公开(公告)号：US20230353093A1

公开(公告)日：2023-11-02

申请号：US18186125

申请日：2023-03-17

Applicant: Apple Inc.

Inventor： Zdravko Boos ,  Bertram R. Gunzelmann ,  Nedim Muharemovic ,  Ramin Khayatzadeh ,  Tomas Sarmiento

IPC: H03D7/16 ,  H04B10/61 ,  H04B10/63 ,  H04B10/2575

CPC classification number: H03D7/165 ,  H04B10/6164 ,  H04B10/63 ,  H04B10/25759

Abstract: An electronic device may include clocking circuitry with primary and secondary lasers that generate first and second optical local oscillator (LO) signals. A phase-locked loop (PLL) may tune the secondary laser based to phase lock the first and second optical LO signals. A self-injection locking loop path may couple an output of the secondary laser to its input. The self-injection locking loop path may include a first mixer and a second mixer. The first mixer may generate a beat signal using the first and second optical LO signals. The second mixer may generate a self-injection locking signal based on the first optical LO signal and the beat signal. A delay line or optical resonator may iteratively self-inject the self-injection locking signal onto the secondary laser. This may serve to minimize phase noise and jitter of the optical LO signals.

公开(公告)号：US20240380489A1

公开(公告)日：2024-11-14

申请号：US18195199

申请日：2023-05-09

Applicant: Apple Inc.

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

IPC: H04B10/278 ,  H04B10/2575 ,  H04J14/02

Abstract: Circuits, methods, and apparatus that can route signals for wireless communications throughout an electronic device in an efficient manner that can save space, reduce noise, improve coexistence, and be readily assembled. An example can route signals through an electronic device using a bus, ring, or daisy-chain topology. Use of this topology can simplify routing, thereby saving space that can be used for additional functionality for the electronic device, a reduction in size of the electronic device, or both. Fiber-optic segments can be used for signal routing to decrease noise.

公开(公告)号：US20230421207A1

公开(公告)日：2023-12-28

申请号：US18321698

申请日：2023-05-22

Applicant: Apple Inc.

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

IPC: H04B7/04 ,  H04B7/0413

CPC classification number: H04B7/04013 ,  H04B7/0413

Abstract: A controller may map user equipment (UE) devices in a wireless system to access points (AP) and reflective intelligent surfaces (RIS). The controller may generate a corresponding communications schedule based on the locations of the UE device(s), AP(s), and RIS(s) and based on current traffic demands. The controller may control the RIS(s), AP(s), and UE devices to implement the schedule. The schedule may divide the time, frequency, and/or spatial resources of the RIS(s) to meet the traffic demands of the UE devices using a space division multiple access scheme, a time-division multiple access scheme, a frequency-division multiple access scheme, and/or a distributed multiple-input and multiple output scheme. The schedule may be updated over time as needed. The RIS(s) may allow for a reduction in the number of AP(s) required to meet the dynamic demands of the UE devices, thereby minimizing deployment and operating costs.

公开(公告)号：US20230091119A1

公开(公告)日：2023-03-23

申请号：US17891048

申请日：2022-08-18

Applicant: Apple Inc.

Inventor： Sabine Roessel ,  Bernhard Raaf ,  Bertram R. Gunzelmann ,  Christian Drewes ,  Josef Hausner ,  Matthias Sauer ,  Zdravko Boos

IPC: H04B10/2575

Abstract: The present application relates to devices and components including apparatus, systems, and methods for high-throughput, low-power signaling.

公开(公告)号：US20240250746A1

公开(公告)日：2024-07-25

申请号：US18164516

申请日：2023-02-03

Applicant: Apple Inc.

Inventor： Bertram R. Gunzelmann ,  Florian Muhr ,  Mari Kobayashi

IPC: H04B7/155

CPC classification number: H04B7/15507 ,  H04B7/15592

Abstract: A communication system may include a wireless base station (BS), a user equipment (UE) device, and a hybrid reconfigurable intelligent surface (HRIS) co-located with the UE device. The HRIS may be used to offload beam management procedures to the BS. Adjustable devices on the HRIS may configure antenna elements of the HRIS to reflect incident signals from the BS and may configure antenna elements of the HRIS to receive the incident signals using a receiver according to a time domain multiplexing scheme, a spatial domain multiplexing scheme, and/or a power domain multiplexing scheme. The UE device may control the HRIS to switch between the schemes and to adjust a proportion of the incident signal that is reflected or received over time. The HRIS may be used in facilitating a beam acquisition and tracking procedure for the UE device and the BS, thereby minimizing resource consumption on the UE device.

