Abstract: Embodiments of the present invention are directed to a wire-free data center/server. The data center/server is wire-free in the sense that communication within a data unit of the data center/server (i.e., intra-data unit), between data units of the data center/server (inter-data unit), and between the data units and the backplane of the data center/server is performed wirelessly.

Abstract: A low-power 4×4-pixel THz camera with responsivity greater than 2.5 MV/W and sub-10 pW/?Hz NEP at 0.25 THz is integrated in 130 nm silicon without using either high-resistivity substrates or silicon lenses. Imaging results with a fully integrated radiating CMOS power source demonstrate the first entirely silicon-based THz imager.

Abstract: An information communication device includes an exposure time setter that sets an exposure time of an image sensor so that a bright line corresponding to an exposure line included in the image sensor appears according to a change in luminance of the light emitter. A first information obtainer obtains first information by demodulating data specified by a pattern of the bright line included in the obtained bright line image and a second information obtainer obtains second information by capturing a plurality of light emitting elements, each of which emits light with one of two different luminance values, and demodulating data specified by a light and dark sequence of luminance along a direction substantially parallel to the exposure line.

Abstract: An extensible hub is disclosed for providing multi-hop wireless communication among universal serial bus (USB) devices, for example, utilizing a WiGig Serial Extension (WSE) air interface. The extensible hub may include a device protocol adaptation layer (PAL), as well as a host PAL, and further a bridge for providing a data flow path between the device and host PALs. The bridge may be configured to distinguish between request messages and response messages in accordance with a header on those messages. Further, the extensible hub may include virtual ports and may map device handles and endpoint handles to provide for routing of messages to the correct downstream devices in a multi-hop network tree.

Abstract: Embodiments of the present invention pertain to optical wireless architecture, and in particular to novel optical architecture to provide wireless (mm)-wave signals and symmetrical wireline service with long-reach. Certain embodiments of the invention pertain to a novel method and apparatus to provide 12.5-Gb/s wireless signals at 60-GHz millimeter (mm)-wave and 100-Gb/s symmetrical wireline service with 80 km long-reach, for example. Moreover, novel enabling techniques are employed to overcome fiber dispersion, reduce costs, and provide super-broadband and long-reach service.

Abstract: An object of the present invention is to provide a display device consuming lower amounts of power. The display device determines whether or not video signals corresponding to all of pixels in one row of a plurality of pixels are equal to one another. In a case where the video signals corresponding to at least two pixels among the video signals corresponding to all of the pixels in one row of the plurality of pixels, are different from each other, video signals input to an image signal input line are sequentially output to a plurality of source signal lines in synchronization with a sampling pulse output from a shift register. On the other hand, when the video signals corresponding to all of the pixels in one row of the plurality of pixels are equal to one another, input of a start pulse to the source driver is stopped, and the video signals input to the image signal input line are simultaneously output to the plurality of source signal line.

Abstract: A light source emits a modulated light, and a radio-frequency transceiver disposed therewith emits a radio-frequency signal. A mobile device may receive either or both signals and determine its position based thereon. The light and radio-frequency sources may be disposed in node in a network of said sources, and the nodes may communicate via the radio-frequency transceivers.

Abstract: The invention relates to embedding data symbols of a data signal into a luminance output of an illumination device. The device includes a controller configured for receiving a first base pattern and a second base pattern within a frame period, and generating a shifted second pattern by phase shifting the second base pattern within the frame period with respect to the first base pattern in response to the data signal such that the data symbols are embedded in the luminance output of the device. The device also includes a first light source configured to generate a first luminance output in response to the first base pattern and a second light source configured to generate a second luminance output in response to the shifted second pattern. The first and second luminance outputs have different output spectra and the luminance output of the illumination device comprises both the first and second luminance outputs.

Abstract: A laser relay module for free space optical communications including an optical telescope for receiving and transmitting optical beams; an optical diplexer for separating transmitting and received optical beams; an optical amplifier; a modulated beacon laser for line of sight control of a plurality of communicating remote network nodes; a beacon beam detector for detecting an incoming beacon optical beam for line of sight control of the optical telescope and receiving data from other network nodes; and means for inserting an output of the modulated beacon laser into the optical telescope for transmission to another network node, and for transporting the incoming beacon optical beam to the beacon detector.

