JP2021016050A - In-house portable visible light communication device and visible light communication system - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide an optical communication device that can output a voice guide at high speed with low power consumption by communication using light and can be easily charged.SOLUTION: An optical communication device that receives light including a signal of target information by optical communication using light, acquires voice information corresponding to the target information, and outputs voice includes a light receiving unit that receives light, a control unit that controls to acquire the voice information corresponding to the target information detected from the light and output the voice when it is determined that the light received by the light receiving unit includes a signal of the target information, and a contactless power receiving unit that contactlessly receives rechargeable power to a power supply that supplies power to the power receiving unit and the control unit.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

The present invention relates to an optical communication device, an optical communication system, and an optical communication method.

In recent years, by radiating simple information and ID information unique to the visible light source from visible light sources such as light irradiation devices using LEDs that exist around us, it has become possible to identify objects, provide position information, and provide various guidance systems. Visible light communication systems that can be applied are being developed.

Specifically, it is considered to be applied to a visible light communication system that explains exhibits in facilities such as museums and art galleries. For example, in a system that uses a QR code (registered trademark) or image recognition, the QR code and its display are displayed with a camera so that visitors who are crowded or who are using a wheelchair can receive an explanation of the exhibit. It can be difficult to photograph an object. In this respect, visible light communication simply receives visible light including ID information from a light irradiation device installed near the exhibit, and provides content according to the ID information, that is, content corresponding to each exhibit. Since it can be obtained, it has the advantage that the explanation of the exhibit can be easily received.

Various visible light communication devices have been proposed using visible light communication having such advantages. For example, a small visible light ID communication device that can be connected to a microphone / earphone terminal of a mobile terminal such as a smartphone has been proposed (see, for example, Patent Document 1). This small visible light ID communication device has a light receiving element capable of receiving an optical signal including ID information of visible light ID communication, and receives the received light signal via the microphone / earphone terminal of the mobile terminal. Output to. When the mobile terminal determines that the optical signal output via the microphone / earphone terminal contains the ID information signal, the mobile terminal acquires the video content corresponding to the ID information from the server by communication and provides it to the user. To do.

Further, in addition to the visible light ID communication device described in Patent Document 1, a receiving device capable of performing visible light communication by receiving visible light including ID information using a camera of a mobile terminal has been proposed. (See, for example, Patent Document 2).

However, in the devices described in Patent Documents 1 and 2, in order to monitor whether or not the optical signal received by the light receiving element or the camera includes the signal of the ID information, the high speed by the high-performance processor of the mobile terminal is used. Since it is necessary to constantly perform signal processing by A / D (Analog / Digital) conversion or the like, there is a problem that the power consumption of the mobile terminal is large and the charge amount of the battery of the mobile terminal is rapidly reduced. In addition, if content corresponding to ID information is to be provided to the user as an image or video on the display of the mobile terminal, the data capacity of the image or video is large, so that the power consumption due to the communication between the mobile terminal and the server increases. Power consumption tends to increase by turning on the liquid crystal display. Some say that the images and videos of the exhibits are unnecessary because the actual products are on display. Further, in the device described in Patent Document 2, it is further necessary to operate the camera mounted on the smartphone or the like, so that the power consumption becomes large, and even if the charge amount is 100%, it is operated for only about 2 hours. There is a high possibility that the battery will run out during viewing because it cannot be done. Furthermore, since photography with a camera is prohibited in museums and art galleries, visitors hesitate not only to take out the smartphone but also to operate the camera, which causes a problem in use.

In addition, assuming that all visitors carry a receiver for visible light communication in a large museum or art museum, if there are more than 100 receivers, each receiver will have a charger. In addition to the time and effort required to insert and remove the terminals, it is necessary to take care not to cause poor contact or short circuit due to wear because the terminals are frequently inserted and removed, which is a heavy burden on the staff. There's a problem.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2014-27643 International Publication No. 2015/97923 Pamphlet

Therefore, it is an object of the present invention to solve the above-mentioned problems in the past and to achieve the following objects. That is, an object of the present invention is to provide an optical communication device, an optical communication system, and an optical communication method that can output a voice guide at high speed with low power consumption by communication using light and can be easily charged. To do.

The means for solving the above-mentioned problems are as follows. That is,
<1> An optical communication device that receives light including a signal of target information by optical communication using light, acquires voice information corresponding to the target information, and outputs voice, and receives the light. When it is determined that the light received by the light receiving unit and the light receiving unit includes the signal of the target information, the control unit controls to acquire the voice information corresponding to the target information detected from the light and output the voice. The optical communication device is characterized by having a non-contact power receiving unit that receives rechargeable power in a non-contact manner as a power source that supplies power to the light receiving unit and the control unit.

