US 12,149,324 B2
System and method for passive reflection of RF signals
Erik Bengtsson, Eslöv (SE); Fredrik Rusek, Eslöv (SE); and Olof Zander, Södra Sandby (SE)
Assigned to Sony Group Corporation, Tokyo (JP)
Appl. No. 17/608,969
Filed by SONY GROUP CORPORATION, Tokyo (JP)
PCT Filed May 5, 2020, PCT No. PCT/EP2020/062472
§ 371(c)(1), (2) Date Nov. 4, 2021,
PCT Pub. No. WO2020/254031, PCT Pub. Date Dec. 24, 2020.
Claims priority of application No. 1950761-5 (SE), filed on Jun. 19, 2019.
Prior Publication US 2022/0231753 A1, Jul. 21, 2022
Int. Cl. H04B 7/145 (2006.01); H04B 7/06 (2006.01); H04B 7/08 (2006.01)
CPC H04B 7/145 (2013.01) [H04B 7/0695 (2013.01); H04B 7/088 (2013.01)] 16 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A system for reflecting an RF signal, comprising:
a plurality of antenna units which are configured to receive the RF signal and passively reflect the RF signal, wherein the antenna units are reconfigurable to achieve beamforming in reception and reflection, respectively, of the RF signal, and
a control system in communication with the respective antenna unit, said control system being configured to:
detect a wake-up signal,
after detecting the wake-up signal, perform a first training operation comprising:
receiving, by the antenna units, a first reference signal from a first device, and
reconfiguring the antenna units based on the first reference signal to achieve beamforming in reception in a direction of the first device,
perform a second training operation comprising reconfiguring the antenna units to achieve beamforming in a sequence of different directions and, upon detection of a third reference signal from a second device, configuring the antenna units to achieve beamforming in a direction of the second device, and
perform a reflection operation comprising setting the antenna units to achieve beamforming in the direction of the first device and in the direction of the second device to thereby configure the system to redirect an incoming RF signal from the first device to the second device, and from the second device to the first device.