Disclosed herein are methods, devices, and system for beam forming and beam steering within ultra-wideband, wireless optical communication devices and systems. According to one embodiment, a free space optical (FSO) communication apparatus is disclosed. The FSO communication apparatus includes an array of optical sources wherein each optical source of the array of optical sources is individually controllable and each optical source configured to have a transient response time of less than 500 picoseconds (ps).

A system and a method for generated synchronized audible communications are provided. In one aspect, a system includes a suite of appliances, including at least a first and second appliance. Each appliance has a speaker operable to generate one or more audible communications. The system includes one or more controllers that output one or more sound commands that cause the speakers of the appliances to generate their respective audible communications. One or more of the appliances include a proximity device operable to detect whether a user is within a proximity range thereof. In some instances, the speakers can generate audible communications to amplify their audible communications. In other instances, the speakers can generate audible communications to create localization cues for directing a user's attention to a particular appliance.

A signal decoding method which enables communication between various devices is disclosed according to one aspect. The signal decoding method includes: a step SF1 of determining whether or not a Datapart length that is a bit length of a data part included in a packet of a visible light signal is an eight bit; and a step SF2 of decoding the data part according to a result of the determination of the Datapart length, and, in step SF2, the decoding is performed according to LSB first when it is determined in step SF1 that the Datapart length is not an eight-bit length, and the decoding is performed according to MSB first when it is determined in step SF1 that the Datapart length is the eight-bit length.

An optical wireless communication (OWC) transceiver apparatus comprises: at least one light transmitter configured to transmit light of a first wavelength or first range of wavelengths; driver circuitry configured to receive a data signal and to process the data signal to produce a driving signal to drive the at least one light transmitter such that the at least one light transmitter produces a modulated optical signal representative of said data signal; at least one photodetector configured to receive light of a second wavelength or second range of wavelengths and to produce a detection signal in response to the received light; receiver circuitry configured to receive and process the detection signal to produce a receiver signal; demodulation circuitry configured to perform a decoding and/or demodulation process in accordance with an OWC protocol thereby to extract data from the receiver signal; wherein the transceiver apparatus further comprises: a motion sensor configured to sense motion of at least one object in a region about the transceiver apparatus and to produce motion sensor output based on said sensed motion, and a controller configured to move the transceiver apparatus from a lower power configuration to an intermediate power configuration in response to the motion sensor sensing motion, wherein in the intermediate power configuration the controller is configured to monitor output from at least the at least one photodetector and/or the receiver circuitry and move the transceiver apparatus from the intermediate power configuration to a higher power configuration in response to the monitored output being indicative that the at least one photodetector has received light representative of an optical wireless communication signal.

Techniques (e.g., method, apparatuses, etc.) for permitting communications, e.g., optical communications are described.

In one example, a first communication apparatus may send a bit allocation table, BAT, message, to a second communication apparatus. The BAT update information has a BAT update information signalling update information for updating a BAT which is signalled to be updated. The BAT update information groups information into different groups of subcarriers, wherein the BAT update information has, for each group of subcarriers, information indicating the number of carriers in the group.

A modular node for an optical communication network includes one or more transceiver modules of a plurality of transceiver modules, and a node core including a plurality of electrical connectors to electrically join up to the plurality of transceiver modules to the node core. At least some of the transceiver modules has an optical transceiver configured to emit optical beams carrying data and without artificial confinement, and detect optical beams emitted and without artificial confinement. The up to the plurality of transceiver modules electrically joined to the node core are spatially separated to provide configurable coverage for optical communication based on their number and placement. And the node core further includes switching circuitry configured to connect the one or more transceiver modules to implement a redistribution point or a communication endpoint in the optical communication network.

A method for locating a field device having a wireless interface is provided, the method including the following steps: transmitting, from the field device, identification information including distance information and direction information; receiving, by an operator device, the identification information; and displaying, by the operator device, based on the identification information, a distance, and a direction of the field device with respect to the operator device.

An LED light fixture includes one or more optical transceivers that have a light support having a plurality of light emitting diodes and one or more photodetectors attached thereto, and a processor in communication with the light emitting diodes and the one or more photodetectors. The processor is constructed and arranged to generate a communication or data transfer signal.

A control system includes a reader device including a transceiver for scanning scan for ephemeral ID signals, for detecting an ephemeral ID signal from a smart-device of a user not permanently associated with the user, for outputting to the smart device, reader data, in response to the ephemeral ID signal, and for receiving from the smart-device a first authorization server token, a processor coupled to the transceiver for determining whether the first token is valid, and for determining user data in a payload portion of the first token, a transmitter for transmitting the user data to a peripheral control unit, wherein a data protocol is selected from a group consisting of: Wiegand and OSDP, and the peripheral control unit for directing a peripheral device to perform a user-perceptible action in response to the user data.

Methods, systems, and apparatuses for light-based communication are described. VLC may be used to communicate video content, an electronic program guide (EPG), location information, an advertisement, and/or any other data, content, and/or content item to a user device. VLC may be used to communicate data/information associated with a wireless network, provision a service, navigate an area, track content and/or content item consumption, and more. Light (e.g., VLC, etc.) may be used to communicate any information/data.