Optical link establishment

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10601507-B2
Application number	US-201314779219-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 25, 2013
Priority date	Mar 25, 2013
Publication date	Mar 24, 2020
Grant date	Mar 24, 2020

Abstract

Methods and apparatuses for communication between a mobile device and a target device are disclosed. Information of a target device is determined by means of at least one element of a mobile device for providing an optical link with the target device. An optical component of the mobile device is then aligned with an optical component of the target device based on said information determined by the mobile device. The target device can obtain information of relative positioning of the target device and the mobile device determined for the purposes of providing an optical link between the target device and the mobile device and the optical component thereof can be aligned with the optical component of the mobile device based on the information.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method, comprising:
processing first information, where the first information is configured to be used to establish an optical link between a mobile device and a target device;
receiving second information, where the second information comprises at least one non-camera related measurement of the mobile device;
determining orientation information relating to orientation of the mobile device relative to the target device, where the determining of the orientation information is based, at least partially, upon the received second information;
steering an optical beam based on the determined orientation information, wherein after the steering of the optical beam an additional steering adjustment is provided based on a beam intensity measurement of the optical beam; and
aligning an optical component of the mobile device with an optical component of the target device for the optical link, where the aligning is at least partially based on the orientation information determined by the mobile device;
wherein the optical link is configured to provide quantum key distribution, and wherein the determining of the orientation information comprises receiving the second information from at least one of a location system device, an accelerometer, a magnetometer, a gyroscope, or a micro electro-mechanical system sensor of the mobile device.

2. The method according to claim 1 wherein the first information is determined by means of at least one of a touch screen of the mobile device or a digital camera of the mobile device.

3. The method according to claim 2 wherein the determining of the first information comprises use of image recognition.

4. The method according to claim 1 wherein the optical component of the mobile device and the optical component of the target device comprises at least one of an emitter of a laser beam and a respective detector of the laser beam.

5. The method according to claim 1 wherein the steering comprises controlling a direction of the optical beam in response to the processing of the first information.

6. The method according to claim 1 , further comprising receiving user input information from at least one user input function provided in association with the mobile device.

7. The method according to claim 6 , wherein the receiving of the user input information comprises receiving the user input information from a user interface of the mobile device.

8. The method according to claim 1 further comprising use of optical image stabilization for maintaining alignment of the optical component of the mobile device with the optical component of the target device.

9. The method according to claim 1 wherein the aligning comprises:
a first alignment using a camera and/or image recognition capability of the mobile device, or using user input via a touch screen in combination with augmented reality, and
a second alignment based on information from the at least one non-camera related measurement of the mobile device.

10. The method according to claim 1 further comprising using the optical link for communication of information and/or remote control.

11. An apparatus comprising at least one processor, and at least one non-transitory memory including computer program code, the at least one non-transitory memory and the computer program code being configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus at least to:
process first information determined with a touch screen and a digital camera of a mobile device, where the first information is configured to be used to establish an optical link between the mobile device and a target device;
receive second information, where the second information comprises at least one non-camera related measurement of the mobile device;
determine orientation information relating to orientation of the mobile device relative to the target device, where the determining of the orientation information is based, at least partially, upon the received second information;
steer an optical beam based on the determined orientation information, wherein after the steering of the optical beam an additional steering adjustment is provided based on a beam intensity measurement of the optical beam; and
align an optical component of the mobile device with an optical component of the target device for the optical link, where the aligning is at least partially based on the orientation information;
wherein the optical link is configured to provide quantum key distribution, and wherein the determining of the orientation information comprises receiving the second information from at least one of a location system device, an accelerometer, a magnetometer, a gyroscope, or a micro electro-mechanical system sensor of the mobile device.

12. The apparatus according to claim 11 wherein the at least one non-transitory memory and the computer program code are configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to process the first information in relation to the target device that has been determined with at least one of the touch screen and the digital camera of the mobile device.

13. The apparatus according to claim 11 , wherein the optical component of the mobile device or the optical component of the target device respectively comprises at least one of an emitter of a laser beam or a detector of a laser beam.

14. The apparatus according to claim 11 , wherein the steering is based on at least one of a micro-mirror, a tuneable lens and/or a phased array.

15. The apparatus according to claim 11 , wherein the at least one non-transitory memory and the computer program code are configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to align the optical components based on information from at least one of the location system device, the accelerometer, the magnetometer, the gyroscope, the micro electro-mechanical system sensor or a user interface of the mobile device.

16. The apparatus according to claim 11 , comprising an optical image stabilization functionality.

17. The apparatus according to claim 11 , wherein the at least one non-transitory memory and the computer program code are configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to cause a first alignment based on the digital camera and/or an image recognition capability of the mobile device and/or a user input via the touch screen in combination with augmented reality, and a second alignment based on the second information from the at least one non-camera related measurement of the mobile device.

18. An apparatus comprising at least one processor, and at least one non-transitory memory including computer program code, the at least one non-transitory memory and the computer program code being configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus at least to:
process first information of relative positioning of a target device and a mobile device, the first information being determined for providing an optical link between the target device and the mobile device;
receive second information from at least one non-camera related measurement of the mobile device;
determine orientation information relating to orientation of the mobile device relative to the target device, where the determining of the orientation information is based, at least partially, upon the received second information;
steer an optical beam based on the determined orientation information, wherein after the steering of the optical beam an additional steering adjustment is provided based on a beam intensity measurement of the optica

Assignees

• Nokia Technologies Oy

Inventors

• Wabnig Joachim
• Niskanen Antti
• Li Hongwei
• Bitauld David

Classifications

• H04B10/1143 Primary

  Bidirectional transmission · CPC title

• H04B10/70 Primary

  Photonic quantum communication · CPC title

• H04L9/0852

  Quantum cryptography (transmission systems employing electromagnetic waves other than radio waves, e.g. light, infrared H04B10/00; wavelength-division multiplex systems H04J14/02; WDM arrangements H04J14/03) · CPC title