WO2018059665A1

WO2018059665A1 - Communication system

Info

Publication number: WO2018059665A1
Application number: PCT/EP2016/072961
Authority: WO
Inventors: Juha Hannula; Mikko Juhani JUNTTILA; Mika Petri Pari
Original assignee: Nokia Solutions and Networks Oy
Current assignee: Nokia Solutions and Networks Oy
Priority date: 2016-09-27
Filing date: 2016-09-27
Publication date: 2018-04-05
Anticipated expiration: 2019-03-27

Abstract

An apparatus for communicating with at least one device, the apparatus comprising: a substrate configured for attachment to a surface; transmission circuitry connected to the substrate and comprising at least one antenna and processing circuitry and configured to function as at least part of an access point to a network, the processing circuitry being configured to: apply signals received from the network to at least one antenna for transmission to at least one device; and/or receive signals detected by the at least one antenna from at least one device, said signals for delivery to the network.

Description

Title

COMMUNICATION SYSTEM Field The present application relates to a method and apparatus suitable for use in a

communication network.

Background A communication system can be seen as a facility that enables communication sessions between two or more entities such as user terminals, base stations/access points and/or other nodes by providing carriers between the various entities involved in the communications path. A communication system can be provided for example by means of a communication network and one or more compatible communication devices. The communication sessions may comprise, for example, communication of data for carrying communications such as voice, electronic mail (email), text message, multimedia and/or content data and so on. Non-limiting examples of services provided comprise two-way or multi-way calls, data communication or multimedia services and access to a data network system, such as the Internet. In a wireless communication system at least a part of a communication session between at least two stations occurs over a wireless link.

A user can access the communication system by means of an appropriate communication device or terminal. A communication device of a user is often referred to as user equipment (UE). A communication device is provided with an appropriate signal receiving and transmitting apparatus for enabling communications, for example enabling access to a communication network or communications directly with other users. The communication device may access a carrier provided by a station or access point, and transmit and/or receive communications on the carrier. The communication system and associated devices typically operate in accordance with a given standard or specification which sets out what the various entities associated with the system are permitted to do and how that should be achieved. Communication protocols and/or parameters which shall be used for the connection are also typically defined. One example of a communications system is UTRAN (3G radio). Other examples of communication systems are the long-term evolution (LTE) of the Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS) radio-access technology and so-called 5G or New Radio (the term used by 3GPP) networks. Standardization of 5G or New Radio networks is currently under discussion. LTE is being standardized by the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP).

In the field of wireless computer networking, an access point is a radio receiver/transmitter that serves as the hub of the local wireless network, and may also be the gateway between a wired network and the wireless network. Such an access point may provide access to a wireless network, such as the internet, to UEs, by communicating with the UEs via radio communication. The access point may comprise at least one antenna used to send and receive radio waves for communication with such UEs. The communications may be in accordance with 3GPP or Wi-Fi. In the case of a router used for internet access, the access point may then communicate with an internet service provider to provide internet access to the UEs in its vicinity.

One of the requirements that must be taken into consideration in the development of new radio networks is the need to provide new positions for access points.

Summary of the invention

According to a first aspect, there is provided an apparatus for communicating with at least one device, the apparatus comprising: a substrate configured for attachment to a surface; transmission circuitry connected to the substrate and comprising at least one antenna and processing circuitry and configured to function as at least part of an access point to a network, the processing circuitry being configured to: apply signals received from the network to at least one antenna for transmission to at least one device; and/or receive signals detected by the at least one antenna from at least one device, said signals for delivery to the network. In some embodiments, at least part of the transmission circuitry is printed on the substrate such that said at least part of the transmission circuitry is substantially transparent. In some embodiments, the transmission circuitry comprises at least part of a remote radio head printed on the substrate.

In some embodiments, the substrate comprises a sheet of foil.

In some embodiments, the foil is formed of at least one of: a plastic material; and/or a biobased material.

In some embodiments, the apparatus further comprises: an interface connected to the substrate and configured to transfer data to a network, wherein the processing circuitry is further configured to convert at least one signal received at the at least one antenna into a signal for communication to the network over the interface.

