JP2014033247A - Receiver for optical communication - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To receive an optical signal always in a stable state with a necessary minimum configuration in optical communication.SOLUTION: A receiver for optical communication 100 is provided, comprising: a light-receiving element 103; a receiving circuit 107a for decoding data superposed as an optical communication signal from light received by the light-receiving element 103; a battery 104 for driving the receiving circuit 107a; a rotating body 102 comprising at least the light-receiving element 103 and the battery 104 arranged at a position of a predetermined angle using a rotational axis as a center; and a housing 101 for holding the rotating body 102. The receiver for optical communication 100 is characterized in that the battery 104 works as a weight and faces toward a gravity direction, and thereby the light-receiving element 103 always faces toward the direction of a predetermined angle.

Description

  The present invention relates to a receiver for optical communication that receives a signal in optical communication.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, an optical communication technique is known in which data is transmitted by modulating visible light (illumination) emitted from a lighting fixture, and data is decoded from visible light received by a receiver. The advantage of optical communication by illumination is that it is possible to consider interior design because a communication device is not separately installed, and that the irradiation range is visible because visible light is used. Also, as a method of using optical communication, it is conceivable that the position information is emitted from each illumination as data, and used for an indoor position information service where GPS (Global Positioning System) radio waves are difficult to reach.

  As such a receiver for optical communication, there is one in which a light receiving element and a light condensing means are fixed to a receiver body (see, for example, Patent Document 1). FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a conventional receiver described in Patent Document 1. In FIG.

  The receiver described in Patent Document 1 shown in FIG. 10 includes a main body 10 of the receiver, condensing means 11 provided to face the opening of the main body 10, and an optical filter provided on the front side of the condensing means 11. 12, a light receiving element 13 provided on the back side of the light collecting means 11, and a receiving circuit 14 for decoding data superimposed as an optical communication signal from visible light received by the light receiving element 13. And the visible light from lighting fixtures L1-L3 is received, and the data superimposed as an optical communication signal are compounded.

  Moreover, although the use which attaches such a receiver to articles | goods can be considered, depending on the shape of articles | goods, there may be restrictions in an attachment position or attitude | position. In such a case, if the light receiving element is fixed, it may not be possible to receive the illumination signal directly above and acquire accurate information.

  In response to such a problem, there is a transmitter for data communication of an endoscope which is configured not to be a light receiving element but to always have a light emitting element facing vertically upward (see, for example, Patent Document 2).

  FIG. 11 is a diagram showing a transmitter described in Patent Document 2. In FIG. In the transmitter described in Patent Document 2 shown in FIG. 11, a transmission LED 23 that emits infrared light 22 is accommodated in a substantially spherical cover 21 that transmits infrared light. The rod 24 with the transmitting LED 23 attached to the tip and the rod 26 attached to the rod 24 via the rotation shaft 25 are centered on the rotation shaft 25 and the rotation shaft of the slip ring 28 by the weight of the weight 27. Rotate in the directions of arrows A and B, respectively. As a result, the rod 26 rotates so that the transmission LED 23 is always upward in the vertical direction. The infrared rays 22 are always emitted in the vertically upward direction, that is, in the direction of the receiver 29 installed on the ceiling.

  By applying the transmitter technology described in Patent Document 2 to the receiver described in Patent Document 1, it is considered that the light receiving element can be configured to always face vertically.

JP 2010-87689 A JP 2007-267964 A

  In the technique described in Patent Document 2, the slip ring 28 is used to prevent twisting and entanglement of the wiring to the transmitting LED. However, since the slip ring has a complicated configuration, it is desired to realize reliable optical communication without using the slip ring.

  An object of this invention is to provide the receiver which enables reliable optical communication, without using a slip ring.

  To achieve the above object, a receiver for optical communication according to the present invention includes a light receiving element, a circuit for decoding an optical communication signal from light received by the light receiving element, a rotating body provided with a weight, and the rotating The light receiving element is arranged in a predetermined direction as the rotating body rotates by the weight, and the surface of the rotating body is in contact with the casing. A protrusion is provided to stop the rotation of the rotating body at a predetermined angle.

  As described above, according to the present invention, reliable optical communication can be performed without using a slip ring.

