JP2010151448A - Visible light communication device and method for adjusting optical axis - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a visible light communication device allowing an optical axis thereof to be surely adjusted while locating and following the other side of communication in visible light communication. <P>SOLUTION: The visible light communication device includes a receiver 10 for receiving visible light 110 transmitted from a transmitter 3 which is the other side of communication in a visible light communication system. This communication device includes an optical axis adjuster 15 for adjusting the optical axis of a light receiving body 14 based on an image recognition result of an image recognizer 13 for processing an image signal including the transmitter 3 from an image sensor 12. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a visible light communication system, and more particularly to a visible light communication apparatus mounted on a vehicle such as a train, a train, and an automobile.

  In recent years, development of a visible light communication system using visible light has been promoted between a vehicle such as an automobile or a train and a road side such as a road or a track on which the vehicle travels. In this visible light communication system, a receiver (on-vehicle device) mounted on a vehicle communicates while finding and tracking a communication partner (transmitter) on the road side while the vehicle is moving. For this reason, since the receiver performs a receiving process by receiving visible light from the transmitter with the light receiver, a function of adjusting the optical axis of the light receiver is required.

Conventionally, there has been proposed a visible light tracking communication system that uses an image sensor and a photodiode together, finds a light source from a wide range with the image sensor, and adjusts the optical axis of the photodiode so as to face the light source. (For example, refer nonpatent literature 1). In addition, a bidirectional optical space transmission device has been proposed in which a plurality of light receiving elements are arranged to detect and correct the angle deviation of the optical axis from the output difference of each light receiving element when light is received (for example, a patent) Reference 1).
IEEE. ICACT 2008. 10th International Conference on .VOL1, Feb. 2008, pp. 673-678: A New Tracking Method using Image Sensor and Photo Diode for Visible Light Road-to-Vehicle Communication JP 2001-111491 A

  In an actual vehicle, it is difficult to adjust the optical axis of the light receiver of the receiver due to the influence of vibrations and surrounding conditions that occur with movement. If the optical axis of the photoreceptor is shifted or deviated, the visible light from the transmitter cannot be reliably received, so the communication state deteriorates, and in the worst case, the communication is disabled. By simply applying the optical axis adjustment method disclosed in the above-mentioned prior art document, it is difficult to reliably adjust the optical axis while finding and tracking the transmitter as the vehicle moves.

  SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide a visible light communication apparatus capable of reliably performing optical axis adjustment while finding and tracking a communication partner of visible light communication.

  An aspect of the present invention is a visible light communication apparatus that detects a transmitter, which is a communication partner of visible light communication, using an image recognition function and adjusts the optical axis of a photoreceptor based on the image recognition result.

  A visible light communication device according to an aspect of the present invention includes an image sensor that receives light from a specified direction and converts the light into an image signal, and a visible light that is modulated transmission information based on the image signal output from the image sensor. Based on the image recognition means for recognizing the transmitter for transmitting light, the photoreceptor for receiving the visible light transmitted from the transmitter, and the image recognition result output from the image recognition means, the image is transmitted from the transmitter. The optical axis adjusting means for adjusting the optical axis of the light receiving body so as to receive visible light, and the reception processing means for demodulating the transmission information from the visible light received by the light receiving body. .

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, the visible light communication apparatus which can perform an optical axis adjustment reliably, discovering and tracking the communicating party of visible light communication can be provided.

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

[First Embodiment]
FIG. 1 is a block diagram for explaining a main part of the visible light communication system according to the first embodiment.

  The visible light communication system of the present embodiment is roughly divided into a receiver 10 mounted as a vehicle-mounted device in a vehicle 1 such as an automobile, and transmitters 3 and 4 installed on the roadside such as a road. Each of the transmitters 3 and 4 is provided at a different position on the road side, and transmits the modulated transmission information output from the communication devices 2 and 5 using visible light 110. The transmitters 3 and 4 are specifically composed of a traffic light that can output visible light 110, a light emitting sign, a streetlight, and the like.