In some embodiments, the interface is configured to transfer the data between the processing circuitry and an access point of the network separate from the substrate.

In some embodiment, the processing circuitry is further configured to: receive from the interface, data for transmission to the at least one device; convert the received data into at least one signal having a form that may be received by the at least one device; and apply the at least one signal to the at least one antenna for transmission to the at least one device.

In some embodiments, the at least one antenna comprises: a first antenna configured to transmit and receive signals according to a first communication protocol; and a second antenna configured to transmit and receive signals according to a second communication protocol.

In some embodiments, the first and second protocols are different to each other.

In some embodiments, the first and second protocols are at least one of: a long term evolution protocol; a license assisted access protocol; a 5G protocol; and a Wi-Fi protocol.

In some embodiments, the transmission circuitry further comprises a base transceiver station. In some embodiments, the apparatus further comprises a connector attached to the substrate and configured to attach the substrate to the surface According to a second aspect, the system comprises: an apparatus according to the first aspect and a panel providing the surface, wherein the apparatus is affixed to the surface via the connector. In some embodiments, the panel is an optically transparent panel. In some embodiments, the panel is a window.

According to a third aspect, there is provided a method for communicating with at least one device, the method being implemented by an apparatus as claimed in any preceding claim, the method comprising: applying by the transmission circuitry, signals to the at least one antenna for transmission to at least one device; and receiving by the transmission circuitry, signals detected by the at least one antenna from the at least one device. According to a fourth aspect, there is provided a method for making an apparatus for communicating with at least one device, the method comprising: connecting transmission circuitry to a substrate configured for attachment to a surface, the transmission circuitry comprising processing circuitry and at least one antenna and being configured to function as at least part of an access point to a network, the processing circuitry being configured to: apply signals received from the network to at least one antenna for transmission to the at least one device; and/or receive signals detected by the at least one antenna from the at least one device for transmission to the network.

In some embodiments, the method further comprises providing a connector on the substrate, the connector being configured for connection of the substrate to the surface.

Brief Description of Drawings

Embodiments will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying Figures in which:

Figure 1 shows a schematic diagram of an example communication system comprising a plurality of base stations and a plurality of communication devices;

Figure 2 shows a schematic diagram of an example mobile communication device; Figure 3 shows a schematic diagram of a system of communication between user equipment and an apparatus according to embodiments;

Figure 4 shows a schematic diagram of a substrate and electronic components according to embodiments; Figure 5 illustrates a method for receiving data from a communication link and transmitting it to at least one user equipment;

Figure 6 illustrates a method for receiving data from at least one user equipment and sending the data over a communication link; and

Figure 7 illustrates a method for making an apparatus according to embodiments.

Detailed Description

Before explaining in detail the examples, certain general principles of a wireless communication system and mobile communication devices are briefly explained with reference to Figures 1 to 2 to assist in understanding the technology underlying the described examples.

In a wireless communication system 100, such as that shown in figure 1 , mobile communication devices or user equipment (UE) 102, 104, 105 are provided wireless access via at least one base station or similar wireless transmitting and/or receiving node or point. A base station is referred to as an eNodeB (eNB) in LTE, and is considered to be a type of access point, as it acts as an interface providing access to a communications network. Base stations are typically controlled by at least one appropriate controller apparatus, so as to enable operation thereof and management of mobile communication devices in communication with the base stations. The controller apparatus may be located in a radio access network (e.g. wireless communication system 100) or in a core network (CN) (not shown) and may be implemented as one central apparatus or its functionality may be distributed over several apparatus. The controller apparatus may be part of the base station and/or provided by a separate entity such as a Radio Network Controller. In Figure 1 control apparatus 108 and 109 are shown to control the respective macro level base stations 106 and 107. In some systems, the control apparatus may additionally or alternatively be provided in a radio network controller. LTE systems may however be considered to have a so-called "flat" architecture, without the provision of RNCs; rather the eNB is in communication with a system architecture evolution gateway (SAE-GW) and a mobility management entity (MME), which entities may also be pooled meaning that a plurality of these nodes may serve a plurality (set) of eNBs. Each UE is served by only one MME and/or S-GW at a time and the (e) NB keeps track of current association. SAE-GW is a "high-level" user plane core network element in LTE, which may consist of the S-GW and the P-GW (serving gateway and packet data network gateway, respectively). The functionalities of the S-GW and P-GW are separated and they are not required to be co-located.

