GUIDED-WAVE TRANSMISSION DEVICE WITH NON-FUNDAMENTAL MODE PROPAGATION AND METHODS FOR USE THEREWITH

• US 20160112135A1
• 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: Henry, Paul Shala, Bennett, Robert, Gerszberg, Irwin, Barzegar, Farhad, Barnickel, Donald J., Willis, Thomas M. III
• Granted Patent: US 9,627,768 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H01P 3/10 Wire waveguides, i.e. with a single solid longitudinal conductor
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/2291 used in bluetooth or WI-FI devices of Wireless Local Area Networks [WLAN] H01Q1/241 takes precedence; WLAN in general H04W
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/246 specially adapted for base stations
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/40 Radiating elements coated with or embedded in protective material
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 13/08 Radiating ends of two-conductor microwave transmission lines, e.g. of coaxial lines, of microstrip lines
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 13/28 comprising elements constituting electric discontinuities and spaced in direction of wave propagation, e.g. dielectric elements or conductive elements forming artificial dielectric
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/40 Circuits
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 10/0799 Monitoring line transmitter or line receiver equipment
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 10/25753 Distribution optical network, e.g. between a base station and a plurality of remote units
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 10/2581 Multimode transmission
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 3/36 Repeater circuits H04B3/58 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 3/54 Systems for transmission via power distribution lines
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/024 Co-operative use of antennas of several sites, e.g. in co-ordinated multipoint or co-operative multiple-input multiple-output [MIMO] systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 16/26 Cell enhancers or enhancement, e.g. for tunnels, building shadow
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/085 Access point devices with remote components

Abstract

Aspects of the subject disclosure may include, for example, a transmission device that includes a transmitter that generates a first electromagnetic wave to convey data. A coupler couples the first electromagnetic wave to a single wire transmission medium having an outer surface, to forming a second electromagnetic wave that is guided to propagate along the outer surface of the single wire transmission medium via at least one guided wave mode that includes an asymmetric or non-fundamental mode having a lower cutoff frequency. A carrier frequency of the second electromagnetic wave is selected to be within a limited range of the lower cutoff frequency, so that a majority of the electric field is concentrated within a distance from the outer surface that is less than half the largest cross sectional dimension of the single wire transmission medium, and/or to reduce propagation loss. Other embodiments are disclosed.

Claims

1. A transmission device comprising:

a communications interface that receives a first communication signal that includes first data;

a transceiver, coupled to the communications interface, that generates a first electromagnetic wave based on the first communication signal to convey the first data; and

a coupler, coupled to the transceiver, that couples the first electromagnetic wave to a transmission medium having at least one inner portion surrounded by a dielectric material, the dielectric material having an outer surface and a corresponding circumference, wherein the coupling of the first electromagnetic wave to the transmission medium forms a second electromagnetic wave having at least one carrier frequency that is guided to propagate along the outer surface of the dielectric material via at least one guided wave mode that includes a non-fundamental mode, wherein the non-fundamental mode has a lower cutoff frequency, and wherein the at least one carrier frequency is selected based on the lower cutoff frequency.

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

a training controller, coupled to the transceiver, that selects the at least one carrier frequency to be within a limited range of the lower cutoff frequency based on an analysis of test signals or test data.

3. The transmission device of claim 2, wherein a third electromagnetic wave conveys second data that also propagates along the outer surface of the dielectric material of the transmission medium, wherein the second data includes the analysis of test signals or test data by at least one remote transmission device;

wherein the coupler also couples the third electromagnetic wave from the transmission medium to form a fourth electromagnetic wave; and

wherein the transceiver receives the fourth electromagnetic wave and processes the fourth electromagnetic wave to extract the second data.

4. The transmission device of claim 2, wherein the training controller evaluates a plurality of candidate frequencies and selects the at least one carrier frequency to be within the limited range of the lower cutoff frequency, based on the analysis of the test signals or test data, as one of the plurality of candidate frequencies.