  The receiver 10 includes a lens 11 that collects light (hereinafter, sometimes referred to as a landscape) 100 reflected from the traveling direction of the vehicle 1, an image sensor 12, an image recognition unit 13, and a photoreceptor 14. And an optical axis adjustment unit 15, a reception processing unit 16, and a display unit 17. The display unit 17 may be an audio output unit.

  The image sensor 12 outputs an image signal including an image of the transmitter 3 and the like from the landscape 100 captured by the lens 11 to the image recognition unit 13. The image recognition unit 13 executes image recognition processing on the image signal output from the image sensor 12, recognizes the pattern of the shape and size of the transmitter 3 that is the communication partner, and specifies position information ( An image recognition result 130 including (XY coordinate information) is output.

  The light receiver 14 receives the visible light 110 transmitted from the transmitter 3 that is a communication partner, converts the visible light 110 into an electrical signal, and outputs the electrical signal to the reception processing unit 16. The optical axis adjustment unit 15 uses the image recognition result 130 output from the image recognition unit 13 and adjusts the optical axis so as to receive the visible light 110 transmitted from the transmitter 3 that is the communication partner of the photoreceptor 14. To do. The reception processing unit 16 demodulates transmission information included in the visible light 110 from the output signal from the photoreceptor 14. The display unit 17 displays the transmission information demodulated by the reception processing unit 16 on the screen.

(Receiver operation)
Hereinafter, the operation of the receiver 10 of the present embodiment will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

  In the present embodiment, while the vehicle 1 is traveling on a road, the receiver 10 that is an in-vehicle device receives the visible light 110 from the transmitter 3 installed at a specified position on the road side, thereby receiving from the transmitter 3. Receive transmission information to be transmitted.

  The image recognition unit 13 executes image recognition processing on the image signal output from the image sensor 12 (steps S1 and S2). The image sensor 12 outputs an image signal including an image of the transmitter 3 included in the landscape in the traveling direction of the vehicle 1 from the landscape 100 captured by the lens 11. The image recognition unit 13 generates pattern information indicating the shape and size of the transmitter 3 and position information (XY coordinate information) for specifying the position by the image recognition process.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the image sensor 12 also outputs an image signal corresponding to the transmitter 4 included in the scenery in the traveling direction of the vehicle 1. The image recognition unit 13 recognizes an image of the transmitter 3 based on reference pattern information and position information of a designated transmitter 3 set in advance. Accordingly, the image recognition unit 13 excludes other images of the transmitter 4 from recognition targets and does not output the image recognition result 130. That is, the image recognition unit 13 does not output the image recognition result 130 to the optical axis adjustment unit 15 and outputs the image recognition result of the transmitter 3 when the image included in the landscape in the traveling direction of the vehicle 1 is the transmitter 4. Only 130 is output. If the position of the transmitter 3 to be recognized cannot be specified (NO in step S3), the process returns to step S1 and the process is performed again. The optical axis adjustment unit 15 performs the optical axis adjustment operation using the image recognition result 130 from the image recognition unit 13 as adjustment information, and therefore does not execute the optical axis adjustment operation when it is not output.

  When recognizing the designated transmitter 3, the image recognizing unit 13 outputs an image recognition result 130 including the position information (XY coordinate information) (step S4). The optical axis adjustment unit 15 uses the position information included in the image recognition result 130 to adjust the optical axis of the photoreceptor 14 so as to receive the visible light 110 transmitted from the transmitter 3 (step S5). The reception processing unit 16 demodulates transmission information included in the visible light 110 from the output signal from the photoreceptor 14 (step S6). The display unit 17 displays the transmission information demodulated by the reception processing unit 16 on the screen. The display contents include, for example, message information in addition to a camera image from the communication device 2 and an image indicating traffic regulation.