In Figure 1 base stations 106 and 107 are shown as connected to a wider communications network 1 13 via gateway 1 12. A further gateway function may be provided to connect to another network.

The smaller base stations 1 16, 1 18 and 120 may also be connected to the network 1 13, for example by a separate gateway function and/or via the controllers of the macro level stations. The base stations 1 16, 1 18 and 120 may be pico or femto level base stations or the like. In the example, stations 1 16 and 1 18 are connected via a gateway 1 1 1 whilst station 120 connects via the controller apparatus 108. In some embodiments, the smaller stations may not be provided. A possible mobile communication device will now be described in more detail with reference to Figure 2 showing a schematic, partially sectioned view of a communication device 200. Such a communication device is often referred to as user equipment (UE) or terminal. An appropriate mobile communication device may be provided by any device capable of sending and receiving radio signals. Non-limiting examples comprise a mobile station (MS) or mobile device such as a mobile phone or what is known as a 'smart phone', a computer provided with a wireless interface card or other wireless interface facility (e.g., USB dongle), personal data assistant (PDA) or a tablet provided with wireless communication capabilities, or any combinations of these or the like. A mobile communication device may provide, for example, communication of data for carrying communications such as voice, electronic mail (email), text message, multimedia, and so on. Users may thus be offered and provided numerous services via their communication devices. Non-limiting examples of these services comprise two-way or multi-way calls, data communication or multimedia services or simply an access to a data communications network system, such as the Internet. Users may also be provided broadcast or multicast data. Non-limiting examples of the content comprise downloads, television and radio programs, videos, advertisements, various alerts and other information.

The mobile device 200 may receive signals over an air or radio interface 207 via appropriate apparatus for receiving and may transmit signals via appropriate apparatus for transmitting radio signals. In Figure 2, transceiver apparatus is designated schematically by block 206. The transceiver apparatus 206 may be provided for example by means of a radio part and associated antenna arrangement. The antenna arrangement may be arranged internally or externally to the mobile device. A mobile device is typically provided with at least one data processing entity 201 , at least one memory 202 and other possible components 203 for use in software and hardware aided execution of tasks it is designed to perform, including control of access to and communications with access systems and other communication devices. The data processing, storage and other relevant control apparatus can be provided on an appropriate circuit board and/or in chipsets. This feature is denoted by reference 204. The user may control the operation of the mobile device by means of a suitable user interface such as key pad 205, voice commands, touch sensitive screen or pad, combinations thereof or the like. A display 208, a speaker and a microphone can be also provided. Furthermore, a mobile communication device may comprise appropriate connectors (either wired or wireless) to other devices and/or for connecting external accessories, for example hands-free equipment, thereto. The communication devices 102, 104, 105 may access the communication system based on various access techniques.

Aspects of the present application relate to providing a substrate comprising transmission circuitry for effectuating communication with a further apparatus (such as a network apparatus and/or a user terminal). The transmission circuitry is configured to function as an access point to a network. The transmission circuitry comprises processing circuitry for processing a signal for transmission and at least one antenna for transmitting and/or receiving signals from at least one other device. The substrate is configured for attachment to a surface. At least part of the transmission circuitry provided on the substrate may appear to be substantially invisible to the naked eye (e.g. the transmission circuitry may comprise metallic traces/lines having a width of 0.04mm or less). By providing transmission circuitry, which is invisible to the naked eye, a network access point may be provided on a window without obscuring the view through that window.

The substrate is connected via a connector (such as an adhesive) to a surface. The surface (nominally a major surface) may be a surface of a window/window pane. In particular, the connector may be configured to attach a first major surface of the substrate to the surface.

