Provided is an in-store dual-mode communication system in which shelves are disposed within a commercial space. A server is coupled to the Internet and/or a wide-area network and is configured to send and receive communications. Also provided are light-based messaging units that are located on and/or attached to such shelves, each: 1) having a light source, 2) receiving a communication from the server, and 3) in response to receipt of such communication, turning the light source on and off so as to broadcast a digital message that was included within such communication, as a binary-encoded digital signal corresponding to on/off states of the light source. A user device: (i) receives, via its light sensor, and then decodes the binary-encoded digital signal from a light-based messaging unit in order to obtain the digital message that corresponds to it; and also (ii) communicates with the server via its wireless interface.

Aspects of the disclosure include a peripheral device comprising at least one light-emitting device, a wireless communication interface, and at least one controller configured to receive a wireless connection request at the wireless communication interface, generate a secret value responsive to receiving the wireless connection request, control the light-emitting device to output a signal indicative of the secret value to an external device, receive, from the external device via the wireless communication interface, information indicative of the secret value, and establish a wireless connection with the external device via the wireless communication interface based on the receipt of the information indicative of the secret value.

In an embodiment, a computer-implemented method includes: causing a camera module to capture a plurality of frame portions with an exposure time at a sampling clock period. The frame portions correspondingly reflect a predetermined number of first signal pulses periodically generated by a light source. The exposure time corresponds to a duration of one of the predetermined number of first signal pulses. A first data sequence is encoded into the first signal pulses. The sampling clock period is different from a duration of the first data sequence such that a second data sequence is obtained from cycling through all of the first data sequence.

A method is provided for transmitting information and a device for carrying out the method, in which images are photographed by a camera with an image-taking rate, thus, especially frame rate, a controllable illuminant being disposed in the responsive range of the camera, where the control frequency (f_PWM) of the illuminant is less than the image-taking rate f1.

A series of frames is captured by a rolling-shutter camera, each frame capturing an image of a light source which has a periodic message embedded in its light. With a rolling-shutter camera, each line captures a respective sample of the message and each frame captures a respective fragment of the message made up of a respective subsequence of the samples, wherein the message can be reconstructed from the fragments captured over multiple frames. Further, the frame rate of the rolling-shutter camera is dependent on a region of interest (ROI), and the method further comprises evaluating a metric indicative of how long will be required to accumulate enough fragments to reconstruct the message at the current frame rate, and adapting the ROI in dependence on this metric in order to change the frame rate and thereby reduce the number of subsequent frames required to complete the reconstruction of the message.

A packaged integrated white light source configured for illumination and communication or sensing comprises one or more laser diode devices. An output facet configured on the laser diode device outputs a laser beam of first electromagnetic radiation with a first peak wavelength. The first wavelength from the laser diode provides at least a first carrier channel for a data or sensing signal.

The wireless power receiver includes at least one wire of a sound-producing device. The at least one wire configured for both conveying sound signals or securing at least part of the sound-producing device to a user, and receiving power waves. The wireless power receiver also includes power harvesting circuitry coupled with the at least one wire and a power source of an electronic device, like a battery. The power harvesting circuitry is configured to isolate the received power waves from the conveyed sound signals, convert the received power waves to usable energy, and provide the usable energy to the power source of the electronic device.

Provided are, among other things, systems, methods and techniques for providing remote location-based customer service for in-store customers. One such system includes: (a) a central server; (b) wireless transceivers coupled to the central server at different locations within each of multiple different retail shopping sites; and (c) handheld wireless devices, carried by customers at such retail shopping sites and in wireless communication with such wireless transceivers. Each of the handheld wireless devices is configured with a user interface that allows a customer to designate a user-interface element to request a customer-service session. Upon designation of the user-interface element on one of such handheld wireless devices, the request is forwarded to the central server. The central server establishes a two-way real-time communication link between the handheld wireless device and a customer-service representative.

A system includes sensors disposed within a location for outputting presence signals to a smart device, for receiving an ephemeral ID signal from the smart device, for outputting sensor ID signals to the smart device, for receiving responsive data from the smart device and for determining presence of the smart device in response to the responsive data, an authentication server for receiving the sensor ID signals from the smart device, for determining the responsive data, and for providing the responsive data to the smart device, a hub device coupled to the sensors for receiving an indication of the determination of the presence of the smart device, for determining additional data associated with the smart device, for facilitating a physical change perceptible to a user of the smart device in response to the additional data, and for providing the presence data to a smart device associated with a first responder.

A method by a coordination node is disclosed for controlling communications between visible Light Communication, VLC, Access Points, AP, and User Equipments, UEs. The method includes identifying occurrence of an event relating to operation of a first VLC AP. The method further includes determining that a second VLC AP and a third VLC AP each have communication coverage areas that are at least partially within a communication coverage area of the first VLC AP, responsive to identification of occurrence of the event. The method then controls the second and the third VLC APs responsive to the determination to avoid their interfering with communications between the first VLC AP and any UEs within common communication coverage areas of the second or the third VLC APs. Related coordination nodes are disclosed.