In the optical communication device according to <1>, for example, light including a signal of ID information as target information is received from a light irradiation device installed in the vicinity of an exhibit such as a museum or an art museum, and the light is received. It is possible to acquire audio content explaining the exhibit corresponding to the ID information from the information processing device and output the audio content to the visitors carrying the optical communication device.
In addition, since the content explaining the exhibit is voice, even if communication is performed to acquire the voice information from the information processing device, voice can communicate at high speed because the amount of communication data is smaller than that of video, and as content. Since the liquid crystal display is not turned on to display the image or moving image of the above, the power consumption can be reduced.
Even if it is assumed that all visitors carry the optical communication device of the present invention, which is a receiving device for visible light communication, in a large museum or art museum, the optical communication device has non-contact power. Since it can be charged in a non-contact manner by having a power receiving unit, there is no need to insert and remove the terminal of the charger into each optical communication device, and there is no need to consider wear or damage of the terminal of the charger. It will not be a big burden for you.

<2> The optical communication device according to <1>, wherein the light receiving unit receives the light by a light receiving element.

In the optical communication device described in <2>, for example, even if photography by a camera is prohibited in museums and art galleries, if the optical communication device is not equipped with a camera and is for visible light communication, it is suitable for visitors. You can use it without hesitation. Further, by not operating the camera, the current consumption can be reduced to the extent that the charging work does not have to be performed during the opening.

<3> The control unit
A first control unit that determines whether or not the light received by the light receiving unit includes a signal of the target information,
When the first control unit determines that the light includes a signal of the target information, it controls to acquire the voice information corresponding to the target information detected from the light and output the voice. If it is not determined that the light contains the signal of the target information during the predetermined time after the output control, the sleep state is set, and the first control unit transmits the signal of the target information by the light. The optical communication device according to any one of <1> to <2>, further comprising a second control unit that continues the sleep state until it is determined to include the light communication device.

In the optical communication device according to <3>, the first control unit operates the second control unit only when it determines that the received light contains a signal of ID information, and the first control unit is operated. The power consumption can be reduced by putting the second control unit into the sleep state while the control unit of the above determines that the signal of the ID information is not included.

<4> The power consumption when the first control unit performs signal processing for determining whether or not the light includes a signal of the target information is lower than the power consumption by the second control unit. The optical communication device according to <3>.

In the optical communication device according to <4>, the power consumption when the first control unit performs signal processing for determining whether or not the light includes a signal of the target information is determined by the second control unit. The power consumption can be reduced by setting the power consumption to be lower than the power consumption when performing signal processing for determining whether or not the light includes a signal of the target information.

<5> The optical communication device according to any one of <3> to <4>, wherein the first control unit is operated by an MPU.

In the optical communication device according to <5>, it is better to operate the MPU to control the received optical signal by constantly performing high-speed A / D conversion and signal processing by a high-performance CPU (Central Processing Unit). Power consumption can be reduced as compared with high-speed A / D conversion and signal processing.

<6> When the second control unit controls to output the voice, the first control unit interrupts the signal processing according to any one of <3> to <5>. Optical communication device.

In the optical communication device according to <6>, when the second control unit controls to output voice, the visitors are viewing the target exhibit explained by voice. In many cases, it is not necessary to determine whether or not there is a signal of the same ID information contained in the light received on the spot, so that the first control unit interrupts the signal processing to reduce the power consumption. Can be done.

<7> When the second control unit determines that the voltage of the power supply is equal to or less than a predetermined value, the second control unit displays a notice that the voltage of the power supply is equal to or less than the predetermined value. The optical communication device according to any one of <3> to <6>, further comprising a display unit.

In the optical communication device according to <7>, when it is determined that the voltage of the power supply is equal to or less than a predetermined value, a display unit indicating that the voltage of the power supply is equal to or less than the predetermined value is displayed by the second control unit. Further possession makes it possible to charge the optical communication device, which is likely to run out of battery during use by the visitors, at an appropriate timing.

<8> Any of <3> to <7>, which further has a voice information storage unit in which the voice information is stored, and the second control unit acquires the voice information from the voice information storage unit. The optical communication device described in the above.

In the optical communication device according to <8>, for example, if the voice information storage unit is a micro SD card or the like, the voice information storage unit stores voice information, and the second control unit processes information. By acquiring the voice information from the voice information storage unit instead of from the device, it is possible to reduce the power generated by the communication between the optical communication device and the information processing device. Further, even when the communication between the optical communication device and the information processing device is poor, it is advantageous in that voice information can be acquired without going through the information processing device.

<9> An optical communication system comprising a light irradiation device capable of irradiating light including a signal of target information and an optical communication device according to any one of <1> to <8>. ..

In the optical communication system according to <9>, by irradiating the optical communication device with light including ID information from the light irradiation device, the optical communication device can provide necessary information at the position where the light irradiation device is installed. Can be obtained.

