Transmission medium and communication interfaces and methods for use therewith

• US 10,560,144 B2
• Filed: 07/18/2017
• Issued: 02/11/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 12/04/2014
• 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: Bennett, Robert, Henry, Paul Shala, Barzegar, Farhad, Gerszberg, Irwin, Barnickel, Donald J., Willis, III, Thomas M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Ahn, Sung S
• Application Number:
  US15/652,535
• Publication Number:
  US 20170317714A1
• Time in Patent Office: 938 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H01P 3/10 Wire waveguides, i.e. with a single solid longitudinal conductor
• CPC Class Codes: H01P 3/16 Dielectric waveguides, i.e. without a longitudinal conductor
• CPC Class Codes: H01P 5/087 Transitions to a dielectric waveguide
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 13/02 Waveguide horns
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 3/26 varying the relative phase or relative amplitude of energisation between two or more active radiating elements; varying the distribution of energy across a radiating aperture H01Q3/12, H01Q3/22, H01Q3/24 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 13/00 Circuit arrangements for providing remote indication of network conditions, e.g. an instantaneous record of the open or closed condition of each circuitbreaker in the network; Circuit arrangements for providing remote control of switching means in a power distribution network, e.g. switching in and out of current consumers by using a pulse code signal carried by the network
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 13/00009 using pulsed signals
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 13/00017 using optical fiber
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 2203/5483 using coupling circuits
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 3/02 Details
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 3/03 Hybrid circuits for transceivers H04B1/52, H04B1/58
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 3/56 Circuits for coupling, blocking, or by-passing of signals
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2878 Access multiplexer, e.g. DSLAM generic distributed time multiplexers, e.g. TDM/TDMA H04J3/1694
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/00 Enabling technologies; Technologies with a potential or indirect contribution to GHG emissions mitigation
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 40/121 using the power network as support for the transmission
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 40/124 using wired telecommunication networks or data transmission busses

Abstract

Aspects of the subject disclosure may include, for example, a system for receiving first electromagnetic waves via a transmission medium without utilizing an electrical return path, and inducing second electromagnetic waves at an interface of the transmission medium without the electrical return path. In an embodiment, the first and second electromagnetic waves have a non-optical frequency range. Other embodiments are disclosed.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

generating, by a waveguide system comprising a processor, first electromagnetic waves; and

inducing, by the waveguide system, according to the first electromagnetic waves, second electromagnetic waves that propagate along a hollow conduit formed by an interior portion of a plurality of twisted pair cables, wherein the interior portion is formed by a plurality of inner surfaces of the plurality of twisted pair cables, wherein the plurality of twisted pair cables result in a bundle of cables, and wherein the second electromagnetic waves propagate along the hollow conduit formed by the interior portion of the plurality of twisted pair cables without requiring an electrical return path.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the second electromagnetic waves propagate along an outer surface of a first cable of the bundle of cables, wherein the outer surface of the first cable corresponds to one of the plurality of inner surfaces of the plurality of twisted pair cables.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the waveguide system comprises a plurality of couplers located at differing positions of the bundle of cables.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the bundle of cables comprises an unshielded bundle of twisted pair cables.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the bundle of cables comprises insulated wires.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving, by the waveguide system, one or more communication signals that convey data, wherein at least a portion of the second electromagnetic waves conveys in whole or in part the data.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the waveguide system induces the second electromagnetic waves in accordance with a multiple-input and multiple-output technique.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the waveguide system induces the second electromagnetic waves by multiplexing via differing wave propagation modes.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the waveguide system comprises a plurality of couplers located at differing positions of the bundle of cables, and wherein the generating comprises generating, by the plurality of couplers, the first electromagnetic waves.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the second electromagnetic waves employ phase shift keying, frequency shift keying, quadrature amplitude modulation, amplitude modulation, multi-carrier modulation, frequency division multiplexing, time division multiplexing, code division multiplexing, or multiplexing via differing wave propagation modes.

11. A waveguide 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;

generating a first plurality of electromagnetic waves; and

inducing, according to the first plurality of electromagnetic waves, a second plurality of electromagnetic waves that propagate along a hollow conduit formed by an interior portion of a plurality of twisted pair cables, wherein the interior portion is formed by a plurality of inner surfaces of the plurality of twisted pair cables, wherein the plurality of twisted pair cables result in a bundle of cables, and wherein the second plurality of electromagnetic waves propagate along the hollow conduit formed by the interior portion of the plurality of twisted pair cables without requiring an electrical return path.

12. The waveguide system of claim 11, wherein the second plurality of electromagnetic waves propagate along an outer surface of a first cable of the bundle of cables, wherein the outer surface of the first cable corresponds to one of the plurality of inner surfaces of the plurality of twisted pair cables.

13. The waveguide system of claim 11, wherein the bundle of cables comprises an unshielded bundle of twisted pair cables.

14. The waveguide system of claim 11, wherein the waveguide system communicates via the bundle of cables with a recipient waveguide system, wherein the recipient waveguide system receives the second plurality of electromagnetic waves in accordance with a multiple-input and multiple-output technique.

15. The waveguide system of claim 11, wherein the waveguide system induces the second plurality of electromagnetic waves by multiplexing via differing wave propagation modes.

16. The waveguide system of claim 11, further comprising a plurality of couplers located at differing positions of the bundle of cables, wherein the generating comprises generating, by the plurality of couplers, the first plurality of electromagnetic waves.

17. The waveguide system of claim 11, wherein the second plurality of electromagnetic waves employ phase shift keying, frequency shift keying, quadrature amplitude modulation, amplitude modulation, multi-carrier modulation, frequency division multiplexing, time division multiplexing, code division multiplexing, or multiplexing via differing wave propagation modes.

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

generating first electromagnetic waves; and

inducing according to the first electromagnetic waves, second electromagnetic waves that propagate along a hollow conduit formed by an interior portion of a plurality of twisted pair cables, wherein the interior portion is formed by a plurality of inner surfaces of the plurality of twisted pair cables, wherein the plurality of twisted pair cables result in a bundle of cables, and wherein the second electromagnetic waves propagate along the hollow conduit formed by the interior portion of the plurality of twisted pair cables without requiring an electrical return path.

19. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 18, wherein the second electromagnetic waves propagate along an outer surface of a first cable of the bundle of cables, wherein the outer surface of the first cable corresponds to one of the plurality of inner surfaces of the plurality of twisted pair cables.

20. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 18, wherein the bundle of cables comprises an unshielded bundle of twisted pair cables.