IP Library Granted Patent US 9,813,633
Granted Patent B2
US 9,813,633 · App. 15/054,541 · Granted Nov 7, 2017

Method and system for configuring an imaging device for the reception of digital pulse recognition information

Inventors: Daniel Ryan (San Francisco, CA); Peter Staats (Cambridge, MA); Robert Sumner, Jr. (Los Angeles, CA)
Assignee: ABL IP HOLDING LLC
H04N5/2353G01C21/206H04N1/387H04N5/2257H04N5/2351H04N5/23229H04N5/3532
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 9,813,633
App. No.
15/054,541
Granted
Nov 7, 2017
Kind
B2
Abstract

In one aspect, the present disclosure relates to a method for configuring one or more imaging sensors of an imaging device to capture digital images for digital pulse recognition demodulation. In some embodiments, the method includes initializing one or more imaging sensors of the imaging device, determining a subset of the one or more imaging sensors to configure, setting a configuration for each of the one or more imaging sensors of the subset by defining a region of interest as a metering area for each of the one or more imaging sensors of the subset and automatically adjusting a setting for each of the one or more imaging sensors of the subset, and adjusting input parameters of a demodulation function based on a device profile of the imaging device. In some embodiments, the adjusted setting is locked to prevent further adjustment of the adjusted setting.

Claims (51)

1. A mobile device, comprising:

an image sensor;

a processor coupled to the image sensor;

a memory; and

software in the memory to be run by the processor, wherein running of the software by the processor configures the mobile device to implement functions, including functions to:

determine that the mobile device is in a location enabled with light sources that generate modulated visible light signals;

in response to the determination, initialize parameter settings of the image sensor including locking an exposure setting of the image sensor to optimize the image sensor to receive the modulated visible light signals generated by the light sources;

capture using the image sensor according to the initialized image sensor parameter settings an image containing a representation of a modulated visible light signal generated by one of the light sources in the location; and

obtain information from the visible light signal generated by the one light signal by demodulating the representation of the modulated visible light signal contained in the captured image.

2. The mobile device of claim 1 , wherein when running of the software by the processor to initialize the parameter settings of the image sensor, further configures the mobile device to implement functions, including a function to:

without reference to a mobile device image sensor profile, lock only the exposure setting of the image sensor, wherein locking only the exposure setting prevents automatic camera adjustments from filtering the representation of the modulated visible light signal from the captured image thereby facilitating demodulation of the representation of the modulated visible light signals in the captured image.

3. The mobile device of claim 1 , wherein the parameter settings for the image sensor in addition to the exposure time setting include parameter settings for focus, saturation, white balance, zoom, contrast, brightness, gain, sharpness, ISO, resolution, image quality, scene selection, and metering mode.

4. The mobile device of claim 1 , wherein running of the software by the processor configures the mobile device to implement functions, including functions to:

lock the image sensor parameter settings to prevent adjustment of any of the image sensor parameter settings after the initialization thereby facilitating demodulation of the representation in the captured image.

5. The mobile device of claim 1 , wherein:

the representation of the modulated visible light signal contained in the captured image are alternating dark and light stripes; and

running of the software by the processor configures the mobile device to implement functions, including functions to:

select a demodulation scheme based on a frequency, the frequency corresponding to a stripe width of the alternating dark and light stripes contained in the captured image.

6. The mobile device of claim 1 , wherein running of the software by the processor configures the mobile device to implement functions, including functions to:

adjust a shutter speed of the image sensor, based on a demodulation scheme selected for demodulating the modulated visible light signal represented in the captured image.

7. The mobile device of claim 1 , wherein the image sensor is a rolling shutter camera.

8. The mobile device of claim 7 , wherein running of the software by the processor configures the mobile device to implement functions, including functions to:

measure a speed of the rolling shutter camera; and

based on the measured rolling shutter camera speed, select a demodulation scheme for demodulating the representation of the visible light in the captured image.

