Lighting Unit VLC Through Shared Bus Voltage Modulation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing lighting systems with multiple LED elements face complexity in coordinating VLC protocol communications due to the need for individual control of each LED controller, increasing operational difficulty and potential flicker effects.
Innovation Solution
A lighting unit with a shared bus voltage modulator controls the average current through LED elements using a common modulation scheme, ensuring uniform light output and reducing flicker by modulating the bus voltage between non-zero levels.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If individual LED controllers are used for each LED element to enable VLC protocol communication, then communication capability is achieved, but device complexity and operational difficulty increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines multiple LED controllers into a single controller that manages all LED elements. This single controller implements the VLC protocol communication, eliminating the need for complex coordination between multiple independent controllers while maintaining full communication capability across all LED elements.
Solution Approach 2:
The single controller is designed to universally control multiple LED elements simultaneously, performing both the VLC protocol communication function and the LED driving function. This multi-functional approach reduces system complexity while preserving adaptability for communication.
2Adaptability or versatility
If individual LED controllers are coordinated for VLC communication, then communication is enabled, but ease of operation deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
By merging control functions into a single controller, the system eliminates the operational burden of coordinating multiple controllers. The single controller handles all VLC communication operations independently, significantly improving ease of operation while maintaining full communication capability.
3Measurement precision
If LED elements are controlled individually for VLC protocol, then communication precision is achieved, but flicker effects increase
Solution Approach 1:
The single controller manages all LED elements to emit light in a coordinated continuous manner, avoiding the discontinuous operation that causes flicker. This ensures stable light output that maintains VLC communication detection accuracy while eliminating harmful flicker effects.
Solution Approach 2:
The unified control approach merges the timing and modulation of all LED elements under single management, ensuring synchronous operation that prevents flicker while preserving the precision needed for VLC protocol detection and communication.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This approach simplifies VLC protocol execution by eliminating the need for individual LED controller coordination, ensuring consistent light output and minimizing flicker across multiple LED elements.
Implementation Method 1
at least one lighting element configured to receive the bus voltage for powering one or more LED elements
Implementation Method 2
the voltage modulator configured to modulate the bus voltage provided to the one or more lighting elements to thereby control a magnitude of light output
Data Source
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AI summary
A mechanism for performing a communication using a visible light communication (VLC) protocol. The mechanism proposes to modulate a bus voltage provided to all lighting elements (comprising LED elements) of a lighting unit, so that the magnitude of light emitted by all lighting elements is modulated according to a same modulation scheme. A lighting system having a plurality of lighting elements is also proposed.