<10> An optical communication method in which light including a signal of target information is received by optical communication using light, voice information corresponding to the target information is acquired, and voice is output. The light receiving unit is the light. When it is determined that the light received in the light receiving step includes the signal of the target information, the control unit acquires the voice information corresponding to the target information detected from the light and sounds. The light includes a control step of controlling the output of light, and a non-contact power receiving step of non-contactly receiving rechargeable power to the light receiving unit and the power source for supplying power to the control unit. It is a communication method.

In the optical communication method described in <10>, the target information is obtained from, for example, an optical irradiation device installed in the vicinity of an exhibit such as a museum or an art museum, similarly to the optical communication device described in <1>. Receives light including the signal of the ID information as, acquires the content by voice explaining the exhibit corresponding to the ID information from the information processing device, and sends the voice to the visitors who carry the optical communication device. Content can be output. In addition, since the content explaining the exhibit is voice, the amount of communication data is smaller in voice than in video even if communication is performed to acquire the voice information from the information processing device, and images and videos as content. Since the liquid crystal display is not turned on to display the above, the power consumption can be reduced. Furthermore, even if photography with a camera is prohibited in museums and art galleries, visitors can use the receiver for visible light communication without hesitation if it is not equipped with a camera.
In visible light communication, the battery tends to be depleted in the signal processing for determining whether or not the light received by the light receiving unit includes the signal of the ID information. Therefore, the battery needs to be charged frequently, but the non-contact power is received. Since it can be charged in a non-contact manner by having the portion, there is no need to insert and remove the terminal of the charger into each receiving device, and it is not necessary to consider wear or damage of the terminal of the charger.

According to the present invention, the above-mentioned problems in the prior art can be solved, the voice guide can be output at high speed with low power consumption by communication using light, and the optical communication device and optical communication system can be easily charged. And an optical communication method can be provided.

FIG. 1 is a schematic view showing an optical communication system according to the present embodiment. FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing a data frame handled by the optical communication system in the present embodiment. FIG. 3 is a schematic external view showing an optical communication device according to the present embodiment. FIG. 4A is a block diagram showing the hardware of the optical communication device according to the present embodiment. FIG. 4B is a block diagram showing the functions of the optical communication device according to the present embodiment. FIG. 5A is a flowchart showing an example of a flow of processing for transmitting the detected ID information to the information processing apparatus when it is determined that the received light includes a signal of ID information. FIG. 5B is a flowchart showing an example of a flow of processing for transmitting the detected ID information to the information processing apparatus when it is determined that the received light includes a signal of ID information. FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing an example of a flow of processing for determining whether the first control unit includes ID information and detecting the ID information. FIG. 7A is a flowchart showing an example of a processing flow in which the second control unit outputs voice from the voice information acquired based on the ID information. FIG. 7B is a flowchart showing an example of a processing flow in which the second control unit outputs voice from the voice information acquired based on the ID information. FIG. 8A is a block diagram showing the functions of the light irradiation device of the present embodiment. FIG. 8B is a block diagram showing the hardware of the light irradiation device of the present embodiment.

The optical communication system of the present invention includes the optical communication device of the present invention and a light irradiation device capable of irradiating light including a signal of target information.
The optical communication device of the present invention may have a light receiving unit, a control unit, a non-contact power receiving unit, and if necessary, other units.
The optical communication method of the present invention includes a light receiving step, a control step, and a non-contact power receiving step, and may further include other steps if necessary.
The optical communication method of the present invention can be preferably performed by the optical communication device of the present invention, the light receiving step can be preferably performed by the light receiving unit, the control step can be preferably performed by the control unit, and non-contact. Since the power receiving step can be preferably performed by the non-contact power receiving unit, the details of the optical communication method of the present invention will be clarified through the description of the embodiment in the optical communication device of the present invention.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described, but the present invention is not limited to this embodiment.
In the present embodiment, an optical communication system for explaining an exhibit by voice to visitors in a facility such as a museum or an art museum will be described.

(Optical communication system)
FIG. 1 is a schematic view showing an optical communication system according to the present embodiment.
As shown in FIG. 1, the optical communication system 10 of the present embodiment includes an optical communication device 100, a light irradiation device 200a to 200n, and an information processing device 300.
The optical communication device 100 is communicably connected to the visible light ID database 310 and the content database 320 of the information processing device 300 via the network N, respectively.

