Methods and apparatus for inducing a fundamental wave mode on a transmission medium

• US 9,787,412 B2
• Filed: 06/07/2016
• Issued: 10/10/2017
• 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, III, Thomas M.
• Primary Examiner(s): LEE, SIU M
• Application Number:
  US15/175,111
• Publication Number:
  US 20160380702A1
• Time in Patent Office: 490 Days
• Field of Search: 375256, 375288, 375295, 333109, 333113, 333114, 333122, 333134, 333136, 333137, 333156, 333157, 333202, 333209
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 13/22 Longitudinal slot in boundary wall of waveguide or transmission line H01Q13/203 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 10/90 Non-optical transmission systems, e.g. transmission systems employing non-photonic corpuscular radiation
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/0453 Resources in frequency domain, e.g. a carrier in FDMA

Abstract

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

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

generating, by a waveguide system, instances of first electromagnetic waves that combine to form a combined electromagnetic wave having a fundamental wave mode, wherein a non-fundamental wave mode is at least substantially absent from the combined electromagnetic wave, and wherein the combined electromagnetic wave has a non-optical operating frequency;

directing, by the waveguide system, the combined electromagnetic wave to an interface of a transmission medium for guiding propagation of the combined electromagnetic wave without utilizing an electrical return path; and

transmitting, by a first antenna coupled to the transmission medium, a first wireless signal based on the combined electromagnetic wave received from the transmission medium.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the waveguide system comprises waveguide slots that generate the instances of the first electromagnetic waves.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein a pair of the waveguide slots is configured to have a relative position to each other to generate a pair of the first electromagnetic waves having electric field orientations of substantially opposing directions to produce the combined electromagnetic wave having the fundamental wave mode.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein a first instance of the instances of the first electromagnetic waves is radiated by a first slot of the waveguide slots, and wherein a second instance of the instances of the first electromagnetic waves is radiated by a second slot of the waveguide slots.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the waveguide system comprises transmitters positioned around the transmission medium for generating the instances of the first electromagnetic waves.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein first and second transmitters of the transmitters are adapted to generate first and second instances of the instances of the first electromagnetic waves having substantially symmetrical electric fields that enable generation of the fundamental wave mode.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the combined electromagnetic wave includes a modulated signal in a frequency band of the combined electromagnetic wave.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the first wireless signal is directed to a second antenna of a distributed antenna system for down-converting the modulated signal in the frequency band to the modulated signal in a cellular frequency band for wireless delivery to a mobile communication device.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the generating comprises up-converting the modulated signal in the cellular frequency band to the modulated signal in the frequency band for transport in the combined electromagnetic wave.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the transmission medium comprises a conductorless transmission medium.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the conductorless transmission medium comprises a dielectric core.

12. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving, by the first antenna, a second wireless signal that is converted to a second electromagnetic wave that propagates on the transmission medium.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the second wireless signal comprises a modulated signal operating in a cellular frequency band generated by a communication device.

14. A system, comprising:

a launcher to facilitate generation of instances of electromagnetic waves that combine to form a combined electromagnetic wave having a fundamental wave mode;

a coupler coupled to a transmission medium to facilitate directing the combined electromagnetic wave to an interface of the transmission medium for guiding propagation of the combined electromagnetic wave without utilizing an electrical return path; and

a first antenna coupled to the transmission medium to facilitate transmission of a wireless signal generated according to the combined electromagnetic wave received from the transmission medium.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the launcher comprises waveguide slots that generate the instances of the electromagnetic waves.

16. The system of claim 14, wherein the launcher comprises electronic transmitters positioned around the transmission medium for generating the instances of the electromagnetic waves.

17. The system of claim 14, wherein the electromagnetic waves include a modulated signal in a frequency band of the combined electromagnetic wave, and wherein the wireless signal is directed to a second antenna of a distributed antenna system for down-converting the modulated signal in the frequency band to the modulated signal in a cellular frequency band for wireless delivery to a mobile communication device.

18. A system, comprising:

a processing system including a processor; and

a memory that stores executable instructions that, when executed by the processing system, facilitate performance of operations, comprising;

generating an electromagnetic wave having a fundamental wave mode, wherein a non-fundamental wave mode is at least substantially absent from the electromagnetic wave, and wherein the electromagnetic wave includes a modulated signal in a frequency band of the electromagnetic wave;

directing the electromagnetic wave to an interface of a transmission medium for guiding propagation of the electromagnetic wave without utilizing an electrical return path; and

transmitting, by a first antenna coupled to the transmission medium, a wireless signal based on the electromagnetic wave received from the transmission medium.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein the wireless signal is directed to a second antenna of a distributed antenna system for down-converting the modulated signal in the frequency band of the electromagnetic wave to the modulated signal in a cellular frequency band for wireless delivery to a mobile communication device.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein the generating comprises up-converting the modulated signal in the cellular frequency band to the modulated signal in the frequency band for transport in the electromagnetic wave.