JPS6123427A - Information transmitter - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To transmit information even when a shield object exists between a transmitter and a receiver by providing plural light emitting elements provided to the transmitter in a limited space or plural photodetectors provided to the receiver and arranging the plural elements at intervals. CONSTITUTION:When a shield object 7 exists between the transmitter 1 where light emitting elements 2, 3, 4 such as light emitting diodes are arranged at prescribed intervals and the receiver 5 where a photodetector 6 such as a photodiode is provided, a reflecting object 8 such as a wall, a floor or a ceiling exists in a limited space. The straight forward optical path 9 of the light emitting elements 2-4 to the photodetector 6 is shut by the shield object 7, but the light 10 from the light emitting elements 3, 4 is reflected in the reflecting object 8, made incident in the photodetector 6 to attain transmission of information.

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] (Industrial Application Field) The present invention provides one-way transmission of information such as so-called remote control or a response function in a limited space such as indoors or inside a car. The present invention relates to an information transmission device that uses light to transmit information in both directions.

(Conventional side facing configuration and its problems) In recent years, consumer electrical equipment, such as home electrical equipment such as television receivers, and in-vehicle electrical equipment such as car radios and car stereos, have been To improve the operability of the equipment, it is equipped with a wireless remote control device. Additionally, wireless information transmission devices such as pagers, personal calling devices within limited spaces, etc. are becoming more and more popular. By the way, ultrasonic waves, electromagnetic waves, light, etc. are generally used as information transmission media for wireless systems used in limited spaces such as indoors and inside cars.

However, ultrasonic waves have the disadvantage that electrical equipment is prone to malfunction due to similar sounds in the living environment, multiple reflections of ultrasonic waves, etc., and the slow transmission speed of ultrasonic waves slows down the response speed of remote control devices. There were drawbacks. Furthermore, since the transmitter and receiver of the remote control device must be equipped with antennas to transmit electromagnetic waves, the remote control device cannot be miniaturized. Furthermore, since light has a strong tendency to travel in a straight line, for example, if there is an obstruction between a transmitter equipped with one light-emitting element and a receiver equipped with one light-receiving element, the light will be blocked and the transmission will be interrupted. The drawback was that information could not be transmitted from the device to the receiver.

(Object of the Invention) An object of the present invention is to provide an information transmission device that can transmit information even if a shield exists between a transmitter and a receiver in a limited space.

(Structure of the Invention) The present invention provides a plurality of light-emitting elements provided in a transmitter and a plurality of light-receiving elements provided in a receiver. are arranged separately from each other.

(Description of Embodiment) The figure shows the configuration of an embodiment of the present invention, in which 1 indicates three light emitting elements 2, 3 and 4, such as light emitting diodes.
5 is a receiver equipped with one light receiving element 6 such as a photodiode, 7 is a person, a shielding object such as a partition plate, 8 is a ceiling, wall, floor, etc. These shielding objects 7 and reflecting objects 8 can be any objects existing within a limited space.

In this embodiment configured as described above, when one information signal to be transmitted is simultaneously input to the three light emitting elements 2, 3, and 4 of the transmitter 1, light corresponding to the information signal is transmitted to the light emitting elements 2, 3, and 4 of the transmitter 1. It is ejected from 3 and 4. In this case, if there is no shielding object 7 between the transmitter 1 and the receiver 5, the light emitted from the light emitting elements 2.3 and 4 will be directed straight to the light receiving element along the optical path 9. 6, information can be directly transmitted from the transmitter 1 to the receiver 5.

Furthermore, if a shield 7 exists between the transmitter 1 and the receiver 5, the light emitted from the light emitting elements 2, 3, and 4 will have its optical path blocked by the shield 7 and will enter the light receiving element 6. However, there is a reflector 8 on the side of the shield 7, and some of the light emitted from the light emitting elements 2, 3, and 4 passes between the shield 7 and the reflector 8 and is reflected by the reflector 8. 8 and the light reflected by the reflector 8 and passed between the shield 7 and the reflector 8 enter the rear of the shield 7, but the light that enters the light receiving element 6 is Due to the positional relationship between the light emitting elements 2, 3, and 4, the light receiving element 6, and the reflecting object 8, only light whose incident angle and reflection angle on the reflecting object 8 are equal (indicated by a solid line in the figure).

For example, in the figure, the light emitted from the light emitting element 2 is
Although the light enters behind the shield 7, it does not enter the light receiving element 6, but the light emitted from the light emitting elements 3 and 4 enters the light receiving element 6 through the refracted optical path 10! Ru. That is, when the three light emitting elements 2, 3, and 4 are installed in the transmitter 1, the information signal is transmitted from the transmitter 1 to the receiver 5 regardless of the mutual positional relationship of the transmitter 1, receiver 5, and shield 7. Can be communicated reliably.

In the description of the embodiment, an example has been described in which the transmitter 1 is provided with three light emitting elements 2.3 and 4, and the receiver 5 is provided with one light receiving element 6. Even if one light-emitting element is installed in the receiver 6 and a plurality of light-receiving elements are installed in the receiver 6, it is also possible to arrange a plurality of light-emitting elements in the transmitter 1 and a plurality of light-receiving elements in the receiver 5. However, as in the previous example,
Even if there is a shield 7, the light emitted from the light emitting element enters the light receiving element through a refracted optical path.
Information signals can be reliably transmitted from the transmitter 1 to the receiver 5 regardless of the mutual positional relationship of the receiver 5 and the shield 7. In this case, one information signal is simultaneously input to one or more light emitting elements of the transmitter 1, and light corresponding to the information signal is emitted from the one or more light emitting elements, respectively. Moreover, when light enters a plurality of light receiving elements of the receiver 5,
The receiver 5 adds the input levels of the lights incident on the plurality of light receiving elements and synthesizes them into one signal.

Further, the transmitter 1 includes one or more light emitting elements.
Two-way communication can be achieved by installing one or more light-receiving elements, and by installing one or more light-emitting elements together with one or more light-receiving elements in the receiver 5.

(Effects of the Invention) As explained above, according to the present invention, one or both of the light-emitting elements installed in the transmitter and the light-receiving elements installed in the receiver are plural, and the light-emitting elements and the light-receiving elements are By using a plurality of elements or both, the information signal can be reliably transmitted from the transmitter to the receiver regardless of the mutual positional relationship of the transmitter, receiver, and shielding object. This has the advantage that the transmission quality of information is improved and the usability of the information transmission device is also improved.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

The figure is a configuration diagram of an embodiment of the present invention. 1...Transmitter, 2,3.4...Light emitting element, 5
...receiver, 6...light receiving element.

Claims (4)

[Claims] (1) In an information transmission device that transmits information by light between a transmitter and a receiver in a limited space, the transmitter includes only a light emitting element or a light emitting element and a light receiving element,
Further, the information transmission is characterized in that the receiver is provided with only a light receiving element or a light receiving element and a light emitting element, and one or both of the light emitting element and the light receiving element is plural. Device. (2) The information transmission device according to claim (1), wherein the plurality of light-emitting elements and the plurality of light-receiving elements are arranged apart from each other. (3) The information transmission device according to claim (1), wherein one information signal is simultaneously input to the plurality of light emitting elements. (4) Information transmission according to claim (1), wherein the plurality of light receiving elements add the input levels of light incident on the plurality of light receiving elements and combine them into one signal. Device.