The optical communication system 10 of the present embodiment is used from any of the light irradiation devices 200a to 200n arranged at the installation locations of the exhibits with respect to the optical communication device 100 possessed by the visitors viewing the exhibits. When the light including the signal of the ID information as the target information associated with the exhibit is irradiated, the optical communication device 100 detects the signal of the ID information and transmits the ID information to the information processing device 300. The information processing device 300 acquires voice information corresponding to the ID information transmitted from the optical communication device 100 from the content database 320, and transmits the acquired voice information to the optical communication device 100. The optical communication device 100 outputs voice from the voice information transmitted from the information processing device 300. That is, the optical communication device 100 receives light including a signal of ID information by optical communication using light, acquires voice information corresponding to the ID information, and outputs voice. Thereby, the optical communication system 10 of the present embodiment can explain the exhibit to the visitors who appreciate the exhibit.

In the optical communication system 10 of the present embodiment, a visible light beacon system conforming to the standard of JEITA CP-1223 is used for communication between any of the light irradiation devices 200a to 200n and the optical communication device 100. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 2, the light irradiation devices 200a to 200n include a start unit composed of a 6-bit preamble and a 1-byte frame type, an information unit (papter) composed of 16-byte ID information data, and Data of a frame structure in which a terminal portion composed of a 2-byte check CRC (periodic redundancy code) is arranged is transmitted to the optical communication device 100.
As the coding method of this embodiment, a 4PPM (Pulse Position Modulation) coding method is used. The 4PPM coding method divides a fixed time defined as symbol time into four slots equally, allows one slot-width pulse per symbol time, and transmits information assigned to the slot time position where the pulse exists. To do. One byte consists of 4 symbols, and 1 symbol consists of 4 slots. Since only one of these four slots is a symbol that always shines (ON), the light flicker to the human eye so that all four slots do not shine or all do not shine. I try not to make you feel.
In the optical communication system 10 of the present embodiment, a visible light beacon system conforming to the standard of JEITA CP-1223 is used, but the present invention is not limited to this, and other standards may be used, such as infrared rays instead of visible light. It may be the one used. Further, in the present embodiment, ID information is used as the target information, but the present invention is not limited to this.

The optical communication device 100 is a small device that can be carried by one hand, and has a light receiving element 110. The optical communication device 100 receives light from any of the light irradiation devices 200a to 200n that irradiates light including a signal of ID information by the light receiving element 110, and controls to determine whether or not the received light includes ID information. To detect the ID information. The ID information to be detected corresponds to each exhibit, and the optical communication device 100 transmits the detected ID information to the information processing device 300 via wireless communication and network N. The optical communication device 100 receives voice information corresponding to the ID information from the information processing device 300, and outputs the voice of the content to the visitors.

In the present embodiment, the detected ID information is transmitted to the information processing device 300 via wireless communication and network N, and the voice information associated with the ID information is acquired from the information processing device 300. There is no limit.
The wireless communication is not particularly limited and may be appropriately selected depending on the purpose. Examples thereof include wireless LAN (Local Area Network), Bluetooth (registered trademark) and Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE). Be done.

Hereinafter, each device of the optical communication system 10 of the present embodiment will be described in detail.

<Optical communication device>
FIG. 3 is a schematic external view showing an optical communication device according to the present embodiment.
As shown in FIG. 3, the optical communication device 100 includes a light receiving element 110, a speaker 130, a setting button 150, a power switch 160, an earphone jack 170, a liquid crystal display 180, and a USB (Universal Social Bus) terminal 190. And have.

The light receiving element 110 is a photodiode in the present embodiment, and is arranged on the uppermost front surface and the upper surface surface of the optical communication device 100 to receive visible light.

The speaker 130 is arranged in the lower part of the front surface of the optical communication device 100, and outputs the content by voice.

The setting button 150 is arranged in the center of the front of the optical communication device 100, and when pressed by a visitor, a language type, a volume, and an output destination selected from a speaker, an earphone, and Bluetooth are selected.
The setting button 150 is used when setting a program for operating the optical communication device 100.

The power switch 160 is arranged on the right side surface of the optical communication device 100, and is slid by a visitor to turn on / off the power of the optical communication device 100.

The earphone jack 170 is arranged on the left side surface of the optical communication device 100, and the terminal of the earphone is inserted.

The liquid crystal display 180 is arranged in the upper part of the front surface of the optical communication device 100, and can display the selected language, volume, output destination, and the like. Further, the liquid crystal display 180 indicates that the voltage of the secondary battery 160a is equal to or less than the predetermined value when the second control unit 125, which will be described later, determines that the voltage of the secondary battery 160a is equal to or less than the predetermined value. You may try to do so. Further, the liquid crystal display 180 is used when confirming the setting of the program for operating the optical communication device 100.

The USB terminal 190 is arranged on the end face of the optical communication device 100, and a micro SD card (registered trademark, the same applies hereinafter) 140 is removable. The micro SD card 140 may be used as a voice information storage unit to store voice information. As a result, when the second control unit 125, which will be described later, acquires voice information from the micro SD card 140 instead of from the information processing device 300, the power generated by communication between the optical communication device 100 and the information processing device 300 is reduced. it can. Further, even when the communication between the optical communication device 100 and the information processing device 300 is poor, it is advantageous in that voice information can be acquired without going through the information processing device 300. The USB terminal 190 can also be used for communication and charging.

