Hybrid guided surface wave communication

• US 9,882,606 B2
• Filed: 08/31/2016
• Issued: 01/30/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 09/09/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Quantum Wave LLC
• Original Assignee: Cpg Technologies, LLC
• Inventors: Corum, James F., Corum, Kenneth L., Pinzone, Jr., Basil F., Pinzone, Joseph F.
• Primary Examiner(s): HA, DAC V
• Application Number:
  US15/252,709
• Publication Number:
  US 20170070261A1
• Time in Patent Office: 517 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 10/50 Transmitters
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 3/52 Systems for transmission between fixed stations via waveguides

Abstract

Disclosed is hybrid communication in which a first message from a guided surface wave probe node is embedded in a guided surface wave, and a second message from a guided surface wave receive node uses a different messaging mechanism.

Claims

1. A guided surface wave receive node, comprising:

a guided surface wave receive structure configured to obtain electrical energy from a guided surface wave traveling along a terrestrial medium, the guided surface wave being generated by a guided surface waveguide probe, the guided surface wave comprising an embedded message;

an electrical load coupled to the guided surface wave receive structure, the electrical load being experienced as a load at an excitation source coupled to the guided surface waveguide probe; and

a communications transceiver configured to establish a communications channel via a different message mechanism from the embedded message.

2. The guided surface wave receive node of claim 1, wherein the electrical load comprises the communications transceiver.

3. The guided surface wave receive node of claim 1, wherein the communications transceiver is configured to establish the communications channel with a remote guided surface wave receive node via the different message mechanism.

4. The guided surface wave receive node of claim 3, wherein the communications channel comprises a two-way communications channel with the remote guided surface wave receive node.

5. The guided surface wave receive node of claim 1, wherein the communications transceiver is configured to broadcast a message to a plurality of remote guided surface wave receive nodes, the message being transmitted via the different message mechanism.

6. The guided surface wave receive node of claim 1, wherein the communications transceiver comprises an optical transmitter.

7. A guided surface wave receive node, comprising:

a guided surface receive structure configured to receive electrical energy in a form of a guided surface wave launched from a guided surface waveguide probe, the electrical energy modulated to transmit a message via the guided surface waveguide probe;

an electrical load coupled to the guided surface wave receive structure, the electrical energy being supplied to the electrical load;

a demodulator coupled to the guided surface wave receive structure, the demodulator configured to extract the message from the guided surface wave; and

a communications transceiver configured to communicate with a plurality of remote guided surface wave receive nodes via a different messaging mechanism from the message.

8. The guided surface wave receive node of claim 7, wherein the message comprises a first message, and wherein the communications transceiver is configured to communicate a second message via a broadcast to the plurality of remote guided surface wave receive nodes.

9. The guided surface wave receive node of claim 7, wherein the communications transceiver is configured to communicate with a communication receiver associated with the guided surface waveguide probe.

10. The guided surface wave receive node of claim 7, wherein the communications transceiver comprises a collision avoider.

11. The guided surface wave receive node of claim 7, wherein a probe node comprises the guided surface waveguide probe.

12. The guided surface wave receive node of claim 7, wherein the message comprises a first message, and wherein the communications transceiver comprises a plurality of receivers, each of the plurality of receivers configured to receive a different portion of a second message from the plurality of remote guided surface wave receive nodes.

13. The guided surface wave receive node of claim 7, wherein the message is embedded by modulating at least one of an amplitude, a frequency, or a phase.

14. The guided surface wave receive node of claim 7, wherein the communications transceiver comprises a plurality of transmitters.

15. The guided surface wave receive node of claim 14, wherein different portions of a second message are transmitted by different individual ones of the plurality of transmitters.

16. The guided surface wave receive node of claim 7, wherein the electrical load at the receive node is experienced as a load at an excitation source coupled to the guided surface waveguide probe, and wherein a second message is transmitted as a pattern of electrical load variations to a probe node associated with the guided surface waveguide probe.

17. A method for hybrid two-way communication using a guided surface wave, comprising:

receiving, using a guided surface wave receive structure at a guided surface wave receive node, electrical energy in a form of the guided surface wave launched from a guided surface waveguide probe, the electrical energy modulated according to a first message embedded within the guided surface wave by the guided surface waveguide probe;

supplying the electrical energy to an electrical load coupled to the guided surface wave receive structure; and

broadcasting, using a communications transmitter at the guided surface wave receive node, a second message via a different messaging mechanism from the first message.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the communications transmitter comprises a plurality of transmitters.

19. The method of claim 17, further comprising extracting the first message from the modulated electrical energy.

20. The method of claim 17, wherein the second message is transmitted, at least in part, as a radiated electromagnetic field to a plurality of guided surface wave receive nodes.