Exciting large waveguide modes using supergain antennas
First Claim
1. An apparatus comprising:
- an electrically small array of waveguide coupling elements configured for coupling energy into a waveguide cavity; and
a computer apparatus having one or more processors and memory storing instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the system to carry out operations including;
determining an eigenmode of the waveguide cavity; and
causing the electrically small array of coupling elements to generate an electromagnetic excitation that overlaps with the eigenmode, wherein causing the electrically small array of coupling elements to generate the electromagnetic excitation that overlaps with the eigenmode couples energy into the waveguide cavity.
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Accused Products
Abstract
Systems and methods for efficient coupling to low-loss eigenmodes of a spherical waveguide bounded by the Earth'"'"'s surface and its ionosphere are disclosed. One or more eigenmodes of the Earth-ionosphere waveguide may be computed based on a mathematical model incorporating electrical properties of the terrestrial surface and plasma physics of the ionospheric layer. An array of electrically-connected waveguide-coupling elements may be configured for coupling to the one or more eigenmodes. By adjusting relative phases and/or amplitudes of the waveguide-coupler elements, as well as frequencies, the electrical size of the array may be made much larger than its physical size, and substantial electromagnetic energy may be targeted to preferentially excite the one or more eigenmodes. The adjustments may also account or compensate for non-homogeneous propagation properties of the ionosphere, and help reduce ohmic losses in the ionosphere.
9 Citations
20 Claims
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1. An apparatus comprising:
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an electrically small array of waveguide coupling elements configured for coupling energy into a waveguide cavity; and a computer apparatus having one or more processors and memory storing instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the system to carry out operations including; determining an eigenmode of the waveguide cavity; and causing the electrically small array of coupling elements to generate an electromagnetic excitation that overlaps with the eigenmode, wherein causing the electrically small array of coupling elements to generate the electromagnetic excitation that overlaps with the eigenmode couples energy into the waveguide cavity. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16)
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17. A method comprising:
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computing one or more eigenmodes of a spherical waveguide cavity encompassed by two boundaries; determining at least one of the one or more eigenmodes to use for wireless energy transmission in the spherical waveguide cavity; and causing an electrically small array of coupling elements to generate an electromagnetic excitation that overlaps the at least one eigenmode, wherein causing the electrically small array of coupling elements to generate the electromagnetic excitation that overlaps the at least one eigenmode couples energy wirelessly into the spherical waveguide cavity. - View Dependent Claims (18, 19)
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20. An apparatus comprising:
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an electrically small array of coupling elements configured for extracting energy from a spherical waveguide cavity; and a controller configured to; determine an eigenmode of the spherical waveguide that is overlapped by an electromagnetic excitation generated by a transmitter; and receive a first signal from a first element of the array and a second signal from a second element of the array, wherein the first signal and the second signal correspond to the electromagnetic excitation that overlaps the eigenmode of the spherical waveguide cavity, and wherein said receiving extracts energy from the spherical waveguide cavity.
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Specification