Abstract: According to one embodiment, a photo detector-combined illuminance sensor includes a circuit for a Photo Detector (PD) function to detect the illuminance of the ambient environment. The illuminance sensor operates under the control of a controller in a visible light communication terminal. When an optical signal detected by the illuminance sensor is a visible light communication signal, the controller switches to cause the illuminance sensor to operate as the photo detector for the visible light communication in a visible light communication mode.

Abstract: An information communication method includes: determining whether conflict over use of a light receiving unit will occur between a first program for performing visible light communication and a second program for performing processing different from the visible light communication; notifying a user that the conflict will occur if it is determined that the conflict will occur; permitting one of the first program and the second program to use the light receiving unit in response to an operation by the user; and causing, by the first program, a computer to execute visible light communication according to light detected by the light receiving unit if the first program is permitted to use the light receiving unit.

Abstract: Methods and apparatus related to the detection of low-rate visible light communication (VLC) signals and the recovery of information communicated by the VLC signals are described. Various methods and apparatus are well suited for embodiments in which a device, e.g., a smartphone, including a camera which uses a rolling shutter. The rolling shutter facilitates the collection of different time snapshots of a received low rate time varying VLC signal with different pixel rows in the image sensor of a frame corresponding to different time snapshots. In some embodiments, demodulation is used to recover and identify a single tone being communicated in a frame from among a plurality of possible alternative tones that may be communicated, each different tone corresponding to a different set of information bits.

Abstract: An LED lamp acquires its location information from the outside through its power-line communication section and stores the acquired location information in nonvolatile storage device. A communication control section, which establishes visible light communication, uses visible light to transmit, at a predetermined timing, the location information read from a location information storage area in the nonvolatile storage device.

Abstract: In some embodiments, the present invention provides an apparatus and process that includes control electronics that generate an electronic control signal; and a plurality of optically or electrically pumped semiconductor lasers, quantum-cascade lasers, optical parametric generators, or optical parametric oscillators, operatively coupled to the control electronics, that output an optical signal having a plurality of wavelengths, each wavelength having an output intensity that each of which is varied over time to simulate a combustion signature of a weapon. In some embodiments, the optical signal includes at least two different infrared wavelengths that are varied differently with time.

Abstract: The embodiments herein relate to a method in an optical network unit, referred to as an ONU, for providing wireless connectivity capability to the ONU. The ONU is comprised in a communications network. The ONU is interconnected to an optical line terminal, referred to as an OLT, via a wireline communications link and a wireless communications link. The ONU is configured to support a sleep mode. The ONU obtains information about entry into the sleep mode. The ONU identifies whether the wireless communications link is activated or deactivated, and activates the wireless communications link if the wireless communications link is identified as deactivated. The ONU enters sleep mode, and provides wireless connectivity capability to the ONU by means of the wireless communications link during the sleep mode.

Abstract: A system for transmitting routable energy packets includes an optical power source and a processing circuit. The optical power source is configured to generate an optical power packet having optical energy, generate an optical data packet comprising routing information configured to control a route of the optical power packet, and transmit the optical power packet and the optical data packet via a conduit. The processing circuit is configured to generate the routing information to be transmitted within the optical data packet, and control a transmission by the optical power source.

Abstract: Disclosed is a visible light communication system including a transmission device, including multiple light emitting units emitting light of different colors and mapping transmission data to a chromaticity point, calculating luminescence of each of the light emitting units, generating a preamble signal for channel matrix estimation, and emitting light based on the preamble signal and calculated luminescence amount. A reception device of the visible light communication system includes multiple light receiving units and estimates a channel matrix based on a corresponding optical signal when an optical signal corresponding to the preamble signal is received in each light receiving unit, compensates the optical signal corresponding to the chromaticity point for a propagation path based on the estimated channel matrix, detects a chromaticity point on the chromaticity coordinates based on a signal after the propagation path compensation, and demodulates the transmission data.

