Apple in the iPhone 14 models introduced heavyweight new features / new features is to support emergency satellite distress, and according to Apple’s latest obtained technology patent indicates that the future iPad, Mac and Apple TV set-top box, TV, car, etc. can support satellite emergency distress service.
According to a list published by the United States Trademark and Patent Office (USPTO) today, Apple has obtained a patent for satellite communication technology, including control circuits and antenna module arrays, covering medium earth orbit (MEO) and low earth orbit (LEO) satellites.
Apple clearly mentioned the “Satellite Connectivity Group” in the patent, which indicates that Apple will increase its support for satellite services in the future and develop more practical functions on this basis.
In the long-range wireless communication system of the satellite communication system, the communication terminal usually transmits radio frequency signals over a long distance of tens, hundreds or thousands of miles. Such long distances cause radio frequency signals to suffer significant signal attenuation during propagation. Furthermore, communication terminals are often required to maintain multiple concurrent wireless links with other communication terminals in the satellite communication system.
The wireless components that support such long-range communications consume resources such as power, space, and weight in the communication terminal. There are also significant challenges in maintaining satisfactory wireless link quality between communication terminals, especially over long distances such as those associated with satellite communication systems.
Apple pointed out that the patent they granted relates to a communication terminal in a communication system (such as a satellite communication system), which may include a control circuit and an array of antenna modules.
Each antenna module may include an array of antenna radiators on a substrate and a radio frequency lens overlying the array of radiators. Each antenna module may include a transceiver chain including transceivers, phase shifters and amplifiers shared by each radiator in the module. Each antenna module may include switching circuitry between the radiator and the transceiver chain.
Control circuitry may control switching circuitry to activate a set of one or more radiators in a given module. The control circuitry can control the transceiver chains in the module to transmit radio frequency signals at selected phases using each active radiator (eg, by applying a selected phase shift with phase shifters in the transceiver chains). Each active radiator can send and receive RF signals with signal beams oriented in different directions through the RF lens above the module.
