PATENT DOCUMENT

Publication Number: US-11785577-B2
Application Number: US-202217730999-A
Country: US
Kind Code: B2

Title: Automatic device orientation

Abstract:
An electronic device determines a position of a communicaiton hub of a wireless network. In response to determining a position of a communication hub of a wireless communication network, the electronic device may operate one or more actuators to move the device to adjust the orientation of the device relative to the communication hub. As such, the mobile communicating device may adjust the orientation of the device relative to the communication hub to provide more reliable and/or more efficient communication of data.

Claims:
The invention claimed is: 
     
         1 . A method, comprising:
 receiving a position of a communication hub;   receiving an indication of an orientation of one or more antennas of a device relative to the communication hub based on the position of the communication hub; and   operating, based on the orientation of the one or more antennas, a haptic actuator of the device to move the device to adjust the orientation of the one or more antennas relative to the communication hub.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein operating the haptic actuator to move the device causes the one or more antennas to be disposed in a subsequent orientation relative to the communication hub, the method comprising adjusting operation of the haptic actuator of the device based on the subsequent orientation. 
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 2 , wherein adjusting operation of the haptic actuator of the device comprises altering an intensity of the haptic actuator of the device based on the subsequent orientation. 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein operating the haptic actuator to move the device causes the one or more antennas to be disposed in a subsequent orientation relative to the communication hub, the method comprising operating a second haptic actuator of the device based on the subsequent orientation. 
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 4 , comprising adjusting operation of the haptic actuator, the second haptic actuator, or both, of the device based on the subsequent orientation. 
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 5 , wherein adjusting operation of the haptic actuator, the second haptic actuator, or both, of the device comprises ceasing operation of the haptic actuator, the second haptic actuator, or both, of the device. 
     
     
         7 . One or more non-transitory computer-readable media comprising instructions that, when executed by processing circuitry, are configured to cause the processing circuitry to:
 receive an elapsed time from receiving a previous input from a sensor of a device;   cause the device to enter an idle state based on the elapsed time meeting or exceeding a threshold time period; and   in response to causing the device to enter the idle state, 
 receive a position of a communication hub, 
 receive an orientation of one or more antennas of the device relative to the communication hub based on the position of the communication hub, and 
 operate an actuator of the device to move the device to adjust the orientation of the one or more antennas relative to the communication hub. 
   
     
     
         8 . The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of  claim 7 , wherein the instructions, when executed by the processing circuitry, are configured to cause the processing circuitry to receive a signal from the communication hub via the one or more antennas and determine a signal characteristic of the signal. 
     
     
         9 . The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of  claim 8 , wherein the instructions, when executed by the processing circuitry, are configured to cause the processing circuitry to compare the signal characteristic to a threshold signal characteristic. 
     
     
         10 . The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of  claim 9 , wherein the instructions, when executed by the processing circuitry, are configured to cause the processing circuitry to operate the actuator of the device to move the device to adjust the orientation of the one or more antennas relative to the communication hub based on the signal characteristic being less than the threshold signal characteristic. 
     
     
         11 . The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of  claim 9 , wherein the instructions, when executed by the processing circuitry, are configured to cause the processing circuitry to determine an estimated orientation of the one or more antennas relative to the communication hub, the estimated orientation being associated with an increased or maximum signal characteristic based on the signal received from the communication hub. 
     
     
         12 . The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of  claim 11 , wherein the instructions, when executed by the processing circuitry, are configured to cause the processing circuitry to operate the actuator of the device to move the device to adjust the orientation of the one or more antennas toward the estimated orientation. 
     
     
         13 . The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of  claim 7 , wherein the instructions, when executed by the processing circuitry, are configured to cause the processing circuitry to receive a subsequent input from the sensor of the device based on the device entering the idle state, and cease operation of the actuator based on the subsequent input. 
     
     
         14 . The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of  claim 7 , wherein the instructions, when executed by the processing circuitry, are configured to cause the processing circuitry to determine a subsequent orientation of the one or more antennas of the device relative to the communication hub and adjust operation of the actuator of the device based on the subsequent orientation. 
     