5. The transmission device of claim 1, wherein the plurality of candidate frequencies are within a microwave frequency band.

6. The transmission device of claim 1, wherein the dielectric material includes an insulating jacket and wherein the outer surface of the dielectric material corresponds to the outer surface of the insulating jacket.

7. The transmission device of claim 1, wherein the first electromagnetic wave is guided to propagate along the coupler via at least one guided wave mode that includes a fundamental mode and wherein a junction between the coupler and the transmission medium induces the non-fundamental mode of the second electromagnetic wave.

8. A transmission device comprising:

a transmitter that generates a first electromagnetic wave based on a communication signal to convey first data; and

a coupler, coupled to the transmitter, that couples the first electromagnetic wave to a single wire transmission medium having an outer surface, wherein the coupling of the first electromagnetic wave to the single wire transmission medium forms a second electromagnetic wave having at least one carrier frequency that is guided to propagate along the outer surface of the single wire transmission medium via at least one guided wave mode that includes an asymmetric mode having a majority of electric field concentrated within a distance from the outer surface that is less than half the largest cross sectional dimension of the single wire transmission medium.

9. The transmission device of claim 8, further comprising:

a training controller, coupled to the transmitter, that selects the at least one carrier frequency based on an analysis of test signals or test data.

10. The transmission device of claim 9, wherein a third electromagnetic wave conveys second data that also propagates along the outer surface of the dielectric material of the single wire transmission medium, wherein the second data includes the analysis of test signals or test data by at least one remote transmission device;

wherein the coupler also couples the third electromagnetic wave from the single wire transmission medium to form a fourth electromagnetic wave; and

wherein the transmission device further comprises a receiver, coupled to the coupler and the training controller, that receives the fourth electromagnetic wave and extracts the second data.

11. The transmission device of claim 9, wherein the training controller performs the analysis of test signals or test data in a third electromagnetic wave looped back from at least one remote transmission device.

12. The transmission device of claim 8, wherein the plurality of candidate frequencies are within a microwave frequency band.

13. The transmission device of claim 8, wherein the single wire transmission medium includes a conductive wire surrounded by an insulating jacket and wherein the outer surface of the single wire transmission medium corresponds to the outer surface of the insulating jacket.

14. The transmission device of claim 8, wherein the single wire transmission medium includes a substantially circular wire surrounded by a dielectric material and wherein the outer surface of the single wire transmission medium corresponds to the outer surface of the dielectric material.

15. A method comprising:

generating a first electromagnetic wave based on a communication signal to convey data; and

coupling, by a coupler, the first electromagnetic wave to a single wire transmission medium having an outer surface, wherein the coupling of the first electromagnetic wave to the single wire transmission medium forms a second electromagnetic wave that is guided to propagate along the outer surface of the single wire transmission medium via at least one guided wave mode that includes an asymmetric mode wherein at least one carrier frequency of the asymmetric mode is selected to reduce propagation loss.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

selecting the at least one carrier frequency to reduce propagation loss is based on analysis of test signals or test data.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein a third electromagnetic wave conveys second data that also propagates along the outer surface of the single wire transmission medium, wherein the second data includes the analysis of test signals or test data by at least one remote transmission device;

wherein the coupler also couples the third electromagnetic wave from the single wire transmission medium; and

wherein the method further comprises;

receiving the fourth electromagnetic wave; and

processing the fourth electromagnetic wave to extract the second data.

18. The method of claim 16, wherein selecting the at least one carrier frequency includes:

evaluating a plurality of candidate frequencies; and

selecting the at least one carrier frequency as one of the plurality of candidate frequencies that provides the lowest propagation loss.

19. The method of claim 16, wherein the plurality of candidate frequencies are within a microwave wave frequency band.

20. The method of claim 15, wherein the single wire transmission medium includes a wire surrounded by a dielectric material and wherein the outer surface of the single wire transmission medium corresponds to the outer surface of the dielectric material.