  As described above, the receiver 10 according to the present embodiment uses the image recognition process to identify the transmitter 3 that is the communication partner and to receive the visible light 110 transmitted from the transmitter 3. The optical axis of the body 14 can be adjusted. In this case, even when a transmitter 4 other than the designated transmitter 3 is included in the landscape in the traveling direction of the vehicle 1, the transmitter pattern by the image recognition process and the position information for specifying the designated transmitter 3 are specified. Based on the above, the adjustment of the optical axis with respect to the transmitter 4 is not executed. Therefore, the optical axis of the photoreceptor 14 can be reliably adjusted so as to receive the visible light 110 transmitted from the designated transmitter 3.

  With such a configuration, even if the vehicle 1 is affected by vibrations or surrounding conditions while traveling, it is possible to reliably adjust the optical axis while finding and tracking the designated transmitter 3. Therefore, the visible light 110 from the designated transmitter 3 can be reliably received, and stable visible light communication can be realized.

  Note that the receiver 10 is in a state in which communication is disabled even if the light receiver 14 receives visible light from a transmitter 4 other than the designated transmitter 3 by the function of the reception processing unit 16, and is transmitted from the transmitter 4. Received transmission information is not received.

[Second Embodiment]
FIG. 3 is a block diagram for explaining a main part of the visible light communication system according to the second embodiment.

  The receiver 10 of this embodiment includes an optical control unit 18, a lens data storage unit 19, and a lens characteristic correction unit 20. Other configurations and operations are the same as those of the first embodiment shown in FIG.

  In the present embodiment, the lens characteristic correction unit 20 is based on the optical characteristics (distortion aberration, angle of view, focus, etc.) of the condensing lens 11 arranged in the previous stage of the image sensor 12. The correction data 140 for correcting the optical axis adjustment is calculated.

  The lens characteristic correction unit 20 inputs optical characteristic data such as distortion inherent to the lens 11 from the lens data storage unit 19. The lens characteristic correction unit 20 receives control data such as an angle of view and a focus distance from the optical control unit 18 that performs optical control of the lens 11. Based on these input data, the lens characteristic correction unit 20 calculates the distortion of the image signal of the image sensor 12 due to the optical characteristics of the lens 11 and corrects the optical axis adjustment of the optical axis adjustment unit 15. The correction data 140 is generated.

  With the configuration of the present embodiment, the optical axis adjustment unit 15 adjusts the optical axis of the photoreceptor 14 based on the image recognition result 130 from the image recognition unit 13, and based on the correction data 140 from the lens characteristic correction unit 20. The optical axis adjustment can be corrected. The correction of the optical axis adjustment is a process for compensating for the distortion of the image signal of the image sensor 12 caused by the optical characteristics of the lens 11. Therefore, as a result, the accuracy of the position of the transmitter 3 detected by the image recognition unit 13 can be improved, and the visible light 110 from the designated transmitter 3 can be reliably received.

[Third Embodiment]
FIG. 4 is a block diagram for explaining a main part of the visible light communication system according to the third embodiment.

  The receiver 10 of the present embodiment has a configuration including a first image sensor 12a and a second image sensor 12b arranged in stereo, not a single image sensor 12. Furthermore, the receiver 10 is configured to have condensing lenses 11a and 11b in front of each of the first and second image sensors 12a and 12b. Other configurations and operations are the same as those of the first embodiment shown in FIG.

  The image recognition unit 13 according to the present embodiment inputs image signals corresponding to a wide field of view 100 and 120 from the first and second image sensors 12a and 12b having a stereo arrangement configuration, and executes stereo matching image processing. That is, the image recognition unit 13 generates position information including the distance to the designated transmitter 3 and outputs the position information to the optical axis adjustment unit 15 as the image recognition result 130 together with the pattern recognition result.

  With such a configuration, the optical axis adjustment unit 15 obtains position information including the distance from the image recognition unit 13 to the designated transmitter 3, and thereby according to the position of the transmitter 3 specified with high accuracy. The optical axis of the photoreceptor 14 can be adjusted.

[Fourth Embodiment]
FIG. 5 is a block diagram for explaining a main part of the visible light communication system according to the fourth embodiment.