     
         15 . A method comprising:
 receiving a position of a communication hub;   receiving an orientation of one or more antennas of a device relative to the communication hub based on the position of the communication hub;   generating and transmitting a first signal via the one or more antennas indicative of the position of the communication hub, the orientation of the one or more antennas of the device relative to the communication hub, or both;   receiving a second signal to operate an actuator of the device; and   operating the actuator of the device based on the second signal.   
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 15 , wherein the first signal instructs a second device to generate a graphical user interface indicative of the position of the communication hub, the orientation of the one or more antennas, or both. 
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 15 , wherein operating the actuator of the device causes the one or more antennas to be disposed in a subsequent orientation relative to the communication hub, the method comprising receiving the subsequent orientation of the one or more antennas relative to the communication hub, and generating and transmitting a third signal indicative of the subsequent orientation of the one or more antennas, wherein the third signal is configured to instruct a second device to generate a graphical user interface indicative of the subsequent orientation based on the third signal. 
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 15 , comprising receiving a third signal via the one or more antennas to adjust operation of the actuator of the device. 
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 18 , comprising altering an intensity of the actuator based on the third signal. 
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 15 , comprising receiving a third signal from the communication hub via the one or more antennas, receiving a signal characteristic of the third signal, and generating and transmitting a fourth signal based on the signal characteristic.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION 
     This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application No. 63/245,027, filed Sep. 16, 2021, entitled “AUTOMATIC DEVICE ORIENTATION,” which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety for all purposes. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND 
     The present disclosure relates generally to wireless communication and more specifically to wireless communication performance. 
     A mobile communication device may utilize different networks, such as cellular networks, Wi-Fi networks, satellite networks, and the like, to transmit and/or receive data. If one or more antennas of the mobile communication device are oriented away from a communication hub of the network, the communication with a network may decrease in performance, or not be performed altogether. As a result, certain operations of the mobile communication device may be undesirably limited. 
     SUMMARY 
     In one embodiment, a method includes receiving a position of a communication hub and receiving an orientation of one or more antennas of a device relative to the communication hub based on the position of the communication hub. The method also includes operating an actuator of the device based on the orientation of the one or more antennas. Operating the actuator of the device moves the device to adjust the orientation of the one or more antennas relative to the communication hub. 
     In another embodiment, one or more non-transitory computer-readable media comprising instructions that, when executed by processing circuitry, are configured to cause the processing circuitry to receive an elapsed time from receiving a previous input from a sensor of a device and cause the device to enter an idle state based on the elapsed time meeting or exceeding a threshold time period. In response to causing the device to enter the idle state, the instructions, when executed by the processing circuitry, are also configured to cause the processing circuitry to receive a position of a communication hub, receive an orientation of one or more antennas of the device relative to the communication hub based on the position of the communication hub, and operate an actuator of the device to move the device to adjust the orientation of the one or more antennas relative to the communication hub. 
     In yet another embodiment, a method includes receiving a position of a communication hub and receiving an orientation of one or more antennas of a device relative to the communication hub based on the position of the communication hub. The method also includes generating and transmitting a first signal via the one or more antennas indicative of the position of the communication hub, the orientation of the one or more antennas of the device relative to the communication hub, or both. The method also includes receiving a second signal to operate an actuator of the device and operating the actuator of the device based on the second signal. 
     Various refinements of the features noted above may exist in relation to various aspects of the present disclosure. Further features may also be incorporated in these various aspects as well. These refinements and additional features may exist individually or in any combination. For instance, various features discussed below in relation to one or more of the illustrated embodiments may be incorporated into any of the above-described aspects of the present disclosure alone or in any combination. The brief summary presented above is intended only to familiarize the reader with certain aspects and contexts of embodiments of the present disclosure without limitation to the claimed subject matter. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       Various aspects of this disclosure may be better understood upon reading the following detailed description and upon reference to the drawings described below in which like numerals refer to like parts. 
         FIG.  1    is a block diagram of an electronic device, according to embodiments of the present disclosure; 
         FIG.  2    is a functional diagram of the electronic device of  FIG.  1   , according to embodiments of the present disclosure; 
         FIG.  3    is a schematic diagram of the electronic device of  FIG.  1   , according to embodiments of the present disclosure; 
         FIG.  4 A  is a schematic diagram of an example communication system including the electronic device of  FIG.  1    having a first orientation relative to a communication hub; according to embodiments of the present disclosure; 
         FIG.  4 B  is a schematic diagram of the example communication system including the electronic device of  FIG.  1    having a second orientation relative to the communication hub, according to embodiments of the present disclosure; and 
         FIG.  5    is a block diagram of another example communication system including the electronic device of  FIG.  1   , the communication hub, and a second electronic device that may adjust orientation of the electronic device of  FIG.  1   , according to embodiments of the present disclosure; 
         FIG.  6    is a flowchart of a method for orienting the electronic device of  FIG.  1    towards the communication hub, according to embodiments of the present disclosure; 
         FIG.  7    is a flowchart of a method for adjusting operation of actuators of the electronic device of  FIG.  1   , according to embodiments of the present disclosure; 
         FIG.  8    is a flowchart of a method for operating the actuators of the electronic device of  FIG.  1    via instructions received from the second electronic device of  FIG.  5   , according to embodiments of the present disclosure; 
         FIG.  9    is a flowchart of a method for operating the second electronic device of  FIG.  8   , according to embodiments of the present disclosure; and 
         FIG.  10    is a flowchart of a method for orienting the electronic device of  FIG.  1    when a display of the electronic device is inoperable, according to embodiments of the present disclosure. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF SPECIFIC EMBODIMENTS 
     This disclosure is directed to improving wireless communications via a mobile communication device. By way of example, when the mobile communication device is outside of a user’s reach (e.g., dropped, misplaced, left, and so forth), the mobile communication device may be misaligned with a communication hub of a wireless communication network. As such, communication of data between the communication hub and the mobile communication device may be unreliable and/or inefficient based on the misalignment. 
     Embodiments herein provide various apparatuses and techniques to enable the mobile communication device to adjust the orientation of the mobile communication device relative to the communication hub (e.g., without a user physically moving the mobile communication device). For example, the mobile communication device may determine a position of the communication hub and may operate one or more actuators of the mobile communication device to move the mobile communication device to improve signal characteristics (e.g., signal power, signal quality, or both) of signals sent and received between the mobile communication device and the communication hub via one or more antennas of the mobile communication device. In particular, the one or more actuators may adjust the orientation based on the determined position of the communication hub to align or better align the antenna  55  with the communication hub. Additionally or alternatively, a second device may instruct the mobile communication device to operate the actuators to adjust the orientation relative to the communication hub. In another instance, the mobile communication device may have a broken, cracked, or otherwise inoperable display. As such, the mobile communication device may operate the actuators to provide an indication of the position of the communication hub to a user. 
       FIG.  1    is a block diagram of an electronic device or mobile communication device  10 , according to embodiments of the present disclosure. The electronic device  10  may include, among other things, one or more processors  12  (collectively referred to herein as a single processor for convenience, which may be implemented in any suitable form of processing circuitry), memory  14 , nonvolatile storage  16 , a display  18 , input structures  22 , an input/output (I/O) interface  24 , a network interface  26 , and a power source  29 . The various functional blocks shown in  FIG.  1    may include hardware elements (including circuitry), software elements (including machine-executable instructions) or a combination of both hardware and software elements (which may be referred to as logic). The processor  12 , the memory  14 , the nonvolatile storage  16 , the display  18 , the input structures  22 , the input/output (I/O) interface  24 , the network interface  26 , and/or the power source  29  may each be communicatively coupled directly or indirectly (e.g., through or via another component, a communication bus, a network) to one another to transmit and/or receive data between one another. It should be noted that  FIG.  1    is merely one example of a particular implementation and is intended to illustrate the types of components that may be present in electronic device  10 . 
     By way of example, the electronic device  10  may include any suitable computing device, including a desktop or notebook computer (e.g., in the form of a MacBook®, MacBook® Pro, MacBook Air®, iMac®, Mac® mini, or Mac Pro® available from Apple Inc. of Cupertino, California), a portable electronic or handheld electronic device such as a wireless electronic device or smartphone (e.g., in the form of a model of an iPhone® available from Apple Inc. of Cupertino, California), a tablet (e.g., in the form of a model of an iPad® available from Apple Inc. of Cupertino, California), a wearable electronic device (e.g., in the form of an Apple Watch® by Apple Inc. of Cupertino, California), and other similar devices. It should be noted that the processor  12  and other related items in  FIG.  1    may be generally referred to herein as “data processing circuitry.” Such data processing circuitry may be embodied wholly or in part as software, hardware, or both. Furthermore, the processor  12  and other related items in  FIG.  1    may be a single contained processing module or may be incorporated wholly or partially within any of the other elements within the electronic device  10 . The processor  12  may be implemented with any combination of general-purpose microprocessors, microcontrollers, digital signal processors (DSPs), field programmable gate array (FPGAs), programmable logic devices (PLDs), controllers, state machines, gated logic, discrete hardware components, dedicated hardware finite state machines, or any other suitable entities that may perform calculations or other manipulations of information. The processors  12  may perform the various functions described herein. 