Further, a wireless power receiving pad is arranged on the back surface of the optical communication device 100, and the optical communication device 100 can receive power by the wireless power receiving pad. As a method of receiving power by the wireless power receiving pad, for example, a method compliant with the Qi standard can be mentioned.

FIG. 4A is a block diagram showing the hardware of the optical communication device according to the present embodiment.
As shown in FIG. 4A, the MPU 120 is connected to the light receiving element 110 and the CPU 126.
The MPU 120 is a kind of processor, and is a processing device that performs various controls and calculations. The MPU 120 realizes various functions by executing firmware or the like stored by a storage means (not shown). Specifically, as shown by the dotted line in FIG. 4B, the MPU 120 realizes the function of the first control unit 121, which will be described later.

The CPU 126 is connected to the wireless communication module 129, the speaker 130, the setting button 150, the power switch 160, the earphone jack 170, the liquid crystal display 180, and the USB terminal 190. The CPU 126 realizes the function of the second control unit 125, which will be described later.
The first control unit 121 and the second control unit 125 may be collectively referred to as a control unit. When the light receiving unit determines that the light received by the light receiving unit includes the signal of the ID information, the control unit controls to acquire the voice information corresponding to the ID information detected from the light and output the voice.

Further, the optical communication device 100 has a secondary battery 160a, a power control circuit 160b for controlling charging / discharging of the secondary battery 160a, and a wireless power receiving pad 160c as a power source, and receives power by the wireless power receiving pad. Electric power can be supplied to the entire optical communication device 100 from the secondary battery 160a charged by electric power.

FIG. 4B is a block diagram showing the functions of the optical communication device according to the present embodiment.
As shown in FIG. 4B, the optical communication device 100 converts the visible light received by the light receiving unit 111 into an electric signal, and amplifies the converted electric signal by the analog circuit of the amplification unit 112. Next, the optical communication device 100 samples the amplified electric signal by the A / D converter 121a. Then, the main control unit 121b demodulates the electric signal after sampling with the firmware according to the standard of JEITA CP-1223. At this time, the main control unit 121b demodulates the electric signal after sampling by the timer unit 121c and the storage unit 121d that stores the firmware. At this time, after that, the main control unit 121b transmits the demodulated signal, that is, the ID information to the second control unit 125.

The second control unit 125 causes the communication unit 128 to transmit the ID information to the information processing device 300. After that, the second control unit 125 receives the voice information corresponding to the ID information by the communication unit 128, the voice output of the voice information is amplified by the voice output amplification unit 131, and the voice is output from the voice output unit 132.

As described above, the optical communication system 10 of the present embodiment receives light including a signal of ID information as target information from the light irradiation device 200 installed in the vicinity of the exhibit, and corresponds to the ID information. By acquiring the audio content explaining the exhibit from the information processing device 300 and outputting the content by audio, the exhibit can be explained to the visitors.
Further, in the optical communication system 10 of the present embodiment, since the content explaining the exhibit is voice, even if communication is performed to acquire the voice information from the information processing device, the voice is more data than the moving image. Since the amount is small, the power consumption due to communication can be reduced.
Furthermore, even if photography by a camera is prohibited in museums and art galleries, the optical communication system 10 of the present embodiment should be used by visitors without hesitation if it is a receiver for visible light communication. Can be done.

When the second control unit 125 controls to output audio, the first control unit 121 may interrupt the signal processing. When the second control unit 125 outputs a sound, the visitors are often viewing the target exhibit explained by the sound, and the same light received on the spot is included in the same. Since it is not necessary to determine the presence / absence of the signal of the ID information of the above, the power consumption can be reduced by interrupting the signal processing by the first control unit 121.

The display unit 181 displays the selected language, volume, output destination, etc. using the liquid crystal display 180 according to the instruction of the control unit.
Further, when the second control unit 125 determines that the voltage of the secondary battery 160a is equal to or less than a predetermined value on the display unit 181, the voltage of the secondary battery 160a is set to a predetermined value by the second control unit 125. A display may be made to note that: As a result, the optical communication device 100, which is likely to run out of battery during use by the visitors, can be charged at an appropriate timing.
Further, when the second control unit 125 determines that the charge amount of the secondary battery 160a is equal to or higher than a predetermined value on the display unit 181, the charge amount of the secondary battery 160a is increased by the second control unit 125. It may be displayed that it is equal to or more than a predetermined value. As a result, it is possible to grasp whether or not the charging is completed while charging the secondary battery 160a.

