IP Library › Granted Patent US 12,401,425
Granted Patent B2
US 12,401,425 · App. 18/067,516 · Granted Aug 26, 2025

Radio frequency communications using laser optical breakdowns

Inventors: Wayne R. Howe (Irvine, CA); Jeffrey H. Hunt (Thousand Oaks, CA)
Assignee: The Boeing Company
H04B10/503H04B10/11H04B10/541H04B2210/006
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 12,401,425
App. No.
18/067,516
Granted
Aug 26, 2025
Kind
B2
Abstract

A method, apparatus, and system for transmitting data. A radio frequency communications system comprising a computer system and a communications manager in the computer system. The communications manager is configured to identify data for transmission using radio frequency noise signals or other electromagnetic spectrum. The communications manager is configured to control an emission of laser beams at a set of optical breakdown points to cause optical breakdowns that generate radio frequency noise signals encoding the data.

Claims (80)

1. A radio frequency communications system comprising:

a computer system;

a communications manager in the computer system, wherein the communications manager is configured to:

identify data for transmission using radio frequency noise signals; and

control an emission of a set of laser beams at a set of optical breakdown points to cause optical breakdowns that generate the radio frequency noise signals encoding the data,

wherein in controlling the emission of the set of laser beams, the communications manager is configured to:

emit the set of laser beams from different locations at an optical breakdown point, wherein a portion of the set of laser beams intersect at the optical breakdown point such that a power from the portion of the set of laser beams is sufficient to cause the optical breakdowns at the optical breakdown point that generate the radio frequency noise signals encoding the data.

2. The radio frequency communications system of claim 1 further comprising:

a laser generation system in communication with the communications manager, wherein the communications manager controls the laser generation system to emit the set of laser beams.

3. The radio frequency communications system of claim 1 , wherein in controlling the emission of the set of laser beams, the communications manager is configured to:

emit a first number of the set of laser beams continuously at the set of optical breakdown points; and

pulse a second number of the set of laser beams at the set of optical breakdown points to cause the optical breakdowns that generate the radio frequency noise signals encoding the data.

4. The radio frequency communications system of claim 3 , wherein the set of laser beams are emitted from different locations.

5. The radio frequency communications system of claim 1 , wherein in controlling the emission of the set of laser beams, the communications manager is configured to:

emit the set of laser beams at the set of optical breakdown points causing the optical breakdowns that generate the radio frequency noise signals encoding the data.

6. The radio frequency communications system of claim 5 , wherein in emitting the laser beams at the set of optical breakdown points, the communications manager is configured to:

emit the set of laser beams at a selected optical breakdown point in the set of optical breakdown points;

select a new optical breakdown point in the set of optical breakdown points as the selected optical breakdown point; and

repeat the emitting the set of laser beams and selecting the new optical breakdown point while generating the radio frequency noise signals encoding the data.

7. The radio frequency communications system of claim 1 , wherein in controlling the emission of the set of laser beams, the communications manager is configured to:

emit a subset of the set of laser beams at the set of optical breakdown points to cause the optical breakdowns that generate the radio frequency noise signals encoding the data;

select a new subset of the set of laser beams as the subset of the set of laser beams; and

repeat emitting of the subset of laser beams and selecting the new subset of the set of laser beams while transmitting the radio frequency noise signals encoding the data.

8. The radio frequency communications system of claim 6 , wherein the set of laser beams are emitted from different locations.

9. The radio frequency communications system of claim 1 , wherein in controlling the emission of the set of laser beams, the communications manager is configured to:

emit the set of laser beams at an optical breakdown point, wherein the optical breakdowns occur in response to all of the set of laser beams intersecting at the optical breakdown point.

10. The radio frequency communications system of claim 1 , wherein a power of a laser beam at an optical breakdown point is controlled by at least one of a shutter, a lens, a deformable lens, a microelectromechanical systems mirror, an attenuator, a controlling optics, an optical filter, or an amplitude modulator in a laser beam generator.

11. The radio frequency communications system of claim 1 , wherein the communications manager is configured to:

change a set of laser beam parameters for the set of laser beams to encode the data into the radio frequency noise signals, wherein changing the set of laser beam parameters changes a set of radio frequency characteristics for the radio frequency noise signals.

12. The radio frequency communications system of claim 11 , wherein the set of radio frequency characteristics for the radio frequency noise signals is selected from at least one of a timing, an optical breakdown point, or an amplitude of the radio frequency noise signals.

13. The radio frequency communications system of claim 1 , wherein the set of optical breakdown points is selected from at least one of an intersection point or a focal point.