     In the electronic device  10  of  FIG.  1   , the processor  12  may be operably coupled with a memory  14  and a nonvolatile storage  16  to perform various algorithms. Such programs or instructions executed by the processor  12  may be stored in any suitable article of manufacture that includes one or more tangible, computer-readable media. The tangible, computer-readable media may include the memory  14  and/or the nonvolatile storage  16 , individually or collectively, to store the instructions or routines. The memory  14  and the nonvolatile storage  16  may include any suitable articles of manufacture for storing data and executable instructions, such as random-access memory, read-only memory, rewritable flash memory, hard drives, and optical discs. In addition, programs (e.g., an operating system) encoded on such a computer program product may also include instructions that may be executed by the processor  12  to enable the electronic device  10  to provide various functionalities. 
     In certain embodiments, the display  18  may facilitate users to view images generated on the electronic device  10 . In some embodiments, the display  18  may include a touch screen, which may facilitate user interaction with a user interface of the electronic device  10 . Furthermore, it should be appreciated that, in some embodiments, the display  18  may include one or more liquid crystal displays (LCDs), light-emitting diode (LED) displays, organic light-emitting diode (OLED) displays, active-matrix organic light-emitting diode (AMOLED) displays, or some combination of these and/or other display technologies. 
     The input structures  22  of the electronic device  10  may enable a user to interact with the electronic device  10  (e.g., pressing a button to increase or decrease a volume level). The I/O interface  24  may enable electronic device  10  to interface with various other electronic devices, as may the network interface  26 . In some embodiments, the I/O interface  24  may include an I/O port for a hardwired connection for charging and/or content manipulation using a standard connector and protocol, such as the Lightning connector provided by Apple Inc. of Cupertino, California, a universal serial bus (USB), or other similar connector and protocol. 
     The network interface  26  may include, for example, one or more interfaces for a peer-to-peer connection, a personal area network (PAN), such as an ultra-wideband (UWB) or a BLUETOOTH® network, for a local area network (LAN) or wireless local area network (WLAN), such as a network employing one of the IEEE 802.11x family of protocols (e.g., WI-FI®), and/or for a wide area network (WAN), such as any standards related to the Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP), including, for example, a 3 rd  generation (3G) cellular network, universal mobile telecommunication system (UMTS), 4 th  generation (4G) cellular network, long term evolution (LTE®) cellular network, long term evolution license assisted access (LTE-LAA) cellular network, 5 th  generation (5G) cellular network, and/or New Radio (NR) cellular network, and so on. In particular, the network interface  26  may include, for example, one or more interfaces for using a cellular communication standard of the 5G specifications that include the millimeter wave (mmWave) frequency range (e.g., 24.25-300 gigahertz (GHz)). The network interface  26  can further include provisions for communicating via terrestrial or non-terrestrial networks. Non-terrestrial networks can include communications or a connection via a satellite network. In at least one example, this can include non-terrestrial network (NTN) communication according to one of the 3GPP family of wireless communication standards. 
     The network interface  26  of the electronic device  10  may allow communication over the aforementioned networks (e.g., 5G, Wi-Fi, LTE-LAA, and so forth). The network interface  26  may also include one or more interfaces for, for example, broadband fixed wireless access networks (e.g., WIMAX®), mobile broadband Wireless networks (mobile WIMAX®), asynchronous digital subscriber lines (e.g., ADSL, VDSL), digital video broadcasting-terrestrial (DVB-T®) network and its extension DVB Handheld (DVB-H®) network, UWB network, alternating current (AC) power lines, and so forth. The network interface  26  may, for instance, include a transceiver  30  for communicating data using one of the aforementioned networks. The power source  29  of the electronic device  10  may include any suitable source of power, such as a rechargeable lithium polymer (Li-poly) battery and/or an alternating current (AC) power converter. 
       FIG.  2    is a functional diagram of the electronic device  10  of  FIG.  1   , according to embodiments of the present disclosure. As illustrated, the processor  12 , the memory  14 , the transceiver  30 , a transmitter  52 , a receiver  54 , and/or antennas  55  (illustrated as  55 A- 55 N, collectively referred to as an antenna  55 ) may be communicatively coupled directly or indirectly (e.g., through or via another component, a communication bus, a network) to one another to transmit and/or receive data between one another. 
     The electronic device  10  may include the transmitter  52  and/or the receiver  54  that respectively enable transmission and reception of data between the electronic device  10  and an external device via, for example, a network (e.g., including base stations) or a direct connection. As illustrated, the transmitter  52  and the receiver  54  may be combined into the transceiver  30 . The electronic device  10  may also have one or more antennas  55 A- 55 N electrically coupled to the transceiver  30 . The antennas  55 A- 55 N may be configured in an omnidirectional or directional configuration, in a single-beam, dual-beam, or multi-beam arrangement, and so on. Each antenna  55  may be associated with one or more beams and various configurations. In some embodiments, multiple antennas of the antennas  55 A- 55 N of an antenna group or module may be communicatively coupled to a respective transceiver  30  and each emit radio frequency signals that may constructively and/or destructively combine to form a beam. Additionally or alternatively, the antennas  55 A- 55 N may include one or more steerable antennas, one or more fixed antennas, or a combination thereof. For example, the steerable antennas may adjust (e.g., rotate) a direction of an associated beam. In some embodiments, the antennas  55 A- 55 N may receive data indicative of a position of one or more communication hubs of a first wireless communication network. For example, the antennas  55 A- 55 N may receive data indicative of a navigation system (e.g., a global positioning system, BeiDou navigation system, global navigation system, and so forth), coordinates of a base station, navigation system coordinates of a terrestrial station, orbital elements (e.g., two-line elements) of an orbiting object, ephemeris data, or any combination thereof. 
     The antennas  55 A- 55 N may be communicatively coupled to the one or more processors  12  and may transmit the received data to the one or more processors  12 . In some embodiments, the one or more processors  12  may determine a position of one or more communication hubs based on the received data. For example, the one or more processors  12  may process the data to determine global positioning system coordinates of a base station, determine a position of a non-terrestrial base station based on a two-line element set and/or ephemeris data, and so forth. For example, the one or more processors  12  may determine a current time and may determine a current position of a satellite based on the current time and the ephemeris data and/or the two-line element set. 
     The electronic device  10  (e.g., the transceiver  30 ) may also request for receipt of certain information (e.g., navigation system coordinates, ephemeris data, orbital elements, two-line elements) via a wireless communication network. By way of example, the electronic device  10  (e.g., the transceiver  30 ) may request for content delivery network (CDN) information to be transmitted by a communication hub to the electronic device  10  via the communication network. In certain embodiments, the electronic device  10  may utilize the CDN information to initiate communication with the communication hub or another communication hub not associated with utilizing the CDN information (such as a WiFi router, a base station, and so on). For instance, the CDN information may include an identifier, a frequency channel, allowed areas of operation, and so forth, that may be used to determine availability of the communication hub for communicating with the electronic device  10  (e.g., based on the geographic location of the electronic device  10  and/or a location of the communication hub). Thus, it may be desirable for the electronic device  10  to periodically request updated CDN information from the network while the network is accessible to enable the electronic device  10  to communicate with the communication hub. In certain embodiments, the CDN information may be stored in the memory  14  and/or the storage  16  of the electronic device  10  and may be updated periodically with the updated CDN information. 
     The electronic device  10  may include multiple transmitters, multiple receivers, multiple transceivers, and/or multiple antennas as suitable for various communication standards. For example, the electronic device  10  may include a first transceiver to send and receive messages using a first wireless communication network, a second transceiver to send and receive messages using a second wireless communication network, and a third transceiver to send and receive messages using a third wireless communication network, though any or all of these transceivers may be combined in a single transceiver. In some embodiments, the transmitter  52  and the receiver  54  may transmit and receive information via other wired or wireline systems or means. 
     The electronic device  10  may also include one or more cameras or image or light sensors (e.g., as part of the input structures  22 ). The one or more cameras or image or light sensors (collectively referred to as “a camera  56 ” herein) may capture images or determine amounts of light surrounding the electronic device  10 . In some embodiments, the camera  56  may include a front-facing camera (e.g., disposed on a display surface of the electronic device  10  having the display  18 ) and/or a rear-facing camera (e.g., disposed on a base or back surface, opposite the display surface, of the electronic device  10 ). 
     The electronic device  10  may include one or more motion sensors  58  (e.g., as part of the input structures  22 ). The one or more motion sensors (collectively referred to as “a motion sensor  58 ” herein) may include an accelerometer, gyroscope, gyrometer, and the like, that detect or facilitate determining an orientation (e.g., including pitch, yaw, roll, and so on) and/or motion of the electronic device  10 . In certain embodiments, the motion sensor  58  may generate and/or may transmit data (e.g., a signal) indicative of an orientation (e.g., a current orientation) of the electronic device  10  and/or may generate and/or may transmit data (e.g., a signal) indicative of motion (e.g., translational motion, rotational motion, and so on) of the electronic device  10 . The motion sensor  58  may include processing circuitry and may process data to determine the orientation and/or the motion of the electronic device  10 . Additionally or alternatively, the motion sensor  58  may generate and/or may transmit data (e.g., a signal) indicative of the orientation and the motion of the electronic device  10  to the processor  12 . The one or more processors  12  may receive the data, may process the data, and/or may determine the orientation and/or the motion of the electronic device  10  based on the data from the motion sensor  58 . In some embodiments, the one or more processors  12  may determine an elapsed time from a previous signal from the motion sensor  58 . For example, the one or more processors  12  may determine whether the elapsed time meets or exceeds a threshold time period (e.g., 30 seconds, 1 minute, 2 minutes, and so forth). In certain embodiments, the one or more processors  12  may determine that the electronic device  10  is in an idle state and/or may place the electronic device  10  in the idle state in response to the elapsed time meeting or exceeding the threshold time period. The one or more processors  12  may instruct the electronic device  10  to exit the idle state (e.g., enter an active state) in response to receiving a signal from the motion sensor  58 . 
