, smartphones, laptops, tablet devices, wearable devices (e.g., head-mounted VR devices, VR/AR all-in-one, etc.), and the like.

The media server 130 can employ any suitable protocol or mechanism to set and manage communication addresses for the content display device 110, such as a dynamic IP address mechanism and/or a static IP address machine based on the Netconf network configuration protocol. According to an example embodiment of the present disclosure, the first communication address set by the media server 130 is different from the second communication address, and the two communication addresses correspond to two wireless communication mechanisms supported by the content display apparatus 110, respectively, which will be discussed in detail later.

The media server 130 sets (310) a first communication address for the integrated communication device 120.

Alternatively, the content display device 110 may send 315 the content data signal request to the media server 130, e.g., via the wireless router 140, using the set second communication address. The content data signal request may include a configuration and settings of the content display device 110, for example, a first communication address and a second communication address. In such an embodiment, the media server then transmits at least the first communication address in the configuration of the content display device 110 to the corresponding integrated communication device 120. Optionally, the content display device 110 may also receive data from the media server 130 using the set second communication address, for example, via the wireless router 140.

The media server 130 sends 320 the content data signal to the integrated communication device 120. The content data signal may include, but is not limited to, multimedia files, VR/AR video streams, and the like. In an example embodiment, the media server 130 may transmit the content data signal in response to the content data signal request or may transmit directly.

The integrated communication device 120 modulates (325) the content data signal into an optical signal, emits (330) the optical signal in the form of visible light, combines the visible light with the pattern features, and acquires (335) the combined visible light. The pattern features combined with visible light may include at least one of a stripe pattern, a spot pattern, a circle pattern, and a grid pattern.

In an example embodiment, the integrated communication device 120 is a network device that supports visible light communication technology. Furthermore, the integrated communication device 120 may also act as a lighting device in the indoor environment covered by the communication system 100. As an example, the integrated communication device 120 may be installed within a venue providing a VR/AR video or gaming experience in which one or more users are viewing VR/AR content using the content display device 110.

The integrated communication device 120 then projects 340 the combined visible light. In an example embodiment, the housing of the content display device 110 has a deformation adapted to receive and reflect light (e.g., combined light). Since the combined light has pattern features, the pattern features may change when the combined light is projected onto the content display apparatus. As mentioned above, the principle that the pattern characteristics of structured light change when encountering an obstacle or person may be used to track the movement of a user or a specific part of the user's body (e.g. the head). In this way, the deformation of the housing of the content display device can act as an identification block to locate the head movement of the user.

The integrated communication device 120 receives (345) the combined visible light reflected by the content display device 110. As described above, the pattern characteristics of the combined visible light have changed, and based on the change in the pattern characteristics, the integrated communication device 120 determines (350) the position information of the content display device 110.

In some example embodiments, the location of the content display device 110 may be defined by multiple degrees of freedom (nDoF). For example, nDoF may include three degrees of freedom (3 DoF) and six degrees of freedom (6 DoF). When the 3DoF is utilized to position the content display apparatus, the user's motion or movement can be reflected in three degrees of freedom, up and down, left and right, front and rear, and the like. 6DoF is an additional consideration of three degrees of freedom of pitch, yaw, and roll based on 3 DoF. Thus, when the content display apparatus is positioned using 6DoF, the user's motion or movement can be reflected in the above-described six degrees of freedom.

In some example embodiments, the integrated communication device 120 may also determine the speed of movement of the content display device 110 based on, for example, a change in pattern features over a period of time.

The content display apparatus 110 may convert 355 the light signals emitted in the form of combined visible light into content for display. As an example, the content may be video or image content.

The integrated communication device 120 then requests (360) a content data signal corresponding to the location information from the media server 130.

As an example, where the content display device 110 is a head mounted VR device, the location information of the content display device 110 corresponds to the head movement of the user, and may indicate the current field of view of the user. When the location of the user who is experiencing the VR/AR experience changes, the picture presented to the user should also change accordingly with its location, thus requiring content from the media server 130 that is compatible with the user's current field of view.

In response to a request from the integrated communication device 120, the media server 130 provides 365 the content data signal corresponding to the location to the integrated communication device 120.

Similar to the steps in 325-335, the integrated communication device 120 modulates (370) the received content data signal into an optical signal, emits (375) the optical signal in the form of visible light, and combines the visible light with the pattern features to obtain (380) the combined visible light.

In turn, the integrated communication device 120 projects (385) combined visible light to the content display device 110, the light signals emitted in the form of the combined visible light comprising content data signals corresponding to the location of the content display device 110.

The content display device 110 converts (390) the light signals emitted in the form of combined visible light into content corresponding to the location of the content display device 110. In an example embodiment, the content display apparatus 110 performs downlink transmission, i.e., receives an optical signal, using the first communication address. After receiving the optical signal, the content display apparatus 110 may convert the optical signal into an electrical signal and demodulate the electrical signal to obtain a content data signal corresponding to the location. The content display device 110 may then display the content associated with the content data signal.

