MOBILE GUIDED SURFACE WAVEGUIDE PROBES AND RECEIVERS

• US 20170077583A1
• Filed: 08/17/2016
• Published: 03/16/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 09/10/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cpg Technologies, LLC
• Original Assignee: Cpg Technologies, LLC
• Inventors: Corum, James F., Corum, Kenneth L., Miller, Michael W., Carlton, Paul Kendall Jr., D'Aurelio, Michael J.
• Granted Patent: US 10,141,622 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H01P 1/182 Waveguide phase-shifters H01P1/181, H01P1/185, H01P1/19 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01P 5/04 with variable factor of coupling
• 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: H02J 50/00 Circuit arrangements or systems for wireless supply or distribution of electric power
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/12 of the resonant type
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/79 for data transfer in combination with power transfer

Abstract

The present disclosure is directed to mobile guided surface waveguide probes and receivers. In a representative embodiment, an excitation source such as a generator is coupled to a guided surface waveguide probe. The excitation source and the guided surface waveguide probe mounted to a rigid frame for transport.

Claims

1. Therefore, the following is claimed:

An apparatus, comprising;

an excitation source coupled to a guided surface waveguide probe, the excitation source and the guided surface waveguide probe mounted to a rigid frame for transport.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the guided surface waveguide probe comprises a charge terminal elevated over a lossy conducting medium configured to generate at least one resultant field that synthesizes a wave front incident at a complex Brewster angle of incidence (θ

_i,B) of the lossy conducting medium.

3. The mobile power transmitter of claim 2, wherein the charge terminal is one of a plurality of charge terminals.

4. The mobile power transmitter of claim 2, further comprising a feed network electrically coupled to the charge terminal, the feed network providing a phase delay (Φ

) that matches a wave tilt angle (Ψ

) associated with a complex Brewster angle of incidence (θ

_i,B) associated with the lossy conducting medium in the vicinity of the guided surface waveguide probe.

5. The mobile power transmitter of claim 4, wherein the charge terminal is one of a plurality of charge terminals.

6. The mobile power transmitter of claim 2, wherein the charge terminal is elevated over the lossy conducting medium by a compactable support.

7. The mobile power transmitter of claim 1, wherein the rigid frame comprises an intermodal container.

8. The mobile power transmitter of claim 1, wherein the rigid frame comprises a Faraday cage.

9. The mobile power transmitter of claim 1, further comprising at least one fuel storage tank mounted to the rigid frame.

10. A method, comprising:

mounting to a mobile rigid frame, an excitation source and a guided surface waveguide probe;

coupling the excitation source to the guided surface waveguide probe; and

generating a guided surface wave using the guided surface waveguide probe.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein generating a guided surface wave further comprises:

elevating at least one charge terminal over a lossy conducting medium; and

generating at least one resultant field that synthesizes a wave front incident at a complex Brewster angle of incidence (θ

_i,B) of the lossy conducting medium.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein generating a guided surface wave further comprises:

elevating at least one charge terminal over a lossy conducting medium; and

providing, to the at least one charge terminal, a phase delay (Φ

) that matches a wave tilt angle (Ψ

) associated with a complex Brewster angle of incidence (θ

_i,B) associated with the lossy conducting medium in the vicinity of the guided surface waveguide probe.

13. A mobile power repeater, comprising:

a guided surface wave receive structure mounted to a rigid frame, the guided surface wave receive structure configured to obtain electrical energy from a guided surface wave traveling along a terrestrial medium, the guided surface wave generated by a remotely-located guided surface waveguide probe coupled to an excitation source that experiences power drawn at the guided surface wave receive structure as a load;

a locally-located guided surface waveguide probe, mounted to the rigid frame; and

a matching network mounted to the rigid frame, coupling the guided surface wave receive structure to the locally located guided surface waveguide probe, the matching network configured to effect a conjugate match for maximum power transfer.

14. The mobile power repeater of claim 13, wherein the locally-located guided surface waveguide probe comprises a charge terminal elevated over a lossy conducting medium configured to generate at least one resultant field that synthesizes a wave front incident at a complex Brewster angle of incidence (θ

_i,B) of the lossy conducting medium.

15. The mobile power repeater of claim 14, wherein the charge terminal is one of a plurality of charge terminals.

16. The mobile power repeater of claim 14, further comprising a feed network electrically coupled to the charge terminal, the feed network providing a phase delay (Φ

) that matches a wave tilt angle (Ψ

) associated with a complex Brewster angle of incidence (θ

_i,B) associated with the lossy conducting medium in the vicinity of the guided surface waveguide probe.

17. The mobile power repeater of claim 16, wherein the charge terminal is one of a plurality of charge terminals.

18. The mobile power repeater of claim 13, wherein the locally-located guided surface waveguide probe is elevated over a lossy conducting medium by a compactable support.

19. The mobile power repeater of claim 13, wherein the rigid frame comprises an intermodal container.

20. The mobile power repeater of claim 13, wherein the rigid frame comprises a Faraday cage.