Apparatus and methods for processing ultra-wideband electromagnetic waves

• US 9,998,172 B1
• Filed: 10/04/2017
• Issued: 06/12/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 10/04/2017
• 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: Barzegar, Farhad, Gerszberg, Irwin, Vannucci, Giovanni, Wolniansky, Peter, Henry, Paul Shala
• Primary Examiner(s): Aghdam, Freshteh N
• Application Number:
  US15/724,855
• Time in Patent Office: 251 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 13/02 Waveguide horns
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/7163 using impulse radio
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/71637 Receiver aspects H04B1/7183 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/7176 Data mapping, e.g. modulation
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/719 Interference-related aspects
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 2203/5441 Wireless systems or telephone
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 2203/5479 using repeaters
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 3/52 Systems for transmission between fixed stations via waveguides
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 3/542 the information being in digital form

Abstract

Aspects of the subject disclosure may include, a system that facilitates receiving a plurality of ultra-wideband electromagnetic waves that propagates along a surface of a transmission medium without requiring an electrical return path, wherein the plurality of ultra-wideband electromagnetic waves conveys a plurality of communication signals, obtaining, from the plurality of ultra-wideband electromagnetic waves, at least one communication signal from the plurality of communication signals, and distributing the at least one communication signal to at least one communication device. Other embodiments are disclosed.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

receiving, by a recipient waveguide system, a first plurality of ultra-wideband electromagnetic waves that propagates along a surface of a transmission medium without requiring an electrical return path, wherein the first plurality of ultra-wideband electromagnetic waves is induced on the surface of the transmission medium by a source waveguide system, wherein the surface of the transmission medium is located on a first span of the transmission medium, wherein the first span is supported by a first supporting device and a second supporting device, wherein the recipient waveguide system and the source waveguide system are coupled to the first span, wherein the first plurality of ultra-wideband electromagnetic waves propagates along the first span without traversing the first supporting device or the second supporting device, and wherein the source waveguide system generates the first plurality of ultra-wideband electromagnetic waves according to a first communication signal received by the source waveguide system; and

obtaining, by the recipient waveguide system, the first communication signal from the first plurality of ultra-wideband electromagnetic waves.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the first communication signal operates in a first spectral segment, and wherein the first plurality of ultra-wideband electromagnetic waves operates in a second spectral segment that differs from the first spectral segment.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the first communication signal conforms to a signaling protocol, and wherein the first plurality of ultra-wideband electromagnetic waves conveys the first communication signal without modifying the signaling protocol.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the first communication signal comprises a first modulated signal in a first spectral segment, and wherein the first plurality of ultra-wideband electromagnetic waves conveys the first modulated signal in a second spectral segment that differs from the first spectral segment.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the first communication signal is directed to a communication device, wherein the method further comprises converting, by the recipient waveguide system, the first plurality of ultra-wideband electromagnetic waves to a wireless signal directed to the communication device, and wherein the wireless signal conveys the first modulated signal in the first spectral segment.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising transmitting, by the recipient waveguide system, a second plurality of ultra-wideband electromagnetic waves that conveys a second communication signal, wherein the second plurality of ultra-wideband electromagnetic waves propagates along the first span of the transmission medium.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the second plurality of ultra-wideband electromagnetic waves is directed to the source waveguide system, and wherein the transmitting comprises generating, by the recipient waveguide system, the second plurality of ultra-wideband electromagnetic waves according to a second modulated signal in a third spectral segment generated by the communication device.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the recipient waveguide system and the source waveguide system are configured to use time division multiplexing to prevent signal interference between the first plurality of ultra-wideband electromagnetic waves and the second plurality of ultra-wideband electromagnetic waves.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the receiving comprises receiving the first plurality of ultra-wideband electromagnetic waves via a coupler of the recipient waveguide system.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising obtaining, by the recipient waveguide system, energy from the transmission medium to power the recipient waveguide system.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising transmitting a wireless signal conveying the first communication signal.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the recipient waveguide system comprises at least one processor.

13. A first 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, the operations comprising;

receiving, from a second system, a plurality of ultra-wideband electromagnetic waves via a surface of a transmission medium, wherein the plurality of ultra-wideband electromagnetic waves is generated by the second system according to a modulated signal in a first spectral segment without modifying a signaling protocol of the modulated signal, and wherein the plurality of ultra-wideband electromagnetic waves operates in a second spectral segment that differs from the first spectral segment and wherein the modulated signal is formatted to communicate with a wireless communication device in the first spectral segment, wherein the surface is located on a span of the transmission medium, wherein the span is supported by a first supporting structure and a second supporting structure, wherein the first system and the second system are coupled to the span, and wherein the plurality of ultra-wideband electromagnetic waves propagates along the span of the transmission medium without requiring an electrical return path and without traversing the first supporting structure or the second supporting structure; and

obtaining the modulated signal in the first spectral segment from the plurality of ultra-wideband electromagnetic waves.

14. The first system of claim 13, wherein the span of the transmission medium comprises a power line, and wherein the first supporting structure comprises an insulator coupled to the power line.

15. The first system of claim 13, wherein the span of the transmission medium comprises a power line, and wherein the second supporting structure comprises an insulator coupled to the power line.

16. The first system of claim 13, wherein the obtaining further comprises:

obtaining a reference signal from the plurality of ultra-wideband electromagnetic waves;

mitigating signal distortion in the plurality of ultra-wideband electromagnetic waves according to the reference signal to generate an updated plurality of ultra-wideband electromagnetic waves; and

obtaining the modulated signal in the first spectral segment from the updated plurality of ultra-wideband electromagnetic waves.

17. The first system of claim 16, wherein the reference signal comprises a preamble of ultra-wideband electromagnetic waves included in the plurality of ultra-wideband electromagnetic waves, and wherein the preamble of ultra-wideband electromagnetic waves enables the first system to obtain a synchronization signal therefrom.

18. The first system of claim 13, wherein the second system facilitates receiving the plurality of ultra-wideband electromagnetic waves from a source system, and retransmitting the plurality of ultra-wideband electromagnetic waves to the first system.

19. A recipient waveguide 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, the operations comprising;

receiving a first plurality of ultra-wideband electromagnetic waves that propagates along a surface of a transmission medium without requiring an electrical return path, wherein the first plurality of ultra-wideband electromagnetic waves conveys a plurality of communication signals, wherein the surface is located on a first span of the transmission medium, wherein the first span is supported by a first supporting structure and a second supporting structure, and wherein the first plurality of ultra-wideband electromagnetic waves propagates along the first span of the transmission medium without traversing the first supporting structure or the second supporting structure;

obtaining, from the first plurality of ultra-wideband electromagnetic waves, at least one communication signal from the plurality of communication signals; and

distributing the at least one communication signal to at least one communication device.

20. The recipient waveguide system of claim 19, wherein the operations further comprise transmitting along a second span a second plurality of ultra-wideband electromagnetic waves that conveys at least a remainder of the plurality of communication signals.