Although the various steps in the interaction process 300 described above are described in a particular order, this order is for illustrative and non-limiting purposes only. Unless explicitly noted otherwise, such interaction procedures should not be construed as requiring completion in the particular order shown or in sequential order. In some cases, multitasking or parallel processing may be beneficial. In addition, the interactive process 300 may also include additional operations not shown and/or may omit one or more of the operations shown. By way of example,

operations

330 and 335,

operations

350 and 355 may be performed concurrently, for example, and so forth.

Fig. 4A shows a schematic diagram of a content display apparatus according to an example embodiment of the present disclosure. The content display device may be implemented as the content display device 110 shown in fig. 1.

As shown in fig. 4A, the housing of the content display apparatus 110 has a deformation adapted to receive and reflect visible light. The content display apparatus 110 includes a Visible Light Communication (VLC) receiver 412, and the VLC receiver 412 is disposed at a position corresponding to the deformation of the housing. In some example embodiments, the VLC receiver 412 may be mounted or embedded on the housing of the content display device 110 to provide the housing with a deformation. As an example, the VLC receiver 412 may be directly mounted to the housing surface of the content display device 110, or a certain area may be hollowed out from the housing surface of the content display device 110, and the VLC receiver 412 may be embedded in the area. Although in fig. 4A, the VLC receiver 412 is shown as being located in a raised structure on the housing of the content display device 410, the VLC receiver 412 may also have other contoured structures suitable for reflecting light, such as a recessed structure. Alternatively, in the case where the VLC receiver 412 is embedded on the housing of the content display device 110 and both are in the same continuous plane, the presence of the VLC receiver 412 may still result in a change in the pattern characteristics of the reflected visible light due to the VLC receiver 412 being of a material different from that of the housing surface. As described above, the deformation of the housing can act as an identification block for locating the head movement of the user, so long as such deformation is suitable for reflecting visible light and causing a change in the pattern characteristics of the visible light.

In an example embodiment, the content display device 110 may also include a wireless signal transmitter such that the content display device 110 may communicate using other wireless communication technologies such as LTE, LTE-a, 5G, wi-Fi, bluetooth, zigBee, and the like. In some example embodiments, the wireless signal transmitter may communicate with the media server 130 via the wireless router 140 and the route switch device 150. In some example embodiments, the wireless signal transmitter may be replaced with a wireless signal transceiver that has both uplink/downlink bi-directional transmission functions, as the disclosure is not limited in this respect.

It should be appreciated that the content display device 110 also includes other components necessary for content display including, but not limited to, a core processing unit, a display terminal, a driving component, an input/output component, a touch sensor, a data transmission interface, a power supply, and the like. For ease of discussion and for simplicity, these components are not shown in the figures, but are not meant to imply that embodiments of the present disclosure are not provided with these components, and the scope of the present disclosure is not limited in this respect. It should be appreciated that the routing switch device 150 includes, but is not limited to, a gateway, router, switch, etc. device or apparatus having a routing switch function.

Fig. 4B shows a block diagram of a VLC receiver according to an example embodiment of the present disclosure. The VLC receiver may be implemented by the VLC receiver 412 shown in fig. 4A. As shown in fig. 4B, VLC receiver 412 includes a photodiode 414, an amplification and filtering module 416, an analog-to-digital (AD) converter 418, a signal processing module 420, and a modulation module 422. It should be understood that VLC receiver 412 is merely an example, and that VLC receiver may also include additional components or modules not shown, the scope of the present disclosure is not limited in this respect.

Fig. 5 illustrates a flowchart of a method 500 for implementation at a content display device, according to an example embodiment of the present disclosure. For ease of discussion, the method 500 will be described below in connection with fig. 4A and 4B from the perspective of the content display device 110.

As shown in fig. 5, at block 510, the VLC receiver 412 of the content display device 110 receives the light signals transmitted in the form of combined visible light from the integrated communication device 120.

At block 520, the VLC receiver 412 converts the light signal into content corresponding to the position of the content display device 110. According to embodiments of the present disclosure, optical signals emitted in the form of combined visible light are used to carry content data.

In some example embodiments, one example implementation of the steps at block 520 may include: a light signal corresponding to the position of the content display apparatus is received by the VLC receiver 412. The optical signal is converted into an electrical signal by a photodiode 414. The electrical signal is processed via the AD converter 418, the signal processing module 420 and the demodulation module 422, and then the content data signal is acquired. The display device 110 then displays content associated with the content data signal, such as VR/AR video content that is compatible with the user's current field of view.

In some example embodiments, the content display device 110 further includes a wireless signal transmitter. The wireless signal transmitter may utilize any suitable wireless communication technology and standard, whether currently known or developed in the future, such as LTE, LTE-a, 5G, wi-Fi, bluetooth, zigBee, long range communication (LoRa), etc. The scope of the present disclosure is not limited in this respect.

Also, in example embodiments, the VLC receiver 412 of the content display device 110 may be configured to perform downlink data transmission, such as receiving an optical signal transmitted in a combined optical form, using a first communication address, and the wireless signal transmitter may perform uplink data transmission, such as sending a registration request, a service request, a content data signal request, etc., to the server using a second communication address different from the first communication address.