14. A radio frequency communications system comprising:

a laser generation system configured to emit a set of laser beams;

a computer system; and

a communications manager in the computer system, wherein the communications manager is configured to:

identify data for transmission; and

control an emission of the set of laser beams using the laser generation system to cause optical breakdowns generating radio frequency noise signals encoding the data,

wherein in controlling the emission of the set of laser beams, the communications manager is configured to:

emit the set of laser beams at the set of optical breakdown points causing the optical breakdowns that generate the radio frequency noise signals encoding the data, and

wherein in emitting the laser beams at the set of optical breakdown points, the communications manager is configured to:

emit the set of laser beams at a selected optical breakdown point in the set of optical breakdown points;

select a new optical breakdown point in the set of optical breakdown points as the selected optical breakdown point; and

repeat the emitting the set of laser beams and selecting the new optical breakdown point while generating the radio frequency noise signals encoding the data.

15. A method for transmitting data, the method comprising:

identifying the data for transmission; and

controlling an emission of a set of laser beams to cause optical breakdowns generating radio frequency noise signals encoding the data,

wherein controlling the emission of the laser beams comprises:

emitting a subset of the laser beams at the set of optical breakdown points to cause the optical breakdowns that generate the radio frequency noise signals encoding the data;

selecting a new subset of the laser beams as the subset of the laser beams; and

repeating the emitting the subset of the laser beams and selecting the new subset of the laser beams while transmitting the radio frequency noise signals encoding the data.

16. The method of claim 15 , wherein controlling the emission of the set of laser beams comprises:

controlling a power of a laser beam in the set of laser beams to reach an optical breakdown level at a focal point to cause the optical breakdowns that generate the radio frequency noise signals encoding the data.

17. The method of claim 15 , wherein controlling an emission of the set of laser beams comprises:

controlling emission of the set of laser beams to intersect an intersection point such that a power of the set of the laser beams at the intersection point causes the optical breakdowns that generate the radio frequency noise signals encoding the data.

18. A method for transmitting data, the method comprising:

identifying the data for transmission using radio frequency noise signals; and

controlling an emission of laser beams at a set of optical breakdown points to cause optical breakdowns that generate the radio frequency noise signals encoding the data;

wherein controlling the emission of the laser beams comprises:

emitting a first set of the laser beams continuously at the set of optical breakdown points; and

pulsing a second set of the laser beams at the set of optical breakdown points to cause the optical breakdowns that generate the radio frequency noise signals encoding the data.

19. The method of claim 18 , wherein controlling the emission of the laser beams comprises:

emitting the laser beams at the set of optical breakdown points causing the optical breakdowns that generate the radio frequency noise signals encoding the data.

20. The method of claim 19 , wherein emitting the laser beams at the set of optical breakdown points comprises:

emitting the laser beams at a selected optical breakdown point in the set of optical breakdown points; and

selecting a new optical breakdown point in the set of optical breakdown points as the selected optical breakdown point in response to a set of optical breakdowns occurring at the selected optical breakdown point; and

repeating the emitting the laser beams and selecting new optical breakdown points while generating the radio frequency noise signals encoding the data.

21. The method of claim 18 , wherein controlling the emission of the laser beams comprises:

emitting a subset of the laser beams at the set of optical breakdown points to cause the optical breakdowns that generate the radio frequency noise signals encoding the data;

selecting a new subset of the laser beams as the subset of the laser beams; and

repeating the emitting the subset of the laser beams and selecting the new subset of the laser beams while transmitting the radio frequency noise signals encoding the data.

22. The method of claim 21 , wherein the set of laser beams are emitted from different locations.

23. The method of claim 18 , wherein controlling the emission of the laser beams comprises:

emitting the laser beams from different locations at an optical breakdown point, wherein a portion of the set of laser beams intersect at the optical breakdown point such that a power from the portion of the set of laser beams is sufficient to cause the optical breakdowns at the optical breakdown point that generate the radio frequency noise signals encoding the data.

24. The method of claim 18 , wherein controlling the emission of the laser beams comprises:

emitting the laser beams at an optical breakdown point, wherein the optical breakdowns occur in response to all of the laser beams intersecting at the optical breakdown point.

25. The method of claim 18 , wherein a power of a laser beam at an optical breakdown point is controlled at by at least one of a shutter, a lens, a deformable lens, a microelectromechanical systems mirror, an attenuator, a controlling optics, an optical filter, or an amplitude modulator in a laser beam generator.

26. The method of claim 18 further comprising:

changing a set of laser beam parameters for the laser beams to encode the data into the radio frequency noise signals, wherein changing the set of laser beam parameters changes a set of radio frequency characteristics for the radio frequency noise signals.

27. The method of claim 26 , wherein the set of radio frequency characteristics is selected from at least one of a timing, an optical breakdown point, or an amplitude of the radio frequency noise signals.

28. The method of claim 27 , wherein the set of optical breakdown points is selected from at least one of an intersection point or a focal point.

Assignments (1)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Dec 16, 2022
From: HOWE, WAYNE R.; HUNT, JEFFREY H.
To: THE BOEING COMPANY
Reel/Frame 062130/0651 →
Continuity (1)
Related Publication 20240204877A1 · Jun 20, 2024
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