Method and apparatus for sensing a condition in a transmission medium of electromagnetic waves

• US 10,530,423 B2
• Filed: 01/17/2019
• Issued: 01/07/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 09/15/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Fuchs, Mitchell Harvey, Gerszberg, Irwin
• Primary Examiner(s): Kassa, Zewdu A
• Application Number:
  US16/250,558
• Publication Number:
  US 20190222261A1
• Time in Patent Office: 355 Days
• Field of Search: 375257, 375259, 375219, 375295, 375316
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 23/06 through light guides, e.g. optical fibres
• CPC Class Codes: H01P 3/16 Dielectric waveguides, i.e. without a longitudinal conductor
• CPC Class Codes: H01P 5/12 Coupling devices having more than two ports H01P5/04 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/46 Electric supply lines or communication lines
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 3/544 Setting up communications; Call and signalling arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 3/56 Circuits for coupling, blocking, or by-passing of signals
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 3/58 Repeater circuits
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2209/30 using a wired architecture
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2209/886 using energy harvesting, e.g. solar, wind or mechanical
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 9/00 Arrangements in telecontrol or telemetry systems for selectively calling a substation from a main station, in which substation desired apparatus is selected for applying a control signal thereto or for obtaining measured values therefrom

Abstract

Aspects of the subject disclosure may include, for example, a device that facilitates transmitting electromagnetic waves along a surface of a physical transmission medium without requiring an electrical return path that facilitates delivery of electric energy to devices, and sensing a condition that is adverse to the electromagnetic waves propagating along the surface of the physical transmission medium. Other embodiments are disclosed.

Claims

1. A network management system, comprising:

a processing system including a processor; and

a memory that stores executable instructions that, when executed by the processing system, facilitate performance of operations, the operations comprising;

receiving a message from a waveguide system indicating a disturbance that is adverse to a transmission or reception of electromagnetic waves that propagate along a physical transmission medium,

wherein a sensor of the waveguide system facilitates sensing the disturbance,

wherein a coupler of the waveguide system facilitates the transmission or reception of the electromagnetic waves that propagate along the physical transmission medium without requiring an electrical return path, and

wherein the waveguide system is one of a plurality of waveguide systems coupled to a plurality of physical transmission mediums that form a network topology of a communication system, wherein the physical transmission medium is included in the plurality of physical transmission mediums; and

determining, according to the network topology, a first location of the disturbance.

2. The network management system of claim 1, wherein the determining the location of the disturbance further comprises determining a second location of the waveguide system on the physical transmission medium.

3. The network management system of claim 1, wherein the message comprises a calculated distance from the waveguide system to the disturbance.

4. The network management system of claim 1, wherein the processing system receives the message in accordance with the disturbance exceeding at least one of a duration threshold or a frequency of occurrence threshold, based on sensing data obtained by the sensor.

5. The network management system of claim 1, wherein the message comprises an identification of the disturbance obtained from spectral analysis of reflected electromagnetic waves from the disturbance.

6. The network management system of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise determining a mitigation procedure for the disturbance.

7. The network management system of claim 6, wherein the operations further comprise monitoring the mitigation procedure by transmitting a test signal on the physical transmission medium.

8. The network management system of claim 6, wherein the physical transmission medium comprises a first physical transmission medium, wherein the electromagnetic waves comprise traffic on the first physical transmission medium, and wherein the mitigation procedure further comprises directing the waveguide system to reroute at least a portion of the traffic to a second physical transmission medium different from the first physical transmission medium.

9. The network management system of claim 8, wherein the first physical transmission medium comprises a first power line, and the second physical transmission medium comprises a second power line.

10. The network management system of claim 8, wherein the operations further comprise:

receiving a notification that the disturbance has been resolved; and

in accordance with the notification, directing the waveguide system to restore a previous traffic routing configuration utilized by the waveguide system.

11. The network management system of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise sending a notification regarding the disturbance to at least one of equipment of a utility services provider or equipment of a communications service provider.

12. The network management system of claim 1, wherein the network management system receives the message via a base station communicatively coupled to the waveguide system.

13. A method comprising:

receiving, by a processing system including a processor of a network management system, a message from a waveguide system indicating a disturbance that is adverse to a transmission or reception of electromagnetic waves that propagate along a physical transmission medium,

wherein a sensor of the waveguide system facilitates sensing the disturbance,

wherein a coupler of the waveguide system facilitates the transmission or reception of the electromagnetic waves that propagate along the physical transmission medium without requiring an electrical return path, and

wherein the waveguide system is one of a plurality of waveguide systems coupled to a plurality of physical transmission mediums that form a network of a communication system, wherein the physical transmission medium is included in the plurality of physical transmission mediums; and

determining, by the processing system, a first location of the disturbance, wherein the determining the first location of the disturbance further comprises determining a location of the waveguide system on the physical transmission medium.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising determining, by the processing system, a mitigation procedure for the disturbance.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the physical transmission medium comprises a first physical transmission medium, wherein the electromagnetic waves comprise traffic on the first physical transmission medium, and wherein the mitigation procedure further comprises directing the waveguide system to reroute at least a portion of the traffic to a second physical transmission medium different from the first physical transmission medium.

16. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

receiving, by the processing system, a notification that the disturbance has been resolved; and

in accordance with the notification, directing, by the processing system, the waveguide system to restore a previous traffic routing configuration utilized by the waveguide system.

17. A non-transitory machine-readable medium comprising executable instructions that, when executed by a processing system including a processor of a network management system, facilitate performance of operations comprising:

receiving a message from a waveguide system indicating a disturbance that is adverse to a transmission or reception of electromagnetic waves that propagate along a physical transmission medium,

wherein a sensor of the waveguide system facilitates sensing the disturbance,

wherein a coupler of the waveguide system facilitates the transmission or reception of the electromagnetic waves that propagate along the physical transmission medium without requiring an electrical return path, and

wherein the waveguide system is one of a plurality of waveguide systems coupled to a plurality of physical transmission mediums that form a network of a communication system, wherein the physical transmission medium is included in the plurality of physical transmission mediums; and

determining a location of the disturbance.

18. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 17, wherein the determining the first location of the disturbance further comprises determining a location of the waveguide system on the physical transmission medium.

19. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 17, wherein the plurality of physical transmission mediums form a network topology of a communication system, and wherein the location of the disturbance is determined according to the network topology.

20. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 17, wherein the physical transmission medium comprises a first physical transmission medium, wherein the electromagnetic waves comprise traffic on the first physical transmission medium, and wherein a mitigation procedure for the disturbance further comprises directing the waveguide system to reroute at least a portion of the traffic to a second physical transmission medium different from the first physical transmission medium.