METHODS AND APPARATUS FOR INDUCING A NON-FUNDAMENTAL WAVE MODE ON A TRANSMISSION MEDIUM

• US 20160380327A1
• Filed: 06/25/2015
• Published: 12/29/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 06/25/2015
• 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, BARZEGAR, FARHAD, GERSZBERG, IRWIN, BARNICKEL, DONALD J., WILLIS, THOMAS M. III, GUNTIN, ED
• Granted Patent: US 9,865,911 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H01P 1/16 for mode selection, e.g. mode suppression or mode promotion; for mode conversion
• CPC Class Codes: H01P 3/10 Wire waveguides, i.e. with a single solid longitudinal conductor
• CPC Class Codes: H01P 3/12 Hollow waveguides H01P3/20 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01P 3/122 Dielectric loaded (not air)
• CPC Class Codes: H01P 3/16 Dielectric waveguides, i.e. without a longitudinal conductor
• CPC Class Codes: H01P 5/02 with invariable factor of coupling H01P5/12 takes precedence choke joints H01P1/04, H01P1/06
• CPC Class Codes: H01P 5/08 for linking dissimilar lines or devices H01P1/16, H01P5/04 take precedence; linking lines of the same kind but with different dimensions H01P5/02
• CPC Class Codes: H01P 5/087 Transitions to a dielectric waveguide
• 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 13/20 Non-resonant leaky-waveguide or transmission-line antennas; Equivalent structures causing radiation along the transmission path of a guided wave
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 13/26 Surface waveguide constituted by a single conductor, e.g. strip conductor
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 3/52 Systems for transmission between fixed stations via waveguides
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 3/56 Circuits for coupling, blocking, or by-passing of signals

Abstract

Aspects of the subject disclosure may include, for example, a system for generating first electromagnetic waves and directing instances of the first electromagnetic waves to an interface of a transmission medium to induce propagation of second electromagnetic waves substantially having a non-fundamental wave mode. Other embodiments are disclosed.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

radiating, by waveguide slots of a waveguide system, instances of first electromagnetic waves by at least a portion of the waveguide slots; and

guiding, by the waveguide system, the instances of the first electromagnetic waves to an interface of a transmission medium to induce propagation of a second electromagnetic wave without utilizing an electrical return path, the second electromagnetic wave having at least a dominant non-fundamental wave mode, and the second electromagnetic wave having a non-optical operating frequency.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein a pair of the waveguide slots are configured to have a relative position to each other to generate a pair of the first electromagnetic waves having electric field orientations of a substantially similar direction to produce at least the dominant non-fundamental wave mode.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the waveguide slots are located on a cover of the waveguide system, wherein a surface of the cover is divided into an inner region and an outer region, wherein currents flowing on the surface of the cover in the inner region differ from currents flowing on the surface in the outer region, and wherein placement of the waveguide slots at certain locations relative to the inner region and the outer region having a certain circumferential distance between the waveguide slots, results in first electric fields of a first instance of the first electromagnetic waves generated by one of the waveguide slots being substantially asymmetrical to second electric fields of a second instance of the first electromagnetic waves generated by another of the waveguide slots, thereby producing the second electromagnetic wave having at least the dominant non-fundamental wave mode.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the guiding the instances of the first electromagnetic waves to the interface of the transmission medium comprises enabling one or more slots of the waveguide slots.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the one or more slots of the waveguide slots are enabled by removing an obstacle blocking generation of the instances of the first electromagnetic waves by the one or more slots of the waveguide slots.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein the guiding the instances of the first electromagnetic waves to the interface of the transmission medium comprises disabling one or more other slots of the waveguide slots.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the one or more other slots of the waveguide slots are disabled by applying an obstacle to each of the one or more other slots of the waveguide slots to prevent generation of electromagnetic waves by the one or more other slots of the waveguide slots.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the guiding the instances of the first electromagnetic waves comprises:

emitting, by a first slot of the waveguide slots, an electromagnetic wave having a first phase; and

emitting, by a second slot of the waveguide slots, the electromagnetic wave having a second phase.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the electromagnetic wave emitted by the first slot having the first phase combines with the electromagnetic wave emitted by the second slot having the second phase to produce the second electromagnetic wave having at least the dominant non-fundamental wave mode.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the waveguide system comprises a waveguide structure for guiding the first electromagnetic waves to the waveguide slots.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the interface of the transmission medium comprises a core, and wherein the second electromagnetic wave is guided and bound to the core.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the interface of the transmission medium comprises an outer surface of an insulated conductor or an uninsulated conductor, and wherein the second electromagnetic wave is guided and bound to the outer surface of the insulated conductor or the uninsulated conductor.

13. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving, by at least the portion of the waveguide slots of the waveguide system, third electromagnetic waves guided by the transmission medium.

14. A waveguide system, comprising:

a transmitter for radiating first electromagnetic waves by one or more waveguide slots of a waveguide structure; and

the waveguide structure for guiding instances of the first electromagnetic waves radiated by the one or more waveguide slots to induce propagation of a second electromagnetic wave on an interface of a transmission medium, the second electromagnetic wave substantially having a non-fundamental wave mode, and the second electromagnetic wave having a non-optical operating frequency.

15. The waveguide system of claim 14, wherein the instances of the first electromagnetic waves have electric field orientations that have a similar direction to substantially produce the non-fundamental wave mode.

16. The waveguide system of claim 15, wherein a first slot of the one or more waveguide slots radiates a first instance of the first electromagnetic waves having a first phase, wherein a second slot of the slots radiates a second instance of the first electromagnetic waves having a second phase, and wherein the first instance of the first electromagnetic waves combine with the second instance of the first electromagnetic waves to produce the second electromagnetic wave substantially having the non-fundamental wave mode.

17. The waveguide system of claim 14, wherein the waveguide is configured to enable one or more of the slots to radiate the instances of the first electromagnetic waves guided to the interface of a transmission medium to induce propagation of the second electromagnetic wave substantially having the non-fundamental wave mode.

18. A method, comprising:

selecting, by a waveguide system, a non-fundamental wave mode;

enabling, by the waveguide system, one or more apertures of a waveguide structure of the waveguide system according to the non-fundamental wave mode selected;

radiating, by the one or more apertures, first electromagnetic waves; and

guiding, by the waveguide structure, instances of the first electromagnetic waves to an interface of a transmission medium for guiding propagation of a second electromagnetic wave having at least the non-fundamental wave mode selected, and the second electromagnetic wave having a non-optical operating frequency.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the instances of the first electromagnetic waves guided by the waveguide structure have asymmetric electric field orientations.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein a first of the one or more apertures radiates a first of the instances of the first electromagnetic waves having a first phase, wherein a second of the one or more apertures radiates a second of the instances of the first electromagnetic waves having a second phase, and wherein the first of the instances of the first electromagnetic waves combines with the second of the instances of the first electromagnetic waves to generate the second electromagnetic wave having at least the non-fundamental wave mode selected.