The content display apparatus according to the exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure has a modification adapted to reflect combined visible light, in particular, by disposing the VLC receiver at a position corresponding to the modification, so that the functions of positioning and downlink data transmission can be simultaneously realized by processing the combined visible light. Such a content display apparatus has a lower weight, a smaller volume, and a lower cost than a conventional apparatus employing two independent systems to provide a positioning function and a wireless communication function, respectively.

Further, the content display apparatus according to the example embodiments of the present disclosure may implement interactive communication through a flexible bidirectional high-speed communication mechanism. Because the uplink/downlink data transmission respectively utilizes different wireless communication technologies, the downlink data transmission requiring high data rate is configured to utilize VLC technology, and the uplink data transmission requiring low data rate and bandwidth is configured to utilize other wireless communication technologies, not only can delay be reduced, image content such as VR/AR video and the like can be smoothly displayed, real-time interaction with VR/AR video application is realized, but also the number of wireless routers required by VR/AR experience places can be effectively reduced, and thus the experience of a user when watching VR/AR video is remarkably improved.

Fig. 6A shows a schematic diagram of an integrated communication device according to an example embodiment of the present disclosure. The integrated communication device may be implemented by an integrated communication device 120 as shown in fig. 1. As shown in fig. 6A, the integrated communication device 120 includes a VLC transmitter 612 and a combined light projector 614. In an example embodiment, the integrated communication device 120 may also include at least one camera 616.

The at least one camera 616 may be a specially designed infrared camera or any suitable camera. In an example embodiment, the at least one camera may be arranged independent of the integrated communication device 120. In particular, a two-camera arrangement may also be employed, where permitted.

According to example embodiments of the present disclosure, the integrated communication device 120 may be an optoelectronic communication device that supports optoelectronic conversion. It should be appreciated that the integrated communication device 120 may also include other physical or virtual elements or components, such as digital-to-analog converters, and that the number of elements or entities shown is merely an example. For ease of discussion, the following description will be given by way of example of an integrated communication device including a camera. It should be noted, however, that all of the features described are equally applicable to embodiments where the camera is independent.

Fig. 6B shows a schematic diagram of a VLC transmitter according to an example embodiment of the present disclosure. The VLC transmitter may be implemented by VLC transmitter 612 shown in fig. 6A. As shown in fig. 6B, the VLC transmitter 612 includes a modulation module 622, a signal processing module 624, a digital-to-analog (DA) converter 626, an amplifying and biasing module 628, and a Light Emitting Diode (LED) 630. It should be appreciated that the VLC transmitter 612 shown in fig. 6B is merely an example, and that the VLC transmitter may further include additional components or modules not shown, such as structured light imaging components, etc., the scope of the present disclosure is not limited in this respect.

Fig. 7 illustrates a flowchart of a method 700 for implementation at an integrated communication device according to an example embodiment of the present disclosure. For ease of discussion, the method 700 will be described below in connection with fig. 6A and 6B from the perspective of the integrated communication device 120.

At block 710, the VLC transmitter 612 modulates the content data signal into a light signal. For example, according to example embodiments of the present disclosure, a content data signal acquired from a source of the content data signal, e.g., the media server 130, may be modulated by the modulation module 622 of the VLC transmitter 612 and processed via the signal processing module 624, the DA converter 626, and the amplification and bias module 628 to acquire an optical signal.

At block 720, the VLC transmitter 612 transmits the light signal in the form of visible light. For example, according to example embodiments of the present disclosure, LED 630 may be used as a light source of visible light. It should be understood that other light sources may be used to emit light signals, such as incandescent lamps, fluorescent lamps, and the like. Also, the number of light sources is merely an example, and the scope of the present disclosure is not limited in this respect.

At block 730, the combined light projector 614 combines the visible light with the pattern features to obtain combined visible light. In the aspect of combining visible light and pattern features, the known structured light principle is applied, so that a specific manner of implementing the combination will not be described herein.

At block 740, the combined light projector 614 projects combined visible light. As an example, the range of projected combined visible light may be limited to a certain spatial range, such as where the user is doing a VR/AR experience.

In some embodiments, at least one camera 616 may receive combined visible light reflected by a content display device (e.g., a deformation of a housing of the content display device) and determine location information of the content display device based on a change in pattern characteristics of the reflected combined visible light.

In some embodiments, the at least one camera 616 may compare the change in the pattern feature to a reference pattern feature and determine location information of the content display device based on the comparison. In the context of the present disclosure, reference pattern features may be original, undistorted, or unaltered pattern features. In addition, as described above, many algorithms are known in calculating the position information, and thus are not described in detail herein. Additionally or alternatively, in example embodiments, a dual camera arrangement may be employed, which will provide greater positioning accuracy and reliability.

Additionally or alternatively, in the case of a large user action amplitude, a wider range and less accurate positioning may be performed first by the at least one camera 616 to determine the user's range of motion. Further, positioning with a smaller range and higher accuracy is performed within the determined range of motion by the method 700 as shown in fig. 7. In this manner, integrated communication device 120 may implement a wide range, high precision multi-level positioning function.