公开(公告)号：US20230421346A1

公开(公告)日：2023-12-28

申请号：US18320540

申请日：2023-05-19

Applicant: Apple Inc.

Inventor： Ramin Khayatzadeh ,  Nedim Muharemovic ,  Bertram R. Gunzelmann ,  Zdravko Boos

IPC: H04L7/00 ,  H04B10/516

CPC classification number: H04L7/0075 ,  H04B2210/006 ,  H04B10/5165

Abstract: An electronic device may include wireless circuitry that conveys radio-frequency signals at frequencies greater than or equal to 100 GHz using first and second optical local oscillator (LO) signals generated by clocking circuitry. The clocking circuitry may include a first laser that generates the first optical LO signal and a second laser that generates the second optical LO signal. First and second self-injection locking loop paths may be coupled around the first and second lasers respectively. The first loop path may include a first mixer, an optical reference, and a second mixer. The second loop path may include a photodiode, the first mixer, and the optical reference. The photodiode may provide a radio-frequency signal to the mixers. The optical reference may include an optical delay line or resonator and may reduce phase noise of optical signals used to self-injection lock the first and second lasers.

公开(公告)号：US20230057449A1

公开(公告)日：2023-02-23

申请号：US17834695

申请日：2022-06-07

Applicant: Apple Inc.

Inventor： Zdravko Boos ,  Bertram R. Gunzelmann

IPC: H04B10/112 ,  H04B10/50 ,  H04B10/54

Abstract: An electronic device may include an antenna that conveys wireless signals at frequencies greater than 100 GHz. The antenna may include a radiating element coupled to a uni-travelling-carrier photodiode (UTC PD). An optical path may illuminate the UTC PD using a first optical local oscillator (LO) signal and a second optical LO signal. An optical phase shift may be applied to the first optical LO signal. A Mach-Zehnder modulator (MZM) may be interposed on the optical path. During signal transmission, the MZM may modulate wireless data onto the second optical LO signal while control circuitry applies a first bias voltage to the UTC PD. During signal reception, the control circuitry may apply a second bias voltage to the UTC PD that configures the UTC PD to convert received wireless signals into intermediate frequency signals and/or optical signals.

公开(公告)号：US20240154697A1

公开(公告)日：2024-05-09

申请号：US18412237

申请日：2024-01-12

Applicant: Apple Inc.

Inventor： Bertram R. Gunzelmann ,  Zdravko Boos

IPC: H04B10/116 ,  H04W28/02

CPC classification number: H04B10/116 ,  H04W28/0215

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.

公开(公告)号：US20240072905A1

公开(公告)日：2024-02-29

申请号：US17895860

申请日：2022-08-25

Applicant: Apple Inc.

Inventor： Bertram R. Gunzelmann ,  Ramin Khayatzadeh

IPC: H04B10/548 ,  H04B10/2575 ,  H04J14/02 ,  H04L27/26

CPC classification number: H04B10/548 ,  H04B10/25759 ,  H04J14/0298 ,  H04L27/2697

Abstract: An electronic device may include an optical demultiplexer, optical combiners, optical paths between the demultiplexer and the combiners, modulators on the optical paths, and a symbol generator that generates a set of electrical OFDM symbols. The modulators may generate a set of optical OFDM symbols by mixing optical carriers with the electrical OFDM symbols. The combiners may generate an aggregate optical OFDM symbol from the optical OFDM symbols and may combine the aggregate optical OFDM symbol with an optical local oscillator signal. The aggregate optical OFDM symbol may exhibit a large bandwidth. The combiners may illuminate a photodiode, which produces current on an antenna resonating element that radiates a radio-frequency signal at frequencies greater than 100 GHz.

公开(公告)号：US20230421208A1

公开(公告)日：2023-12-28

申请号：US18322905

申请日：2023-05-24

Applicant: Apple Inc.

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

IPC: H04B7/04 ,  H04B7/06

CPC classification number: H04B7/04013 ,  H04B7/06952

Abstract: A wireless access point (AP) may communicate with a user equipment (UE) device via reflection off a reflective device having an array of fixed or adjustable reflectors in different orientations. The AP may illuminate different portions of an area by pointing a signal beam to different reflectors and/or by controlling the reflective device to electrically rotate the reflectors. The AP may calibrate the position of the reflective device and may establish wireless communications with the UE device by performing a sweep of signal beams over the reflectors and/or by controlling the reflective device to sweep over different reflector orientations. The AP may track movement of the UE device over time. The AP may sweep the AP beam over a subset of the reflectors around an active reflector to maintain communications with the UE device even as the UE device moves over time.