公开(公告)号：US20230370958A1

公开(公告)日：2023-11-16

申请号：US18186889

申请日：2023-03-20

Applicant: Apple Inc.

Inventor： Bertram R. Gunzelmann ,  Stefan Meyer ,  Jan Ellenbeck

IPC: H04W48/16 ,  H04W36/06 ,  H04B7/155

CPC classification number: H04W48/16 ,  H04W36/06 ,  H04B7/15507

Abstract: A user equipment (UE) device may communicate with a wireless access point (AP) using wireless signals transmitted using a data radio access technology (RAT) via reflection off a reconfigurable intelligent surface (RIS) at frequencies greater than about 100 GHz. A control RAT may be used to convey control signals between the AP, UE device, and RIS. The control signals and the control RAT and the data transfer RAT may split procedures used to perform discovery, to establish an initial configuration of the UE device, AP, and/or RIS, and to update the configuration of the UE device, the AP, and/or the RIS while tracking the UE device over time. The control RAT may allow for control operations without requiring line-of-sight and may allow the RIS to minimize its power consumption and cost.

公开(公告)号：US20230090151A1

公开(公告)日：2023-03-23

申请号：US17895057

申请日：2022-08-24

Applicant: Apple Inc.

Inventor： Bertram R. Gunzelmann ,  Zdravko Boos

IPC: H04B10/2575

Abstract: The present application relates to devices and components related to a direct detection and photonics receiver.

公开(公告)号：US20240097745A1

公开(公告)日：2024-03-21

申请号：US18465929

申请日：2023-09-12

Applicant: Apple Inc.

Inventor： Stefan Meyer ,  Jan K. Ellenbeck ,  Bertram R. Gunzelmann

IPC: H04B7/04 ,  H01Q3/46

CPC classification number: H04B7/04013 ,  H01Q3/46

Abstract: A system may include an access point (AP), a user equipment (UE) device, and a reconfigurable intelligent surface (RIS). The RIS may have antenna elements and phase shifters programmed using phase settings to form signal beams. The AP may calculate a first portion of the phase settings and may transmit the first portion to the RIS. The RIS may include a first processor that generates a second portion of the phase settings. The RIS may include a second processor coupled to the first processor over a bus. The second processor may generate the phase settings based on the second portion. The second processor may distribute the phase settings to the phase shifters. By distributing calculation of the phase settings between the AP and the RIS, power consumption of the system may be minimized while also minimizing the time required to re-configure the beams of the RIS.

公开(公告)号：US20240088987A1

公开(公告)日：2024-03-14

申请号：US17944935

申请日：2022-09-14

Applicant: Apple Inc.

Inventor： Stefan Meyer ,  Jan K. Ellenbeck ,  Bertram R. Gunzelmann

IPC: H04B7/145 ,  H04B7/0426 ,  H04B7/06

CPC classification number: H04B7/145 ,  H04B7/043 ,  H04B7/0617

Abstract: A communication system may include an access point (AP), a user equipment (UE), and a communication path between the AP and the UE having a series of reconfigurable intelligent surfaces (RIS's). Each RIS may have a first beam pointing to a previous node and a second beam pointing to a next node in the communication path. Beams of routing RIS's and a beam from an end user RIS towards a last routing RIS may be set during calibration. The UE may perform beam discovery with the end user RIS. The UE and the AP may convey wireless data via reflections off each of the RIS's in the communication path. The beam of the end user RIS may be updated to track the UE device while the other the beams remain fixed. The beams may be calibrated using retroreflection and beam variation for each pair of RIS's up the communication path.

公开(公告)号：US11848703B2

公开(公告)日：2023-12-19

申请号：US17895057

申请日：2022-08-24

Applicant: Apple Inc.

Inventor： Bertram R. Gunzelmann ,  Zdravko Boos

IPC: H04B10/2575

CPC classification number: H04B10/25752

Abstract: The present application relates to devices and components related to a direct detection and photonics receiver.

公开(公告)号：US20230370863A1

公开(公告)日：2023-11-16

申请号：US18186871

申请日：2023-03-20

Applicant: Apple Inc.

Inventor： Jan Ellenbeck ,  Stefan Meyer ,  Bertram R. Gunzelmann

IPC: H04W16/28 ,  H04W24/10

CPC classification number: H04W16/28 ,  H04W24/10

Abstract: A user equipment (UE) device may communicate with an access point (AP) at greater than 100 GHz via a reconfigurable intelligent surface. The UE may select tracking beams based on sensor data. The UE may instruct the RIS to sweep over the tracking beams while the UE gathers performance metric data. The UE may identify a serving beam based on the performance metric data. The UE may control the RIS to form the serving beam to reflect wireless data between the AP and the UE. Using the UE to intelligently select tracking beams based on sensor data may greatly reduce the amount of time required to track the UE device as it moves relative to sweeping over all formable signal beams, thereby reducing latency and minimizing disruptions in wireless data transfer between the UE device and the AP.

公开(公告)号：US20230058998A1

公开(公告)日：2023-02-23

申请号：US17827290

申请日：2022-05-27

Applicant: Apple Inc.

Inventor： Bertram R. Gunzelmann ,  Zdravko Boos

IPC: H04B10/116 ,  H04W28/02

Abstract: An electronic device may include a photonics-based phased antenna array that conveys wireless signals at frequencies greater than 100 GHz. In a transmit mode, the array may transmit signals using the first and second optical signals. In a receive mode, the array may receive signals using the optical signals. In a passive mode, the array may reflect incident wireless signals as reflected signals. Photodiodes in the array may be controlled to exhibit output impedances that are mismatched with respect to input impedances of radiating elements in the array. Different mismatches can be used across the array or as a function of time to impart different phase and/or frequency shifts on the reflected signals. The phase shifts may be used to encode information into the reflected signals and/or to form a signal beam of the reflected signals.