The USB I / F (interface) 191 can be charged not only by non-contact power receiving using the wireless power receiving pad 160c, but also by the USB terminal 190. It can also communicate with a USB device that is attached to and detached from the USB terminal 190.

As a power supply unit that supplies power to the entire optical communication device 100, a power supply unit 161a using a secondary battery 160a, a power control unit 161b using a power control circuit 160b, and a non-wireless power receiving pad 160c are used. It has a contact power receiving unit 161c. The non-contact power receiving unit 161c non-contactly receives rechargeable power to the secondary battery 160a that supplies power to the light receiving unit 111 and the control unit.

As described above, the optical communication system 10 of the present embodiment assumes that all visitors carry the optical communication device 100 of the present invention, which is a receiving device for visible light communication, in a wide and large museum or an art museum. Even in this case, since the optical communication device 100 can be charged non-contactly by having the non-contact power receiving unit 161, there is no need to insert and remove the terminal of the charger into each optical communication device 100, which is great for the staff. It will not be a burden.

Next, when it is determined that the light received by the light receiving unit 111 includes the signal of the ID information, the flow of the process of transmitting the detected ID information to the information processing apparatus 300 is shown in the flowcharts shown in FIGS. 5A and 5B. This will be described according to the steps represented by middle S.

As shown in FIG. 5A, first, the first control unit 121 initializes each variable (D = 0, F = 0, N = 0, P = 0) (S101). Here, D means a signal edge detection flag, F means a preamble detection flag, N means a frame number (number of bytes of data), and P means the number of symbols.
Next, the optical communication device 100 converts the visible light received by the light receiving unit 111 into an electric signal, amplifies the converted electric signal by the analog circuit of the amplification unit 112, and samples the converted electric signal by the A / D conversion unit 121a. S102).

The first control unit 121 performs differential processing in order to detect the rising edge and the falling edge in the square wave signal sampled by the A / D conversion unit 121 (S103). In the following, the signal differentiated to detect the edge may be referred to as an “edge detected signal”. In the edge-detected signal, the first control unit 121 sets D = 1 if there is a peak on the positive side (S104, S105) and sets it on the negative side in order to detect the signal of ID information based on the change in the edge. If there is a peak, D = 0 (S106, S107). If there is no peak on either the positive side or the negative side, the process is returned to S102.

When the first control unit 121 detects a peak on either the positive side or the negative side in the edge detection signal, it determines whether or not the preamble has already been detected (S108). When the first control unit 121 determines that the preamble has already been detected, the process shifts to S112 shown in FIG. 5B, and when it determines that the preamble has not been detected, whether or not the edge-detected signal is a preamble. Is determined (S109). When the first control unit 121 determines that the edge-detected signal is preamble, it sets F = 1 (S110), and when it determines that the edge-detected signal is not preamble, it sets F = 0 (S111), and returns the process to S102. ..

Next, when the first control unit 121 determines that the preamble has already been detected, it determines whether or not the first 4 bits of the 4PPM signal can be acquired (S112). When the first control unit 121 determines that the first 4 bits have been acquired, it converts the edge-detected signal into a 4PPM signal and stores it in the P-th symbol (S113), and determines that the 4PPM conversion has not been performed. The process returns to S102 of FIG. 5A.

When the edge-detected signal is converted into a 4PPM signal and stored in the P-th symbol, the first control unit 121 performs an operation of P = P + 1 and determines whether or not P = 4 (S114). When the first control unit 121 determines that P = 4, it initializes to P = 0 as 4 symbols (1 byte) are completed (S115), and when it determines that P = 4, the process is performed in FIG. 5A. Return to S102.

When the first control unit 121 initializes to P = 0, it saves the Nth byte obtained in the frame (S116), performs an operation of N = N + 1, and determines whether or not N = 19. Judgment (S117). If the first control unit 121 determines that N = 19, it initializes to N = 0 as the end of the frame (S118), and if it determines that N = 19, the process returns to S102 in FIG. 5A.

When the first control unit 121 is initialized to N = 0, the CRC calculation is performed, and it is determined whether or not the CRC matches the CRC of the terminal unit (S119). When the first control unit 121 determines that they match, the detected ID information is output to the second control unit 125 (S120), and the process is returned to S102 in FIG. 5A. Then, the second control unit 125 transmits the ID information to the information processing device 300 through the communication unit 128.
Further, when the first control unit 121 determines that they do not match, the process returns to S102 in FIG. 5A.
In this way, the first control unit 121 determines whether or not the visible light received by the light receiving unit 111 includes the ID information signal, and when it is determined that the visible light includes the ID information signal, the first control unit 121 determines. The ID information is transmitted from the second control unit 125 to the information processing device 300.

