The present invention is for an illumination transmitter. The transmitter projects a signal onto a planar reflective surface such as the ceiling of an open office environment. The transmitter includes a plurality of illumination sources positioned in a line wherein the line has a predetermined orientation to the planar surface. The illumination sources are preferably infrared LEDs. The transmitter has means for jointly aiming the illumination sources toward a desired location on the planar surface. The location on the planar surface is usually used to allow multiple transmitters coupled to infrared receivers to allow communication between computers in a LAN. The transmitter also includes means for maintaining the predetermined orientation between the planar surface and the line. The orientation is usually parallel to allow transmitters located large distances from the illumination to project a relatively small illumination spot onto the planar surface.
Each optical transceiver comprises a photoemissive device for generating a signal light of near-infrared rays, a photoreceptor for receiving the signal light of the near-infrared rays, and an optical lens for converting the signal light outputted from the photoemissive device into a substantially collimated light so as to emit the light into a desired direction and for guiding the signal light from the same direction to the photoreceptor. Directivities of the respective optical transceivers are directed to the same portion on the indoor optical diffusing surface such as a ceiling.
The present invention relates to a computer having an infrared communication module for an infrared communication with external equipments. In the computer according to the present invention, since the location of the infrared communication module can change with respect to a main body, the infrared communication between the computer and the external equipments can be performed without changing the position of the computer.
A power conservative multi-segment LED transmitter including a multi-segment LED with a plurality of independently addressable LED segments, each LED segment suitable for selectively emitting a beam segment. A controller selectively enables and disables the LED segments. Depending on whether the beam segments overlap or not and whether low or high power is supplied to the enabled LED segments, the combined resulting beam may be a low power steered beam, a power conservative steered beam, an overlapping low power intense steered beam, or an overlapping power conservative steered beam. The steerable multi-segment LED transmitter and receiver system preferably includes an "all enabled" state in which each of the LED segments are enabled and emit a respective beam segment; a "training" state in which the LED segments are selectively enabled and disabled and the receiver determines substantially detected beam segments; and a "steered" state in which only the LED segments emitting the substantially detected beam segments are enabled.
This invention provides a modular jack receptacle connector (10) which has at least one light pipe (14) for transmitting light signals from a light emitting device receiving area (66) through an output face (76) along the mating face (24) of the modular jack receptacle (10).
An infrared communication system includes a plurality of infrared transceivers for receiving and transmitting infrared signals through the free air in which each transceiver includes: an omnidirectional infrared receiver for receiving infrared signals; an omnidirectional infrared transmitter for transmitting infrared signals; and a controller which determines the direction of arrival and the quality of the signals received by the infrared receiver, and controls the respective infrared transmitter in accordance therewith.