According to the following, there is provided apparatus for communicating with at least one device. The at least one device may be a user terminal. The apparatus comprises a substrate having a first surface and a second surface. The first and second surfaces refer to the major external surfaces of the substrate, which is substantially two-dimensional. The first and second surface may be opposite surfaces. The substrate may be a thin leaf of material (or "foil"), which may be made of a plastic material. The substrate may be in tape format. The substrate may have varying levels of visibility. For example, the substrate may be invisible or may be only partially invisible. Although the description refers to a first and second surface of a substrate and components being attached to the second surface, it would be understood by the person skilled in the art that the invention is not so limited and that references to a first and second surfaces are examples only, and that in other embodiments, the components may be attached to the substrate in other ways.

The apparatus further comprises a connector attached to the substrate that is configured to attach the substrate to a surface. The connector may be configured to attach the first surface of the substrate to the surface. The connector may be an adhesive. The surface may be substantially planar. The surface may be an optically transparent panel of a window. The window may be made of glass and/or plastic.

The apparatus further comprises processing circuitry, at least part of which being located on the substrate. The at least part of the processing circuitry may be located on the second surface of the substrate. The at least part of the processing circuitry may be located on the surface via a printing operation. The processing circuitry may be printed in narrow lines. The processing circuitry may be printed such that it is substantially transparent. By this, it is meant that at least part of the processing circuitry appears to be optically transparent relative to the surface on which it is printed. Therefore, the width of the narrow lines may be 0.04mm or less. At least part of the processing circuitry may be moulded into the substrate. This may be achieved, for example, using injection moulding. At least part of the processing circuitry may be baked into the substrate. The processing circuitry may be configured to: apply signals to at least one antenna for transmission to the at least one device; and/or receive signals detected by the at least one antenna from the at least one device, said signal being for delivery to the network. Together, the at least one antenna and the processing circuitry form transmission circuitry.

The at least one antenna may also be located on the substrate as part of the transmission circuitry. The at least one antenna may be located on the second surface. The at least one antenna may also be printed in narrow lines such that it is invisible to the naked eye of an observer. In other words, the at least one antenna may be printed such that it is substantially transparent. Therefore, the width of the narrow lines may be 0.04mm or less. The at least one antenna may comprise a first antenna configured to transmit and/or receive signals according to a first protocol; and a second antenna configured to transmit and/or receive signals according to a second protocol. The first antenna and the second antenna may be configured to communicate data in accordance with the same protocol. For example, the first and second antennas may cooperate to provide diversity in transmitted and/received signals, such that a signal may be more reliably communicated. The first antenna and the second antenna may be configured to communicate data in accordance with different protocols. For example, the first antenna may be configured to transmit data in one or more long term evolution bands whilst the second antenna may be configured to transmit data in accordance with licence assisted access. The processing circuitry may be configured to coordinate communications between the plurality of antennas. The coordination may be to mitigate against potential and/or existing interference between the communication protocols.

There may be more than two antennas and, consequently, more than two protocols according to which the transmission circuitry may be configured to communicate data. For example, the at least one antenna may comprise a third antenna configured to transmit data in the Wi-Fi spectrum. The at least one antenna may be configured to communicate data in accordance with different protocols at different times. For example, a first antenna may communicate data in accordance with a plurality of different communication protocols at different times. The processing circuitry may be arranged to effect this switching between different communication protocols. The apparatus may further comprise an interface connected to the substrate that is configured to transfer data received via the at least one antenna to a network node (such as a base station and/or a base station controller) for communication over a network. The interface may be an Ethernet socket, a fibre optic socket, or some other form of interface. The interface may be configured to transfer the data between the processing circuitry and the network. The processing circuitry may be further configured to: receive, from the interface, data for transmission to the at least one device; convert the received data into signals having a form in accordance with a selected communication protocol; and apply those signals to the at least one antenna for transmission to the at least one device. The selected communication protocol may be selected by the processing circuitry in dependence on the configuration of the at least one device that is to receive the data.