1 is a perspective view of a receiver for optical communication according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention. (A) Schematic sectional view of a receiver for optical communication in the first embodiment, (b) Schematic plan view of a rotating body in the first embodiment. 6-side view and perspective view of optical communication receiver in the first embodiment The figure which attached the receiver for optical communication in this Embodiment 1 to the smart phone (A) Schematic cross-sectional view of a rotator in Embodiment 2 of the present invention, (b) Plan view of main part of rotator in Embodiment 2 (A), (b) The figure which shows the usage example of the receiver for optical communications in this Embodiment 2. (A), (b) The figure which shows the usage example of the receiver for optical communications in this Embodiment 2. (A) The top view of the receiver for optical communications in Embodiment 3 of this invention, (b) BB sectional drawing of the receiver for optical communications in this Embodiment 3, (c) In this Embodiment 3. CC cross section of optical communication receiver (A), (b) The figure which shows the state which attached the receiver for optical communications in this Embodiment 3 to the notebook personal computer. The figure which shows the receiver of patent document 1 The figure which shows the transmitter of patent document 2

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In the following description, the same components are denoted by the same reference numerals, and description thereof will be omitted as appropriate. In order to clarify the correspondence between the drawings, XYZ axes are shown in the drawings as necessary.

(Embodiment 1)
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a receiver for optical communication according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention.

  FIG. 2A is a schematic cross-sectional view of the optical communication receiver in the first embodiment, and is a cross-sectional view taken along the line AA in FIG. FIG. 2B is a schematic plan view of the rotating body of the optical communication receiver in the first embodiment.

  The optical communication receiver 100 according to the first embodiment includes a casing 101 and a rotating body 102 having an outer shell. Inside the rotating body 102, a light receiving element 103 and a battery 104 are arranged. The battery 104 is accommodated in a battery holder 102 a provided on the rotating body 102.

  The rotating body 102 is provided with a protrusion 112 that is one of the features of the present invention. As will be described in detail later, the protrusion 112 is a member for stopping the rotating body 102 at a predetermined rotation angle with respect to the housing 101. By providing the protrusion 112, the rotation amount of the rotating body 102 is suppressed to less than 360 °.

  The light receiving element 103 is exposed from the opening 105 provided in the rotating body 102, receives the illumination light 106a, and outputs an electrical signal. A battery holder 102 a for storing the battery 104 is disposed in a position opposite to the light receiving element 103 in the rotating body 102.

  Here, as shown in FIG. 2A, the rotating body 102 is configured such that the battery holder 102 a is exposed from the rotating body 102 on the side opposite to the light receiving element 103. With this configuration, since the battery holder 102a can be exposed when the battery 104 is replaced, the battery 104 can be easily replaced. In this embodiment, in order to facilitate replacement of the battery 104 as described above, the length of the protrusion 112 along the surface of the rotating body 102 is set to the length of the battery 104 when the rotating body 102 is rotated. The length is such that is exposed.

  The housing 101 is provided with a circuit 107 including a reception circuit 107a and a communication circuit 107b. The receiving circuit 107a decodes the signal superimposed on the illumination light 106a from the electrical signal output from the light receiving element 103. The communication circuit 107b is a circuit for communicating with other devices. A communication connection unit 108 is connected to the communication circuit 107b. The communication connection unit 108 transmits a reception signal to the connected mobile terminal 301 (see FIG. 4A) according to a predetermined communication protocol. The mobile terminal 301 is, for example, a notebook PC, a mobile phone, a smartphone, or a tablet. The optical communication receiver 100 according to the first embodiment is particularly effective when connected to a small portable terminal 301 such as a smartphone. If the light receiving element 103 rotates around the mounting surface side of the mobile terminal 301 without the protrusion 112, the mobile terminal 301 is blocked by the illumination light 106a. Therefore, in particular, when the optical communication receiver 100 of the first embodiment is attached to a mobile terminal such as a smartphone, even if the protrusion 112 is provided on the rotating body 102 and the rotation of the rotating body 102 is limited, It is considered unlikely to be a problem in use. The mobile terminal 301 is an example of an attachment target.

  The casing 101 and the hollow rotating shaft 109 of the rotating body 102 are supported by a rotation support member 110 and are configured to be rotatable relative to each other with the center of the hollow rotating shaft 109 as the rotation center. In this Embodiment 1, since it assumes that the rotary body 102 rotates repeatedly, a bearing is used as the rotation support member 110, and rotational friction is made as small as possible.

  The wiring 111 from the light receiving element 103 and the battery 104 is connected to the receiving circuit 107 a in the circuit 107 through the hollow rotary shaft 109. That is, the circuit 107 is driven by using the battery 104 as a power source.