     Additionally or alternatively, the one or more processors  12  may determine elapsed times for any number of signals for any number of corresponding sensors (e.g., motion sensors, input structures, input interfaces, touch screen, capacitive sensors, push buttons, and so forth) of the electronic device  10 . In some embodiments, each sensor may have a corresponding threshold time period. In certain embodiments, the one or more processors  12  may determine that the electronic device  10  is in an idle state and/or may place the electronic device in the idle state in response to any number of the elapsed times (e.g., a threshold number, all) meeting or exceeding the corresponding threshold time periods. Additionally or alternatively, the one or more processors  12  may determine elapsed times for any number of signals associated with the antenna  55 . In some embodiments, the one or more processors  12  may determine an elapsed time from a previous signal from the antenna  55 . For example, the one or more processors  12  may determine an elapsed time from a previous signal associated with a second electronic device. The second electronic device may include any number of similar components as the electronic device  10  in  FIG.  1   . For example, the second electronic device may include, among other things, a processor, a memory, nonvolatile storage, a display, input structures, an I/O interface, a network interface, a power source, a transceiver, a camera, a motion sensor, an actuator, one or more antennas, and so forth. In some embodiments, the one or more processors  12  may determine elapsed times for any number of signals for any number of additional electronic devices. In some embodiments, each additional electronic device may have a corresponding threshold time period. In certain embodiments, the one or more processors  12  may determine that the electronic device  10  is in an idle state and/or may place the electronic device in the idle state in response to any number of the elapsed times (e.g., a threshold number, all) meeting or exceeding the threshold time periods. Additionally or alternatively, the one or more processors  12  may determine that the electronic device  10  is in an idle state and/or may place the electronic device  10  in the idle state in response to any number of the elapsed times associated with the sensors of the electronic device and/or any number of the elapsed times associated with the additional electronic devices meeting or exceeding the threshold time periods. 
     The second electronic device may include any suitable computing device, including a desktop or notebook computer (e.g., in the form of a MacBook®, MacBook® Pro, MacBook Air®, iMac®, Mac® mini, or Mac Pro® available from Apple Inc. of Cupertino, California), a portable electronic or handheld electronic device such as a wireless electronic device or smartphone (e.g., in the form of a model of an iPhone® available from Apple Inc. of Cupertino, California), a tablet (e.g., in the form of a model of an iPad® available from Apple Inc. of Cupertino, California), a wearable electronic device (e.g., in the form of an Apple Watch® by Apple Inc. of Cupertino, California), and other similar devices. Additionally or alternatively, the one or more processors  12  may determine a distance between the second electronic device and the electronic device  10 . For example, the one or more processors  12  may determine whether the distance meets or exceeds a threshold distance (e.g., 0.5 meters, 1 meter, 2 meters, 5 meters, and so forth). In certain embodiments, the one or more processors  12  may determine that the electronic device  10  is in an idle state and/or may place the electronic device  10  in the idle state in response to the determined distance meeting or exceeding the threshold distance. The one or more processors  12  may instruct the electronic device  10  to exit the idle state in response to receiving a signal from the second electronic device and/or in response to determining the distance between the second electronic device and the electronic device  10  falls within the threshold distance. 
     The electronic device  10  may also include one or more actuators  62 . The one or more actuators (collectively referred to as “an actuator  62 ” herein) may include a haptic actuator, a resonant actuator, an eccentric rotating mass actuator, a piezoelectric actuator, and the like, that facilitate or generate vibration and/or motion (e.g., longitudinal motion, lateral motion, rotational motion, and so on) of the electronic device  10 . In certain embodiments, operation of the actuator  62  may cause the electronic device  10  to move (e.g., translational motion, rotational motion, and so forth). 
     As illustrated, the various components of the electronic device  10  may be coupled together by a bus system  60 . The bus system  60  may include a data bus, for example, as well as a power bus, a control signal bus, and a status signal bus, in addition to the data bus. The components of the electronic device  10  may be coupled together or accept or provide inputs to each other using some other mechanism. 
     Embodiments herein provide various apparatuses and techniques to improve communication of data. As an example, the electronic device  10  may utilize the actuators  62  to adjust the orientation of the electronic device  10  relative to a communication hub of a wireless communication network to improve signal characteristics (e.g., signal power, signal quality, or both) of signals sent and received between the electronic device  10  and the communication hub via the antenna  55 . In some embodiments, the actuators  62  may adjust the orientation based on a determined position of the communication hub to align or better align the antenna  55  with the communication hub to provide more reliable and/or more efficient communication of data. 
     With the preceding in mind,  FIG.  3    is a schematic diagram of the electronic device  10 , according to embodiments of the present disclosure. As described herein, the electronic device  10  may include one or more actuators, such as first actuator  62 A and second actuator  62 B. The actuators  62 A,  62 B may move the electronic device  10  in any number of degrees of freedom. For example, the first actuator  62 A, the second actuator  62 B, or a combination of the actuators  62 A,  62 B, may move the electronic device  10  along a lateral axis  64  of the electronic device  10 , along a longitudinal axis  66  of the electronic device  10 , and/or may rotate the electronic device  10  about a depth or vertical axis  68  (e.g., may rotate the electronic device  10  in the direction  68 A). In some embodiments, each actuator  62 A,  62 B may generate vibrations in a single degree of freedom. For example, each actuator  62 A,  62 B may generate oscillating forces along a corresponding axis of the actuator. Additionally or alternatively, each actuator  62 A,  62 B may generate vibrations (e.g., oscillating forces) in different directions. For example, the first actuator  62 A may generate vibrations along the lateral axis  64  and the second actuator  62 B may generate vibrations at any angle relative to the lateral axis  64  (e.g., along the longitudinal axis  66 ). While two actuators  62 A,  62 B are illustrated in  FIG.  3   , the electronic device  10  may include any number of actuators and each actuator may generate vibrations along one or more corresponding axes of each actuator. In some embodiments, any number of actuators may generate vibrations along the same axis, such as along lateral axis  64 . 
     With the preceding in mind,  FIG.  4 A  is a block diagram of an embodiment of a communication system  70  including the electronic device  10  of  FIG.  1   , according to embodiments of the present disclosure. The system  70  may also include a communication hub  72 . The communication hub  72  may establish or facilitate implementing a respective network for communicating data. As an example, the communication hub  72  may include any combination of terrestrial base stations (base stations), non-terrestrial base stations such as a satellite (e.g., a low earth orbit, a medium earth orbit, a geosynchronous equatorial orbit, a high earth orbit), cellular networks, a wireless carrier, Wi-Fi networks, NTN communication, satellite networks, and so forth. The communication hub  72  may be communicatively coupled to the electronic device  10  and may send data to or receive data from the electronic device  10  via the associated network. For example, the communication hub  72  may establish a communication channel with the electronic device  10  via the associated network, receive requests for data from the electronic device  10  via the associated network, and/or send data to the electronic device  10  via the associated network based on the requests. Additionally or alternatively, the communication hub  72  may be communicatively coupled to another entity (e.g., another electronic device, a ground station, a call center), which may send data to or receive data from the electronic device  10  via the associated network. For instance, the other entity may establish a communication channel with the electronic device  10  via the associated network, receive requests for data from the electronic device  10  via the associated network, and/or send data to the electronic device  10  via the associated network based on the requests. In some embodiments, the communication hub  72  may be implemented as a satellite and communicatively coupled to the electronic device  10 , which may be implemented as user equipment, and may send data to or receive data from the user equipment via a satellite network. 
     The one or more antennas  55  of the electronic device  10  may generate a radiation pattern  74  corresponding to a directional dependence of the one or more antennas  55  for receiving and/or transmitting signals via the network. In certain embodiments, the radiation pattern  74  may correspond to a three-dimensional shape extending outward from the one or more antennas  55 . In some embodiments, the radiation pattern  74  may include a beamformed, directional beam. Signals transmitted from the electronic device  10  may radiate out from the one or more antennas  55  in the shape of the radiation pattern  74 . In some embodiments, the radiation pattern  74  may be substantially centered about the longitudinal axis  66  of the electronic device  10 . For example, the shape of the radiation pattern  74  may extend along the longitudinal axis  66  of the electronic device  10 . The one or more antennas  55  may receive and/or transmit signals to the communication hub  72  via the network. In certain embodiments, the electronic device  10  may include processing circuitry (e.g., one or more processors  12 ) to process signals received via the network and/or generate signals transmitted via the network. Additionally or alternatively, the processing circuitry  12  may process signals to determine one or more signal characteristics associated with the signals. For example, the one or more signal characteristics may be indicative of a quality (e.g., a signal-to-noise ratio, a signal-to-interference ratio, a signal-to-noise-plus-interference ratio, and so forth) and/or a signal strength (e.g., a received signal strength indicator (RSSI), a reference signal received power (RSRP) measurement, a received channel power indicator (RCPI), and so forth) of the received and/or transmitted signal at, for example, the one or more antennas  55 . 