Next, the flow of the process of determining whether the first control unit includes the ID information and detecting the ID information will be described according to the step represented by S in the flowchart of the flowchart shown in FIG.

The first control unit 121 performs an initialization process (S201) and determines whether or not the sound reproduction flag SPF = 1 (S202). When SPF = 0, it indicates that the reproduction is completed, and when SPF = 1, it indicates that the reproduction is in progress.
When the first control unit 121 determines that SPF = 1, the process shifts to the ID information detection process (S205) described later.
When the first control unit 121 determines that SPF = 1, that is, SPF = 0, the first control unit 121 determines whether or not the ID information detection timer IDT, which is incremented in 1-second units by the system timer processing, is larger than 5. (S203). When the first control unit 121 determines that the ID information detection timer IDT is not larger than 5, the process shifts to the ID information detection process (S205), and when it is determined that the ID information detection timer IDT is larger than 5, the second control unit 121 determines. The control unit 125 goes to sleep (S204), and the process shifts to the ID information detection process (S205).

The first control unit 121 determines and detects whether or not the visible light received by the light receiving unit 111 includes the ID information in the ID information detection process (S205, S206), and the ID information is included. If it is determined and detected, the ID information detection flag is set (S207), IDT = 0 is set, and the process is returned to S202. If the first control unit 121 does not determine that the ID information is included, the process returns to S202 (S206).

In this way, when the first control unit 121 determines that the light includes the signal of the ID information, the first control unit 121 performs output control to acquire the voice information corresponding to the ID information detected from the light and output the voice. If it is not determined that the light includes the signal of the ID information during the predetermined time after the output control, the second control unit 125 goes into the sleep state. Further, since the second control unit 125 continues the sleep state until the first control unit 121 determines that the light includes the signal of the ID information, the power consumption can be reduced.

At this time, if the first control unit 121 is operated by an MPU or the like for signal processing, it is determined whether or not the light received by the light receiving unit 111 by the first control unit 121 includes a signal of ID information. The power consumption when performing the signal processing can be made lower than the power consumption by the second control unit 125.

Next, the flow of the process of outputting the voice from the voice information (sound data) acquired by the second control unit 125 based on the ID information is according to the step represented by S in the flowchart of the flowchart shown in FIGS. 7A and 7B. explain.
The language for voice output is preset by pressing the setting button 150 of the optical communication device 100 by the visitor.

The second control unit 125 confirms the state of the ID information detection flag, shifts the process to S302 if the ID information detection flag is 1, returns the process to S301 if the ID information detection flag is 1, and IDs. Monitor the status of the information detection flag.
When the ID information detection flag is 1, the second control unit 125 first sets the ID information detection flag to 0 (S302), and then acquires the language information set by the setting button 150 (S303). It is determined whether or not the voice information corresponding to the linguistic information is acquired from each SQL (SQL Resource Language) server (SQL database, that is, the visible light ID database and the content database) of the information processing apparatus 300 (S304).

When the second control unit 125 determines that the voice information is acquired from the information processing device 300 (S304), the second control unit 125 goes to each database of the information processing device 300 to acquire the voice information corresponding to the ID information (S305), and sets a predetermined time. If the voice information cannot be acquired and the time-out occurs (S306), the voice information corresponding to the ID information is acquired from the internal database (micro SD card 140) (S307, S308). Further, when the second control unit 125 determines that the voice information corresponding to the ID information is not acquired from the information processing apparatus 300 (S304), the second control unit 125 acquires the voice information from the internal database (micro SD card 140) (S307, S308). ).

The second control unit 125 determines whether to output audio to the speaker 130, the connected earphone, or Bluetooth based on the output destination set by the setting button 150, and starts reproducing the audio based on the audio information. (S309 to S314), the audio playback flag SPF is set to 1 (playing) (S315).

The second control unit 125 confirms the state of the ID information detection flag (S316), stops the audio reproduction if the ID information detection flag is 1, (S317), and sets the audio reproduction flag SPF to 0 (reproduction). (Completed) is set (S318), and the process is returned to S302 in FIG. 7A.
If the ID information detection flag is 0, the second control unit 125 determines that the audio reproduction is completed (S319), and sets the audio reproduction flag SPF to 0 (reproduction completed) (S320). , The process is returned to S301 of FIG. 7A, and when it is determined that the audio reproduction is not completed (S319), the process is returned to S316.

<Light irradiation device>
Since the light irradiation devices 200a to 200n shown in FIG. 1 have the same functions and hardware, any one of the light irradiation devices 200a to 200n (hereinafter referred to as the light irradiation device 200) will be described.