In some example embodiments, the integrated communication device 120 may also request a content data signal corresponding to the location information of the content display device 110 from the media server 130 based on the determined location information.

Additionally or alternatively, the integrated communication device 120 may also determine a speed of movement of the content display device based on a change in a pattern characteristic of the combined visible light reflected over a period of time.

Additionally or alternatively, the integrated communication device 120 may also decide whether to request a content data signal corresponding to the location information from the media server 130 based on whether the location information of the content display device 110 has changed. In such an embodiment, at least one camera 616 detects changes in the location information of the content display device 110. If the location information of the content display device 110 changes, meaning that the user's field of view changes, a corresponding content data signal is requested from the media server 130 to fit the current field of view. In contrast, if the location information has not changed, meaning that the user's field of view has not changed, no request need be sent.

The integrated communication device and the communication mechanism adopted by the integrated communication device according to the embodiment of the disclosure can track or position all persons or objects in a space range by forming and projecting combined visible light, and can also transmit optical signals to a content display device serving as a receiving party. Thus, high data rates and high accuracy positioning of structured light techniques that benefit from VLC techniques can be benefited simultaneously.

Fig. 8 shows a schematic diagram of a media server according to an example embodiment of the present disclosure. The media server may be implemented as the media server 130 shown in fig. 1.

In the context of the present disclosure, a media server may be implemented using any suitable machine and may be equipped with sufficient resources. For example, as shown in fig. 8, the media server 130 may include at least one processor 812 and at least one memory 814. For example, the memory 814 may be implemented as a Redundant Array of Independent Disks (RAID) for storing frequently used content data. The media server 130 may communicate with the integrated communication device 120 in a communication system over a local area network (e.g., gigabit ethernet). In addition, the media server 130 communicates with a wireless router 140 in the communication system via a route switch device 150. In an example embodiment, the media server 130 may also communicate with a remote node, such as an application server, portal server, content server, or cloud server, via the internet. The scope of the present disclosure is not limited in this respect.

Fig. 9 shows a flowchart of a method 900 for implementation at a media server according to an example embodiment of the present disclosure. For ease of discussion, description 900 will be described below in connection with FIG. 8 from the perspective of media server 130. It should be appreciated that method 900 may also include additional actions not shown, the scope of the present disclosure being not limited in this respect.

At block 910, the media server 130 sets a first communication address for downlink data transmission and a second communication address, different from the first communication address, for uplink data transmission for the content display device 110. Depending on the wireless communication technology used by the content display device 110, the communication address may include an IP address or any other type of wireless communication address, such as a device address associated with bluetooth, a device address associated with ZigBee, etc.

In some embodiments, the VLC receiver 412 of the content display device 110 receives light signals transmitted in the form of visible light from, for example, the integrated communication device 120 via a first communication address, while the wireless signal transmitter of the content display device 110 performs uplink data transmission via a second communication address, such as sending registration requests, service requests, signaling for interaction, data signal requests, and the like, to the media server 130.

In some additional example embodiments, the method 900 may also inform the integrated communication device 120 and the media server 130 of the configuration (e.g., the first communication address) regarding the content display device 110 such that the integrated communication device 120 and the media server 130 may communicate with the content display device 110 using the first communication address.

In the example of fig. 9, at block 920, the media server 130 may send the first communication address to the integrated communication device 120.

Optionally, at block 930, the media server 130 receives a request from the integrated communication device 120 for a content data signal corresponding to the location information of the content display device 110.

Optionally, at block 940, in response to the request from the integrated communication device 120, the media server 130 provides the content data signal to the integrated communication device 120 to cause the integrated communication device 120 to transmit the content data signal to the first communication address.

In some embodiments, the request for the content data signal corresponding to the location information of the content display device includes the location information of the content display device 110. The media server 130 retrieves the corresponding content data signal based on the location information.

In some embodiments, memory 814 of media server 130 may store certain multimedia files, such as VR/AR video streams, movies, and the like. When the memory 814 stores content data requested by the integrated communication device 120, the media server 130 may retrieve the content data corresponding to the location information locally and provide it to the integrated communication device 120. Alternatively, when the memory 814 does not store the requested content data, the media server 130 may request retrieval of the content data corresponding to the location information from a remote node in the internet in response to a request from the integrated communication device 120. The remote node may be a remote server, such as a portal server, an application server, a content server, or a cloud server, although the scope of the disclosure is not limited in this respect.

It should be appreciated that method 900 may also include additional actions not shown, the scope of the present disclosure being not limited in this respect.

The media server according to example embodiments of the present disclosure may set different communication addresses for different wireless communication technologies. By setting the first communication address for VLC technology and the second communication address for other wireless communication technology, uplink/downlink data transmission can be achieved using different wireless communication technologies. In this way, not only the problems of insufficient network bandwidth, low data rate and the like can be solved, but also a flexible and high-speed interactive communication mechanism can be realized.

Fig. 10 shows a block diagram of a device 1000 suitable for implementing example embodiments of the present disclosure. Device 1000 may be implemented at or part of content display device 110, integrated communication device 120, media server 130, or the like shown in fig. 1.