Abstract: A method of registering a wireless device located in premises in a wireless network which is constructed in the premises. The method includes receiving a light signal, which includes network identification information of the wireless network constructed in the premises from at least one illumination device installed in the premises, and registering the wireless device in the wireless network constructed in the premises, by using the network identification information of the wireless network included in the received light signal.

Abstract: A visible light communication apparatus includes a constant current circuit and a load circuit including light emitting elements connected to output terminals of the constant current circuit. Further, the visible light communication apparatus includes a load variation circuit configured to change load characteristics of the load circuit by electrically connecting to the load circuit, the load variation circuit including a series circuit of a diode and a resistor connected in series to the load circuit and a switching element configured to electrically connect or disconnect the load variation circuit to the load circuit in response to a binary communication signal.

Abstract: Techniques are disclosed for emitting position information from luminaires. Luminaire position information may be emitted via a light-based communication (LCom) signal that comprises data including the position information. The data may include relative and/or absolute position information for the luminaire and may indicate the physical location of the luminaire. Relative position information for the luminaire may include coordinates relative to a point of origin within the environment. Absolute position information for the luminaire may include global coordinates for the luminaire. In some cases, the absolute position information for a luminaire may be calculated using position information for the luminaire relative to a point of origin and the absolute position of the point of origin. The data may also include an environment identifier, which may indicate a map to use for the interpretation of position information for the luminaire. The techniques can be used for both stationary and mobile luminaires.

Abstract: A compact photonic radio frequency front end receiver system including a laser chip source, radio frequency and LO inputs, an optical modulator chip coupled to the laser source and the radio frequency and LO inputs, a millimeter scale optical radio frequency multi-pole filter coupled to the optical modulator, an optical switch array chip coupled to the optical radio frequency multi-pole filter, and a detector chip coupled to the optical switch array, all with micro-optic coupling, heterodyne signal recovery, and wavelength locking.

Abstract: An apparatus and a method for providing synchronized data by using visible light communication includes, receiving a synchronization channel from a mobile communication base station using a specific mobile communication network, by a Light Emitting Diode (LED) lighting; analyzing the received synchronization channel, and extracting a synchronization signal for synchronizing the LED lighting with at least one LED lighting adjacent to the LED lighting; selecting a specific time slot of the synchronization signal based on IDentifications (IDs) of the LED lightings; and including a data frame of the LED lighting in the specific time slot, and transmitting the specific time slot, which includes the data frame of the LED lighting, to a mobile terminal.

Abstract: A system and method is disclosed wherein optical signals are coded in a transmitter by tuning or modulating the interbeam delay time (which modulates the fourth-order coherence) between pairs of entangled photons. The photon pairs are either absorbed or not absorbed (transparent) by an atomic or molecular fluorescer in a receiver, depending on the inter-beam delay that is introduced in the entangled photon pairs. Upon the absorption, corresponding fluorescent optical emissions follow at a certain wavelength, which are then detected by a photon detector. The advantage of the disclosed system is that it eliminates a need of a coincidence counter to realize the entanglement-based secure optical communications because the absorber acts as a coincidence counter for entangled photon pairs.

Abstract: A system and a method are disclosed for generating an infrared signal on a mobile device. The infrared signal is generated on a mobile device by generating a bitstream based on information to be transmitted as an infrared signal. The bitstream is modulated and output on a bus to an infrared-emitting diode. The bitstream is processed in a software layer configured on the computing device, enabling the computing device to generate and process signals without additional hardware configured on the device.

Abstract: Optical communications system (10) and method for transmission of payload data (PD) from a low earth orbit satellite (20) to an optical ground terminal (30), the low earth orbit satellite (20) being connectable with the optical ground terminal (30) via an optical downlink channel (DL), and the optical ground terminal (30) being connectable with the low earth orbit satellite (20) via an uplink channel (UC); wherein said uplink channel (UC) is an acquisition and tracking beacon channel by means of a ground beacon (GB) controlled by a point-acquisition-track subsystem (PAT), the ground beacon (GB) comprising a wide angle beam (W) for acquisition and a guidance beam (G) for tracking; and wherein the ground beacon (GB) for the uplink channel (UC) is a pulse position modulated PPM channel.

