IP Library Granted Patent US 12663497
Granted Patent B2
US 12663497 · App. 18/717,550 · Granted Jun 23, 2026

Communication systems, controls, control methods, and programs

Inventors: Ryota Shiina (Musashino, JP); Shinya Tamaki (Musashino, JP); Tomohiro Taniguchi (Musashino, JP)
Assignee: NTT, Inc.
G01S1/70G16Y40/30G16Y40/60
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 12663497
App. No.
18/717,550
Granted
Jun 23, 2026
Kind
B2
Abstract

An object of the present invention is to provide a communication system, a control device, a control method, and a program that can inexpensively acquire highly reliable sensor data. A communication system according to the present invention includes a control device, a plurality of lighting devices, and an IoT device. The lighting devices output modulated light beams that are modulated, the IoT device receives each of the modulated light beams, uses information obtained from each of the modulated light beams as metadata, and transmits, to the control device, the metadata and collected sensing data in association with each other, and the control device controls generation and output of the modulated light beams to the lighting devices, estimates a position of the IoT device from the metadata, and stores the position of the IoT device and the sensing data in association with each other.

Claims (17)

1 . A communication system comprising:

a control device;

a plurality of lighting devices; and

an Internet of Things (IoT) device, wherein the lighting devices are configured to output modulated light beams that are modulated, the IoT device is configured to receive each of the modulated light beams, use information obtained from each of the modulated light beams as metadata, and transmit, to the control device, the metadata and collected sensing data in association with each other, and the control device is configured to control generation and output of the modulated light beams to the lighting devices, estimate a position of the IoT device from the metadata, and store the position of the IoT device and the sensing data in association with each other.

2 . The communication system according to claim 1 , wherein the control device is configured to output the modulated light beams different for each of the lighting devices, estimate a distance between each of the lighting devices and the IoT device from a light intensity of each of the modulated light beams received by the IoT device, and estimate the position of the IoT device from the distance.

3 . A control device that controls a communication system including a plurality of lighting devices and an Internet of Things (IoT) device,

wherein the lighting devices are configured to output modulated light beams that are modulated, the IoT device is configured to receive each of the modulated light beams, use information obtained from each of the modulated light beams as metadata, and transmit the metadata and collected sensing data in association with each other, and the control device is configured to control generation and output of the modulated light beams to the lighting devices, estimate a position of the IoT device from the metadata received from the IoT device, and store the position of the IoT device and the sensing data in association with each other.

4 . The control device according to claim 3 , wherein the control device is configured to output the modulated light beams different for each of the lighting devices, estimate a distance between each of the lighting devices and the IoT device from a light intensity of each of the modulated light beams received by the IoT device, and estimate the position of the IoT device from the distance.

5 . A control method for controlling a communication system including a plurality of lighting devices and an Internet of Things (IoT) device, the method comprising:

outputting modulated light beams that are modulated from the lighting devices;

receiving each of the modulated light beams by the IoT device;

using information obtained from each of the modulated light beams by the IoT device as metadata, and transmitting the metadata and collected sensing data in association with each other from the IoT device;

controlling generation and output of the modulated light beams to the lighting devices;

estimating a position of the IoT device from the metadata; and

storing the position of the IoT device and the sensing data in association with each other.

6 . The control method according to claim 5 , wherein the modulated light beam is different for each of the lighting devices, and

the control method further comprises estimating a distance between each of the lighting devices and the IoT device from a light intensity of each of the modulated light beams received by the IoT device, and estimating the position of the IoT device from the distance.