An augmented reality AR system and method for a retail experience include a waveguide apparatus that includes a planar waveguide and at least one optical diffraction element The AR retail system and method recognizes user location in a retail establishment, retrieves data corresponding to the retail establishment and generates virtual content relating to the retail establishment based on the retrieved data. The AR retail system and method creates a virtual user interface in a user's field of view. Virtual content is displayed on the virtual user interface while the user is engaged in retail activity and may be based on user input. The AR retail system and method may provide entertainment, facilitate the shopping experience, offer virtual coupons, render games based on locations throughout a store or based on a shopping list, provide information about food choices such as calorie counts, and identify metadata associated with items.

A fully connectorized optic fiber tap assembly is described that includes a first upstream connector interface configured to receive a downstream connector of a first upstream optic fiber line, and a first downstream connector interface configured to receive an upstream connector of a first downstream optic fiber line. The tap assembly further includes a set of service drop line connector interfaces. Moreover, an optic fiber tap of the assembly is configured to: receive an optical signal from the upstream connector interface, extract a portion of the optical signal, direct the extracted portion of the optical signal to the set of service drop line connector interfaces, and pass a remaining portion of the optical signal to the downstream connector interface. The fully connectorized optic fiber tap assembly is configured to be connected to the first upstream optic fiber line and the first downstream optic fiber line without splicing.

A framework for virtual network element of optical access networking has been designed to provide a cloud-residing core system (i.e., Mobile core controller or SDN controller) for running higher layers without requiring dedicated hardware at the edge of the network. In this framework, a service operator can create multiple optical access network connections for serving a single or multiple types of wired or wireless subscriber by programming (via software) optical ports of a Virtual Optical Edge Device to perform the desired MAC and/or PHY layer of a selected optical protocol. The Virtual Optical Edge Device in turn performs the desired PHY function or MAC and PHY function of selected protocol per each southbound port. The Virtual Optical Edge Device performs data abstraction function on all data associated with southbound ports and presents the core network a unified API via its northbound ports.

An optical module includes at least one optical sub-assembly; at least one control circuit configured to control the at least one optical sub-assembly; and a housing including a first case and a second case, wherein the optical module is configured to be plugged in and unplugged from an optical transmission equipment including a heat sink provided at a joining portion with the first case, wherein, through fitting of the first case and the second case, the housing accommodates the at least one optical sub-assembly and the at least one control circuit inside the housing, and wherein a material of the first case has a thermal conductivity higher than a material of the second case.

The present disclosure provides for two-dimensional mode matching by receiving an optical signal traveling in a first direction; and scattering the optical signal according to a scattering strength that progressively changes in the first direction. In various embodiments, the scattering strength progressively changes by increasing or decreasing in the first direction. A plurality of scatterers disposed in a path of the optical signal change in widths that progressively increase or decrease along the first direction. In various embodiments, a second optical signal is received in the grating coupler from a second direction; and is scattered into a surface of a photonic chip via a grating coupler. In some embodiments, the second direction is perpendicular to the first direction.

A disclosed vehicle sensing system includes an optic fiber disposed adjacent to a vehicle panel, a transmitter/receiver disposed at an originating end of the optic fiber, the transmitter/receiver configured to emit a beam through the optic fiber at a defined originating frequency, and a reflector disposed at a terminal end of the optic fiber for reflecting the beam back through the optic fiber to the transmitter/receiver. Dimensional changes to the optic fiber change the originating frequency reflected back to the transmitter/receiver and the change in the originating frequency is indicative of a physical change in the vehicle panel.

A bidirectional optical wireless transmission system which at least includes one or more optical nodes and terminals is proposed. While the optical node is composed of an optical transmitter, a first optical receiver and a beam collimator; a spatial light modulator, a passive retroreflector and a second optical receiver are employed by the optical terminal to receive the modulated and unmodulated incident beams, which were transmitted from the optical node simultaneously. In the optical terminal, the modulated incident beams are received by the second receiver and the unmodulated incident beams are reflected and through the spatial light modulator in order to be modulated by the spatial light modulator. These modulated reflected beams from spatial light modulator are returned to the optical node through the optical path parallel to the incident beams and received by the first optical receiver within the optical node. The proposed invention based on the beam steering technique provides an efficiency approach to reduce system weight and power consumption in the scenario of bidirectional optical wireless communications.

A bidirectional optical communication link, OCL, (1) comprising a first optical transmission link, OTL1, adapted to transmit an optical signal from a near-end location (NEL) via a first optical fiber (2-1) to a remote-end location (REL); and a second optical transmission link, OTL2, adapted to transmit an optical signal from the remote-end location (REL) via a second optical fiber (2-2) to the near-end location(NEL); wherein at least one of the optical transmission links, OTL1, OTL2, comprises a remote optically pumped amplifier, ROPA, (3-1,3-3) having a gain medium which is pumped with pump light received by that gain medium through a third optical fiber (4) from a pump laser source provided at the near-end location (NEL) or provided at the remote-end location (REL) to supply the gain medium of the remote optical pump amplifier, ROPA, (3-1,3-2) with pump power.

An edge wavelength-switching system includes an optical switch and a wavelength selective switch. The optical switch includes a west hub-side port, an east hub-side port, a west local-side port, and an east local-side port. The wavelength selective switch includes (i) a multiplexed port optically coupled to the west local-side port and (ii) a bypass port optically coupled to the east local-side port, and (iii) a plurality of demultiplexed ports. An optical network includes a network hub including an M-by-N.sub.1 wavelength-selective switch, N.sub.1>M≥1, a first network node, and a second network node. Each of the first and second network nodes includes a respective edge wavelength-switching system. The network hub, the first network node, and the second network node are optically coupled.

Embodiments are generally directed apparatuses, methods, techniques and so forth determine an access level of operation based on an indication received via one or more network links from a pod management controller, and enable or disable a firmware update capability for a firmware device based on the access level of operation, the firmware update capability to change firmware for the firmware device. Embodiments may also include determining one or more configuration settings of a plurality of configuration settings to enable for configuration based on the access level of operation, and enable configuration of the one or more configuration settings.