Reference is now made to figure 3, which provides an illustration of a system for providing access to a wireless network to UEs in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure. The figure shows a surface 310 which may, for example, be an optically transparent panel and/or window. Attached to the surface 310 is the substrate 320. The substrate 320 comprises transmission circuitry, including antennas and processing circuitry, on an opposite surface to the surface via which the substrate 320 is connected to the substrate. The substrate is attached to a major surface of the window, as opposed to a minor surface. For example, the substrate may be attached to the major surface of the window rather than being in the frame of the window. As a window is considered to be substantially two dimensional, it is understood that references here to a major surface of the window refers to one of the two largest surfaces of the window.

The transmission circuitry may be located on the opposite surface of the substrate to the surface through which the substrate 320 is connected to the window. The substrate 320 may be attached to the surface of the window 310 using any suitable adhesive. The adhesive may be one suitable for attaching a plastic foil to a surface, such as glass. The adhesive may be applied through any mechanism.

The transmission circuitry may be configured to transmit and/or receive a signal to and from the UE 330. For example, the transmission circuitry may function as a simple repeater, transmitting information in only one direction. The transmission circuitry may function to provide at least one bi-directional communication link between the network and the user equipment 330. The transmission circuitry is connected via a communication link 340 with a gateway/access point 350 for a network. This gateway/access point 350 is provides an interface between the transmission circuitry and the network. The communication link 340 may be a wireless or wired interface. The communication link may, for example, be a fibre optic cable. The communication link may be an Ethernet cable. The access point 350 may be a base transceiver station. The access point may be a router for providing internet access to the UEs. The access point 350 may be configured to communicate with a macro level base station or a satellite, thereby providing communication between a network and the components on the substrate.

The transmission circuitry itself functions as at least part of an access point to the network. By this, it is meant that the transmission circuitry is configured to act as at least part of a network apparatus providing an interface between a separate user equipment and a communications network further apparatus of the communications network. The transmission circuitry may function as a base transceiver station and/or as a remote radio head. Therefore, the total function of an access point for the network may be distributed between the transmission circuity located on the substrate and the access point 350, which is separate from the substrate. It is also understood that the transmission circuitry may be configured to act as a full access point to the network, depending on the processing circuitry provided therein and the current configuration of the processing circuitry. Reference is made to figure 4, which shows an example of the substrate 320 in greater detail. On the substrate are printed a number of antennas 430a, 430b, 430c. There may be separate antennas for different communication protocols. For example, a first antenna 430a may send and receive signals in the LTE bands. A second antenna 430b may send and receive signals according to License-assisted access using LTE (LAA-LTE). A third antenna 430c may send and receive signals in the WiFi band. The antennae need not necessarily transmit and receive signals independently but may co-operate with one another in the transmission and reception of data to and from UEs. Such co-operation may involve the use of beamforming or MIMO techniques.

Antennas are printed on the substrate 320. The antennas are preferably printed on the substrate 320 in narrow lines such that they are invisible, i.e. they cannot be observed with the naked eye.

The at least one antennae may be printed as part of transmission circuitry. Also on the substrate 320 as part of the transmission circuitry is processing circuitry 450. At least part of the processing circuitry may be deposited on the substrate. The processing circuitry 450 is connected to the at least one antenna 430 and is configured to apply the signals to the antennas and to detect the signals received in the antennas. Processing circuitry 450 is further configured to process signals for transmission to at least one other communication device (such as the above-mentioned network apparatus/node and the user terminal). At least part of the processing circuitry may be printed on the substrate in narrow lines. Other parts of the processing circuitry may be moulded into the substrate, e.g. via injection moulding.

The transmission circuitry may be configured to function as at least part of a remote radio head 460. The processing circuitry 450 may be part of the RRH 460. At least part of the transmission circuitry (for example, at least one of the antennas and some of the connections for processing the signals in the processing circuitry) may be printed in narrow lines. The narrow lines may be such that the transmission circuitry is invisible to the naked eye.