     In the illustrated embodiment, the electronic device  10  may be disposed in a first orientation relative to the communication hub  72 . For example, the radiation pattern  74  may be disposed in a first orientation relative to the communication hub  72  such that the electronic device  10  may not be able to communicate (e.g., receive and/or transmit signals) with the communication hub  72  in a reliable or efficient manner. This may be because the radiation pattern  74  may be disposed at an angle relative to the communication hub  72 , and thus not be aligned or not aligned sufficiently with the communication hub  72 . For example, the communication hub  72  may be disposed at an angle relative to the longitudinal axis  66  in the first orientation. Additionally or alternatively, the communication hub  72  may be disposed at an angle relative to the longitudinal axis  66  equal to or greater than a threshold angle (e.g., 45 degrees, 60 degrees, 90 degrees, 100 degrees, and so forth). For example, when the angle between the communication hub  72  and the longitudinal axis  66  is equal to or greater than the threshold angle, communication between the communication hub  72  and the electronic device  10  may be reduced (e.g., unreliable, inefficient, and so forth) and/or may fail. 
     In some embodiments, the display  18  of the electronic device  10  may include an input structure  22 , such as a touch screen, which may facilitate user interaction with a user interface  76  of the electronic device  10 . The user interface  76  may include an indication of one or more signal characteristics (e.g., a signal strength and/or quality) for receiving and/or transmitting signals via the network. Additionally or alternatively, the user interface  76  may display the position of the communication hub  72  and/or an orientation of the electronic device  10  and/or the antenna  55  relative to the communication hub  72  to, for example, assist a user in orienting the electronic device towards the communication hub  72  (e.g., to better align the antenna  55  toward the communication hub  72 ). For example, the one or more processors  12  may determine the position of the communication hub  72  and/or the orientation of the electronic device  10  and/or the antenna  55  relative to the communication hub  72  and may instruct the display  18  to generate the user interface  76  including an indication of the position of the communication hub  72  and/or the orientation of the electronic device  10  and/or the antenna  55  relative to the communication hub  72 . In some embodiments, the user interface  76  may display one or more notifications instructing a user to orient the electronic device  10  towards the communication hub  72 . For example, the user interface  76  may display a notification to rotate the electronic device  10  relative to the communication hub  72 . 
     With the preceding in mind,  FIG.  4 B  is a block diagram of the communication system  70  including the electronic device  10  in a second orientation relative to the communication hub  72 , according to embodiment of the present disclosure. In particular, as a result of performing the disclosed techniques, the electronic device  10  may be positioned in the second orientation. The radiation pattern  74  may be oriented towards the communication hub  72  when the electronic device  10  is in the second orientation. The electronic device  10  may be moved in any number of degrees of freedom (e.g., translation and/or rotation) to orient the radiation pattern  74  towards the communication hub  72 . For example, the electronic device  10  may be rotated about the lateral axis  64  and/or the vertical axis  68  to orient the radiation pattern  74  towards the communication hub  72 . In certain embodiments, the actuator  62  of the electronic device  10  may operate to orient the electronic device  10  and/or the radiation pattern  74  towards the communication hub  72 . Accordingly, the user interface  76  may indicate one or more signal characteristics (e.g., the signal strength or quality) for the communication network  70  is greater in the second orientation of  FIG.  4 B  than the first orientation of  FIG.  4 A . 
     In the illustrated embodiment, the electronic device  10  may be disposed in the second orientation relative to the communication hub  72  and may be disposed at a second angle relative to the communication hub  72  in the second orientation. In certain embodiments, the radiation pattern  74  may at a second angle relative to the communication hub  72  in the second orientation. For example, the communication hub  72  may be disposed at a second angle relative to the longitudinal axis  66  in the second orientation. Additionally or alternatively, the communication hub  72  may be disposed at an angle relative to the longitudinal axis  66  less than the threshold angle (e.g., 45 degrees, 60 degrees, 90 degrees, 100 degrees, and so forth). For example, when the angle between the communication hub  72  and the longitudinal axis  66  is less than the threshold angle, communication between the communication hub  72  and the electronic device  10  may be possible (e.g., reliable, efficient, greater than a threshold signal characteristic, and so forth) and/or may be successful. In some embodiments, one or more of the signal characteristics may meet or exceed a corresponding threshold signal characteristic value in the second orientation. 
     Certain communication operating characteristics (e.g., a transmission power, a receiving power, a bandwidth, a link budget, an uplink rate, a downlink rate, an availability of a network) of the network associated with the communication hub  72  may be limited or reduced when the electronic device  10  is in the first orientation of  FIG.  4 A  when compared to when the electronic device is in the second orientation of  FIG.  4 B . For example, the link budget or the receiving signal strength associated with data communication via the communication hub  72  may be substantially lower or more limited (e.g., below a threshold level) in the first orientation than the link budget associated with data communication via the communication hub  72  in the second orientation. Thus, in the first orientation, the network may be a poorer performing network with respect to the network when the electronic device  10  is in the second orientation, and communicating data via the network may be more stable, efficient, and/or reliable in the second orientation than communicating data in the first orientation. For at least these reasons, it may be more desirable for the electronic device  10  (and, as a result, the antenna  55  and/or the radiation pattern  74 ) to be oriented in the second orientation than the first orientation when using the network for communication with the communication hub  72 . 
     With the preceding in mind,  FIG.  5    is a block diagram of an embodiment of another communication system  80 , according to embodiments of the present disclosure. The system  70  may also include the communication hub  72 . The communication hub  72  may establish or facilitate implementing a respective network for communicating data. In certain embodiments, the communication hub  72  may be communicatively coupled to another entity (e.g., a second electronic device  82 , a ground station, a call center), which may send data to or receive data from the electronic device  10  via the associated network. For instance, the second electronic device  82  may establish a communication channel with the electronic device  10  via the associated network, receive requests for data from the electronic device  10  via the associated network, and/or send data to the electronic device  10  via the associated network based on the requests. In some embodiments, the second electronic device  82  may establish a communication channel with the electronic device  10  via a second network, receive requests for data from the electronic device  10  via the second network, and/or send data to the electronic device  10  via the second network based on the requests. 
     The second electronic device  82  may include any number of similar components as the electronic device  10  in  FIG.  1   . For example, the second electronic device  82  may include, among other things, a processor, a memory, nonvolatile storage, a display, input structures  86 , an I/O interface, a network interface, a power source, a transceiver, a camera, a motion sensor, an actuator, one or more antennas, and so forth. The input structures  86  of the second electronic device  82  may enable a user to interact with the second electronic device  82  (e.g., pressing a button, turning a knob). In certain embodiments, the display of the second electronic device  82  may facilitate users to view images generated on the second electronic device  82 . In some embodiments, the display may include a touch screen, which may facilitate user interaction with a user interface  84  of the second electronic device  82 . 
     The second electronic device  82  may include any suitable computing device, including a desktop or notebook computer (e.g., in the form of a MacBook®, MacBook® Pro, MacBook Air®, iMac®, Mac® mini, or Mac Pro® available from Apple Inc. of Cupertino, California), a portable electronic or handheld electronic device such as a wireless electronic device or smartphone (e.g., in the form of a model of an iPhone® available from Apple Inc. of Cupertino, California), a tablet (e.g., in the form of a model of an iPad® available from Apple Inc. of Cupertino, California), a wearable electronic device (e.g., in the form of an Apple Watch® by Apple Inc. of Cupertino, California), and other similar devices. 
     In some embodiments, the display of the second electronic device  82  may facilitate user interaction with the user interface  84  of the second electronic device  82 . The user interface  84  may include an indication of a signal characteristic for receiving and/or transmitting signals via the network. Additionally or alternatively, the user interface  84  may display the position of the communication hub  72  and/or an orientation of the second electronic device  82  relative to the communication hub  72  to assist a user in orienting the second electronic device towards the communication hub  72 . For example, the one or more processors  12  may determine the position of the communication hub  72  and/or the orientation of the second electronic device  82  relative to the communication hub  72  and may instruct the display to generate the user interface  84  including an indication of the position of the communication hub  72  and/or the orientation of the second electronic device  82  relative to the communication hub  72 . In some embodiments, the user interface  84  may display one or more notifications instructing a user to orient the second electronic device  82  towards the communication hub  72 . For example, the user interface  84  may display a notification to rotate the second electronic device  82  relative to the communication hub  72 . 
     Additionally or alternatively, the second electronic device  82  may facilitate control of the actuators of the electronic device  10  to adjust the orientation of the electronic device  10 . For example, the second electronic device  82  may generate and/or may transmit signals to instruct the electronic device  10  to operate the actuators. The second electronic device  82  may communicate with the electronic device  10  via the network of the communication hub  72  and/or any other suitable communication network. For instance, the second electronic device  82  may communicate with the electronic device  10  via a device-to-device or peer-to-peer network, such as an ultra-wideband (UWB) network, a BLUETOOTH® network, a near field communication network, and so on, which may be different than the network of the communication hub  72  (e.g., a cellular network, a satellite network, and so on). In some embodiments, the input structures  86  of the second electronic device  82  may facilitate generation of the signals to instruct the electronic device  10  to operate the actuators. For example, the input structure  86  (e.g., a control knob, a graphically displayed control provided on the user interface  84  of the second electronic device  82 ) may be turned in a first direction (e.g., counterclockwise) and a corresponding signal may be generated and/or transmitted to the electronic device  10  to operate the actuators to rotate the electronic device  10  in a direction  88  (e.g., counterclockwise). Similarly, the input structure may be turned in a second direction (e.g., clockwise) and a corresponding signal may be generated and/or transmitted to the electronic device  10  to operate the actuators to rotate the electronic device  10  in a direction opposite the direction  88  (e.g., clockwise). Additionally or alternatively, pressing an input structure  86  on a first side of the second electronic device  82  may cause rotation of the electronic device  10  in the direction  88  and/or may cause translational movement of the electronic device  10 . Likewise, pressing an input structure  86  on a second side of the second electronic device  82  may cause rotation of the electronic device in a second direction opposite the direction  88 . 