As shown in fig. 10, the device 1000 includes one or more processors 1010, one or more memories 1020 coupled to the processors 1010, a communication module 1040 coupled to the processors 1010, and a communication interface (not shown) coupled to the communication module 1040. Memory 1020 stores at least program 1030.

The communication module 1040 is for bi-directional communication. The communication module 1040 has at least one antenna for facilitating communications. The communication interface may represent any interface necessary for communication.

The processor 1010 may be of any suitable type suitable to the local technical environment and may include one or more of the following: general purpose computers, special purpose computers, microprocessors, digital signal controllers (DSPs), and processors based on a multi-core processor architecture. The device 1000 may include multiple processors, such as an application specific integrated circuit chip that is slaved in time to a clock that synchronizes the master processor.

Memory 1020 may include one or more non-volatile memories and one or more volatile memories. Examples of non-volatile memory include, but are not limited to, read-only memory (ROM) 1024, electrically programmable read-only memory (EPROM), flash memory, hard disks, compact Disks (CD), digital Video Disks (DVD), and other magnetic and/or optical storage devices. Examples of volatile memory include, but are not limited to, random Access Memory (RAM) 1022 and other volatile memory that will not be maintained during power outages.

The computer program 1030 includes computer-executable instructions that are executed by an associated processor 1010. Program 1040 may be stored in ROM 1024. Processor 1010 may perform any suitable actions and processes by loading program 1030 into RAM 1022.

Example embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented by means of procedure 1030, such that device 1000 may perform any of the processes as discussed herein with reference to fig. 1-9. Example embodiments of the present disclosure may also be implemented by hardware or a combination of software and hardware.

In some embodiments, program 1030 may be tangibly embodied in a computer-readable medium, which may be included in device 1000 (such as memory 1020) or other storage device accessible by device 1000. Device 1000 may load program 1030 from the computer readable medium into RAM 1022 for execution. The computer readable medium may include any type of tangible non-volatile memory, such as ROM, EPROM, flash memory, hard disk, CD, DVD, etc.

In general, the various example embodiments of the disclosure may be implemented in hardware or special purpose circuits, software, logic or any combination thereof. Some aspects may be implemented in hardware, while other aspects may be implemented in firmware or software which may be executed by a controller, microprocessor or other computing device. While aspects of the embodiments of the present disclosure are illustrated or described as block diagrams, flow charts, or using some other pictorial representation, it is well understood that the blocks, apparatus, systems, techniques or methods described herein may be implemented in, as non-limiting examples, hardware, software, firmware, special purpose circuits or logic, general purpose hardware or controller or other computing devices, or some combination thereof.

The present disclosure also provides at least one computer program product tangibly stored on a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium. The computer program product comprises computer executable instructions, such as those included in program modules, being executed in a device on a target real or virtual processor to implement the methods as described above with reference to fig. 1-9. Generally, program modules include routines, programs, libraries, objects, classes, components, data structures, etc. that perform particular tasks or implement particular abstract data types. In various example embodiments, the functionality of the program modules may be combined or split between described program modules. Machine-executable instructions for program modules may be executed within local or distributed devices. In a distributed device, program modules may be located in both local and remote memory storage media.

Computer program code for carrying out methods of the present disclosure may be written in one or more programming languages. These computer program code may be provided to a processor of a general purpose computer, special purpose computer, or other programmable data processing apparatus such that the program code, when executed by the computer or other programmable data processing apparatus, causes the functions/operations specified in the flowchart and/or block diagram to be implemented. The program code may execute entirely on the computer, partly on the computer, as a stand-alone software package, partly on the computer and partly on a remote computer or entirely on the remote computer or server.

In the context of this disclosure, computer program code or related data may be carried by any suitable carrier to enable an apparatus, device, or processor to perform the various processes and operations described above. Examples of carriers include signals, computer readable media, and the like.

Examples of signals may include electrical, optical, radio, acoustical or other form of propagated signals, such as carrier waves, infrared signals, etc.

The computer readable medium may be a computer readable signal medium or a computer readable storage medium. The computer readable medium may include, but is not limited to, an electronic, magnetic, optical, electromagnetic, infrared, or semiconductor system, apparatus, or device, or any suitable combination thereof. More detailed examples of a computer-readable storage medium include an electrical connection with one or more wires, a portable computer diskette, a hard disk, a Random Access Memory (RAM), a read-only memory (ROM), an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM or flash memory), an optical fiber, a portable compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM), an optical storage device, a magnetic storage device, or any suitable combination thereof.

In addition, although operations are depicted in a particular order, this should not be understood as requiring that such operations be performed in the particular order shown or in sequential order, or that all illustrated operations be performed, to achieve desirable results. In some cases, multitasking or parallel processing may be beneficial. Likewise, although the foregoing discussion contains certain specific implementation details, this should not be construed as limiting the scope of any invention or claims, but rather as describing particular embodiments that may be directed to particular inventions. Certain features that are described in this specification in the context of separate embodiments can also be implemented in combination in a single embodiment. Conversely, various features that are described in the context of a single embodiment can also be implemented in multiple embodiments separately or in any suitable subcombination.

