METHODS AND APPARATUS FOR ADJUSTING A WAVELENGTH ELECTROMAGNETIC WAVES

• US 20180159197A1
• Filed: 10/17/2017
• Published: 06/07/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 12/06/2016
• 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, Vannucci, Giovanni, Willis, III, Thomas M., Johnson, Shikik, Bennett, Robert, Barzegar, Farhad, Gerszberg, Irwin, Barnickel, Donald J.
• Granted Patent: US 10,096,883 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: H01P 3/10 Wire waveguides, i.e. with a single solid longitudinal conductor
• CPC Class Codes: H01P 3/122 Dielectric loaded (not air)
• CPC Class Codes: H01P 5/024 between hollow waveguides
• CPC Class Codes: H01P 5/19 of the junction type
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 13/24 constituted by a dielectric or ferromagnetic rod or pipe H01Q13/28 takes precedence

Abstract

Aspects of the subject disclosure may include, generating, a first hollow waveguide that facilitates coupling, via the first dielectric coupler, a first electromagnetic wave onto a transmission medium, and a second hollow waveguide that facilitates coupling, via the second dielectric coupler, a second electromagnetic wave onto the transmission medium, where the first electromagnetic wave and the second electromagnetic wave combine to form a combined electromagnetic wave that propagates along the transmission medium without requiring an electrical return path, and where the first dielectric coupler has an adjustable length that facilitates an adjustment of a wave mode of the combined electromagnetic wave. Other embodiments are disclosed.

Claims

1. A device, comprising:

a first hollow waveguide coupled to a first dielectric coupler, wherein the first hollow waveguide facilitates coupling, via the first dielectric coupler, a first electromagnetic wave onto a transmission medium; and

a second hollow waveguide coupled to a second dielectric coupler, wherein the second hollow waveguide facilitates coupling, via the second dielectric coupler, a second electromagnetic wave onto the transmission medium, wherein the first electromagnetic wave and the second electromagnetic wave combine to form a combined electromagnetic wave that propagates along the transmission medium without requiring an electrical return path, and wherein the first dielectric coupler has a first adjustable length that facilitates an adjustment of a wave mode of the combined electromagnetic wave.

2. The device of claim 1, wherein the first dielectric coupler comprises a tapered endpoint located in a vicinity of the transmission medium, and wherein an end of the first dielectric coupler opposite to the tapered endpoint is located inside the first hollow waveguide.

3. The device of claim 1, further comprising a motor that facilitates an adjustment of the first adjustable length by adjusting a location of an endpoint of the first dielectric coupler located inside the first hollow waveguide.

4. The device of claim 1, wherein the second dielectric coupler comprises a tapered endpoint located in a vicinity of the transmission medium, and wherein an end of the second dielectric coupler opposite to the tapered endpoint is located inside the second hollow waveguide.

5. The device of claim 1, wherein the second dielectric coupler has a second adjustable length that facilitates a further adjustment of the wave mode of the combined electromagnetic wave.

6. The device of claim 5, further comprising a motor that facilitates the further adjustment of the second adjustable length by adjusting a location of an endpoint of the second dielectric coupler located inside the second hollow waveguide.

7. The device of claim 1, wherein the second dielectric coupler has a second length.

8. The device of claim 7, wherein the first length of the first dielectric coupler differs from the second length of the second dielectric coupler.

9. The device of claim 8, wherein the first adjustable length of the first dielectric coupler is adjustable according to an adjustable wavelength.

10. The device of claim 1, further comprising a motor that facilitates adjusting the first adjustable length of the first dielectric coupler according to a particular wavelength.

11. The device of claim 1, wherein the wave mode comprises a hybrid wave mode, a fundamental wave mode, or a non-fundamental wave mode.

12. The device of claim 1, wherein the transmission medium comprises an insulated conductor, an uninsulated conductor, a dielectric core, or any combinations thereof.

13. A device, comprising:

a first hollow waveguide coupled to a first dielectric coupler, wherein the first hollow waveguide facilitates coupling, via the first dielectric coupler, a first electromagnetic wave onto a transmission medium;

a second hollow waveguide coupled to a second dielectric coupler, wherein the second hollow waveguide facilitates coupling, via the second dielectric coupler, a second electromagnetic wave onto the transmission medium, wherein the first electromagnetic wave and the second electromagnetic wave combine to form a combined electromagnetic wave that propagates along the transmission medium without requiring an electrical return path; and

a motor that facilitates adjusting a first length of the first dielectric coupler to adjust a wave mode of the combined electromagnetic wave.

14. The device of claim 13, wherein the first length of the first dielectric coupler differs from a second length of the second dielectric coupler.

15. The device of claim 13, wherein the motor facilitates adjusting the length of the first dielectric coupler according to a particular wavelength.

16. The device of claim 13, wherein the wave mode adjusted by the motor comprises a hybrid wave mode, a fundamental wave mode, or a non-fundamental wave mode.

17. A method, comprising:

generating, by a first hollow waveguide coupled to a first dielectric coupler, a first electromagnetic wave that couples onto a transmission medium;

generating, by a second hollow waveguide coupled to a second dielectric coupler, a second electromagnetic wave that couples onto the transmission medium;

combining the first electromagnetic wave and the second electromagnetic wave to form a combined electromagnetic wave that propagates along the transmission medium without requiring an electrical return path; and

adjusting a first length of the first dielectric coupler to adjust a wave mode of the combined electromagnetic wave.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the first length of the first dielectric coupler differs from a second length of the second dielectric coupler.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the first hollow waveguide and the second hollow waveguide are configured to select at least one of a plurality of multi-input multi-output (MIMO) techniques to generate the first electromagnetic wave and the second electromagnetic wave, respectively.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein a recipient device is configured to receive and process the combined electromagnetic wave according to the at least one of the plurality of MIMO techniques.