  Here, the illumination device 106 for irradiating the illumination light 106a is assumed to be installed on the indoor ceiling. Examples of the lighting device 106 include LED lighting, fluorescent lamps, and organic EL lighting that are attached to a ceiling in a hospital for optical communication. Communication information is superimposed on the light emitted from the illumination. Further, the wavelength of the illumination light 106a is not limited to the visible light region, but may be other infrared or ultraviolet regions.

  In the optical communication receiver 100 of the present embodiment, the hollow rotating shaft 109 is interposed via the rotation support member 110 by the force that the battery 104 provided in the rotating body 102 is directed vertically downward by the action of gravity. It rotates above the rotational friction force. As a result, the battery 104 provided in the rotating body 102 is passively positioned in the vertically lower part, and the light receiving element 103 is positioned in the upper vertical part, and a signal superimposed on the illumination light 106a emitted from the indoor ceiling is received by the light receiving element. 103 can be received.

  In the present embodiment, the battery 104 is used as a weight for positioning the light receiving element 103 in the vertical upper part. Therefore, it is not necessary to separately arrange a weight, and the weight and capacity of the entire optical communication receiver 100 can be reduced.

  Further, in the present embodiment, the wiring 111 from the light receiving element 103 and the battery 104 is passed through the hollow rotary shaft 109 and connected to the receiving circuit 107a in the housing 101, so that the configuration can be made small and inexpensive. Become. Here, since the wiring 111 is used between the light receiving element 103 and the battery 104 and the receiving circuit 107a, there is a possibility that the rotating body 102 is rotated once or more and the wiring 111 is twisted and disconnected. Therefore, in the present embodiment, the protrusion 112 is provided on the outer shell of the rotating body 102, and the protrusion 112 and a part of the housing 101 are brought into contact with each other to limit the rotation. That is, the protrusion 112 restricts the rotation in the angular range necessary for optical communication, thereby preventing twisting and entanglement of the wiring 111 without using a slip ring, and weakness from the light receiving element 103. It is possible to prevent noise from being superimposed on the signal and to transmit the signal stably and reliably. In the present embodiment, the length of the protrusion 112 in the rotational radius direction of the rotating body 102 is the gap between the rotating body 102 and the housing 101 so that the protrusion 112 contacts a part of the housing 101. It is set larger than.

  FIG. 3 is a six-side view (front view, rear view, right side view, left side view, plan view, bottom view) and perspective view of the optical communication receiver 100 of the present embodiment. The optical communication receiver 100 shown in FIG. 3 is designed on the assumption that the mobile terminal 301 is attached to a smartphone.

  The optical communication receiver 100 of the present embodiment described above is attached to the mobile terminal 301 as shown in FIG. 4A, receives the optical communication signal from the illumination, and uses it for indoor guidance and the like. be able to. FIG. 4B shows the back side of the rotating body 102 (the side opposite to the light receiving element 103), and shows a state in which the battery 104 is mounted on the battery holder 102a.

  In the first embodiment, the battery 104 is stored in the battery holder 102a of the rotating body 102. However, the battery 104 is stored on the housing 101 side, and another weight is stored in the rotating body 102 instead. Also good. In this case, it is not necessary to expose the battery holder 102a because the weight need not be replaced. In this embodiment mode, the circuit 107 (the reception circuit 107a and the communication circuit 107b) is housed in the housing 101. However, the circuit 107 is housed in the rotating body 102 and is used instead of the weight in the same manner as the battery 104. Also good.

(Embodiment 2)
In the optical communication receiver according to the second embodiment of the present invention, the rotator 102 is replaced with the rotator 122 as compared with the optical communication receiver 100 according to the first embodiment. Therefore, descriptions other than the rotating body 122 are omitted.

  FIG. 5A is a cross-sectional view of the rotating body 122 according to the second embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 5B is a plan view of a main part of the rotating body 122 according to the second embodiment.

  As shown in FIGS. 5A and 5B, the rotating body 122 according to the second embodiment is characterized in that protrusions 401 are provided in both directions around the rotation axis with respect to the light receiving element 103. . Further, by attaching a reflecting portion 402 made of a material that reflects light to the light receiving element 103 side of the protruding portion 401, the protruding portion 401 is in contact with a part of the housing 101 and the rotation is restrained. However, the possibility that the illumination light 106a can be received can be increased. Here, the reflection part 402 that reflects light is preferably made of a specularly reflecting material. The reflecting portion 402 may be configured to be attached to the protruding portion 401 or may be configured to be applied to the protruding portion 401.