  The receiver 10 of the present embodiment has a configuration including a lens focusing adjustment unit 21 and a mirror angle adjustment unit 22. Other configurations and operations are the same as those of the first embodiment shown in FIG.

  Specifically, the lens condensing adjustment unit 21 includes a varifocal, zoom lens, or cylindrical lens, and performs condensing adjustment of the visible light 110 from the transmitter 3. The mirror angle adjustment unit 22 includes a mirror member made of MEMS (micro electro mechanical systems), and reflects the visible light 110 that is condensed and adjusted by the lens condensing adjustment unit 21 to the light receiving unit 14.

  With such a configuration, the optical axis adjustment unit 15 can make the visible light 110 adjusted by the lens focusing adjustment unit 21 incident on the light receiving unit 14 by adjusting the angle of the mirror angle adjustment unit 22. it can. In this case, the lens condensing adjustment unit 21 can receive a wide variety of visible light and visible light narrowed down to a narrow range. Further, the optical axis of the visible light 110 can be adjusted with high accuracy by the mirror angle adjusting unit 22.

[Fifth Embodiment]
FIG. 6 is a block diagram for explaining a main part of the visible light communication system according to the fifth embodiment.

  The receiver 10 of this embodiment has a configuration including a disturbance detection unit 23. Other configurations and operations are the same as those of the first embodiment shown in FIG.

  Specifically, the disturbance detection unit 23 includes an acceleration sensor and an inclination sensor, detects disturbances such as vibration and inclination applied to the vehicle 1, that is, the receiver 10, and corrects optical axis adjustment based on the detection result. Data 150 is generated and output to the optical axis adjustment unit 15.

  With the configuration of the present embodiment, the optical axis adjustment unit 15 adjusts the optical axis of the photoreceptor 14 based on the image recognition result 130 from the image recognition unit 13, and the correction data 150 from the disturbance detection unit 23. Based on this, correction of the optical axis adjustment can be executed. Therefore, the optical axis shift at the time of optical axis adjustment due to disturbance such as vibration applied when the vehicle 1 is traveling can be compensated by the correction data 150 from the disturbance detection unit 23. Therefore, even when a disturbance is applied, the optical axis of the photoreceptor 14 can be adjusted with high accuracy.

[Sixth Embodiment]
7, 8 and 10 are diagrams for explaining the operation of the receiver 10 according to the sixth embodiment, and FIG. 9 is a block diagram for explaining a main part of the visible light communication system according to the present embodiment. It is.

  As shown in FIG. 9, the receiver 10 of the present embodiment has a configuration including a transmitter position information database 32 and a transmitter position prediction unit 33. The transmitter position prediction unit 33 includes the attitude data of the vehicle 1 detected by the attitude detection unit 30, the position data of the vehicle 1 detected by the position detection unit 31, and the specified transmitter 3 from the transmitter position information database 32. In this configuration, position data is input and the position of the transmitter 3 in the traveling direction of the vehicle 1 is predicted. The transmitter position information database 32 may have a configuration provided on the designated transmitter 3 side. In this case, the receiver 10 receives position data as transmission information from the transmitter 3. Other configurations and operations are the same as those of the first embodiment shown in FIG.

  Hereinafter, the operation of the receiver 10 of this embodiment will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

  The receiver 10 determines that the signal is being received in the communication state with the communication partner transmitter 3 by the operation of the reception processing unit 16 and is in a normal communication state, and performs visible light communication with the transmitter 3. Continue (YES in step S11, S12).

  On the other hand, when determining that the signal is not being received, the receiver 10 determines whether or not the designated transmitter 3 is detected based on the image recognition result 130 of the image recognition unit 13 (step S13). If the receiver 10 has not detected the transmitter, the receiver 10 determines that a transmitter detection error has occurred (step S14). In this case, the optical axis adjustment unit 15 is in a state where the image recognition result 130 from the image recognition unit 13 cannot be acquired. The receiver 10 controls the transmitter position prediction unit 33 to supply transmitter position prediction data to the optical axis adjustment unit 15 (step S15).