Also located on the substrate 320 is an interface 420 that is configured to communicate via the above-mentioned communication link 340 with access point 350. The interface 420 may be printed on the substrate 320. Alternatively, the interface 420 may be affixed to the substrate in some other way, for example, via an adhesive or via an injection moulding technique. In some embodiments, the interface 420 is an Ethernet socket. The substrate may also have located on it, additional electronics 440 configured to communicate between the interface 420 and the processing circuitry 450. The interface 420 may also be configured to receive power, either via communication link 340 or otherwise, so as to power the processing circuitry 450 and antennas 430 and, in some embodiment, further components of the remote radio head 460. The power may be provided by power over Ethernet in which the communication link 340 is an Ethernet cable and the power is provided by said link.

In one embodiment, components (e.g. processing circuitry and antennas) on the substrate may be powered by a USB connection. In such a case, this USB connection may be the interface 420, and the communication link may be a USB link configured to send and receive communications to and from the network or access point 350. The communication link 340 may be a mini-USB link. Alternatively, the power may be provided by a separate entity to the entity that is configured to provide the interface through which data is sent and/or received. For example, the components may be powered using an inductive coil or the like also printed on the substrate. The components may be powered through a battery located on or near to the substrate. The components may be powered by solar power. The components may be powered via some mains power supply. In some aspects, the communication link 340 may not connect the interface to access point 350, but may instead connect the interface directly to the network. This implementation may suitable when the communication link is a Wi-Fi communication link 340.

Additionally, located on the substrate may be at least one sensor 470. The sensor may sense one or more of light, air pressure, pollution, temperature, humidity, brightness, movement, infrared, noise, UV etc. The at least one sensor 470 may comprise a video camera. The processing circuitry may receive information collected by the sensors and apply signals to the at least one antenna so as to transmit this information to at least one UE. Additionally or alternatively, the processing circuitry 450 may be configured to transmit this information over communication link 340 to a network destination. The collection and transmission of the sensor data may allow conditions present in the vicinity of the base station to be used to provide feedback to user applications operating on the UEs.

Additionally, located on the substrate may be one or more components configured to enable communication with devices according to wireless access technologies, such as Bluetooth, LoRA, SigFox, LiFi. Additionally located on the substrate may be a data store 480. The data store 480 may be a server or may form part of a server. The server may be a proxy server. In some embodiments, the server may be located across multiple different RRHs on different substrates and the data store 480 may be a part of that distributed server. The data store may be used to store data received over the communication link 340 from a network. The processing circuitry 450 may then apply signals to the at least one antenna 430 to transmit that data to at least one UE. The transmission may occur in response to a request for that data from the at least one UE. The data held in the data store 480 could hold data which is likely to be accessed by users, for example, recent news stories. The determination of what is likely to be accessed by users may be determined by the processing circuitry or at a remote network location. When the determination of what is likely to be accessed by users is made remotely, this may be communicated to the processing circuitry over the communication link 340. When the processing circuitry 450 receives a request from UE for data that the data store is currently storing in response to the determination, such as a recent news story, this data/story may be retrieved from the data store 480 rather than from the network, hence reducing network traffic.

Reference is made to figure 5, which shows a method 500 for receiving data from over the communication link and transmitting to at least one UE. At S510 data is received at the interface 420 from over the communication link 340. This data may be received from an access point 350 or directly from a network.

At S520, the received data may be analysed and the signals to be applied to the antenna may be determined. This step may be carried out by suitable circuitry present on the substrate, such as the processing circuitry 450. The data received at the interface may be transferred to the processing circuitry 450 which then determines the signals to be applied to the antennas so as to transmit the data to the UE.

At S530, the processing circuitry applies the signals to the antennas so as to transmit the data to the UE. The timing, phase, and frequency with which the signals are applied to the antennas 430 may be determined so as to perform beamforming i.e. so as to perform directional signal transmission and/or reception. The beamforming may be 3D beamforming.

Reference is made to figure 6, which shows a method 600 that may be performed for received data from the at least one UE 330 for transmission over the network. At S610, a signal transmitted by a UE is received at at least one antenna. The processing circuitry detects the signal received in the at least one antenna.

