Visible Light Signal Decoding for Synchronized Content Reproduction

The patent introduces a server as an intermediary that handles the complex content reproduction processing remotely. The terminal device with limited capabilities can request content reproduction through simple operations, while the server performs the actual content retrieval, processing, and synchronized reproduction. This mediator approach allows simple terminal devices to achieve reliable content reproduction without requiring complex local computational resources or communication functions.

The patent replaces traditional electrical communication signals with optical signals (visible light) for information transmission. The transmitter uses a light source that changes luminance to encode and transmit information to the terminal device's sensor. This optical substitution allows simple home electric appliances connected through home energy management systems to achieve reliable information transmission without requiring complex communication hardware, maintaining ease of manufacture while enabling effective data exchange.

The patent implements preliminary time synchronization by having the terminal device receive time information from the transmitter before content reproduction begins. The server uses this synchronized time information to retrieve and reproduce content at the correct time points. This preliminary synchronization action ensures that subsequent content reproduction maintains accurate timing without requiring complex real-time synchronization mechanisms during the reproduction process itself.