  That is, the transmitter position predicting unit 33 transmits the specified transmitter from the posture data of the vehicle 1 detected by the posture detecting unit 30, the position data of the vehicle 1 detected by the position detecting unit 31, and the transmitter position information database 32. 3 position data is input, and the position of the transmitter 3 in the traveling direction of the vehicle 1 is predicted. Thereby, the optical axis adjustment unit 15 performs the optical axis adjustment of the photoreceptor 14 based on the transmitter position prediction data output from the transmitter position prediction unit 33.

  On the other hand, if the receiver 10 detects the transmitter, the receiver 10 determines that an optical axis adjustment error has occurred (step S16). In this case, the receiver 10 controls the optical axis adjustment unit 15 to execute optical axis adjustment by remote monitoring control or scan control (step S17).

  In other words, as shown in FIG. 10, the optical axis adjustment unit 15 performs remote monitoring control when the transmitter 3 approaches the position B from the position A while the vehicle 1 is traveling and the light receiver 14 cannot receive light. The optical axis is controlled so as to be at a position C where the optical axis can be adjusted to the maximum in the direction of travel. Further, as shown in FIG. 8, the optical axis adjustment unit 15 can adjust the optical axis to the maximum in the order of position C, position A, and position B when the light receiver 14 cannot receive light as shown in FIG. Executes control to scan in the horizontal direction. Note that the receiver 10 may select to continue the optical axis adjustment of the optical axis adjustment unit 15 without executing any special control.

  With the configuration of the present embodiment, when the communication state of the receiver 10 with the designated transmitter 3 is interrupted, the optical axis adjustment by the optical axis adjustment unit 15 is re-executed to It becomes possible to restore the communication state.

[Seventh Embodiment]
11 to 14 are diagrams for explaining the seventh embodiment. FIG. 11 is a block diagram for explaining a main part of the receiver 10 according to the present embodiment. Specifically, FIG. 11 is a diagram for explaining components included in the light receiver 14, the optical axis adjustment unit 15, and the reception processing unit 16 illustrated in FIG. Other configurations and operations are the same as those of the first embodiment shown in FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 11, the receiver 10 of the present embodiment includes a lens 40 that collects the visible light 110 from the transmitter 3, a mirror unit 41 whose inclination angle changes according to an electrical signal, a spectroscope 42, Slits 43 and 47, photoreceptors 44 and 48, amplification circuits 45 and 49, detection circuits 46 and 50, an arithmetic circuit 51, an adder circuit 52, and a data extraction circuit 53.

  The mirror unit 41 includes a mirror member or a galvano mirror member made of, for example, MEMS. The spectroscope 42 splits the visible light 110 reflected by the mirror unit 41 into two lights. The light receivers 44 and 48 convert visible light that has passed through the slits 43 and 47 into electrical signals, respectively. Amplifying circuits 45 and 49 amplify output signals from the photoreceptors 44 and 48, respectively.

  The detection circuits 46 and 50 detect envelopes from the output signals from the amplification circuits 45 and 49, respectively. The arithmetic circuit 51 performs arithmetic processing necessary for the optical axis adjustment of the optical axis adjustment unit 15, outputs the calculation result, and adjusts the tilt angle of the mirror of the mirror unit 41. The adder circuit 52 adds the output signals of the amplifier circuits 45 and 49 and outputs the sum to the data extraction circuit 53. The data extraction circuit 53 performs a data extraction process for demodulating transmission information included in the visible light 110.

  Hereinafter, the operation of the receiver 10 of this embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS.

  In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 12, an operation when visible light 110a, 110b, and 110c having different incident angles are incident on the lens 40 as the visible light 110 from the transmitter 3 will be described.

