Guided wave transmission device with diversity and methods for use therewith

• US 10,560,153 B2
• Filed: 07/12/2018
• Issued: 02/11/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 10/21/2014
• 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: Stuckman, Bruce, Henry, Paul Shala, Bennett, Robert, Gerszberg, Irwin, Barzegar, Farhad, Barnickel, Donald J, Willis, III, Thomas M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Liu, Shuwang
• Assistant Examiner(s): Mckie, Gina M
• Application Number:
  US16/034,040
• Publication Number:
  US 20180323827A1
• Time in Patent Office: 579 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H01P 5/12 Coupling devices having more than two ports H01P5/04 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01P 5/18 consisting of two coupled guides, e.g. directional couplers
• CPC Class Codes: H01P 5/188 the guides being dielectric waveguides
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 2203/5441 Wireless systems or telephone
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 2203/5479 using repeaters
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 2203/5483 using coupling circuits
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 3/56 Circuits for coupling, blocking, or by-passing of signals
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/15528 Control of operation parameters of a relay station to exploit the physical medium

Abstract

Aspects of the subject disclosure may include, for example, a transmission device that includes a first coupler that guides a first electromagnetic wave to a first junction to form a second electromagnetic wave that is guided to propagate along the outer surface of the transmission medium via one or more guided-wave modes. These mode(s) have an envelope that varies as a function of angular deviation and/or longitudinal displacement. Other embodiments are disclosed.

Claims

1. A transmission device comprising:

a first coupler oriented at an azimuthal angle to a transmission medium, wherein the first coupler is configured to form a first electromagnetic wave that is guided along an outer surface of the transmission medium via at least one guided-wave mode, wherein the first electromagnetic wave has an envelope that varies as a function of angular deviation from the azimuthal angle, wherein the function of angular deviation has a minimum at an angular deviation from the azimuthal angle, and wherein a second electromagnetic wave propagates along the outer surface of the transmission medium in a direction opposite to the first electromagnetic wave; and

a second coupler that receives the second electromagnetic wave from the transmission medium for transmission to a receiver, wherein the second coupler is oriented at the angular deviation from the azimuthal angle.

2. The transmission device of claim 1, wherein the function of angular deviation has the minimum at the angular deviation from the azimuthal angle at a first longitudinal displacement along the transmission medium.

3. The transmission device of claim 2, wherein the envelope of the first electromagnetic wave, for the angular deviation from the azimuthal angle, varies as a function of longitudinal deviation along the transmission medium from the first coupler and the minimum at the angular deviation occurs at the first longitudinal displacement along the transmission medium from the first coupler.

4. The transmission device of claim 3, wherein the envelope of the first electromagnetic wave, for the angular deviation from the azimuthal angle, varies as a sinusoidal function of longitudinal deviation along the transmission medium from the first coupler.

5. The transmission device of claim 4, wherein the sinusoidal function of longitudinal deviation has a corresponding envelope wavelength, wherein at least one remote transmission device having a third coupler receives the first electromagnetic wave at a second longitudinal displacement along the transmission medium from the first coupler, and wherein the second longitudinal displacement is substantially an integer number of envelope wavelengths.

6. The transmission device of claim 1, further comprising:

a training controller configured to select at least one carrier frequency of the first electromagnetic wave based on feedback data received from at least one remote transmission device via the second electromagnetic wave.

7. The transmission device of claim 1, further comprising:

a training controller configured to generate feedback data based on a reception of the second electromagnetic wave;

wherein the feedback data is included in data conveyed by the first electromagnetic wave.

8. The transmission device of claim 1, wherein the first coupler and the second coupler are spaced a longitudinal distance apart along the transmission medium.

9. The transmission device of claim 1, wherein the first coupler and the second coupler are spaced at a shared longitudinal placement along the transmission medium.

10. A transmission device comprising:

means for generating a first electromagnetic wave conveying first data;

first means for guiding the first electromagnetic wave to a first junction for coupling the first electromagnetic wave to a transmission medium to form a second electromagnetic wave that propagates along an outer surface of the transmission medium via at least one guided-wave mode, wherein the second electromagnetic wave has an envelope that varies as a function of longitudinal displacement from the first junction, wherein the function of longitudinal displacement has a minimum at a first longitudinal displacement from the first junction, and wherein a third electromagnetic wave propagates along the outer surface of the transmission medium in a direction opposite to the first electromagnetic wave; and

second means for guiding the third electromagnetic wave from a second junction coupling the third electromagnetic wave from the transmission medium at the first longitudinal displacement from the first junction to form a fourth electromagnetic wave that is guided to a receiver.

11. The transmission device of claim 10, wherein the envelope of the second electromagnetic wave, for the first longitudinal displacement from the first junction, also varies as a function of an angular deviation from the first junction and the minimum at the first longitudinal displacement from the first junction occurs at the angular deviation from the first junction.

12. The transmission device of claim 11, wherein the first means and the second means are spaced a longitudinal distance apart along the transmission medium.

13. The transmission device of claim 11, wherein the envelope of the second electromagnetic wave, for the angular deviation from the first junction, varies as a sinusoidal function of the first longitudinal displacement from the first junction.

14. The transmission device of claim 13, wherein the sinusoidal function of the first longitudinal displacement has a corresponding envelope wavelength, wherein the means for generating transmits the first data to at least one remote transmission device having a coupler that receives the second electromagnetic wave via a third junction that is remotely displaced at a second longitudinal displacement from the first junction, and wherein the second longitudinal displacement is substantially an integer number of envelope wavelengths.

15. The transmission device of claim 13, wherein the sinusoidal function of the first longitudinal displacement has a corresponding envelope wavelength, wherein the receiver receives second data from at least one remote transmission device having a coupler that forms the third electromagnetic wave via a third junction that is remotely displaced at a second longitudinal displacement from the second junction, and wherein the second longitudinal displacement is substantially an integer number of envelope wavelengths.

16. The transmission device of claim 10, further comprising:

a training controller, coupled to the means for generating and the receiver, that selects at least one carrier frequency of the first electromagnetic wave based on feedback data received by the receiver from at least one remote transmission device coupled to receive the second electromagnetic wave.

17. The transmission device of claim 10, further comprising:

a training controller, coupled to the means for generating and the receiver, that generates feedback data based on a reception of the fourth electromagnetic wave;

wherein the feedback data is included in the first data transmitted by the first means for guiding to at least one remote transmission device coupled to receive the second electromagnetic wave.

18. A method comprising:

generating a first electromagnetic wave on a transmission medium that is guided to propagate along an outer surface of the transmission medium via at least one guided-wave mode, wherein the first electromagnetic wave has an envelope that varies as a first function of angular deviation from an azimuthal angle and wherein the first function of angular deviation has a minimum at an angular deviation from the azimuthal angle; and

receiving a second electromagnetic wave that propagates along the outer surface of the transmission medium in a direction opposite to the first electromagnetic wave, wherein the second electromagnetic wave has an envelope that varies as a second function of angular deviation from the azimuthal angle and wherein the second function of angular deviation has a maximum at the angular deviation from the azimuthal angle.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the envelope of the first electromagnetic wave, for the angular deviation from the azimuthal angle, varies as a third function of longitudinal displacement along the transmission medium and the maximum at the angular deviation occurs at a longitudinal displacement along the transmission medium.

20. The method of claim 18, wherein the envelope of the first electromagnetic wave, for the angular deviation from the azimuthal angle, varies as a sinusoidal function of a longitudinal displacement along the transmission medium.