     Certain communication operating characteristics (e.g., a transmission power, a receiving power, a bandwidth, a link budget, an uplink rate, a downlink rate, an availability of a network) of the network associated with the communication hub  72  may be limited or reduced when the electronic device  10  is in the first orientation (e.g., as shown in  FIG.  4 A ) when compared to when the electronic device is in the second orientation  10 ′ (e.g., as shown in  FIG.  4 B ). For example, the link budget or the receiving signal strength associated with data communication via the communication hub  72  may be substantially lower or more limited in the first orientation than the link budget associated with data communication via the communication hub  72  in the second orientation  10 ′. Thus, in the first orientation, the network may be a poorer performing network with respect to the network when the electronic device  10  is in the second orientation  10 ′, and communicating data via the network may be more stable, efficient, and/or reliable in the second orientation  10 ′ than communicating data in the first orientation. For at least these reasons, it may be more desirable for the electronic device  10  to be oriented in the second orientation  10 ′ than the first orientation when using the network for communication with the communication hub  72 . 
     In certain embodiments, the electronic device  10  may generate and/or may transmit a signal indicative of a position of the communication hub  72  and/or an orientation of the electronic device  10  relative to the communication hub  72 . For example, the electronic device  10  may generate and/or may transmit the signal to the second electronic device via the communication network associated with the communication hub, a second communication network, or both. In some embodiments, the signal may instruct the second electronic device  82  to generate the user interface  84  and to display the position of the communication hub  72  and/or the orientation of the electronic device  10  relative to the communication hub  72 . Additionally or alternatively, the electronic device  10  may generate and/or may transmit a signal indicative of one or more signal characteristics associated with a signal between the communication hub  72  and the electronic device  10  via the network. 
     Each of  FIGS.  6 - 9    described below illustrates a respective method for communicating data. Any suitable device (e.g., a controller) that may control components of the electronic device  10 , such as the processor  12 , may perform the methods. In some embodiments, each of the methods may be implemented by executing instructions stored in a tangible, non-transitory, computer-readable medium, such as the memory  14  or storage  16 , using the processor  12 . For example, the methods may be performed at least in part by one or more software components, such as an operating system of the electronic device  10 , one or more software applications of the electronic device  10 , and the like. While each of the methods is described using steps in a specific sequence, additional steps may be performed, the described steps may be performed in different sequences than the sequence illustrated, and certain described steps may be skipped or not performed altogether. Further still, the steps of any of the respective methods may be performed in parallel with one another, such as at the same time, and/or in response to one another. 
       FIG.  6    is a flowchart of an embodiment of a method  100  for orienting (e.g., automatically orienting, without user or manual interaction) the electronic device  10  towards the communication hub, according to embodiments of the present disclosure. At block  102 , the processor  12  may receive an elapsed time from a previous sensor input or other indication of active use of the electronic device  10 . For example, the processor  12  may determine the elapsed time from a previous input from the motion sensor  58 , the camera  56 , the input structures  22 , and so on. At block  104 , the processor  12  may determine whether the electronic device  10  is in the idle state. In certain embodiments, the processor  12  may determine whether the elapsed time meets or exceeds a threshold time period. For example, the processor  12  may determine and/or may place the electronic device  10  in the idle state in response to determining that the elapsed time meets or exceeds the threshold time period. Alternatively, the processor  12  may determine and/or may place the electronic device in a non-idle state (e.g., an active state) in response to determining that the elapsed time falls below the threshold time period.Additionally or alternatively, the processor  12  may determine 
     At block  106  (YES path of block  104 ), in response to determining that the device  10  is in the idle state, the processor  12  may monitor one or more sensors (e.g., the motion sensor  58 , the camera  56 , the input structures  22 , and so on) of the electronic device  10 . By way of example, the processor  12  may cause the electronic device  10  to exit the idle state in response to receiving a sensor signal from any sensor of the one or more sensors. In response to determining that the device is not in the idle state (NO path of block  104 ), the processor  12  may return to block  102  to determine the elapsed time from the previous sensor input. 
     At block  108 , the processor  12  may determine a position of the communication hub  72 . For instance, the processor  12  may retrieve the CDN information from the memory  14  and/or the storage  16  and may determine the position of the communication hub  72  based on the CDN information (e.g., navigation system information, orbital element information, ephemeris data, and so forth). At block  110 , the processor  12  may determine whether the electronic device  10  is oriented towards the communication hub  72  based on the determined position of the communication hub  72 . For example, the processor  12  may determine whether the antennas  55  and/or a radiation pattern  74  that would be emitted by the antennas  55  is oriented towards the communication hub  72 . Additionally or alternatively, the processor  12  may determine whether the orientation of the electronic device  10  relative to the communication hub  72  meets or exceeds a threshold angle. In response to determining that the orientation of the electronic device  10  relative to the communication hub  72  falls within the threshold angle (YES path of block  110 ), the processor  12  may continue to block  114 . At block  112  (NO path of block  110 ), in response to determining that the orientation of the electronic device  10  relative to the communication hub  72  meets or exceeds the threshold angle, the processor  12  may operate the actuators  62  to orient the electronic device toward the communication hub  72 . At block  114 , the processor  12  may receive a signal from the communication hub  72 . For example, the antennas  55 A- 55 N may receive a signal from the communication hub  72  via the communication network and may transmit the signal to the processor  12 . 
     At block  116 , the processor  12  may determine whether one or more signal characteristics associated with the received signal satisfy one or more signal characteristic threshold values. For example, the processor  12  may determine one or more signal characteristics (e.g., a signal quality, a signal power, and so on) for the received signal and may compare the one or more signal characteristics to corresponding signal characteristic threshold values. Additionally or alternatively, the processor  12  may compare signal characteristics of the received signal to stored signal characteristic values from previously received signals from the communication hub  72 . For example, the processor  12  may receive any number of signals from the communication hub  72  during operation of the actuators, may process the previously received signals to generate corresponding signal characteristics, and may store the previously received signals and corresponding signal characteristics in the memory  14 . The processor  12  may retrieve the stored signal characteristics from the memory  14  and may compare the stored signal characteristics with new signal characteristics associated with the received signal. 
     At block  118  (NO path of block  116 ), in response to determining that the new signal characteristics fall within the signal characteristic threshold values, the processor  12  may operate the actuators to orient device toward the communication hub  72 . For example, the processor  12  may store an associated orientation of the electronic device  10  relative to the communication hub  72  for previously received signals. Accordingly, the processor  12  may compare signal characteristics associated with the previously received signals to the signal characteristics associated with the newly received signal and may determine an increased signal characteristic (e.g., a maximum signal characteristic, a peak signal characteristic) associated with a previously received signal when compared to the signal characteristic associated with the newly received signal. As such, the processor  12  may determine an orientation associated with the increased signal characteristic and may operate the actuators to orient the electronic device to that orientation. The processor  12  may then return to block  114  to receive a signal from the communication hub  72 . 
     At block  120  (YES path of block  116 ), in response to determining that the new signal characteristics meet or exceed signal characteristic threshold values, the processor  12  may send and/or receive data using the current orientation of the electronic device  10  relative to the communication hub  72 . For example, the processor  12  may communicate with the communication hub  72  via the wireless communication network. In this manner, the method  100  may orient the electronic device  10  towards the communication hub  72  for improved communication performance, without user or manual interaction. 
       FIG.  7    is a flowchart of an embodiment of a method  130  for adjusting operation of actuators of the electronic device  10  of  FIG.  1   , according to embodiments of the present disclosure. At block  132 , the processor  12  may operate actuators  62  of the electronic device  10  to orient the electronic device  10  towards the communication hub  72 . At block  134 , the processor  12  may determine whether a threshold time period has expired after beginning operation of the actuators  62 . For example, the processor  12  may instruct the actuators  62  to operate for a threshold time period and may monitor the position and/or orientation of the electronic device  10  relative to the communication hub  72 . The processor  12  may determine a starting position and/or orientation of the electronic device  10  and may determine an ending position and/or orientation after the expiration of the threshold time period. In response to determining that the threshold time period has not expired since beginning operation of the actuators  62 , the processor  12  may return to block  132  to continue operation of the actuators  62 . 
