Switching technology may be incorporated into various systems, components, and/or architectures in a fiber optic network to promote network reconfigurability and design flexibility. A signal access unit comprises an input, an output, an access port, a switch arrangement including a switch, and a controller. The switch optically couples the input to the output and not to the access port when in a first configuration, and optically couples the access port to at least one of the input and the output without optically coupling the input and the output together when in a second configuration. The controller is configured to receive an indication of a selected wavelength and to operate the switch arrangement to change the switch between the first and second configurations based on the indication of the selected wavelength.

A camera module with non-mechanical blocking and non-blocking functions in relation to external light includes a lens, a light sensing element, and a housing. The lens includes interconnected first and second cavity regions, there being gas and/or colored liquid in the first cavity region or the second cavity region. The colored liquid exists in the first cavity region during a first state and, by the application of fingertip heat, in the second cavity region only during the second state, or the reverse. The light sensing element can receive or not receive external light representing images according to user choice. The housing receives the lens and the light sensing element.

A camera module with non-mechanical blocking and non-blocking functions in relation to external light includes a lens, a light sensing element, and a housing. The lens includes interconnected first and second cavity regions, there being gas and/or colored liquid in the first cavity region or the second cavity region. The colored liquid exists in the first cavity region during a first state and, by the application of fingertip heat, in the second cavity region only during the second state, or the reverse. The light sensing element can receive or not receive external light representing images according to user choice. The housing receives the lens and the light sensing element.

A camera module with non-mechanical blocking and non-blocking functions in relation to external light includes a lens, a light sensing element, and a housing. The lens includes interconnected first and second cavity regions, there being gas and/or colored liquid in the first cavity region or the second cavity region. The colored liquid exists in the first cavity region during a first state and, by the application of fingertip heat, in the second cavity region only during the second state, or the reverse. The light sensing element can receive or not receive external light representing images according to user choice. The housing receives the lens and the light sensing element.

A light source module includes a light adjusting element including a first substrate, a second substrate and a fluid layer, the fluid layer includes polar fluid, the first substrate includes a light guide layer, a first electrode layer and a dielectric layer, the dielectric layer is in contact with the fluid layer, a refractivity of the dielectric layer is equal to that of the light guide layer, a refractivity of the polar fluid is greater than or equal to that of the dielectric layer, the light adjusting element includes control regions corresponding to first electrodes included in the first electrode layer one by one, a second electrode layer is provided in the first or second substrate, a control electric field is formed between the first electrode and the second electrode layer to control hydrophilicity and hydrophobicity of the polar fluid on a surface of the dielectric layer.

A backlight assembly includes a light source, a light guide optically coupled to the light source that receives light from the light source, a substrate including an electrode layer and a hydrophobic surface located on the electrode layer, wherein the hydrophobic surface of the substrate is spaced apart from a surface of the light guide to define a cell gap, and a plurality of conductive liquid beads located within the cell gap. Liquid beads that are subject to an actuation voltage applied to the electrode layer are in an actuated state, and liquid beads that are not subject to an actuation voltage applied to the electrode layer are in a non-actuated state. When the liquid beads are in the non-actuated state, the liquid beads are in contact with the surface of the light guide for extracting light from the light guide, and when the liquid beads are in the actuated state, the liquid beads deform such that contact of the liquid beads with the surface of the light guide is reduced relative to the non-actuated state to reduce extraction of light from the lightguide, thereby dimming the backlight assembly.

The system captures and concentrates sunlight for transmission to interior spaces or to a PV system. A solar collector uses arrayed refractive lenses and opposing concave focusing mirrors and a movable coupling sheet forming part of a lightguide. The transparent sheet contains small angled mirrors, where each angled mirror corresponds to a particular set of the lenses/focusing mirrors and is in the focal plane. The lightguide also includes a fluid surrounding the transparent sheet, and lower index cladding layers sandwich the fluid. The sheet is translated within the fluid by an actuator to position the angled mirrors at the focal points of the sunlight for maximum deflection of the sunlight to an edge of the lightguide for extraction to a light transmission system or to a PV system. A position sensor on the sheet provides feedback regarding the position of the angled mirrors relative to the focal points.

The present invention relates to a method of enabling parity-time symmetric optical waveguides using liquids. Applicants provide a solution to the challenge of mass producing PT symmetric optical waveguide systems by introducing liquids that can be dynamically flown between optical waveguides. Using this method, evanescent wave coupling between optical waveguides can be achieved while having coupling gap dimensions that can be patterned using a standard photolithography process. Thus economic, rapid, and mass production of PT symmetric optical waveguide systems for a broad range of applications is disclosed.

An optical waveguide comprises multiple layers of solid-state material disposed on a substrate. One of the layers is a lifting-gate valve made of a high refractive index material. The device provides for better optical confinement in microfluidic channels, and has the capability to integrate both optical signals and fluid sample processing. The optical paths on the chip are reconfigurable because of the use of a movable microvalve that guides light in one of its positions.

A radiation emitting element comprising a radiation transmissive element having a first refractive index, a first surface, a second, opposite surface, a radiation emitter adapted to emit radiation of a predetermined wavelength into the radiation transmissive element, and a plurality of radiation controlling elements, wherein each radiation controlling element comprises:

a first liquid having a second refractive index,
a second fluid having a third refractive index being lower than the second refractive index, the second refractive index being closer to the first refractive index than the third refractive index,
means for altering a shape of the first liquid between two modes wherein: in a first mode, the first liquid being in contact with the first surface at a first surface part, and an interface between the first liquid and the second fluid, at the first surface part, is not parallel to the first surface part and in a second mode, a surface of the second fluid, at the first surface part, is at least substantially parallel to the shape of the first surface part,
wherein the first liquid has a transmittance of at least 10% at the predetermined wavelength.