Guided surface waveguide probes

• US 10,135,301 B2
• Filed: 08/18/2016
• Issued: 11/20/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 09/09/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Quantum Wave LLC
• Original Assignee: Cpg Technologies, LLC
• Inventors: Corum, James F., Corum, Kenneth L., Pinzone, Jr., Basil F., Pinzone, Joseph F., Carlton, Jr., Paul Kendall
• Primary Examiner(s): Takaoka, Dean
• Assistant Examiner(s): Wong, Alan
• Application Number:
  US15/240,196
• Publication Number:
  US 20170069947A1
• Time in Patent Office: 824 Days
• 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 is a guided surface waveguide probe including a charge terminal configured to generate an electromagnetic field and a support apparatus that supports the charge terminal above a lossy conducting medium, wherein the electromagnetic field generated by the charge terminal synthesizes a wave front incident at a complex Brewster angle of incidence (θ_i,B) of the lossy conducting medium.

Claims

1. A guided surface waveguide probe comprising:

a charge terminal configured to generate a guided surface wave comprising an electromagnetic field;

a support apparatus that supports the charge terminal above a lossy conducting medium, wherein the electromagnetic field generated by the charge terminal synthesizes a wave front incident at a complex Brewster angle of incidence (θ

_i,B) of the lossy conducting medium, wherein the support apparatus supports the charge terminal at a top end of the support apparatus at a height above the surface of the lossy conducting medium that is at least four times an effective diameter of the char e terminal; and

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) in the vicinity of the guided surface waveguide probe.

2. The probe of claim 1, wherein the charge terminal comprises a spherical member.

3. The probe of claim 2, wherein the spherical member is hollow.

4. The probe of claim 3, wherein the spherical member is made of a metal material.

5. The probe of claim 1, wherein the charge terminal comprises multiple spherical members.

6. The probe of claim 5, wherein the spherical members are spaced from each other.

7. The probe of claim 6, wherein the spherical members are hollow.

8. The probe of claim 7, wherein the spherical members are made of a metal material.

9. The probe of claim 1, wherein the charge terminal comprises an ellipsoid member.

10. The probe of claim 9, wherein the ellipsoid member is hollow.

11. The probe of claim 10, wherein the ellipsoid member is made of a metal material.

12. The probe of claim 9, wherein a minor axis of the ellipsoid member is generally vertical.

13. The probe of claim 9, wherein a minor axis of the ellipsoid member is generally horizontal.

14. The probe of claim 1, wherein the charge terminal comprises a toroid member.

15. The probe of claim 14, wherein the toroid member is hollow.

16. The probe of claim 15, wherein the toroid member is made of a metal material.

17. The probe of claim 14, wherein the toroid member is generally horizontal such that a central axis of a central opening of the toroid member is generally vertical.

18. The probe of claim 14, wherein the toroid member is generally vertical such that a central axis of a central opening of the toroid member is generally horizontal.

19. The probe of claim 1, wherein the charge terminal comprises a cylindrical member.

20. The probe of claim 19, wherein the cylindrical member comprises rounded ends.

21. The probe of claim 1, wherein the charge terminal is hollow and comprises an outer surface including multiple openings that enable air to pass through the terminal.

22. The probe of claim 1, wherein the charge terminal comprises a plurality of rods that together define a discontinuous effective surface of the terminal.

23. The probe of claim 1, wherein the feed network comprises a conductive coil.

24. The probe of claim 23, further comprising a feed line connector that electrically couples the conductive coil with the charge terminal.

25. The probe of claim 24, further comprising a stake that electrically couples the conductive coil to the lossy conducting medium.

26. The probe of claim 1, wherein the charge terminal is made of a metal material.

27. The probe of claim 26, wherein the support apparatus is made of a polymeric material.

28. The probe of claim 26, wherein the support apparatus is made of a polymeric material.

29. A guided surface waveguide probe comprising:

a charge terminal configured to generate a guided surface wave comprising an electromagnetic field, the charge terminal comprises a vertical toroid member such that a central axis of a central opening of the vertical toroid member is generally horizontal;

a support apparatus that supports the charge terminal above a lossy conducting medium, wherein the electromagnetic field generated by the charge terminal synthesizes a wave front incident at a complex Brewster angle of incidence (θ

_i,B) of the lossy conducting medium; and

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) in the vicinity of the guided surface waveguide probe.

30. The guided surface waveguide probe of claim 29, further comprising:

a feed network electrically coupled to the toroidal 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) in the vicinity of the guided surface waveguide probe.