     At block  136  (YES path of block  134 ), in response to determining that the threshold time period has expired, the processor  12  may determine movement and/or rotation of the electronic device  10  relative to a previous position (e.g., a starting position and/or starting orientation). For example, the processor  12  may compare a current position and/or a current orientation to the previous position and/or orientation to determine the movement and/or rotation of the electronic device  10  (e.g., a distance moved from one or more reference points (such as one or more corners) of the electronic device  10 , an angle of rotation of a reference axis (e.g., the lateral axis  64 , the longitudinal axis  66 , or both) of the electronic device  10 , and so on). At block  138 , the processor  12  may determine whether the movement satisfies a threshold movement amount and/or whether the rotation satisfies a threshold rotation amount. For example, the processor  12  may compare the determined movement to the threshold movement amount (e.g., 1 mm, 5 mm, 10 mm, and so forth) (e.g., with respect to one or more reference points of the electronic device  10 ) and/or may compare the determined rotation (e.g., with respect to one or more reference axes of the electronic device  10 ) to the threshold rotation amount (e.g., 5 degrees, 10 degrees, 20 degrees, 45 degrees, and so forth). At block  140  (NO path of block  138 ), in response to determining that the movement and/or the rotation fails to satisfy the threshold movement amount and/or the threshold rotation amount, the processor  12  may adjust the operation of the actuators  62 . For example, the processor  12  may operate one or more additional actuators of the electronic device, may adjust (e.g., increase, decrease) an intensity of one or more actuators, may turn off one or more actuators, or any combination thereof. 
     At block  142 , the processor  12  may determine whether the electronic device  10  is oriented towards the communication hub  72  based on the determined position of the communication hub  72 . For example, the processor  12  may determine whether the antennas 55A-55N and/or the radiation pattern  74  is oriented towards the communication hub  72 . Additionally or alternatively, the processor  12  may determine whether the orientation of the electronic device  10  relative to the communication hub  72  meets or exceeds a threshold angle. In response to determining that the orientation of the electronic device  10  relative to the communication hub  72  meets or exceeds the threshold angle (NO path of block  142 ), the processor  12  may return to block  132 . At block  144  (YES path of block  142 ), in response to determining that the orientation of the electronic device  10  relative to the communication hub  72  falls within the threshold angle, the processor  12  may receive a signal from the communication hub  72 . For example, the antennas  55 A- 55 N may receive a signal from the communication hub  72  via the communication network and may transmit the signal to the processor  12 . Additionally or alternatively, the processor  12  may send and/or receive data using the current orientation of the electronic device  10  relative to the communication hub  72 . For example, the processor  12  may communicate with the communication hub  72  via the wireless communication network. 
     In certain instances, the electronic device  10  may be unreachable by a user. As such, the second electronic device  82  may generate and may transmit signals to the electronic device  10  and the signals may instruct the electronic device  10  to operate the actuators  62 .  FIG.  8    is a flowchart of an embodiment of a method  150  for operating the actuators  62  of the electronic device  10  of  FIG.  1    via instructions received from the second electronic device  82  of  FIG.  5   , according to embodiments of the present disclosure. At block  152 , the processor  12  may receive an elapsed time from a previous sensor input. For example, the processor  12  may determine the elapsed time from the previous sensor input. At block  154 , the processor  12  may determine whether the electronic device  10  is in the idle state. In certain embodiments, the processor  12  may determine whether the elapsed time meets or exceeds a threshold time period. For example, the processor  12  may determine and/or may place the electronic device  10  in the idle state in response to determining that the elapsed time meets or exceeds the threshold time period. Alternatively, the processor  12  may determine and/or may place the electronic device in a non-idle state (e.g., an active state) in response to determining that the elapsed time falls below the threshold time period. At block  156  (YES path of block  154 ), in response to determining that the device is in the idle state, the processor  12  may monitor one or more sensors of the electronic device. By way of example, the processor  12  may cause the electronic device  10  to exit the idle state in response to receiving a sensor signal from any sensor of the one or more sensors. In response to determining that the device is not in the idle state (NO path of block  154 ), the processor  12  may return to block  152  to determine the elapsed time from the previous sensor input. 
     At block  158 , the processor  12  may determine a position of the communication hub  72 . For instance, the processor  12  may retrieve the CDN information from the memory  14  and may determine the position of the communication hub  72  based on the CDN information. At block  160 , the processor  12  may determine whether the electronic device  10  is oriented towards the communication hub  72  based on the determined position of the communication hub  72 . For example, the processor  12  may determine whether the antennas  55 A- 55 N and/or the radiation pattern  74  is oriented towards the communication hub  72 . Additionally or alternatively, the processor  12  may determine whether the orientation of the electronic device  10  relative to the communication hub  72  meets or exceeds a threshold angle. In response to determining that the orientation of the electronic device  10  relative to the communication hub  72  falls within the threshold angle (YES path of block  160 ), the processor  12  may continue to block  166 . At block  162  (NO path of block  160 ), in response to determining that the orientation of the electronic device  10  relative to the communication hub  72  meets or exceeds the threshold angle, the processor  12  may generate and transmit a signal indicative of the position of the communication hub  72  and/or the orientation of the communication hub  72  relative to the electronic device  10 . In certain embodiments, the electronic device  10  may transmit the signal to a second electronic device  82  and the signal may cause the second electronic device  82  to generate a user interface to display the position of the communication hub  72  and/or the orientation of the communication hub  72  relative to the electronic device  10 . 
     At block  164 , the processor  12  may receive an instruction to operate the actuators  62 . In certain embodiments, the processor  12  may receive a signal from the second electronic device  82  that may cause the processor  12  to operate the actuators  62 . That is, a user of the second electronic device  82  may use the user interface to operate the actuators  62  to orient the electronic device toward the communication hub  72 . As such, the signal may instruct the processor  12  to operate the actuators  62  to orient the electronic device toward the communication hub  72 . The processor  12  may then return to block  160  to determine whether the electronic device  10  is oriented towards the communication hub  72 . 
     At block  166 , the processor  12  may receive a signal from the communication hub  72 . For example, the antennas  55 A- 55 N may receive a signal from the communication hub  72  via the communication network and may transmit the signal to the processor  12 . At block  168 , the processor  12  may determine whether one or more signal characteristics associated with the received signal satisfy one or more signal characteristic threshold values. For example, the processor  12  may determine one or more signal characteristics for the received signal and may compare the one or more signal characteristics to corresponding signal characteristic threshold values. Additionally or alternatively, the processor  12  may compare signal characteristics of the received signal to stored signal characteristic values from previously received signals from the communication hub  72 . For example, the processor  12  may receive any number of signals from the communication hub  72  during operation of the actuators, may process the previously received signals to generate corresponding signal characteristics, and may store the previously received signals and corresponding signal characteristics in the memory  14 . The processor  12  may retrieve the stored signal characteristics from the memory  14  and may compare the stored signal characteristics with new signal characteristics associated with the received signal. 
     At block  170  (NO path of block  168 ), in response to determining that the new signal characteristics fall within the signal characteristic threshold values, the processor  12  may generate and transmit a signal indicative of the received signal (e.g., one or more signal characteristics) from the communication hub  72 . In certain embodiments, the electronic device  10  may transmit the signal to the second electronic device  82  and the signal may cause the second electronic device  82  to generate a user interface to display one or more signal characteristics of the received signal from the communication hub  72 . At block  172 , the processor  12  may receive an instruction to operate the actuators  62 . For example, the second electronic device  82  may store an associated orientation of the electronic device  10  relative to the communication hub  72  for previously received signals. Accordingly, the second electronic device  82  may compare signal characteristics associated with the previously received signals from the communication hub  72  to the signal characteristics associated with the newly received signal communication hub  72  and may determine an increased signal characteristic (e.g., a maximum signal characteristic, a peak signal characteristic) associated with a previously received signal when compared to the signal characteristic associated with the newly received signal. As such, the second electronic device  82  may determine an orientation associated with the increased signal characteristic and may instruct the electronic device  10  to operate the actuators to orient the electronic device to that orientation. 
     At block  174  (YES path of block  168 ), in response to determining that the new signal characteristics meet or exceed signal characteristic threshold values, the processor  12  may send and/or receive data using the current orientation of the electronic device  10  relative to the communication hub  72 . For example, the processor  12  may communicate with the communication hub  72  via the wireless communication network. In this manner, the method  150  may enable operating the actuators  62  of the electronic device  10  of  FIG.  1    via instructions received from the second electronic device  82  of  FIG.  5   , thus enabling operating the actuators  62  even when the electronic device  10  may be unreachable by a user. 
     With the foregoing in mind,  FIG.  9    is a flowchart for operating the second electronic device as referenced in  FIG.  8   , according to embodiments of the present disclosure. At block  182 , the second electronic device  82  may receive a signal indicative of a position of the communication hub  72  and/or the orientation of the communication hub  72  relative to the electronic device  10 . For example, the processor  12  may generate and transmit a signal indicative of the position of the communication hub  72  and/or the orientation of the communication hub  72  relative to the electronic device  10  and the second electronic device  82  may receive the signal. In certain embodiments, the signal may cause the second electronic device  82  to generate a user interface to display the position of the communication hub  72  and/or the orientation of the communication hub  72  relative to the electronic device  10 . 
