GUIDED-WAVE TRANSMISSION DEVICE WITH DIVERSITY AND METHODS FOR USETHEREWITH

• US 20160112094A1
• Filed: 10/21/2014
• Published: 04/21/2016
• 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, Thomas M. III
• Granted Patent: US 9,564,947 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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 transmitter that generates a first electromagnetic wave conveying first data; and

a first coupler, coupled to the transmitter, that guides the first electromagnetic wave to a first junction for coupling the first electromagnetic wave to a transmission medium at a first azimuthal angle to form a second electromagnetic wave that is guided 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 angular deviation from the first azimuthal angle, wherein the function has a local minimum at a first angular deviation from the first azimuthal angle, 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 conveys second data; and

a second coupler guides the third electromagnetic wave from a second junction coupling the third electromagnetic wave from the transmission medium at the first angular deviation from the first azimuthal angle to form a fourth electromagnetic wave that is guided to a first receiver.

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

3. The transmission device of claim 1 wherein the envelope of the second electromagnetic wave, for the first angular deviation from the first azimuthal angle, varies as a function of longitudinal deviation from the first junction and the local minimum at the first angular deviation occurs at a first longitudinal displacement from the first junction.

5. The transmission device of claim 1 wherein the envelope of the second electromagnetic wave, for the first angular deviation from the first azimuthal angle, varies as a sinusoidal function of longitudinal deviation from the first junction.

6. The transmission device of claim 5 wherein the sinusoidal function has a corresponding envelope wavelength, wherein the transmitter transmits the first data to at least one remote transmission device having a third 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.

7. The transmission device of claim 5 wherein the sinusoidal function has a corresponding envelope wavelength, wherein the first receiver receives the second data from at least one remote transmission device having a third 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.

8. The transmission device of claim 1 further comprising:

a training controller, coupled to the transmitter 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.

9. The transmission device of claim 1 further comprising:

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

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

4. (canceled)

10. A transmission device comprising:

a transmitter that generates a first electromagnetic wave conveying first data; and

a first coupler, coupled to the transmitter, that guides 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 has a local 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 conveys second data; and

a second coupler guides 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 first 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, varies as a function of a first angular deviation from the first junction and the local minimum at the first longitudinal displacement from the first junction occurs at the first angular deviation from the first junction.

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

14. The transmission device of claim 13 wherein the sinusoidal function has a corresponding envelope wavelength, wherein the transmitter transmits the first data to at least one remote transmission device having a third 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 has a corresponding envelope wavelength, wherein the first receiver receives the second data from at least one remote transmission device having a third 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 transmitter and a 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 transmitter and a receiver, that generates feedback data based on reception of the fourth electromagnetic wave;

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

12. (canceled)

18. A method comprising:

generating a first electromagnetic wave conveying first data from a transmitting device;

guiding the first electromagnetic wave to a first junction for coupling the first electromagnetic wave to a transmission medium at a first azimuthal angle to forms a second electromagnetic wave that is guided to propagate 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 angular deviation from the first azimuthal angle and wherein the function has a local minimum at a first angular deviation from the first azimuthal angle; and

guiding a third electromagnetic wave from a second junction coupling the third electromagnetic wave from the transmission medium at the first angular deviation from the first azimuthal angle to form a fourth electromagnetic wave that is guided to a first receiver, wherein the third electromagnetic wave propagates along the outer surface of the transmission medium in a direction opposite to the first electromagnetic wave and conveys second data.

19. The method of claim 18 wherein the envelope of the second electromagnetic wave, for the first angular deviation from the first azimuthal angle, varies as a function of longitudinal deviation from the first junction and the local minimum at the first angular deviation occurs at a first longitudinal displacement from the first junction.

21. The method of claim 18 wherein the envelope of the second electromagnetic wave, for the first angular deviation from the first azimuthal angle, varies as a sinusoidal function of longitudinal deviation from the first junction.

22. The method of claim 21 wherein the sinusoidal function has a corresponding envelope wavelength, wherein a transmitter transmits the first data to at least one remote transmission device 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.

23. The method of claim 21 wherein the sinusoidal function has a corresponding envelope wavelength, wherein the first receiver receives the second data from at least one remote transmission device 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.

24. The method of claim 18 further comprising:

selecting at least one carrier frequency of the first electromagnetic wave based on feedback data received by a receiver from at least one remote transmission device coupled to receive the second electromagnetic wave.

20. (canceled)

25. A method comprising:

determining, by a waveguide system, a first transmission envelope of a first asymmetric electromagnetic wave, wherein the first transmission envelope has a first wavelength that reduces signal interference between the first asymmetric electromagnetic wave and a second asymmetric electromagnetic wave having a second transmission envelope at a second wavelength; and

transmitting, by the waveguide system, the first asymmetric electromagnetic wave on an outer surface of a transmission medium according to the first transmission envelope at a same time the second asymmetric electromagnetic wave is propagating on the outer surface of the transmission medium;

wherein the determining comprises determining an angular displacement between a first portion of a signal of the first asymmetric electromagnetic wave and a second portion of a signal of the second asymmetric electromagnetic wave;

wherein the transmitting comprises adjusting the transmitting of the first asymmetric electromagnetic wave according to the angular displacement, and

wherein the adjusting the transmitting of the first asymmetric electromagnetic wave according to the angular displacement comprises adjusting an operating frequency of asymmetric electromagnetic waves transmitted by the waveguide system or a location of a coupler of the waveguide system with respect to the transmission medium.

26-28. -28. (canceled)