Visible light communication via solid state lighting devices

1. A solid-state lighting fixture comprising:

a first plurality of solid-state light elements configured to emit visible light at a first wavelength;

a second plurality of solid-state light elements configured to emit the visible light at a second wavelength, which is different than the first wavelength; and

a light controller modulator configured to simultaneously:

modulate the visible light emitted from the first plurality of solid-state light elements, to emit a modulation pattern of the emitted visible light that communicates a first subset of data while being undetectable to a human eye; and

modulate the visible light emitted from the second plurality of solid-state light elements, to emit the modulation pattern of the emitted visible light that communicates a second subset of data while being undetectable to the human eye.

2. The solid-state lighting fixture of claim 1 , wherein the visible light emitted from the first plurality of solid-state light elements and the visible light emitted from the second plurality of solid-state light elements combine to provide light at a desired color.

3. The solid-state lighting fixture of claim 1 , wherein the visible light emitted from the first plurality of solid-state light elements and the visible light emitted from the second plurality of solid-state light elements combine to provide light at a desired color temperature.

4. The solid-state lighting fixture of claim 3 , wherein the desired color temperature is in a range of about 2500 Kelvin (K) to 5500K.

5. The solid-state lighting fixture of claim 3 , wherein the desired color temperature is in a range of about 2500K to 4000K.

6. The solid-state lighting fixture of claim 1 , wherein the first subset of data is different from the second subset of data.

7. The solid-state lighting fixture of claim 1 , wherein the light controller modulator is further configured to:

receive data from an external source; and

separate the received data into the first subset of data and the second subset of data.

8. The solid-state lighting fixture of claim 1 , wherein the first plurality of solid-state light elements and the second plurality of solid-state light elements are light emitting diodes (LEDs).

9. The solid-state lighting fixture of claim 8 , wherein the first plurality of solid-state light elements has a different phosphor than the second plurality of solid-state light elements.

10. The solid-state lighting fixture of claim 8 , wherein the first plurality of solid-state light elements includes a phosphor, and the second group of solid-state light elements does not include the phosphor.

11. A solid-state visible light communication system comprising:

a plurality of solid-state lighting fixtures, each one of the plurality of solid-state lighting fixtures comprising a first plurality of solid-state light elements configured to emit modulated light at a first wavelength and a second plurality of solid-state light elements configured to emit the modulated light at a second wavelength simultaneously with the first plurality of solid-state light elements, wherein the second wavelength is different than the first wavelength, wherein a modulation pattern of the modulated light emitted from the first plurality of solid-state light elements and the modulated light emitted from the second plurality of solid-state light elements communicates a first subset of data and a second subset of data, respectively, while being undetectable to human eye; and

a network controller configured to receive data from an external source, and selectively forward the received data for communication via visible light to one or more of the plurality of solid-state lighting fixtures.

12. The solid-state visible light communication system of claim 11 , wherein the modulated light emitted from the first plurality of solid-state light elements and the modulated light emitted from the second plurality of solid-state light elements combine to provide light at a desired color.

13. The solid-state visible light communication system of claim 11 , wherein the modulated light emitted from the first plurality of solid-state light elements and the modulated light emitted from the second plurality of solid-state light elements combine to provide light at a desired color temperature.

14. The solid-state visible light communication system of claim 13 , wherein the desired color temperature is in a range of about 2500 Kelvin (K) to 5500K.

15. The solid-state visible light communication system of claim 13 , wherein the desired color temperature is in a range of about 2500K to 4000K.

16. The solid-state visible light communication system of claim 11 , further comprising:

one or more receivers configured to:

receive the modulated light emitted from the first plurality of solid-state light elements and the second plurality of solid-state light elements of one of the plurality of solid-state lighting fixtures; and

filter and separate the modulated light received from the first plurality of solid-state light elements from the modulated light received from the second plurality of solid-state light elements in order to recover the first subset of data and the second subset of data, respectively.