9. The mobile device of claim 1 , wherein:

the representation of the modulated visible light signal contained in the captured image comprises alternating dark and light stripes; and

running of the software by the processor configures the mobile device to implement functions, including functions to:

identify a width of one stripe in the alternating dark and white stripes; and

based on the identified stripe width, select a demodulation scheme based on a frequency, the frequency corresponding to the identified stripe width.

10. A method, comprising:

determining based on an ambient light sensor signal, that a mobile device is in a location enabled with light sources that generate modulated visible light signals;

in response to the determination, initializing parameter settings of an image sensor of the mobile device including locking an exposure setting of the image sensor to optimize the image sensor to receive the modulated visible light signals generated by the light sources;

capturing an image containing a representation of a modulated visible light signal generated by one of the light sources in the location using the image sensor according to the image sensor parameter settings; and

obtaining information from the visible light signal generated by the one light source, by demodulating the representation of the modulated visible light signal in the captured image.

11. The method of claim 10 , wherein initializing the parameter settings of the image sensor, comprises a step of:

without reference to a mobile device profile image sensor profile, locking only the exposure setting of the image sensor, wherein locking only the exposure setting prevents automatic camera adjustments from filtering the representations of the modulated visible light signals from the captured image thereby facilitating the demodulation of the representation of the modulated visible light signals in the captured image.

12. The method of claim 10 , wherein the parameter settings for the image sensor in addition to the exposure time parameter setting include parameter settings for focus, saturation, white balance, zoom, contrast, brightness, gain, sharpness, ISO, resolution, image quality, scene selection, and metering mode.

13. The method of claim 10 , further comprising a step of:

locking the image sensor parameter settings to prevent adjustment of any of the image sensor parameter settings after the initialization thereby facilitating demodulation of the representation in the captured image.

14. The method of claim 10 , further comprising a step of:

adjusting a rolling shutter speed of the image sensor, based on a demodulation scheme selected for demodulating the modulated visible light signal represented in the captured image.

15. The method of claim 10 , wherein the representation of the modulated visible light signal in the captured image comprise alternating dark and white stripes contained in the captured image.

16. The method of claim 15 , further comprising a step of:

identifying a width of one stripe in the alternating dark and white stripes; and

based on the identified stripe width, selecting a demodulation scheme based on a frequency, the frequency corresponding to the identified stripe width.

17. The method of claim 15 , further comprising a step of:

selecting a demodulation scheme based on a frequency, the frequency corresponding to a stripe width of alternating dark and white stripes contained in the captured image.

18. The method of claim 15 , wherein the image sensor is a rolling shutter camera.

19. The method of claim 18 , wherein selecting a demodulation scheme further comprises steps of:

measuring a speed of the rolling shutter camera; and

selecting the demodulation scheme based on the measured speed of the rolling shutter camera.

Assignments (2)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Mar 7, 2016
From: BYTELIGHT, INC.
To: ABL IP HOLDING LLC
Reel/Frame 037911/0369 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Mar 3, 2016
From: RYAN, DANIEL; STAATS, PETER; SUMNER, ROB
To: BYTELIGHT, INC.
Reel/Frame 037879/0934 →
Continuity (21)
Continuation 13718233 · Dec 18, 2012
Continuation 13526656 · Jun 19, 2012
Continuation In Part 13446520 · Apr 13, 2012
Continuation 13445019 · Apr 12, 2012
Continuation 13435448 · Mar 30, 2012
Continuation 13422591 · Mar 16, 2012
Continuation 13422580 · Mar 16, 2012
Continuation 13369147 · Feb 8, 2012
Continuation 13369144 · Feb 8, 2012
Continuation In Part 13446506 · Apr 13, 2012
Continuation 13445019 · Apr 12, 2012
Continuation 13435448 · Mar 30, 2012
Continuation 13422591 · Mar 16, 2012
Continuation 13422580 · Mar 16, 2012
Continuation 13369147 · Feb 8, 2012
Continuation 13369144 · Feb 8, 2012
Provisional Application 61639428 · Apr 27, 2012
Provisional Application 61635413 · Apr 19, 2012
Provisional Application 61567484 · Dec 6, 2011
Provisional Application 61511589 · Jul 26, 2011
Related Publication 20160182796A1 · Jun 23, 2016