At S620, the detected signal is analysed and the information represented by the signal is converted to a suitable data format for transmission over the communication link 340. This step may be performed by the processing circuitry and by at least one additional elements present on the substrate.

At S630, the data is send in the suitable data format through the interface 420 and over the communication link 340. The data may be sent to an access point, which may then transmit the data over a network or the data may be applied directly to the network.

Reference is made to figure 7, which shows a method of manufacturing the apparatus according to embodiments of the application. It would be understood by the person skilled in the art that the steps need not be performed in the order in which they are presented in the figure and in the following discussion, but may be performed in another order. It would also be understood by the person skilled in the art that not all these steps need be performed, but that one or more of them may be omitted in some embodiments. At S710, the transmission circuitry is connected to the substrate. This step may comprise attaching and/or depositing the transmission circuitry onto the second surface of the substrate. The step may comprise one or more of: printing the at least one antenna onto the substrate, printing at least part of the processing circuitry onto the substrate, and moulding or baking at least part of the processing circuitry into the substrate. This step may also comprise printing or otherwise attaching any other components discussed above to the substrate, and may include attaching the RRH 460 to the second surface of the substrate, and attaching the interface 420 to the second surface.

At S720, the connector is attached to the substrate. The connector may be attached on the first surface of the substrate. This step may comprise coating a surface with a suitable adhesive.

At step S730, the substrate is attached via the connector to the surface, e.g. the window and/or optically transparent panel.

Embodiments of the application may have the advantage of allowing components of base stations, such as antennas and processing circuitry, to occupy positions which reduce the amount of space required for base station equipment in a particular area. For example, by placing the antennas, processing circuitry, and other elements on a window in a room, there is a reduced need for these elements to be present in further equipment in the room which would require additional space. The elements can be printed on the substrate in narrow lines such that it is invisible to users.

It is also noted herein that while the above describes example embodiments, there are several variations and modifications which may be made to the disclosed solution without departing from the scope of the present invention.

It should be understood that the apparatuses may comprise or be coupled to other units or modules etc., such as radio parts or radio heads, used in or for transmission and/or reception. Although the apparatuses have been described as one entity, different modules and memory may be implemented in one or more physical or logical entities.

In general, the various embodiments may be implemented in hardware or special purpose circuits, software, logic or any combination thereof. Some aspects of the invention may be implemented in hardware, while other aspects may be implemented in firmware or software which may be executed by a controller, microprocessor or other computing device, although the invention is not limited thereto. While various aspects of the invention may be illustrated and described as block diagrams, flow charts, or using some other pictorial representation, it is well understood that these blocks, apparatus, systems, techniques or methods described herein may be implemented in, as non-limiting examples, hardware, software, firmware, special purpose circuits or logic, general purpose hardware or controller or other computing devices, or some combination thereof.

Certain aspects of embodiments of this invention may be implemented by computer software executable by a data processor of the mobile device, such as in the processor entity, or by hardware, or by a combination of software and hardware. Computer software or program, also called program product, including software routines, applets and/or macros, may be stored in any apparatus-readable data storage medium and they comprise program instructions to perform particular tasks. A computer program product may comprise one or more computer- executable components which, when the program is run, are configured to carry out aspects of the embodiments. The one or more computer-executable components may be at least one software code or portions of it. Further in this regard it should be noted that any blocks of the logic flow may represent program steps, or interconnected logic circuits, blocks and functions, or a combination of program steps and logic circuits, blocks and functions. The software may be stored on such physical media as memory chips, or memory blocks implemented within the processor, magnetic media such as hard disk or floppy disks, and optical media such as for example DVD and the data variants thereof, CD. The physical media is a non-transitory media.

The memory may be of any type suitable to the local technical environment and may be implemented using any suitable data storage technology, such as semiconductor based memory devices, magnetic memory devices and systems, optical memory devices and systems, fixed memory and removable memory. The data processors may be of any type suitable to the local technical environment, and may comprise one or more of general purpose computers, special purpose computers, microprocessors, digital signal processors (DSPs), application specific integrated circuits (ASIC), FPGA, gate level circuits and processors based on multi core processor architecture, as non-limiting examples.