  Here, with respect to an example in which the optical communication receiver according to the second embodiment is used while being rotated at various angles, FIGS. 6 (a), 6 (b), 7 (a), 7 (b). Will be described.

  When the casing 101 is erected as shown in FIG. 6A and when the casing 101 is leveled as shown in FIG. 6B, the rotating body 122 rotates and the light receiving element 103 becomes vertical. It can face upward and receive and receive the illumination light 106a. That is, the light receiving element 103 can be arranged in a predetermined direction by rotating the rotating body 122 using the battery 104 as a weight.

  Furthermore, as shown in FIGS. 7A and 7B, when the housing 101 is excessively tilted, the rotation of the rotating body 122 is stopped by the projection 401 of the rotating body 122 interfering with the housing 101. In this state, the illumination light 106a is reflected by the reflecting portion 402 attached to the protruding portion 401 to become reflected light 106b. That is, in the state shown in FIGS. 7A and 7B, the illumination light 106 a is easily incident on the light receiving element 103 by using the reflecting portion 402. When there is no protrusion 401, the light receiving element 103 is not hidden by the housing 101 and cannot receive signals, and the mobile terminal 301 such as an attached smartphone rotates during use, and the rotating body 122 rotates indefinitely. In addition, the wiring 111 penetrating the hollow rotary shaft 109 may be twisted and disconnected. On the other hand, by providing the protrusion 401, the rotation amount of the rotating body 122 is suppressed to less than 360 °, the wiring 111 is not twisted and cut, and the reflection portion 402 is provided on the light receiving element 103 side. The illumination light 106a can be received in a wider range of postures.

  Note that the rotation limit is set so that the opening 105 exposed by the light receiving element 103 is not hidden by the housing 101. Specifically, in the case of the protrusion 401 according to the second embodiment, assuming that the radius r of the rotating body 122, the length around the rotation axis of the opening is a, and the thickness of the protrusion is b, the rotating body The rotation angle 122 is obtained by the following (Equation 1).

  Here, as the thickness b of the protrusion 401 is reduced as much as possible, the rotation angle can be increased. Further, in the case of the protrusion 112 of the first embodiment described above, the rotation angle of the rotating body 102 is an angle where b = 0 in the above (Equation 1).

  In the second embodiment, the configuration in which the battery holder 102a is not exposed is illustrated. However, as described above, in order to facilitate replacement of the battery 104, the battery holder 102a is exposed according to the rotation angle. It is desirable to make it so.

(Embodiment 3)
FIGS. 8A to 8C are configuration diagrams of a receiver for optical communication according to Embodiment 3 of the present invention. FIG. 8A is a plan view of the optical communication receiver 200 according to the third embodiment, and FIG. 8B is a cross-sectional view taken along line BB of the optical communication receiver 200 according to the third embodiment. FIG. 8C is a cross-sectional view taken along the line CC of the optical communication receiver 200 according to the third embodiment. 8B is a cross-sectional view taken along the line BB in FIG. 8A, and FIG. 8C is a cross-sectional view taken along the line CC in FIG. 8A.

  8A to 8C, the optical communication receiver 200 includes a first rotating body 201 and a second rotating body 202 each having a fixed portion 203 and an outer shell. Unlike the optical communication receiver 100 according to the first embodiment, the optical communication receiver 200 can receive illumination light 106a in a wider range by rotating about two axes. is there.

  Inside the first rotating body 201, the light receiving element 103, the receiving circuit 206, the communication circuit 205, and the battery 104 are fixed. The light receiving element 103 receives the illumination light 106a from the opening 105 provided in the first rotating body 201 and converts it into an electrical signal. The second rotator 202 includes two support columns 202b that support the first rotator 201 and a contact portion 202c with which the protrusion 207 of the first rotator 201 contacts.

  The first rotating body 201 is supported around the first rotating shaft 208 by the support 202b of the second rotating body 202. It is desirable that the first rotating shaft 208 is supported via a mechanical part that reduces rotational friction such as a bearing. Further, the first rotating body 201 includes a protrusion 207 and the second rotating body 202 includes a contact portion 202c so that the first rotating body 201 stops rotating at a fixed rotation angle with respect to the second rotating body 202. . The second rotating body 202 rotates about the second rotating shaft 209 with respect to the fixed portion 203. It is desirable that the second rotating body 202 be supported by the fixed portion 203 via a mechanical component that reduces rotational friction such as a bearing. The first rotating shaft 208 and the second rotating shaft 209 are orthogonal axes.

