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

• US 20160248509A1
• Filed: 02/20/2015
• 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 9,876,570 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. A transmission device comprising:

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 having a surface, 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 be guided by the transmission medium for propagation along the transmission medium via the at least one selected EM mode.

2. The transmission device of claim 1, wherein the coupler forms a gap between the conductive ring and the transmission medium that includes a dielectric.

3. The transmission device of claim 1, wherein the tapered collar includes a dielectric.

4. The transmission device of claim 1, wherein the at least one selected EM mode includes a non-fundamental EM mode that is guided by an outer surface of the transmission medium.

5. The transmission device of claim 4, wherein the non-fundamental EM mode generates an EM field pattern having a local minimum at an azimuthal orientation about the transmission medium corresponding to an expected orientation of water droplet formation.

6. The transmission device of claim 4, wherein the non-fundamental EM mode has a cutoff frequency, and wherein a carrier frequency of the electromagnetic wave is selected based on the cutoff frequency.

7. The transmission device of claim 6, wherein the carrier frequency is within a microwave frequency band.

8. The transmission device 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 transmission device of claim 1, wherein the transmission medium includes an insulating jacket and wherein the electromagnetic wave is guided by the transmission medium for propagation along an outer surface of the insulating jacket.

10. A coupler comprising:

a tapered collar that surrounds a transmission wire; and

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

wherein the tapered collar couples the electromagnetic wave to propagate along an outer surface of the transmission wire.

11. The coupler of claim 10, wherein the coaxial launcher forms a gap between a conductive material and the transmission wire that includes a dielectric.

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

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

14. The coupler of claim 13, wherein the non-fundamental mode generates an EM field pattern having a local minimum at an azimuthal orientation about the transmission wire corresponding to an expected orientation of water droplet formation on the transmission wire.

15. The coupler of claim 10, wherein the electromagnetic wave has a carrier frequency is within a microwave frequency band.

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 so as to align 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 17, wherein the desired orientation with respect to the transmission medium corresponds to an expected orientation of water droplet formation on an outer surface of the transmission medium.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the transmission medium includes an insulating jacket and wherein the outer surface of the transmission medium corresponds to the outer surface of the insulating jacket.

20. The method of claim 16, wherein the transmission medium is a single wire transmission medium.

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