Abstract: An LED light and communication system includes Visible Light Communication Transceiver Glasses having at least one projector, lense(s), and optical transceiver, the optical transceiver including a light support and a processor. The light support has at least one light emitting diode and at least one photodetector attached. The processor is in communication with the at least one light emitting diode and the at least one photodetector. The processor is capable of illuminating the at least one light emitting diode to create at least one light signal which is not observable to the unaided eyes of an individual. The second light signal includes at least one data packet. The processor may generate a signal for the projector to display information on the lense(s).

Abstract: A system and a method are disclosed for receiving an infrared signal on a mobile device. The mobile device receives an infrared signal by creating an intermediate bitstream based on the received infrared signal. The intermediate bitstream is trimmed, downsampled, and demodulated in the time domain. The intermediate bitstream is then converted into a raw infrared code. The received bitstream is processed in a software layer, enabling the mobile device to process infrared signals without the use of additional hardware configured on the mobile device.

Abstract: A node of an optical transport network system transmits optical wavelengths to an adjacent node through an operational line. An apparatus for protection switching of the optical transport network system transmits only an optical channel with a fault among a plurality of optical channels composed of flexible optical channel data units in an optical wavelength of the operational line, via a reserve line.

Abstract: The invention relates to the field of IEEE 802.15.4 based networks, and in particular to methods and devices for transmitting and receiving messages in IEEE 802.15.4 based networks. The existing IEEE 802.15.4 standard is further improved and adapted to better fit the properties of a network of lighting devices. The improvements and adaptations of the existing IEEE 802.15.4 standard allow for more flexible addressing. Bits which are indicative of use of address fields and/or whether one or two frame control fields is/are present in the ordered data portions of the message to be transmitted are defined by the device transmitting the message in the IEEE 802.15.4 based network. Existing features of the existing IEEE 802.15.4 standard protocol are retained.

Abstract: A system comprises a transmitter including a laser configured to generate a laser beam directed at a spot on a surface, and a laser driver connected to the laser and configured to modulate input data onto the laser beam. The system may further comprise a receiver including an optical detector configured to decode received light into raw data, a signal processor configured to decode the raw data into the original input data, and telescope optics configured to receive light reflected from the spot on the surface, collimate the light and converge the light onto the optical detector.

Abstract: Distributed communications systems employing one or more free-space-optics (FSO) links, and related components and methods are disclosed. In one embodiment, a distributed communications system is provided in which one or more links of a communications path located between a central unit and a remote unit include FSO provided by one or more FSO components. The FSO component(s) can replace optical fiber (or copper) cable assembly and the associated electrical/optical and optical/electrical converter circuitry. Note that FSO and fiber cable links may be used in a mixed fashion depending on the particular requirements of a given installation project for a distributed communications system. Use of such FSO components may allow temporary installations to be effectuated with greater ease and more economically since physical cable is not required for the FSO portion of the communications path.

Abstract: A system, a method and a related device for signal transmission are provided in order to improve utilization efficiency of the fiber.

Abstract: An apparatus of transmitting messages from an electronic device and display it on a mobile device, and a method of doing the same are disclosed. An exemplifying electronic device has an encoder to encode the data and a drive to modulate the signals into temporal and spatial light patterns according to the transmitted message. The light signals are then emitted from a group of LEDs on the electronic device. A video camera on a mobile device captures the light signals in the form of temporal and spatial patterns. A software application decodes the message and displays the message on the mobile device screen.

Abstract: Provided is an organic light emitting diode (OLED) display device for visible ray communication, including: a substrate; a plurality of OLED pixels that are formed on the substrate and generate a red (R), green (G), or blue (B) visible ray; and a plurality of light receiving units that are formed on the substrate to sense a visible ray signal and convert the visible ray signal to an electrical signal.

