The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office on Thursday published a patent application for Apple’s magneto-inductive charging and communication in certain environments, such as underwater and underground, where networks are not available. Apple also claims that its inventions can be used for military purposes (such as SEAL operations), search and rescue operations, etc. It also states that it can be used for The patent suggests its latest inventions could be applied to a future version of the Apple Watch Ultra, designed in part for scuba divers.

Magneto-inductive charging and communication

Apple notes that in certain environments (underwater environments, underground environments, high altitude environments, rural areas, etc.), wireless electronic devices may not be able to connect, for example, to cellular and/or Internet networks. Therefore, wireless electronic devices may not be able to communicate in such environments.

Accordingly, it may be useful to provide useful methods for allowing wireless electronic devices to communicate in the absence of a cellular and/or Internet connection. Apple’s invention encompasses various embodiments that may be useful to perform magneto-inductive charging and communication in the absence of a cellular and/or Internet connection.

In Apple’s first scenario, they describe an example of an underwater environment. Patent FIG. Figure 9 below shows an electronic device #10 (iPhone or Apple Watch) that can be used for communication in an underwater environment.

Similar to Apple’s SOS Satellite communication for iPhone, underwater communication includes a set of predefined messages including but not limited to “Help!”, “Here!”, “Up!”, “Going”. down!” down!”, “Shark!” or any predefined SMS message that can most effectively provide relevant information.

In some embodiments, the device using inductive charging and communication circuitry may wirelessly transmit (eg, low-frequency magneto-inductive signaling) one or more messages (eg SMS, MMS) to underwater electronic device #66 and then transmit it. One or more messages (Help – shark!) to reveal electronic device #68.

Large-scale high-power coil antenna with magnetic field source for watercraft

In the second scenario, Apple’s FIG. Figure 12 below shows a large-scale magnetic field source coil antenna #86 that can be placed on a watercraft #88 (for example, a boat or ship) and works as a surface beacon for divers who may be in an underwater environment. .

Apple states that the antenna coil 86 can extend into the open air from Marine 88. In another embodiment, the antenna coil can be immersed in the underwater environment directly below the watercraft.

In the above scenario, the inductive charging and communication circuitry of the iDevice (for example, “underwater device A”) can operate in receive only mode, for example to indicate the Received Signal Strength Indicator (RSSI) of the generated communication beacon signal. by the coil antenna.

For example, in this way, the iDevice user can turn or move underwater and/or on the water surface, monitoring the increase or decrease of the RSSI to indicate the direction the watercraft is moving.

In certain embodiments, the antenna coil on the watercraft may be powered by a high power source on the watercraft and thus can be useful to achieve wide underwater communication coverage so that the communication beacon signal can be detected by the iDevice #10 near the surface. Of water and deeply sunk iDevice #66 (for example, “underwater device B”).

In some embodiments, a watercraft antenna coil may be a single ring antenna with a fixed orientation, or in another embodiment, it may include multiple rings arranged in orthogonal directions and operate at the same frequency or at different frequencies.