  First, when the visible light 110a is incident on the lens 40, the visible light 110a is incident on the light receiving body 44 as light 110d through the mirror unit 41 and the spectroscope 42, and the light receiving body 48 is irradiated with light 110g. As incident. The visible light 110b is incident on the photoreceptor 44 as light 110e, and is incident on the photoreceptor 48 as light 110h. Further, the visible light 110c enters the light receiver 44 as light 110f, and enters the light receiver 48 as light 110i. The visible lights 110e and 110h are light incident on the centers of the light receiving surfaces of the light receivers 44 and 48.

  Here, the slit widths of the slit 43 through which the visible light 110d, 110e, and 110f pass and the slit 47 through which the visible light 110g, 110h, and 110i pass may be as large as the spot diameter of each visible light. It is not limited to this size. The slit 43 is installed at the same axis as the central axis of the light 110 e where the upper end of the lower slit is incident on the center of the photoreceptor 44. Further, the slit 47 is installed at the same position as the central axis of the light 110 h at which the upper end of the lower slit is incident on the center of the photoreceptor 48.

  FIGS. 13A to 13C are views showing the state of the spot light incident on the photoreceptors 44 and 48, respectively.

  That is, FIG. 13A shows the state of spot light in which the lights 110d and 110g obtained by splitting the visible light 110a by the spectroscope 42 are incident on the light receivers 44 and 48, respectively. The optical signal 110d to the photoreceptor 44 is mostly spot light on the upper side with the slit 43 shielding most of the lower side of the spot. Further, the optical signal 110g to the photoreceptor 48 is partially shielded by the slit 47 and most of the lower side becomes spot light. In this case, as shown in FIG. 14A, the output signals from the light receivers 44 and 48 are signals having a small peak value Va and signals having a large peak value Vb.

  Similarly, FIG. 13B shows the state of spot light in which the lights 110e and 110h obtained by splitting the visible light 110b by the spectroscope 42 are incident on the photoreceptors 44 and 48, respectively. The optical signal 110e to the photoreceptor 44 becomes the spot light of only the upper half with the slit 43 shielding the lower half of the spot. In addition, the optical signal 110h to the photoreceptor 48 becomes a spot light of only the lower half with the upper half shielded by the slit 47. In this case, the output signals from the light receivers 44 and 48 are signals having the same peak value Va and peak value Vb as shown in FIG.

  Further, FIG. 13C shows a state of spot light in which the lights 110f and 110i obtained by splitting the visible light 110c by the spectroscope 42 are incident on the photoreceptors 44 and 48, respectively. In the optical signal 110f to the photoreceptor 44, a part of the lower side of the spot is shielded by the slit 43, and most of the upper side becomes spot light. In addition, the optical signal 110i to the light receiving body 48 is mainly spotted by the slit 47, with most of the upper side being shielded by the slit 47. In this case, as shown in FIG. 14C, the output signals from the light receivers 44 and 48 are signals having a large peak value Va and signals having a small peak value Vb.

  In addition, if it injects at an angle larger than the above-mentioned visible light 110a or visible light 110c, the light which passes the slit part of the slit 43 or the slit 47 will be lost, and communication by the visible light 110 will become impossible.

  As described above, the output signal levels Va and Vb from the photoreceptors 44 and 48 differ according to the visible lights 110a, 110b and 110c having different incident angles. These output signals Va and Vb are amplified by the amplifying circuits 45 and 49, detected as peak values by the detection circuits 46 and 50, and then input to the arithmetic circuit 51. The arithmetic circuit 51 performs subtraction of the signals Va and Vb, and applies a voltage signal indicating the subtraction result to the mirror unit 41. Thereby, the optical axis adjustment part 15 adjusts the optical axis of the light receiver 14 (44, 48) by executing feedback control for adjusting the tilt angle of the mirror of the mirror part 41. Specifically, the arithmetic circuit 51 calculates a negative subtraction value by subtracting Vb from Va in FIG. 13A, and applies a voltage signal based on the calculation result to the mirror unit 41 to thereby tilt the mirror. Change the angle. That is, as shown in FIG. 13B, feedback control is executed so that Va and Vb have the same voltage. Similarly, as shown in FIG. 13C, the arithmetic circuit 51 calculates a positive subtraction value by subtracting Vb from Va, and applies a voltage signal based on the calculation result to the mirror unit 41. By changing the tilt angle of the mirror. That is, as shown in FIG. 13C, feedback control is executed so that Va and Vb have the same voltage.

