High speed file transfer is becoming more and more important in our daily life. There are already several protocols that allow interesting speeds, but what the patent filed by Apple recently raises goes much further: terabits per second.
A terabyte of information in just eight seconds
The transfer of information through the mechanisms that we currently know has certain speed limitations which are linked to the physics of these media. Much less restrictions have the use of light to transfer information. This is nothing new, we all have fiber optics in our homes. What is new is the system proposed by Apple to use light to transfer information between different devices in an optimal way.
The most delicate part of transferring information by light without going through a cable is the alignment between sender and receiver. In this regard, Apple explains that any less than perfect alignment has an impact on a significant drop in transfer speed.
“An electronic device can include a free-space optical communication system to transmit, receive, or exchange data wirelessly with another electronic device. In some cases, the optical communication system can be configured to be directional (for example, line of sight) for the purpose of increasing data transfer rates, increasing the privacy of data transfer or to any other appropriate purpose. “
“However, a conventional free-space directional optical communication system is exceptionally dependent on the precise alignment of communication devices. As such, conventional free-space optical communication systems cannot be incorporated into portable electronic devices that can be moved or repositioned time. “
And that’s exactly what the patent aims to solve. Apple invented a system of movable heads for high precision alignment. In a few words, we can describe the system as follows. After establishing contact, but not in an optimal position, communication between the two devices is open. From there, one of them moves the transmitter while transferring data and waits for the other device to detect the position with the best transfer speed. Then, the other device is repositioned.
A high speed and high confidentiality system with many possible applications.
With this simple idea, the system reaches the maximum connection speed and starts transferring information. A transfer which, given its directivity, implies a much more privacy than the systems we currently use
“A free-space directional optical communication system can facilitate higher data transfer rates (eg, tens of gigabits per second to terabits per second), greater confidentiality of data transfer, and greater security.” data transfer versus conventional device-to-device data communication protocols such as Wi-Fi, near-field communications, or Bluetooth. “
As we always say, patents can take a long time to translate into a real device, if at all. However, they always give us a vision of the interests of the company. In this case in the field of wireless communication and its speed.
Imagen | Umberto
Via | Apple obviously