  In the present embodiment, a fan-shaped protrusion 207 is provided around the opening 105. Further, by attaching a material that reflects light (reflecting portion 402) to the inside of the protruding portion 207 (on the light receiving element 103 side), the protruding portion 207 contacts the contact portion 202c of the second rotating body 202 and rotates. The possibility that the illumination light 106a can be received even in a stopped state is increased. Here, the reflection part 402 that reflects light is preferably made of a specularly reflecting material.

  Here, the height of the protrusion 207 around the first rotation axis 208 is larger than the gap between the contact portion 202 c of the first rotating body 201 and the second rotating body 202.

  FIGS. 9A and 9B are diagrams in which the optical communication receiver 200 according to the third embodiment is attached to the back side of the display of the notebook PC 801. When the optical communication receiver 200 is attached to the notebook PC 801 and the optical communication receiver 200 receives the illumination light 106a from the illumination device 106, the location management of the notebook PC 801 can be performed.

  An operation in which the light receiving element 103 faces upward will be described with reference to FIGS. When the display of the notebook PC 801 is opened, first, the battery 104 inside the receiver 200 becomes a weight, the first rotating body 201 rotates around the first rotating shaft 208, and the light receiving element 103 is arranged facing upward. At this time, the protrusion 207 comes into contact with the contact portion 202c of the second rotating body, thereby suppressing the rotation. As the first rotating body 201 rotates, the battery 104, which is a weight, moves downward, and at the same time, the second rotating body 202 rotates around the second rotating shaft 209 so that the center of gravity of the battery 104 moves to the lowest point. . As a result, the first rotating body 201 and the second rotating body 202 rotate around the first rotating shaft 208 and the second rotating shaft 209, respectively, and the battery 104 is localized at the lowest possible point. Therefore, the signal of the illumination light 106a can be captured regardless of the position of the notebook PC 801 and the angle when the display is opened / closed and opened. In addition, when the display of the notebook PC 801 is excessively tilted, the rotation stops when the protrusion 207 of the first rotating body 201 comes into contact with the second rotating body 202, but illumination light is reflected by the reflecting portion 402 attached to the protrusion 207. Since 106a is reflected and enters the light receiving element 103, the illumination light 106a can be received in a wider range of postures. As described above, the optical communication receiver 200 according to the third embodiment is useful for a large terminal such as the notebook PC 801. As in the third embodiment, the degree of freedom of the installation position can be improved by making it movable in two axes.

  As described above, according to the present embodiment, the light receiving element 103 can be directed vertically upward even when the posture of the object to which the optical communication receiver 200 is attached changes three-dimensionally, and illumination light can be stably emitted. 106a can be received.

  The optical communication receiver of the present invention can be used as a receiver for optical communication such as visible light communication.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 100,200 Receiver for optical communication 101 Case 102,122 Rotating body 102a Battery holder 103 Light receiving element 104 Battery 105 Opening part 106 Illuminating device 106a Illuminating light 106b Reflected light 107 Circuit 107a, 206 Receiving circuit 107b, 205 Communication circuit 108 Communication Connecting portion 109 Hollow rotating shaft 110 Rotating support member 111 Wiring 112, 207, 401 Protruding portion 201 First rotating body 202 Second rotating body 202b Strut portion 202c Contact portion 203 Fixed portion 208 First rotating shaft 209 Second rotating shaft 301 Carrying Terminal 402 Reflector 801 Notebook PC

Claims (5)

A light receiving element, a circuit that decodes an optical communication signal from light received by the light receiving element, a rotating body provided with a weight,
The casing is configured to hold the rotating body,
The light receiving element is arranged in a predetermined direction by rotating the rotating body by the weight,
The surface of the rotating body is provided with a protrusion that contacts the housing and stops the rotation of the rotating body at a predetermined angle.
Receiver for optical communication. The weight is a battery that is housed in the rotating body and drives the circuit.
The optical communication receiver according to claim 1. The battery is exposed from the rotating body in a state of being housed in a battery holder provided on the rotating body.
The optical communication receiver according to claim 2. The rotating body includes a first rotating body provided with the light receiving element, the circuit, the weight, and the protrusion, and a second rotating body,
The first rotating body is supported by the second rotating body so as to be rotatable around a first rotation axis,
The second rotating body is supported by the housing so as to be rotatable around a second rotation axis orthogonal to the first rotation axis.
The optical communication receiver according to any one of claims 1 to 3. The protrusion has a reflecting portion that reflects light on a side facing the light receiving element.
The optical communication receiver according to any one of claims 1 to 4.

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