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

• US 20160248165A1
• Filed: 03/17/2016
• Published: 08/25/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 02/20/2015
• 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 9,876,571 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 13/26 Surface waveguide constituted by a single conductor, e.g. strip conductor
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 10/25759 Details of the reception of RF signal or the optical conversion before the optical fibre
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 10/40 Transceivers
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 3/36 Repeater circuits H04B3/58 takes precedence

Abstract

Aspects of the subject disclosure may include, for example, a coupler that includes a tapered collar that surrounds a transmission wire. A coaxial coupler, that surrounds at least a portion of the transmission wire, guides an electromagnetic wave to the tapered collar. The tapered collar couples the electromagnetic wave to propagate along an outer surface of the transmission wire. Other embodiments are disclosed.

Claims

1. An antenna system comprising:

an antenna;

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

a transceiver, coupled to the communications interface, that generates an electromagnetic wave based on the communication signal to convey the data in accordance with at least one selected electromagnetic (EM) mode; and

a coupler, coupled to the transceiver, configured to receive and couple the electromagnetic wave to a transmission medium that facilitates wireless transmission via the antenna, wherein the coupler includes a conductive ring and a tapered collar that surrounds the transmission medium, wherein the conductive ring guides the electromagnetic wave to the tapered collar, and wherein the tapered collar couples the electromagnetic wave to the transmission medium for propagation along the transmission medium according to the at least one selected EM mode.

2. The antenna system of claim 1, wherein the coupler forms a gap between the conductive ring and the transmission medium includes a first dielectric member.

3. The antenna system of claim 2, wherein the electromagnetic wave is bound to the transmission medium for propagation along the transmission medium with a first portion of the electromagnetic wave propagating within the first dielectric member and a second portion of the electromagnetic wave propagating outside the first dielectric member.

4. The antenna system of claim 2, wherein the tapered collar includes a second dielectric member.

5. The antenna system of claim 2, wherein the at least one selected EM mode includes a non-fundamental EM mode that is guided by an outer surface of the first dielectric member.

6. The antenna system of claim 5, wherein the non-fundamental EM mode has a cutoff frequency, wherein a carrier frequency of the electromagnetic wave is selected based on the cutoff frequency, and wherein the carrier frequency is in a non-cellular frequency band.

7. The antenna system of claim 1, wherein the transmission medium is conductorless and the electromagnetic wave propagates along the transmission medium without an electrical return path.

8. The antenna system of claim 1, wherein the at least one selected EM mode is selected from a plurality of EM modes that include:

a non-fundamental EM mode, a fundamental EM mode, and a combination mode that includes at least one non-fundamental EM mode and the fundamental EM mode.

9. The antenna system of claim 1, wherein the transmission medium includes a dielectric and wherein the electromagnetic wave is guided by the dielectric to propagate along an outer surface of the dielectric.

10. A transmission device comprising:

a tapered collar that surrounds a dielectric transmission medium; and

a coaxial launcher, that surrounds at least a portion of the dielectric transmission medium, and guides an electromagnetic wave to the tapered collar;

wherein the tapered collar couples the electromagnetic wave to propagate along the dielectric transmission medium to facilitate fifth generation (5G) wireless network connectivity via an antenna.

11. The transmission device of claim 10, wherein the coaxial launcher forms a gap between a conductive material and the dielectric transmission medium.

12. The transmission device of claim 10, wherein the tapered collar includes a dielectric.

13. The transmission device of claim 10, wherein the electromagnetic wave is guided to propagate along the dielectric transmission medium via a guided non-fundamental mode such that a majority of a signal strength of the electromagnetic wave is outside of the dielectric transmission medium and in proximity to an outer surface of the dielectric transmission medium.

14. The transmission device of claim 13, wherein the guided non-fundamental mode generates an electromagnetic (EM) field pattern having a local minimum at an azimuthal orientation about the dielectric transmission medium corresponding to an expected orientation of water droplet formation on the dielectric transmission medium.

15. The transmission device of claim 10, wherein the electromagnetic wave is bound to the dielectric transmission medium for propagation along the dielectric transmission medium with a first portion of the electromagnetic wave propagating within the dielectric transmission medium and a second portion of the electromagnetic wave propagating outside the dielectric transmission medium.

16. A method comprising:

generating an electromagnetic wave to convey data in accordance with a non-fundamental mode having an electromagnetic (EM) field pattern with a local minimum at an azimuthal orientation; and

coupling the electromagnetic wave to propagate along a transmission medium that facilitates communications via an antenna, wherein the coupling aligns the azimuthal orientation of the local minimum at a desired orientation with respect to the transmission medium.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the non-fundamental mode has a cutoff frequency, and wherein a carrier frequency of the electromagnetic wave is selected based on the cutoff frequency.

18. The method of claim 16, wherein the transmission medium facilitates the communications with a wireless device via free space wireless signals radiated by the antenna.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the transmission medium includes a dielectric element and wherein the electromagnetic wave is bound to the dielectric element for propagation along the transmission medium.

20. The method of claim 16, wherein the transmission medium is conductorless and the electromagnetic wave has a non-optical carrier frequency in a non-cellular frequency band.

21. The method of claim 16, wherein the electromagnetic wave is coupled to propagate on the transmission medium without altering the azimuthal orientation of the local minimum.

22. The method of claim 16, wherein the electromagnetic wave is coupled to be guided by the transmission medium without altering the non-fundamental mode of the electromagnetic wave.

23. The method of claim 16, wherein the electromagnetic wave is coupled to propagate on an outer surface of the transmission medium without introducing additional propagating electromagnetic modes of the electromagnetic wave.