Remote surface sensing using guided surface wave modes on lossy media

• US 10,101,444 B2
• Filed: 09/09/2015
• Issued: 10/16/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 09/11/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Quantum Wave LLC
• Original Assignee: Cpg Technologies, LLC
• Inventors: Corum, James F., Corum, Kenneth L.
• Primary Examiner(s): Bythrow, Peter M
• Application Number:
  US14/848,705
• Publication Number:
  US 20160077203A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,133 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/02 Systems using reflection of radio waves, e.g. primary radar systems; Analogous systems
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/0218 Very long range radars, e.g. surface wave radar, over-the-horizon or ionospheric propagation systems for meteorological use G01S13/95
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/10 using transmission of interrupted, pulse modulated waves determination of distance by phase measurement G01S13/32
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/106 using transmission of pulses having some particular characteristics G01S13/12, G01S13/22, G01S13/24, G01S13/26, G01S13/28 and G01S13/30 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/34 using transmission of continuous, frequency-modulated waves while heterodyning the received signal, or a signal derived therefrom, with a locally-generated signal related to the contemporaneously transmitted signal
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/345 using triangular modulation
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/36 with phase comparison between the received signal and the contemporaneously transmitted signal
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/88 Radar or analogous systems specially adapted for specific applications electromagnetic prospecting or detecting of objects, e.g. near-field detection, G01V3/00
• CPC Class Codes: H01P 3/00 Waveguides; Transmission lines of the waveguide type
• CPC Class Codes: H01P 5/00 Coupling devices of the waveguide type
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/04 Adaptation for subterranean or subaqueous use
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 9/30 with feed to end of elongated active element, e.g. unipole H01Q9/44 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/20 using microwaves or radio frequency waves
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 3/52 Systems for transmission between fixed stations via waveguides

Abstract

Disclosed are various systems and methods for remote surface sensing using guided surface wave modes on lossy media. One system, among others, includes a guided surface waveguide probe configured to launch a guided surface wave along a surface of a lossy conducting medium, and a receiver configured to receive backscatter reflected by a remotely located object illuminated by the guided surface wave. One method, among others, includes launching a guided surface wave along a surface of a lossy conducting medium by exciting a charge terminal of a guided surface waveguide probe, and receiving backscatter reflected by a remotely located object illuminated by the guided surface wave.

Claims

1. A system, comprising:

a guided surface waveguide probe configured to launch a guided surface wave along a surface of a lossy conducting medium, where the guided surface waveguide probe generates at least one resultant field that synthesizes a wave front incident with the lossy conducting medium at a complex Brewster angle of incidence (θ

_i,B) of the lossy conducting medium; and

a receiver configured to receive backscatter reflected by a remotely located object illuminated by the guided surface wave.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the guided surface waveguide probe comprises a charge terminal elevated over the lossy conducting medium configured to generate the at least one resultant field that synthesizes the wave front incident at the complex Brewster angle of incidence (θ

_i,B) of the lossy conducting medium.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the charge terminal is one of a plurality of charge terminals elevated over the lossy conducting medium.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the guided surface waveguide probe comprises a feed network electrically coupled to the charge terminal, the feed network providing a phase delay (Φ

) that matches a wave tilt angle (Ψ

) associated with the complex Brewster angle of incidence (θ

_i,B).

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the charge terminal is one of a plurality of charge terminals electrically coupled to the feed network.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the feed network is configured to impose a plurality of voltage magnitudes and a plurality of phases on the plurality of charge terminals to synthesize a plurality of fields that substantially match a guided surface-waveguide mode of the lossy conducting medium, thereby launching the guided surface wave.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the guided surface waveguide probe is configured to launch a series of guided surface waves having a defined pulse duration at a defined repetition rate.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the guided surface wave is a frequency modulated continuous wave.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the remotely located object is on the surface of the lossy conducting medium.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the remotely located object is above the surface of the lossy conducting medium.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the remotely located object is a low flying aircraft.

12. The system of claim 1, comprising a plurality of guided surface waveguide probes configured to launch guided surface waves along the surface of the lossy conducting medium.

13. The system of claim 1, comprising a plurality of receivers configured to receive the backscatter reflected by the remotely located object illuminated by the guided surface wave.

14. The system of claim 1, wherein the lossy conducting medium is a terrestrial medium.

15. The system of claim 1, comprising a mobile vehicle including the receiver.

16. A method, comprising:

launching a guided surface wave along a surface of a lossy conducting medium by exciting a charge terminal of a guided surface waveguide probe, the charge terminal elevated over the lossy conduction medium; and

receiving backscatter reflected by a remotely located object illuminated by the guided surface wave.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein excitation of the charge terminal generates a resultant field that synthesizes a wave front incident at a complex Brewster angle of incidence (θ

_i,B) of the lossy conducting medium.

18. The method of claim 16, wherein the guided surface waveguide probe comprises a feed network electrically coupled to the charge terminal, the feed network providing a phase delay (Φ

) that matches a wave tilt angle (Ψ

) associated with a complex Brewster angle of incidence (θ

_i,B) associated with the lossy conducting medium in a vicinity of the guided surface waveguide probe.

19. The method of claim 16, wherein the guided surface waveguide probe is configured to launch a series of guided surface waves having a defined pulse duration at a defined repetition rate.

20. The method of claim 16, comprising determining a characteristic of the remotely located object based at least in part upon the backscatter.