QUASI-OPTICAL COUPLER

• US 20150162988A1
• Filed: 12/10/2013
• Published: 06/11/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 12/10/2013
• 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: Henry, Paul Shala, Barnickel, Donald J., Barzegar, Farhad, Bennett, Robert, Gerszberg, Irwin, Willis, Thomas M. III
• Granted Patent: US 9,209,902 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/46 Electric supply lines or communication lines
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 13/26 Surface waveguide constituted by a single conductor, e.g. strip conductor
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 19/10 using reflecting surfaces
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 10/501 Structural aspects
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 10/802 for isolation, e.g. using optocouplers
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 2203/5483 using coupling circuits
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 3/52 Systems for transmission between fixed stations via waveguides
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 3/54 Systems for transmission via power distribution lines
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 3/56 Circuits for coupling, blocking, or by-passing of signals

Abstract

A quasi-optical coupling system launches and extracts surface wave communication transmissions from a wire. At millimeter-wave frequencies, where the wavelength is small compared to the macroscopic size of the equipment, the millimeter-wave transmissions can be transported from one place to another and diverted via lenses and reflectors, much like visible light. Transmitters and receivers can be positioned near telephone and power lines and reflectors placed on or near the cables can reflect transmissions onto or off of the cables. The lenses on the transmitters are focused, and the reflectors positioned such that the reflected transmissions are guided waves on the surface of the cables. The reflectors can be polarization sensitive, where one or more of a set of guided wave modes can be reflected off the wire based on the polarization of the guided wave modes and polarization and orientation of the reflector.

Claims

1. An apparatus, comprising:

a transmitter that emits a transmission, wherein a wavelength of the transmission corresponds to a millimeter-wave band; and

a reflector, positioned with respect to a wire, that reflects the transmission in a direction substantially parallel to the wire thereby resulting in a reflected transmission, wherein the reflected transmission comprises a guided wave that is guided based on a surface of the wire.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the transmission is a first transmission reflected in a first direction, a side of the reflector reflects the first transmission and further comprising:

another transmitter that emits a second transmission directed towards another side of the reflector, wherein the reflector reflects the second transmission substantially parallel to the wire in a second direction substantially opposite to the first direction.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the reflector further reflects an incoming transmission to a receiver, and the incoming transmission is another guided wave that is guided based on a surface of the wire.

4. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the transmitter and the receiver are communicably linked, and the transmission is a repeated transmission of the incoming transmission.

5. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the reflector is polarized, and reflects to the receiver a component of the guided wave that is polarized parallel to a polarization vector of the reflector.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the wavelength of the transmission is smaller than a circumference of the wire.

7. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the guided wave comprises a plurality of surface-wave modes.

8. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein a surface-wave mode of the plurality of surface-wave modes is asymmetrical.

9. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the wire passes through the reflector.

10. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the transmitter comprises a lens, and a focus of the lens is at a focal plane of the reflector.

11. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein a focal plane of the lens is at an intersection area of the wire and the reflector.

12. An apparatus, comprising:

a reflector, positioned with respect to a wire, that reflects an incoming transmission away from the wire, wherein the incoming transmission comprises a guided wave that is guided based on a surface of the wire that travels in a direction substantially parallel to the wire; and

a receiver that receives the incoming transmission, wherein a wavelength of the incoming transmission corresponds to a millimeter-wave band.

13. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the reflector is polarized, and reflects to the receiver a mode of the guided wave that is polarized parallel to a polarization vector of the reflector.

14. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein another mode of the guided wave that is not polarized parallel to the polarization vector of the reflector passes through the reflector.

15. The apparatus of claim 12, further comprising:

a repeater that repeats the incoming transmission received by the receiver resulting in an amplified transmission; and

a transmitter that transmits the amplified transmission to a second reflector that reflects the amplified transmission in the direction substantially parallel to the wire in another direction toward which the incoming transmission was travelling before being reflection, wherein the amplified transmission comprises a guided wave on a surface of the wire.

16. The apparatus of claim 15 wherein the reflector and the second reflector are two sides of a reflecting device.

17. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the receiver and the transmitter are communicably coupled and on substantially opposite sides of the reflecting device.

18. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the receiver comprises a lens, and a size of a focal plane of the lens that intersects the reflector and the wire is corresponds to a size of a mode of the guided wave.

19. A method, comprising:

emitting, by a transmission device, a transmission towards a first side of a reflector that is near a wire, wherein the transmission comprises a wavelength corresponding to a millimeter-wave band; and

reflecting the transmission in a direction substantially parallel to the wire resulting in a reflected transmission, wherein the reflected transmission comprises a guided wave on a surface of the wire.

20. The method of claim 19, further comprising:

reflecting an incoming transmission away from the wire, wherein the incoming transmission is another guided wave on the surface of the wire; and

receiving the incoming transmission at a receiver, wherein another wavelength of the incoming transmission corresponds to the millimeter-wave band.