Although the subject matter has been described in language specific to structural features and/or methodological acts, it is to be understood that the subject matter defined in the appended claims is not limited to the specific features or acts described above. Rather, the specific features and acts described above are disclosed as example forms of implementing the claims.

Various example embodiments of the technology have been described. Alternatively or additionally to the above, the following examples are described. Features described in any of the examples below may be used with any of the other examples described herein.

Example 1. A content display apparatus includes: a deformation in a housing of the content display device, the deformation being adapted to reflect combined visible light and to change a pattern characteristic of the combined visible light for use in locating the content display device; and a Visible Light Communication (VLC) receiver disposed in the housing at a position corresponding to the deformation, and configured to: the optical signals emitted in the form of the combined visible light are converted into content corresponding to the position of the content display device.

Example 2 the device of example 1, wherein converting the optical signal emitted in the form of the combined visible light into content corresponding to the location of the content display device comprises: receiving the optical signal corresponding to a location of the content display apparatus; converting the optical signal into an electrical signal; demodulating the electrical signal to obtain a content data signal; and displaying the content associated with the content data signal.

Example 3 the apparatus of example 1, wherein the deformation includes at least one of a convex structure and a concave structure formed at a surface of the housing of the content display apparatus.

Example 4 the apparatus of example 1, wherein the pattern features comprise at least one of a stripe pattern, a pattern of spots, a pattern of circles, and a pattern of grids.

Example 5 the device of example 1, wherein the VLC receiver is configured to perform downlink data transmission using the first communication address, and wherein the content display device further comprises: a wireless signal transmitter configured to perform uplink data transmission using a second communication address different from the first communication address.

Example 6. An integrated communication device, comprising: a Visible Light Communication (VLC) transmitter configured to: modulating the content data signal into an optical signal; and emitting the optical signal in the form of visible light; a combined light projector configured to: combining the visible light with pattern features to obtain combined visible light; and projecting the combined visible light.

Example 7 the apparatus of example 6, further comprising: at least one camera configured to: receiving the combined visible light reflected by the content display device; and determining location information of the content display device based on the change in the pattern characteristics of the reflected combined visible light.

Example 8 the device of example 7, wherein the VLC transmitter is further configured to: a content data signal corresponding to the determined location information is obtained from a media server.

Example 9 the device of example 7, wherein determining location information of the content display device comprises: comparing the change in pattern features to reference pattern features; and calculating the position information of the content display apparatus in a plurality of degrees of freedom based on a result of the comparison.

Example 10 the device of example 6, wherein the VLC emitter comprises a Light Emitting Diode (LED) as a light source of the visible light.

Example 11 the apparatus of example 6, wherein the pattern features comprise at least one of a stripe pattern, a pattern of spots, a pattern of circles, and a pattern of grids.

Example 12. A media server, comprising: at least one processor; and at least one memory including computer program code; the at least one memory and the computer program code are configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the media server to: a first communication address for downlink data transmission and a second communication address different from the first communication address for uplink data transmission are set for the content display apparatus according to example 5.

Example 13 the media server of example 12, wherein the at least one memory and the computer program code are configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the media server to: transmitting the first communication address to the integrated communication device according to examples 6-11; and providing the content data signal to the integrated communication device in response to a request from the integrated communication device for the content data signal corresponding to the location information of the content display device, to cause the integrated communication device to transmit the content data signal to the first communication address.

Example 14. A content display system, comprising: the content display device of any one of examples 1-5, the integrated communication device of any one of examples 6-11, and the media server of any one of examples 12-13.

Example 15. A method for displaying content, comprising: receiving, from an integrated communication device, an optical signal transmitted in the form of combined visible light, the optical signal being transmitted based on position information of the content display device, the position information of the content display device being determined using deformation of a housing located at the content display device; and converting the optical signal into content corresponding to a location of the content display apparatus.

Example 16 the method of example 15, wherein converting the optical signal into content corresponding to a location of the content display device comprises: converting the optical signal into an electrical signal; demodulating the electrical signal to obtain a content data signal; and displaying the content associated with the content data signal.

Example 17. The method of example 15, wherein the deforming includes at least one of a convex structure and a concave structure formed on a surface of the housing of the content display apparatus.

Example 18 the method of example 15, wherein the pattern features include at least one of a stripe pattern, a pattern of spots, a pattern of circles, and a pattern of grids.

Example 19 the method of example 15, further comprising: performing downlink data transmission using the first communication address; and performing uplink data transmission using a second communication address different from the first communication address.

Example 20. A method for communication, comprising: modulating the content data signal into an optical signal; emitting the optical signal in the form of visible light; combining the visible light with pattern features to obtain combined visible light; and projecting the combined visible light.

Example 21. The method of example 20, further comprising: receiving the combined visible light reflected by the content display device; and determining location information of the content display device based on the change in the pattern characteristics of the reflected combined visible light.

Example 22. The method of example 20, further comprising: a content data signal corresponding to the determined location information is obtained from a media server.

