Technique for conveying a wireless-standard signal through a barrier

• US 20110133865A1
• Filed: 12/08/2009
• Published: 06/09/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 12/08/2009
• 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: Worstell, Harry R., Miller, Robert R. II
• Granted Patent: US 8,344,829 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 333/24.R
• CPC Class Codes: H01P 3/06 Coaxial lines
• CPC Class Codes: H01P 5/12 Coupling devices having more than two ports H01P5/04 takes precedence

Abstract

The RF signal generated by a ZigBee radio on the outside of a building structure is conveyed to the interior of the building by guiding it along an electric cable bundle that passes through the building'"'"'s wall to supply domestic electric power to the interior of the structure. The RF signal is launched by a unique coupler comprising a pair of insulated foil conductors.

Claims

1. Apparatus comprising

means for generating a wireless networking signal conforming to a wireless networking standard, and

means for extending the wireless networking signal from a first side of a barrier to a second side of the barrier by causing the wireless signal to be guided as a electromagnetic wave along an electromagnetic-wave-guiding path through the barrier.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the means for extending extends the wireless networking signal along the electromagnetic-wave-guiding path using transverse-magnetic surface wave propagation.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the wireless networking standard is a standard adopted by a wireless-networking-industry-standards-setting body.

4. The apparatus of claim 3 wherein the wireless-networking-industry-standards-setting body is the IEEE.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the wireless networking standard is IEEE 802.15.4.

6. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the means for extending includes at least one electrical conductor that extends through the barrier.

7. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the means for extending includes a coaxial waveguide.

8. The apparatus of claim 7 wherein the coaxial waveguide comprises an electric power cable conveying domestic power through the barrier over at least one inner conductor, and a conductive medium disposed on the electric power cable.

9. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the means for extending includes an electric power cable conveying domestic power through the barrier over at least one inner conductor and a conductive medium disposed on the electric power cable.

10. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the barrier is an exterior wall of a building structure.

11. The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising means for detecting the guided electromagnetic wave at the second side of the barrier and for re-broadcasting the detected wave.

12. The apparatus of claim 11 wherein the means for detecting and re-broadcasting is mounted on a circuit breaker panel disposed on the second side of the barrier and further comprises an antenna, mounted on the circuit breaker panel, from which the detected wave is rebroadcast.