Abstract: An automated test system for testing devices being manufactured comprises an infrared communications link for free space communications between a host and a device under test. The communications link is asymmetric and instructions from the host are acknowledged by the device. The instructions cause the device to operate, and the output of the device is monitored, logged, and compared to acceptance criteria. The host can then generate calibration messages to the device, to change the device operating characteristics as appropriate. The communications link uses an unmodulated data stream together with asynchronous handshaking and a robust checksum algorithm to ensure accurate communication.

Abstract: According to one embodiment, a photo detector-combined illuminance sensor includes a circuit for a Photo Detector (PD) function to detect the illuminance of the ambient environment. The illuminance sensor operates under the control of a controller in a visible light communication terminal. When an optical signal detected by the illuminance sensor is a visible light communication signal, the controller switches to cause the illuminance sensor to operate as the photo detector for the visible light communication in a visible light communication mode.

Abstract: An antenna device is provided, which includes a first antenna unit and a second antenna unit. The first antenna unit includes a first radiation module, a power divider/combiner network connected to the first radiation module, and a feeder interface connected to the power divider/combiner network. The feeder interface is configured to connect to a radio remote unit (RRU) or a base station. The second antenna unit includes a second radiation module, a transceiver array connected to the second radiation module, a baseband processing unit (BPU) connected to the transceiver array, and an interface connected to the BPU. The interface of the second antenna unit is configured to connect to a baseband unit (BBU). Therefore, after the existing passive antenna is replaced by the provided antenna device, the RRU or base station in the original network can still be used, which reduces waste of resources.

Abstract: A display apparatus which supports wireless/optical communication is provided. The display apparatus includes a wireless/optical interface which performs wireless/optical communication with at least one first external apparatus, a power supply unit which supplies power to the wireless/optical interface, a user interface through which a device is selected, and a controller which controls power supply from the power supply unit to the wireless/optical interface according to user selection on the user interface.

Abstract: An information communication method is provided that transmits a signal using a change in luminance. The information communication method includes determining a pattern of the change in luminance by modulating the signal to be transmitted, and transmitting the signal by a display, which is a light emitter, changing in luminance according to the determined pattern. The method also includes detecting, by a sensor, a person within a viewing angle of the display or a person near the viewing angle. Further, in the transmitting of the signal, the signal is transmitted by changing in luminance by a larger change amount in the case where the person near the viewing angle is detected than in the case where the person within the viewing angle is detected.

Abstract: System(s), device(s), and method(s) are provided to route data in a mesh network of devices that can communicate wirelessly through a plurality of technologies. One or more of such devices receive broadcast message(s) from a destination device intended to receive the data, and generate a first radio link quality metric (RLQM) value based on the broadcast message(s). A source device originates and delivers a quantum of data with an embedded first RLQM value. A set of intermediate devices relays the quantum of data if a forwarding criterion is fulfilled; the forwarding criterion is based in part on the first RLQM value and a second RLQM value generated by an intermediate device in the set of intermediate devices based on the broadcast message(s). The intermediate device exploits an optical interface to transmit the quantum of data. The destination device broadcasts an acknowledgement signal in response to receiving intended data.

Abstract: A mobile terminal capable of localization, a localization server, and a method for localizing the mobile terminal using the localization server are disclosed. The disclosed localization server includes a control unit configured to control transmissions of visible-light signals from a multiple number of visible-light transmitting devices; and a position computing unit configured to compute a position of a mobile terminal based on time information regarding when the visible-light signals transmitted respectively from the plurality of visible-light transmitting devices were received at the mobile terminal, where the control unit controls the transmissions such that each of the plurality of visible-light transmitting devices sequentially transmits the visible-light signal for a particular first time period with no overlapping of transmission times of the visible-light signals transmitted respectively from the plurality of visible-light transmitting devices.

Abstract: A method, apparatus, and a non-transitory computer readable storage medium for supporting visible light communication (VLC) exchanges bitmaps for capabilities field exchange in a media access control (MAC) layer during link establishment and association with other VLC-enabled devices. An aggregation bitmap is generated to indicate whether a visible light communication (VLC) transmitter of a first device uses at least one aggregated band that comprises multiple active frequency bands. The aggregation bitmap is transmitted in a capabilities information exchange (CIE) signal to a second device. A guard bitmap that identifies a set of guard frequency bands is also generated and transmitted in the CIE signal. Each guard frequency band indicates leakage transmission from the VLC transmitter.