Example 23 the method of example 20, wherein determining location information of the content display device comprises: comparing the change in pattern features to reference pattern features; and calculating the position information of the content display apparatus in a plurality of degrees of freedom based on a result of the comparison.

Example 24 the method of example 20, wherein the pattern features include at least one of a stripe pattern, a pattern of spots, a pattern of circles, and a pattern of grids.

Example 25. A method for communication, comprising: a first communication address for downlink data transmission and a second communication address different from the first communication address for uplink data transmission are set for the content display apparatus according to example 5.

Example 26 the method of example 25, comprising: transmitting the first communication address to the integrated communication device according to examples 6-11; and providing the content data signal to the integrated communication device in response to a request from the integrated communication device for the content data signal corresponding to the location information of the content display device, to cause the integrated communication device to transmit the content data signal to the first communication address.

Example 27 an apparatus for displaying content, comprising: means for receiving, from an integrated communication device, an optical signal transmitted in the form of combined visible light, the optical signal being transmitted based on position information of the content display device, the position information of the content display device being determined using deformation of a housing located at the content display device; and means for converting the optical signal into content corresponding to a location of the content display device.

Example 28 the apparatus of example 27, wherein the means for converting comprises: means for converting the optical signal into an electrical signal; means for demodulating the electrical signal to obtain a content data signal; and means for displaying the content associated with the content data signal.

Example 29 the apparatus of example 27, wherein the deformation includes at least one of a raised structure and a recessed structure formed on a surface of the housing of the content display device.

Example 30 the apparatus of example 27, wherein the pattern features comprise at least one of a stripe pattern, a pattern of spots, a pattern of circles, and a pattern of grids.

Example 31 the apparatus of example 27, further comprising: means for performing downlink data transmission using the first communication address; and means for performing uplink data transmission using a second communication address different from the first communication address.

Example 32 an apparatus for communication, comprising: means for modulating the content data signal into an optical signal; means for emitting the optical signal in the form of visible light; means for combining the visible light with pattern features to obtain combined visible light; and means for projecting the combined visible light.

Example 33 the apparatus of example 32, further comprising: means for receiving the combined visible light reflected by the content display device; and means for determining positional information of the content display device based on a change in pattern characteristics of the reflected combined visible light.

Example 34 the apparatus of example 32, further comprising: means for obtaining a content data signal corresponding to the determined location information from a media server.

Example 35 the apparatus of example 32, wherein the means for determining comprises: means for comparing the change in the pattern feature to a reference pattern feature; and means for calculating the position information of the content display apparatus in a plurality of degrees of freedom based on a result of the comparison.

Example 36 the apparatus of example 32, wherein the pattern features comprise at least one of a stripe pattern, a pattern of spots, a pattern of circles, and a pattern of grids.

Example 37 an apparatus for communication, comprising: means for setting a first communication address for downlink data transmission and a second communication address different from the first communication address for uplink data transmission for the content display apparatus according to example 5.

Example 38 the apparatus of example 37, further comprising: means for sending the first communication address to the integrated communication device according to examples 6-11; a component for: in response to a request from the integrated communication device for a content data signal corresponding to the location information of the content display device, the content data signal is provided to the integrated communication device to cause the integrated communication device to transmit the content data signal to the first communication address.

Example 39. A computer-readable storage medium having stored thereon a computer program comprising instructions that, when executed by a processor on a device, cause the device to perform the method of any of examples 15-19.

Example 40. A computer-readable storage medium having stored thereon a computer program comprising instructions that, when executed by a processor on a device, cause the device to perform the method of any of examples 20-24.

Example 41 a computer-readable storage medium having stored thereon a computer program comprising instructions that, when executed by a processor on a device, cause the device to perform the method of any of examples 25-26.

Claims

1. A content display apparatus comprising:

a deformation located in a housing of the content display device, the deformation adapted to reflect combined visible light projected by an integrated communication device and to change a pattern feature of the combined visible light for locating the content display device, the combined visible light comprising a combination of visible light and the pattern feature; and

A visible light communication VLC receiver disposed in the housing at a position corresponding to the deformation, and configured to:

the optical signals emitted in the form of the combined visible light are converted into content corresponding to the position of the content display device.

2. The device of claim 1, wherein converting the light signals emitted in the form of the combined visible light into content corresponding to a location of the content display device comprises:

receiving the optical signal corresponding to a location of the content display apparatus;

converting the optical signal into an electrical signal;

demodulating the electrical signal to obtain a content data signal; and

the content associated with the content data signal is displayed.

3. The device of claim 1, wherein the deformation comprises at least one of a raised structure and a recessed structure formed on a surface of the housing of the content display device.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the pattern features comprise at least one of a stripe pattern, a pattern of spots, a pattern of circles, and a pattern of grids.

5. The device of claim 1, wherein the VLC receiver is configured to perform downlink data transmissions using the first communication address, and wherein the content display device further comprises:

A wireless signal transmitter configured to perform uplink data transmission using a second communication address different from the first communication address.