Embodiments of the inventions may be practiced in various components such as integrated circuit modules. The design of integrated circuits is by and large a highly automated process. Complex and powerful software tools are available for converting a logic level design into a semiconductor circuit design ready to be etched and formed on a semiconductor substrate.

The foregoing description has provided by way of non-limiting examples a full and informative description of the exemplary embodiment of this invention. However, various modifications and adaptations may become apparent to those skilled in the relevant arts in view of the foregoing description, when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and the appended claims. However, all such and similar modifications of the teachings of this invention will still fall within the scope of this invention as defined in the appended claims. Indeed there is a further embodiment comprising a combination of one or more embodiments with any of the other embodiments previously discussed.

Claims

1. An apparatus for communicating with at least one device, the apparatus comprising:

a substrate configured for attachment to a surface;

transmission circuitry connected to the substrate and comprising at least one antenna and processing circuitry and configured to function as at least part of an access point to a network, the processing circuitry being configured to:

apply signals received from the network to at least one antenna for transmission to at least one device; and/or

receive signals detected by the at least one antenna from at least one device, said signals for delivery to the network.

2. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1 , wherein at least part of the transmission circuitry is printed on the substrate such that said at least part of the transmission circuitry is substantially transparent.

3. An apparatus as claimed in either of claims 1 or 2, wherein the transmission circuitry comprises at least part of a remote radio head printed on the substrate.

4. An apparatus as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the substrate comprises a sheet of foil.

5. An apparatus as claimed in claim 4, wherein the foil is formed of at least one of: a plastic material; and/or a biobased material.

6. An apparatus as claimed in any preceding claim, further comprising:

an interface connected to the substrate and configured to transfer data to a network,

wherein the processing circuitry is further configured to convert at least one signal received at the at least one antenna into a signal for communication to the network over the interface.

7. An apparatus as claimed in claim 6, wherein the interface is configured to transfer the data between the processing circuitry and an access point of the network separate from the substrate.

8. An apparatus as claimed in claim 6 or 7, wherein the processing circuitry is further configured to:

receive from the interface, data for transmission to the at least one device;

convert the received data into at least one signal having a form that may be received by the at least one device; and

apply the at least one signal to the at least one antenna for transmission to the at least one device.

9. An apparatus as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the at least one antenna comprises: a first antenna configured to transmit and receive signals according to a first communication protocol; and a second antenna configured to transmit and receive signals according to a second communication protocol.

10. An apparatus as claimed in claim 9, wherein the first and second protocols are different to each other.

1 1 . An apparatus as claimed in claim 9 or 10, wherein the first and second protocols are at least one of: a long term evolution protocol; a license assisted access protocol; a 5G protocol; and a Wi-Fi protocol.

12. An apparatus as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the transmission circuitry further comprises a base transceiver station.

13. An apparatus as claimed in any preceding claim, further comprising a connector attached to the substrate and configured to attach the substrate to the surface

14. A system comprising:

an apparatus as claimed in claim 13; and

a panel providing the surface, wherein the apparatus is affixed to the surface via the connector.

15. A system as claimed in claim 14, wherein the panel is an optically transparent panel.

16. A system as claimed in claim 14 or 15, wherein the panel is a window.

17. A method for communicating with at least one device, the method being implemented by an apparatus as claimed in any preceding claim, the method comprising: applying by the transmission circuitry, signals to the at least one antenna for transmission to at least one device; and

receiving by the transmission circuitry, signals detected by the at least one antenna from the at least one device.

18. A method for making an apparatus for communicating with at least one device, the method comprising:

connecting transmission circuitry to a substrate configured for attachment to a surface, the transmission circuitry comprising processing circuitry and at least one antenna and being configured to function as at least part of an access point to a network, the processing circuitry being configured to:

apply signals received from the network to at least one antenna for transmission to the at least one device; and/or

receive signals detected by the at least one antenna from the at least one device for transmission to the network.

19. A method as claimed in claim 18, further comprising providing a connector on the substrate, the connector being configured for connection of the substrate to the surface.