17. The solid-state visible light communication system of claim 11 , wherein the first subset of data is different from the second subset of data.

18. The solid-state visible light communication system of claim 11 , wherein the modulated light emitted from each one of the plurality of solid-state lighting fixtures is provided in a radio-frequency denied environment.

19. The solid-state visible light communication system of claim 11 , wherein each one of the plurality of solid-state lighting fixtures is configured to:

receive data for communication via the visible light from the network controller; and

separate the received data into the first subset of data and the second subset of data.

20. The solid-state visible light communication system of claim 19 , further comprising:

one or more receivers configured to:

receive the modulated light emitted from the first plurality of solid-state light elements of one or more of the plurality of solid-state light fixtures;

receive the modulated light emitted from the second plurality of solid-state light elements of one or more of the plurality of solid-state light fixtures;

filter and separate the modulated light received from the first plurality of solid-state light elements from the modulated light received from the second plurality of solid-state light elements in order to recover the first subset of data and the second subset of data, respectively; and

reassemble the first subset of data and the second subset of data.

21. The solid-state visible light communication system of claim 11 , wherein the first plurality of solid-state light elements and the second plurality of solid-state light elements are light emitting diodes (LEDs).

22. The solid-state visible light communication system of claim 21 , wherein the first plurality of solid-state light elements has a different phosphor than the second plurality of solid-state light elements.

23. The solid-state visible light communication system of claim 21 , wherein the first plurality of solid-state light elements includes a phosphor, and the second plurality of solid-state light elements does not include the phosphor.

24. The solid-state visible light communication system of claim 11 , wherein the network controller selectively forwards different data to at least two of the plurality of solid-state lighting fixtures.

25. A method for communicating data via visible light provided from a solid-state lighting fixture including a first plurality of solid-state light elements configured to emit light at a first wavelength and a second plurality of solid-state light elements configured to emit light at a second wavelength, which is different than the first wavelength, comprising simultaneously:

modulating the light emitted from the first plurality of solid-state light elements, to emit a modulation pattern of the emitted light that communicates a first subset of data while being undetectable to a human eye; and

modulating the light emitted from the second plurality of solid-state light elements, to emit the modulation pattern of the emitted light that communicates a second subset of data while being undetectable to the human eye.

26. The method of claim 25 , wherein the light emitted from the first plurality of solid-state light elements and the light emitted from the second plurality of solid-state light elements combine to provide light at a desired color.

27. The method of claim 25 , wherein the light emitted from the first plurality of solid-state light elements and the light emitted from the second plurality of solid-state light elements combine to provide light at a desired color temperature.

28. The method of claim 27 , wherein the desired color temperature is in a range of about 2500 Kelvin (K) to 5500K.

29. The method of claim 27 , wherein the desired color temperature is in a range of about 2500K to 4000K.

30. The method of claim 25 , further comprising:

receiving the light emitted from the first plurality of solid-state light elements;

receiving the light emitted from the second plurality of solid-state light elements; and

filtering and separating the light received from the first plurality of solid-state light elements from the light received from the second plurality of solid-state light elements in order to retrieve the first subset of data and the second subset of data.

31. The method of claim 25 , wherein the first subset of data is different from the second subset of data.

32. The method of claim 31 , further comprising:

receiving the light emitted from the first plurality of solid-state light elements;

receiving the light emitted from the second plurality of solid-state light elements;

filtering and separating the light received from the first plurality of solid-state light elements and the second plurality of solid-state light elements in order to recover the first subset of data and the second subset of data; and

reassembling the first subset of data and the second subset of data.

33. The method of claim 25 , wherein the first plurality of solid-state light elements and the second plurality of solid-state light elements are light emitting diodes (LEDs).

34. The method of claim 33 , wherein the first plurality of solid-state light elements has a different phosphor than the second plurality of solid-state light elements.

35. The method of claim 33 , wherein the first plurality of solid-state light elements includes a phosphor, and the second plurality of solid-state light elements does not include the phosphor.