Abstract: A radio transmitter integrated circuit includes a photodiode array circuit, a digital conversion module, and a transmit baseband processing module. The photodiode array circuit converts received light into electrical image signals. The digital conversion module converts the electrical image signals into digital image signals. The transmit baseband processing module converts the digital image signals into digital transmit baseband or low IF signals.

Abstract: A receiver chip, system and method for on-chip multi-node visible light communication, the receiver chip comprising: an array of receiver cells comprising an array of photodetectors, each receiver cell comprises at least one photodetector and is to receive light through the at least one photodetector, and a logical layer for independently configuring at least one selected receiver cell as a communication receiving channel. The system comprises an array of receiver cells comprising an array of photodetectors, each receiver cell includes at least one photodetector and is to receive light through the at least one photodetector, a logical layer to independently configure at least one selected receiver cell as a communication receiving channel, and a processor to receive data from the logical layer and control the logical layer for configuration of the receiver cells.

Abstract: An information system comprises a card and a card reader. The card and the card reader can be coupled by an optical communication module and an optical power transfer module. Operations of the card can be powered by the power transferred from the card reader through the optical power transfer module.

Abstract: A network architecture for integrating a 4G wireless mesh network (WMN) with a 3-G network in order to effectively support multimedia communication is described. In one embodiment of the present invention, a wireless mesh network system comprises a plurality of routers each having a wireless optical interface; at least one base station having Internet backhaul and connecting to a wireless optical device; a computer media storing instructions for assigning at least one of the plurality of routers to act as an Internet gateway via said base station; wherein said assigned router and said base station communicating via a link between wireless optical interface of said assigned router and the wireless optical device connected to said base station, and said link is line-of-sight.

Abstract: An apparatus for transmitting information using a visible light includes at least three light emitting devices, each being installed based on a predetermined interval and direction, and a data transmitting unit to transmit data by controlling the at least three light emitting devices.

Abstract: A lighting system includes light fixtures not in communications with and not synchronized with one another, and one or more light sensors. Each light fixture separately emits data encoded visible light including light fixture information encoded therein in a manner that avoids visually perceptible flicker and enables light fixture information emitted by one light fixture to be distinguished from light fixture information emitted by other light fixtures. The light fixture information is encoded into data encoded visible light such that a difference between different levels of the data encoded visible light is indicative of an illumination capability of the light fixture and such that visually perceptible flicker is avoided. Each light sensor separately receives portions of data encoded light visible light emitted by multiple light fixtures and separately determines the identity of and the maximum and present illumination contributions for each light fixture.

Abstract: The invention relates to a detection system for determining data embedded into the light output of a light source in a form of a repeating sequence of N symbols. The detection system includes a camera and a processing unit. The camera is configured to acquire a series of images of the scene via specific open/closure patterns of the shutter. The processing unit is configured to process the acquired series of images to determine the repeating sequence of N symbols. By carefully triggering when a shutter of the camera is open to capture the different symbols of the encoded light within each frame time of a camera, a conventional camera with a relatively long frame time may be employed. Therefore, the techniques presented herein are suitable for detecting the invisible “high frequency” coded light while using less expensive cameras as those used in the prior art.

Abstract: Techniques are disclosed for providing spatially-defined and/or distance-defined light-based communications within a vehicle/roadway environment. In some embodiments, the techniques can be used to vary the data content of a given transmitted light-based communications signal based on factors such as position, distance, and/or proximity of the transmitting source and the receiver. In some embodiments, the techniques can be used to vary the processing or other handling of a received light-based communications signal based on one or more of such factors. In some instances, the disclosed techniques can be utilized to tailor light-based vehicle-to-X (V2X) communications for dissemination between and among vehicles and infrastructure in a vehicle/roadway environment. To that end, a node may host a transmitter (e.g., laser, LED, or other solid-state light source) configured to emit such light-based communication signals and/or a receiver (e.g.