1. An apparatus, comprising:
a device proximate to a display screen;
an optical module coupled to the device; and
an optical link coupled to the optical module, wherein the optical module to convert optical signals received by the optical module over the optical link into electrical signals for the device.
2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the device includes one of a display support, a radio, a camera, a reader, an external port, a storage unit, a security unit, and a video game support unit.
3. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the optical link includes an optical bus, wherein the optical module is coupled to the optical bus.
4. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the optical link includes an optical ring, wherein the optical module is coupled to the optical ring.
5. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a hub, the optical module to receive optical signals via the hub.
6. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the optical link is coupled directly to the optical module, the optical link part of a point-to-point optical link configuration.
7. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the optical link includes plastic optical fiber, wherein data transmitted on the plastic optical fiber has a data rate of at least 4 Gigabits per second.
8. A mobile computer system, comprising:
a display including a first optical module and a first device, the first optical module coupled to the first device; and
a body including a second optical module, the second optical module coupled to the first optical module by a first optical link.
9. The mobile computer system of claim 8 wherein the mobile computer system includes one of a notebook computer, a mobile phone, a personal digital assistant, and a media player.
10. The mobile computer system of claim 8, further comprising:
a third optical module located in the display coupled to the first optical link, the third optical module coupled to a second device, wherein the first optical module and the third optical module are in a bus configuration.
11. The mobile computer system of claim 10 wherein optical signals for the first optical module and the third optical module are multiplexed on the first optical link.
12. The mobile computer system of claim 8, further comprising:
a third optical module located in the display coupled to the first optical link, the third optical module coupled to a second device, wherein the first optical module and the third optical module are in a ring configuration.
13. The mobile computer system of claim 8, further comprising:
a third optical module located in the display coupled to a fourth optical module located in the body by a second optical link, the third optical module coupled to a second device, wherein the first optical link and the second optical link are each in a point-to-point configuration.
14. The mobile computer system of claim 8 wherein the first optical module is part of a first hub residing in the display, wherein the second optical module is part of a second hub residing in the body.
15. The mobile computer system of claim 8 wherein a first hub residing in the display directs optical signals between the first optical link and the first optical module, wherein the second optical module is part of a second hub residing in the body.
16. The mobile computer system of claim 8 wherein the first optical link includes plastic optical fiber.
17. The mobile computer system of claim 8 wherein the device includes one of a display support, a radio, a camera, a reader, an external port, a storage unit, a security unit, and a video game support unit.
18. The mobile computer system of claim 17 wherein an analog portion of the radio resides in the display and a digital portion of the radio resides in the body.
19. The mobile computer system of claim 8 wherein data transmitted on the first optical link has a data rate of at least 4 Gigabits per second.
20. A system, comprising:
a computer system, the computer system including:
a video controller; and
a first optical module coupled to the video controller;
a display coupled to the computer system by an optical link, the display including:
a display support unit; and
a second optical module coupled to the display support unit,
wherein the second optical module is coupled to the first optical module via the optical link.
21. The system of claim 20 wherein the first optical module is coupled to the second optical module using one of a bus configuration, a point-to-point configuration, a hub configuration, a ring configuration, or any combination thereof.
22. The system of claim 20 wherein the computer system includes a home entertainment computer system, wherein the home entertainment computer system to receive video signals from one or more video sources.
23. The system of claim 20 wherein the system resides in an automobile, the automobile including a storage unit coupled to the computer system, the storage unit to store video content to be provided to the display.
24. The system of claim 20 wherein the system resides in an aircraft, the aircraft including a storage unit coupled to the computer system, the storage unit to store video content to be provided to the display.
25. The system of claim 20 wherein two or more devices of the computer system are connected by at least one optical link.
26. The system of claim 20 wherein the optical link includes plastic optical fiber.
27. The system of claim 20 wherein the computer system includes a server, wherein the server is coupled another server by a backplane including at least one optical link.
The claims below are in addition to those above.
All refrences to claim(s) which appear below refer to the numbering after this setence.