6. An integrated communication device, comprising:

a visible light communication VLC transmitter configured to:

acquiring a content data signal corresponding to location information of a content display apparatus from a media server;

modulating the content data signal into an optical signal; and

emitting the optical signal in the form of visible light;

a combined light projector configured to:

combining the visible light with pattern features to obtain combined visible light; and

the combined visible light is projected.

7. The apparatus of claim 6, further comprising:

at least one camera configured to:

receiving the combined visible light reflected by the content display device; and

position information of the content display apparatus is determined based on a change in pattern characteristics of the reflected combined visible light.

8. The device of claim 7, wherein the integrated communication device is further configured to:

requesting the content data signal corresponding to the determined location information from the media server.

9. The device of claim 7, wherein determining location information of the content display device comprises:

Comparing the change in pattern features to reference pattern features; and

based on the result of the comparison, the position information of the content display apparatus in a plurality of degrees of freedom is calculated.

10. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the VLC transmitter comprises a light emitting diode, LED, as a light source for the visible light.

11. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the pattern features comprise at least one of a stripe pattern, a pattern of spots, a pattern of circles, and a pattern of grids.

12. A media server, comprising:

at least one processor; and

at least one memory including computer program code;

the at least one memory and the computer program code are configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the media server to:

a first communication address for downlink data transmission and a second communication address different from the first communication address for uplink data transmission are set for the content display apparatus according to claim 5.

13. The media server of claim 12, wherein the at least one memory and the computer program code are configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the media server to:

Transmitting the first communication address to an integrated communication device according to any of claims 6-11; and

in response to a request from the integrated communication device for a content data signal corresponding to the location information of the content display device, the content data signal is provided to the integrated communication device to cause the integrated communication device to transmit the content data signal to the first communication address.

14. A content display system, comprising: the content display device according to any one of claims 1-5, the integrated communication device according to any one of claims 6-11, and the media server according to any one of claims 12-13.

15. A method for displaying content, comprising:

receiving, from an integrated communication device, an optical signal emitted in the form of combined visible light, the combined visible light comprising a combination of visible light and pattern features, the optical signal being transmitted based on location information of a content display device, the location information of the content display device being determined by the integrated communication device using a change in the pattern features caused by a deformation of a housing located at the content display device; and

The optical signal is converted into content corresponding to a location of the content display apparatus.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein converting the light signal into content corresponding to a location of the content display device comprises:

converting the optical signal into an electrical signal;

demodulating the electrical signal to obtain a content data signal; and

the content associated with the content data signal is displayed.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein the deforming comprises at least one of a convex structure and a concave structure formed on a surface of the housing of the content display device.

18. The method of claim 15, the pattern features comprising at least one of a stripe pattern, a pattern of spots, a pattern of circles, and a pattern of grids.

19. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

performing downlink data transmission using the first communication address; and

uplink data transmission is performed using a second communication address different from the first communication address.

20. A method for communication, comprising:

Modulating the content data signal into an optical signal;

emitting the optical signal in the form of visible light;

the combined visible light is projected.

21. The method of claim 20, further comprising:

22. The method of claim 21, further comprising:

23. The method of claim 20, wherein determining location information of the content display device comprises:

comparing the change in pattern features to reference pattern features; and

24. The method of claim 20, the pattern features comprising at least one of a stripe pattern, a pattern of spots, a pattern of circles, and a pattern of grids.

25. A method for communication, comprising:

A first communication address for downlink data transmission and a second communication address different from the first communication address for uplink data transmission are set for the content display device according to claim 5.

26. The method of claim 25, further comprising:

in response to a request from the integrated communication device for a content data signal corresponding to the location information of the content display device, the content signal is provided to the integrated communication device to cause the integrated communication device to transmit the content data signal to the first communication address.

27. An apparatus for displaying content, comprising:

means for receiving, from an integrated communication device, an optical signal transmitted in the form of combined visible light, the optical signal being transmitted based on position information of the content display device, the combined visible light comprising a combination of visible light and pattern features, the position information of the content display device being determined by the integrated communication device using a change in the pattern features caused by a deformation of a housing located at the content display device; and

Means for converting the optical signal into content corresponding to a location of the content display device.

28. An apparatus for communication, comprising:

means for acquiring a content data signal corresponding to location information of a content display device from a media server;

means for modulating the content data signal into an optical signal;

means for emitting the optical signal in the form of visible light;

means for combining the visible light with pattern features to obtain combined visible light; and

and means for projecting the combined visible light.

29. An apparatus for communication, comprising:

means for setting a first communication address for downlink data transmission and setting a second communication address different from the first communication address for uplink data transmission for the content display apparatus according to claim 5.

30. A computer readable storage medium having stored thereon a computer program comprising instructions which, when executed by a processor on a device, cause the device to perform the method of any of claims 15-19.

31. A computer readable storage medium having stored thereon a computer program comprising instructions which, when executed by a processor on a device, cause the device to perform the method of any of claims 20-24.

32. A computer readable storage medium having stored thereon a computer program comprising instructions which, when executed by a processor on a device, cause the device to perform the method of any of claims 25-26.