  Note that in the optical axis adjustment unit of the present embodiment, when the image recognition result of the image recognition unit 13 shown in FIG. It becomes composition.

  As described above, with the configuration of the present embodiment, the visible light that passes through the slits 43 and 47 when visible light is incident at a larger angle than the visible light 110a and 110c by executing feedback control by the arithmetic circuit 51. It becomes possible to prevent a situation in which communication by the visible light 110 becomes impossible. That is, by adjusting the tilt angle of the mirror of the mirror unit 41 by the voltage difference between the signals Va and Vb, feedback control is performed so that the incident position of visible light on the photoreceptors 44 and 49 becomes the center, and the vehicle 1 is mounted on the vehicle 1. Even when the receiver 10 is tilted, stable visible light communication can be realized.

  Note that the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment as it is, and can be embodied by modifying the constituent elements without departing from the scope of the invention in the implementation stage. In addition, various inventions can be formed by appropriately combining a plurality of components disclosed in the embodiment. For example, some components may be deleted from all the components shown in the embodiment. Furthermore, constituent elements over different embodiments may be appropriately combined.

The block diagram for demonstrating the principal part of the visible light communication system regarding the 1st Embodiment of this invention. The flowchart for demonstrating operation | movement of the receiver regarding 1st Embodiment. The block diagram for demonstrating the principal part of the visible light communication system regarding 2nd Embodiment. The block diagram for demonstrating the principal part of the visible light communication system regarding 3rd Embodiment. The block diagram for demonstrating the principal part of the visible light communication system regarding 4th Embodiment. The block diagram for demonstrating the principal part of the visible light communication system regarding 5th Embodiment. 10 is a flowchart for explaining the operation of a receiver according to the sixth embodiment. The figure for demonstrating operation | movement of the receiver regarding 6th Embodiment. The block diagram for demonstrating the principal part of the visible light communication system regarding 6th Embodiment. The figure for demonstrating operation | movement of the receiver regarding 6th Embodiment. The block diagram for demonstrating the principal part of the receiver regarding 7th Embodiment. The figure for demonstrating operation | movement of the photoreceptor regarding 7th Embodiment. The figure for demonstrating operation | movement of the photoreceptor regarding 7th Embodiment. The figure for demonstrating operation | movement of the photoreceptor regarding 7th Embodiment.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Vehicle, 3, 4 ... Transmitter, 10 ... Receiver, 11, 11a, 11b ... Lens
12, 12a, 12b ... image sensor, 13 ... image recognition unit, 14 ... photoreceptor,
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 15 ... Optical-axis adjustment part, 16 ... Reception processing part, 17 ... Display part, 18 ... Optical control part,
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 19 ... Lens data storage part, 20 ... Lens characteristic correction part, 21 ... Lens condensing adjustment part 22 ... Mirror angle adjustment part, 23 ... Disturbance detection part, 30 ... Posture detection part, 31 ... Position detection part,
32 ... Transmitter position information database, 33 ... Transmitter position prediction unit, 40 ... Lens,
41 ... Mirror part, 42 ... Spectroscope, 43, 47 ... Slit, 44, 48 ... Photoreceptor,
45, 49: amplification circuit, 46, 50: detection circuit, 51: arithmetic circuit, 52: addition circuit,
53: Data extraction circuit, 110: Visible light.