1. A system for enabling wireless communication with a wired sensor, the system comprising:
a power source for supplying continuous power to an electrical load device, the operation of the electrical load device controlled by a controller; and
a sensor interface communicatively coupled to a wired sensor, wherein the sensor interface:
receives information indicating an environmental condition detected by the wired sensor, and
wirelessly transmits the information received from the wired sensor to the controller, wherein the controller controls operation of the electrical load device based on the information wirelessly transmitted from the sensor interface.
2. The system of claim 1, further comprising a memory for storing preferences set by an administrator, the preferences concerning operational parameters of the sensor.
3. The system of claim 1, wherein the sensor interface is further configured to determine a type of environmental condition detected by the wired sensor.
4. The system of claim 3, wherein the sensor interface is further configured to analyze the received information based on the determined type.
5. The system of claim 1, wherein the sensor interface is further configured to set a threshold associated with the detected environmental condition and wherein the information is wirelessly transmitted to the controller when the threshold is met.
6. The system of claim 5, wherein the sensor interface is further configured to receive updates wirelessly sent from an administrator and wherein the threshold is updated based on the received updates.
7. The system of claim 5, wherein the threshold is further based on specified parameters concerning conditions other than the detected environmental condition.
8. The system of claim 1, wherein the electrical load device is a lighting fixture and controlling the electrical load device includes providing stepped lighting levels by individually activating one or more lights of a plurality of lights in the lighting fixture.
9. A method for enabling wireless communication with a wired sensor, the method comprising:
monitoring a wired sensor for generation of a signal indicating detection of an environmental condition,
receiving the signal from the wired sensor at a sensor interface, the signal including information regarding the environmental condition detected by the wired sensor; and
wirelessly transmitting the information regarding the detected environmental condition from the sensor interface to a wireless controller, wherein the wireless controller controls operation of an electrical load device based on the information wirelessly transmitted from the sensor interface.
10. The method of claim 9, further comprising storing preferences in a memory associated with the sensor interface, the preferences concerning operational parameters of the sensor.
11. The method of claim 9, further comprising determining a type of environmental condition detected by the wired sensor.
12. The method of claim 11, further comprising analyzing the received information based on the determined type.
13. The method of claim 9, further comprising setting a threshold associated with the detected environmental condition, wherein the information is wirelessly transmitted to the controller when the threshold is met.
14. The method of claim 13, further comprising receiving updates wirelessly sent from an administrator and updating the threshold based on the received updates.
15. The method of claim 13, wherein the threshold is further based on specified parameters concerning conditions other than the detected environmental condition.
16. The method of claim 9, wherein the electrical load device is a lighting fixture, wherein the signal wirelessly transmitted to the controller indicates a detected lighting level, and wherein responsive control of the electrical load device includes providing stepped lighting levels by individually activating or deactivating one or more lights of a plurality of lights in the lighting fixture.
17. An apparatus for enabling wireless communication with a wired sensor, the apparatus comprising:
a communication interface for:
receiving a signal from a wired sensor determined to be present in the network, the signal including information regarding an environmental condition detected by the wired sensor;
wirelessly transmitting the information regarding an environmental condition to a controller for controlling an electrical load device based on the information; and
a memory to store information detected by the wired sensor.
18. The apparatus of claim 17, further comprising a processor for executing instructions stored in memory, wherein execution of the instructions by the processor:
determines a type of environmental condition detected by the wired sensor; and
analyzes the received information based on the determined type, wherein analysis includes setting a threshold associated with the determined type of the detected environmental condition, wherein the information is wirelessly transmitted to the controller when the threshold is met.
19. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the communication interface receives updates wirelessly sent from an administrator and wherein the threshold is updated based on the received updates.
20. A computer-readable storage medium having embodied thereon a program, the program being executable by a processor to perform a method for enabling wireless communication with a wired sensor, the method comprising:
receiving a signal from the wired sensor, the signal indicating detection of an environmental condition by the wired sensor;
determining a type of the environmental conditions detected by the wired sensor;
determining that a threshold associated with the type of the detected environmental condition has been met; and
wirelessly transmitting the information regarding the detected environmental condition from the sensor interface to a wireless controller, wherein the wireless controller controls operation of an electrical load device based on the information wirelessly transmitted from the sensor interface.