     At block  184 , the second electronic device  82  may generate and transmit an instruction to operate actuators  62  of the electronic device  10  based on the position of the communication hub  72  and/or the orientation of the communication hub  72  relative to the electronic device  10 . In certain embodiments, the second electronic device  82  may generate and/or may transmit a signal to the processor  12  that may cause the processor  12  to operate the actuators  62 . That is, a user of the second electronic device  82  may use the user interface to operate the actuators  62  to orient the electronic device toward the communication hub  72 . As such, the signal may instruct the processor  12  to operate the actuators  62  to orient the electronic device toward the communication hub  72 . 
     At block  186 , the second electronic device  82  may receive a signal indicative of a received signal (e.g., one or more signal characteristics) between the electronic device  10  and the communication hub  72 . In certain embodiments, the electronic device  10  may transmit the signal to the second electronic device  82  and the signal may cause the second electronic device  82  to generate a user interface to display one or more signal characteristics of the received signal from the communication hub  72 . At block  188 , the second electronic device  82  may generate and/or may transmit an instruction to operate the actuators  62 . For example, the second electronic device  82  may store an associated orientation of the electronic device  10  relative to the communication hub  72  for previously received signals. Accordingly, the second electronic device  82  may compare signal characteristics associated with the previously received signals from the communication hub  72  to the signal characteristics associated with the newly received signal communication hub  72  and may determine an increased signal characteristic (e.g., a maximum signal characteristic, a peak signal characteristic) associated with a previously received signal when compared to the signal characteristic associated with the newly received signal. As such, the second electronic device  82  may determine an orientation associated with the increased signal characteristic and may instruct the electronic device  10  to operate the actuators to orient the electronic device  10  to that orientation 
     In some instances, the display  18  of the electronic device  10  may be cracked, broken, or otherwise inoperable. As such, the processor  12  may operate the actuators  62  to provide instructions to a user to adjust the orientation of the electronic device  10  relative to the communication hub  72 .  FIG.  10    is a flowchart of an embodiment of a method  190  for orienting the electronic device  10  of  FIG.  1   , according to embodiments of the present disclosure. At block  192 , the processor  12  may determine a position of the communication hub  72 . For instance, the processor  12  may retrieve the CDN information from the memory  14  and may determine the position of the communication hub  72  based on the CDN information. Additionally or alternatively, the processor  12  may determine whether the electronic device  10  is oriented towards the communication hub  72  based on the determined position of the communication hub  72 . For example, the processor  12  may determine whether the antennas  55 A- 55 N and/or the radiation pattern  74  is oriented towards the communication hub  72 . Additionally or alternatively, the processor  12  may determine whether the orientation of the electronic device  10  relative to the communication hub  72  meets or exceeds a threshold angle. In response to determining that the orientation of the electronic device  10  relative to the communication hub  72  falls within the threshold angle, the processor  12  may operate the actuators  62  in a corresponding pattern (e.g., pulses, long steady vibration) to provide an indication that the electronic device is oriented towards the communication hub  72 . 
     In response to determining that the orientation of the electronic device  10  relative to the communication hub  72  meets or exceeds the threshold angle, the processor  12  may continue to block  194 . At block  194 , the processor  12  may operate the actuators  62  based on the position of the communication hub  72  relative to the electronic device  10 . In certain embodiments, the processor  12  may operate one or more actuators to provide an indication of the position of the communication hub  72  relative to the electronic device  10 . For example, the processor  12  may operate a first actuator on a first lateral side of the electronic device  10  to provide an indication to rotate (e.g., adjust a yaw of the electronic device  10 ) the electronic device  10  in a first direction (e.g., clockwise). If a user is holding the electronic device  10 , then the user may feel the indication to rotate the electronic device  10  from the first actuator of the first lateral side of the electronic device  10 , and know to rotate the electronic device  10  in the first direction. As another example, the processor  12  may operate a second actuator on a second lateral side of the electronic device to provide an indication to rotate (e.g., adjust the yaw of the electronic device  10 ) the electronic device  10  in a second direction (e.g., counter-clockwise). If a user is holding the electronic device  10 , then the user may feel the indication to rotate the electronic device  10  from the second actuator of the second lateral side of the electronic device  10 , and know to rotate the electronic device  10  in the second direction. As yet another example, the processor  12  may operate a third actuator on a first longitudinal side of the electronic device to provide an indication to rotate (e.g., adjust a pitch of the electronic device  10 ) the electronic device  10  in a third direction (e.g., pitch up). If a user is holding the electronic device  10 , then the user may feel the indication to rotate the electronic device  10  from the third actuator of the first longitudinal side of the electronic device  10 , and know to rotate the electronic device  10  in the third direction. As another example, the processor  12  may operate a fourth actuator on a second longitudinal side of the electronic device  10  to provide an indication to rotate (e.g., adjust the pitch of the electronic device  10 ) the electronic device  10  in a fourth direction (e.g., pitch down), or any combination thereof. If a user is holding the electronic device  10 , then the user may feel the indication to rotate the electronic device  10  from the fourth actuator of the second longitudinal side of the electronic device  10 , and know to rotate the electronic device  10  in the fourth direction. It should be understood that any or all of these examples may be combined in a single indication. 
     At block  196 , the processor  12  may receive a signal from the communication hub  72 . For example, the antennas  55 A- 55 N may receive a signal from the communication hub  72  via the communication network and may transmit the signal to the processor  12 . 
     At block  198 , the processor  12  may determine whether one or more signal characteristics associated with the received signal satisfy one or more signal characteristic threshold values. For example, the processor  12  may determine one or more signal characteristics for the received signal and may compare the one or more signal characteristics to corresponding signal characteristic threshold values. Additionally or alternatively, the processor  12  may compare signal characteristics of the received signal to stored signal characteristic values from previously received signals from the communication hub  72 . For example, the processor  12  may receive any number of signals from the communication hub  72  during operation of the actuators, may process the previously received signals to generate corresponding signal characteristics, and may store the previously received signals and corresponding signal characteristics in the memory  14 . The processor  12  may retrieve the stored signal characteristics from the memory  14  and may compare the stored signal characteristics with new signal characteristics associated with the received signal. In response to determining that the new signal characteristics fall within the signal characteristic threshold values (NO path of block  198 ), the processor  12  may return to block  192 . 
     At block  200  (YES path of block  198 ), in response to determining that the new signal characteristics meet or exceed signal characteristic threshold values, the processor  12  may send and/or receive data using the current orientation of the electronic device  10  relative to the communication hub  72 . For example, the processor  12  may communicate with the communication hub  72  via the wireless communication network. In this manner, the method  180  may enable the processor  12  to operate the actuators  62  to provide instructions to a user to adjust the orientation of the electronic device  10  relative to the communication hub  72 , which may enable better communication performance with the communication hub  72 , even if the display  18  of the electronic device  10  is cracked, broken, or otherwise inoperable. 
     Embodiments of the present disclosure are directed to operating a mobile communicating device to communicate (e.g., transmit, receive) data. In response to determining a position of a communication hub of a wireless communication network, the mobile communicating device may operate one or more actuators to move the device to adjust the orientation of the device relative to the communication hub. As such, the mobile communicating device may adjust the orientation of the device relative to the communication hub to provide more reliable and/or more efficient communication of data. 
     It is well understood that the use of personally identifiable information should follow privacy policies and practices that are generally recognized as meeting or exceeding industry or governmental requirements for maintaining the privacy of users. In particular, personally identifiable information data should be managed and handled so as to minimize risks of unintentional or unauthorized access or use, and the nature of authorized use should be clearly indicated to users. 
     The specific embodiments described above have been shown by way of example, and it should be understood that these embodiments may be susceptible to various modifications and alternative forms. It should be further understood that the claims are not intended to be limited to the particular forms disclosed, but rather to cover all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives falling within the spirit and scope of this disclosure. 
     The techniques presented and claimed herein are referenced and applied to material objects and concrete examples of a practical nature that demonstrably improve the present technical field and, as such, are not abstract, intangible or purely theoretical. Further, if any claims appended to the end of this specification contain one or more elements designated as “means for [perform]ing [a function]...” or “step for [perform]ing [a function]...,” it is intended that such elements are to be interpreted under 35 U.S.C. 112(f). However, for any claims containing elements designated in any other manner, it is intended that such elements are not to be interpreted under 35 U.S.C. 112(f).

Metadata:
Filing Date: 20220427
Publication Date: 20231010
Grant Date: 20231010
Priority Date: 20210916
Inventors: MAGANTI, Anjaneyulu
KHATI, Dhruv
MYNENI, KRISHNA
NARRA, Shiva Krishna
BALASUBRAMANIAN, SANJEEVI
Assignee: APPLE INC
CPC Classifications: [{"code": "H04W64/003", "inventive": true, "first": true, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G06F3/016", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H01Q3/005", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G06F3/016", "inventive": true, "first": true, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04W64/003", "inventive": true, "first": true, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04W64/006", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H01Q1/1257", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H01Q3/02", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G06F3/016", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H01Q3/005", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}]
Family ID: 85479121