Claims (13)

An image sensor that receives light from a specified direction and converts it into an image signal;
Based on an image signal output from the image sensor, image recognition means for recognizing a transmitter that transmits visible light modulated transmission information;
A photoreceptor for receiving visible light transmitted from the transmitter;
An optical axis adjusting means for adjusting an optical axis of the photoreceptor so as to receive visible light transmitted from the transmitter based on an image recognition result output from the image recognizing means;
A visible light communication apparatus comprising: a reception processing unit that demodulates the transmission information from visible light received by the light receiver. A visible light communication device mounted on a vehicle,
The image sensor receives light incident from the traveling direction of the vehicle and converts it into an image signal;
The visible light communication apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the photoreceptor is configured to receive visible light transmitted from the transmitter installed at a specified position in a traveling direction of the vehicle. .   The visible light communication apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising display means for displaying transmission information demodulated by the reception processing means. A lens that is arranged in front of the image sensor and adjusts and collects light incident on the image sensor;
4. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a correction unit that outputs correction data for correcting optical axis adjustment by the optical axis adjustment unit based on optical characteristics of the lens. The visible light communication apparatus according to claim 1. The image sensor has a stereo arrangement configuration having first and second image sensors,
A first lens and a second lens disposed in front of each of the first and second image sensors, for condensing and adjusting light incident on the first and second image sensors;
The image recognition means includes means for executing stereo matching image processing using each image signal output from the first and second image sensors. The visible light communication apparatus according to claim 1. The optical axis adjusting means is
Condensing adjustment means for adjusting the concentration of visible light transmitted from the transmitter;
6. The structure according to claim 1, further comprising an angle adjusting means for adjusting an angle for causing the visible light condensed by the light collecting adjusting means to enter the direction of the photoreceptor. The visible light communication apparatus of any one of Claims.   The angle adjusting means is constituted by a mirror angle adjuster that performs angle adjustment for reflecting the visible light condensed by the light collecting adjusting means and making it incident in the direction of the photoreceptor. The visible light communication apparatus according to claim 6. It has a disturbance detection means for detecting disturbance applied from the outside,
The optical axis adjustment unit uses a disturbance signal output from the disturbance detection unit as correction data for the optical axis adjustment, according to any one of claims 1 to 3 or claim 5 to 7. The visible light communication apparatus according to claim 1. Further comprising transmitter position predicting means for predicting the position of the transmitter when the transmitter cannot be detected and visible light communication is malfunctioning;
The optical axis adjustment unit is configured to perform optical axis adjustment of the photoreceptor using transmitter position prediction information output from the transmitter position prediction unit. Visible light communication device. Position detecting means for detecting the position of the vehicle;
Attitude detection means for detecting the attitude of the vehicle;
A database for storing transmitter position information specifying the position of the transmitter;
The transmitter position predicting means is configured to predict the position of the transmitter using each information from the position detecting means, the attitude detecting means, and the database. 10. The visible light communication device according to 9. The optical axis adjusting means is
When the transmitter is detectable and visible light communication is malfunctioning,
Based on the image recognition result output from the image recognition means, remote control for adjusting the optical axis of the photoreceptor to a distance in the traveling direction of the vehicle, or scanning the optical axis in a horizontal direction with respect to the traveling direction. The visible light communication apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the visible light communication apparatus is configured to execute any one of the scan controls. The optical axis adjusting means is
Distributing means for distributing visible light transmitted from the transmitter;
A plurality of light receiving means for respectively receiving visible light distributed by the distribution means;
Arithmetic means for detecting a change in the optical axis from the output signal level of each light receiving means;
12. The structure according to claim 1, further comprising an angle adjusting unit that adjusts an angle of visible light incident on the photoreceptor based on a calculation result of the calculating unit. Visible light communication device. An optical axis adjustment method applied to a visible light communication apparatus having a light receiving body that receives visible light transmitted from a transmitter and a reception processing unit that demodulates transmission information from visible light received by the light receiving body,
An image recognition process for recognizing the position of the transmitter;
And an optical axis adjustment process for adjusting the optical axis of the photoreceptor so as to receive visible light transmitted from the transmitter based on an image recognition result obtained by the image recognition process. Optical axis adjustment method.

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