FIG. 8A is a block diagram showing the functions of the light irradiation device of the present embodiment.
The light irradiation device 200 is a device that is arranged in the vicinity of each exhibit and can irradiate light including a signal of ID information. As shown in FIG. 8A, the light irradiation device 200 has a light projecting unit 211 and a control unit 221.
The control unit 221 controls the light projecting unit 211 so that the visible light includes the signal of the ID information stored in advance by the PC that manages the light irradiation device 200.

FIG. 8B is a block diagram showing the hardware of the light irradiation device of the present embodiment.
As shown in FIG. 8B, it has an LED illumination 210 and a controller 220.

The LED lighting 210 includes a plurality of LEDs. Further, the LED lighting 210 realizes the function of the light projecting unit 211.
In the present embodiment, the light irradiation device 200 is provided with the LED illumination 210, but the present invention is not limited to this, and any device that can irradiate light may be used.

The controller 220 is a control circuit for driving the LED lighting 210, and realizes the function of the control unit 221.

<Information processing device>
The information processing device 300 has a visible light ID database 310 and a content database 320, and when it receives ID information from the optical communication device 100, it transmits voice information corresponding to the ID information to the optical communication device 100.
Further, the information processing apparatus 300 is a server in this embodiment, and constructs, edits, and manages these databases.
In the present embodiment, the information processing apparatus 300 has a visible light ID database 310 for storing ID information and a content database 320 for storing voice information associated with the ID information, but the present invention is not limited to this. , Each database may be owned by another terminal or device. Further, the visible light ID database 310 and the content database 320 are separated, but the present invention is not limited to this, and a single database may be used.

As described above, the optical communication device of the present invention is an optical communication device that receives light including a signal of target information by optical communication using light, acquires voice information corresponding to the target information, and outputs voice. Therefore, when it is determined that the light receiving unit that receives light and the light received by the light receiving unit include the signal of the target information, the control that acquires the voice information corresponding to the target information detected from the light and outputs the voice is controlled. It has a control unit for performing the operation, and a non-contact power receiving unit that receives chargeable power in a non-contact manner as a power source for supplying power to the light receiving unit and the control unit.
As a result, the optical communication device of the present invention can output the voice guide at high speed with low power consumption by communication using light, and can be easily charged.

10 Optical communication system 100 Optical communication device 111 Light receiving unit 121 First control unit (control unit)
125 Second control unit (control unit)
141 Voice information storage unit 161 Non-contact power receiving unit 200 Light irradiation device 300 Information processing device

Claims (10)

An optical communication device that receives light including a signal of target information by optical communication using light, acquires voice information corresponding to the target information, and outputs voice.
A light receiving unit that receives the light and
When it is determined that the light received by the light receiving unit includes a signal of the target information, a control unit that controls to acquire the voice information corresponding to the target information detected from the light and output the voice.
A non-contact power receiving unit that non-contactly receives rechargeable power to the power receiving unit and the power supply that supplies power to the control unit.
An optical communication device characterized by having. The optical communication device according to claim 1, wherein the light receiving unit receives the light by a light receiving element. The control unit
A first control unit that determines whether or not the light received by the light receiving unit includes a signal of the target information,
When the first control unit determines that the light includes a signal of the target information, the output control of acquiring the voice information corresponding to the target information detected from the light and outputting the voice is performed. If it is not determined that the light contains the signal of the target information during the predetermined time after the output control, the sleep state is set, and the first control unit determines that the light contains the signal of the target information. The optical communication device according to any one of claims 1 to 2, further comprising a second control unit that continues the sleep state until it is determined to include. According to claim 3, the power consumption when the first control unit performs signal processing for determining whether or not the light includes a signal of the target information is lower than the power consumption by the second control unit. The optical communication device described. The optical communication device according to any one of claims 3 to 4, wherein the first control unit operates by an MPU. The optical communication device according to any one of claims 3 to 5, wherein when the second control unit controls to output the voice, the first control unit interrupts the signal processing. When the second control unit determines that the voltage of the power supply is equal to or less than a predetermined value, the second control unit displays that the voltage of the power supply is equal to or less than the predetermined value. The optical communication device according to any one of claims 3 to 6, further comprising. Further having a voice information storage unit in which the voice information is stored,
The optical communication device according to any one of claims 3 to 7, wherein the second control unit acquires the voice information from the voice information storage unit. A light irradiation device capable of irradiating light containing a signal of target information,
The optical communication device according to any one of claims 1 to 8.
An optical communication system characterized by having. It is an optical communication method that receives light including a signal of target information by optical communication using light, acquires voice information corresponding to the target information, and outputs voice.
A light receiving process in which the light receiving unit receives the light,
When it is determined that the light received in the light receiving step includes the signal of the target information, the control unit controls to acquire the voice information corresponding to the target information detected from the light and output the voice. Process and
A non-contact power receiving step of non-contactly receiving rechargeable power to a power source that supplies power to the light receiving unit and the control unit.
An optical communication method characterized by including.

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