Information communication method of obtaining information from a subject by demodulating data specified by a pattern of a bright line included in an obtained image

1. An information communication method of obtaining information from a subject, the information communication method comprising:

setting a first exposure time for each of a plurality of exposure lines of an imaging sensor;

obtaining a first image by exposing the plurality of exposure lines for the first exposure time and capturing the subject;

detecting a range in which the subject is captured, from the first image;

determining, from among the plurality of exposure lines, predetermined exposure lines for capturing the range in which the subject is captured;

setting a second exposure time shorter than the first exposure time;

obtaining a second image including a bright line corresponding to the predetermined exposure lines, by using only the predetermined exposure lines and capturing the subject, which changes in luminance; and

obtaining the information by demodulating data specified by a pattern of the bright line included in the obtained second image,

wherein in the obtaining the second image, the bright line is caused to appear in the second image by exposing each of the exposure lines included in the predetermined exposure lines for the second exposure time shorter than the first exposure time and capturing the subject.

2. The information communication method according to claim 1 ,

wherein the predetermined exposure lines include only exposure lines for capturing the range in which the subject is captured and do not include exposure lines for capturing a range in which the subject is not captured, from among the plurality of exposure lines.

3. The information communication method according to claim 1 ,

wherein in the obtaining the second image, a first imaging time in the obtaining the first image is equally divided by the number of the exposure lines included in the predetermined exposure lines to obtain a second imaging time, and the second imaging time is set as an imaging time of each exposure line included in the predetermined exposure lines.

4. The information communication method according to claim 1 ,

wherein in the obtaining the second image, an imaging time of each exposure line in the image sensor in the obtaining the first image is set as an imaging time of each exposure line included in the predetermined exposure lines.

5. The information communication method according to claim 4 ,

wherein in the obtaining the second image, a plurality of second images obtained using the predetermined exposure lines are combined to form a third image equal in image size to the first image, and

in the obtaining the information, the information is obtained by demodulating the data specified by the pattern of the bright line included in the third image.

6. The information communication method according to claim 1 ,

wherein in the determining, exposure lines for capturing a narrower range than the range in which the subject is captured are determined as the predetermined exposure lines, from among the plurality of exposure lines.

7. The information communication method according to claim 1 ,

wherein an imaging mode is switchable between a first mode in which the subject is captured using all of the plurality of exposure lines in the image sensor and a second mode in which the subject is captured using the predetermined exposure lines from among the plurality of exposure lines in the image sensor.

8. The information communication method according to claim 1 ,

wherein the bright line is formed by a white or black pattern corresponding to the exposure line.