Guided surface waveguide probe control system

• US 10,560,147 B1
• Filed: 02/22/2018
• Issued: 02/11/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 03/07/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cpg Technologies, LLC
• Original Assignee: Cpg Technologies, LLC
• Inventors: Corum, James F., Corum, Kenneth L., Lomax, Jerry A., Lougheed, Jr., Timothy J., Salvitti, Jr., James M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Takaoka, Dean O
• Assistant Examiner(s): Wong, Alan
• Application Number:
  US15/902,373
• Time in Patent Office: 719 Days
• 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: H01P 5/087 Transitions to a dielectric waveguide
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/12 of the resonant type
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/20 using microwaves or radio frequency waves
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/23 characterised by the type of transmitting antennas, e.g. directional array antennas or Yagi antennas
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/27 characterised by the type of receiving antennas, e.g. rectennas
• CPC Class Codes: H03H 7/004 Capacitive coupling circuits not otherwise provided for
• CPC Class Codes: H03H 7/20 Two-port phase shifters providing an adjustable phase shift
• CPC Class Codes: H03H 7/383 comprising distributed impedance elements together with lumped impedance elements
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 3/52 Systems for transmission between fixed stations via waveguides
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/79 for data transfer in combination with power transfer

Abstract

Disclosed are various embodiments for controlling the operation of a guided surface waveguide probe. A control system coupled to the guided surface waveguide probe can monitor and control the guided surface waveguide probe and one or more subsystems associated with the guided surface waveguide probe. Based on data collected from the guided surface waveguide probe and/or the various subsystems, the control system can adjust the operation of the guided surface waveguide probe. Human operators can interact with the control system at a location outside of a safety perimeter surrounding the guided surface waveguide probe.

Claims

1. A system, comprising:

a control system coupled to a guided surface waveguide probe, the control system configured to monitor and control operation of the guided surface waveguide probe and a plurality of subsystems in data communication with the control system; and

a control room computing device located outside a predefined distance from the guided surface waveguide probe, the control room computing device being in data communication with the control system and being configured to facilitate user interaction with the control system.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more subsystems comprise at least one of:

a security system, a fire protection system, an electrical control system, an environmental control system, or one or more field sensors.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the control system is configured to adjust one or more operational parameters of the guided surface waveguide probe.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the control system is further configured to:

receive an action request from the control room computing device; and

adjust the one or more operational parameters of the guided surface waveguide probe based at least in part on the action request.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the control system is further configured to:

receive status data from a particular subsystem of the plurality of subsystems; and

forward the status data to the control room computing device for presentation via a display device.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the control system is further configured to identify an action based at least in part on at least one of:

one or more control rules, a type of data received, or a source of the data.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the control system, the plurality of subsystems, and the control room computing device are in data communication with each other via a communications interface.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the communications interface comprises Modbus.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the control system comprises a first control system and a second control system,

the first control system being configured to:

calculate one or more operational parameters for the guided surface waveguide probe based at least in part on data monitored via at least one of the plurality of subsystems; and

communicate the one or more operational parameters to the second control system; and

the second control system being configured to;

receive the one or more operational parameters from the first control system; and

adjust operation of the guided surface waveguide probe based at least in part on the one or more operational parameters.

10. A system, comprising:

a guided surface waveguide probe having a charge terminal elevated over a lossy conducting medium and being supported by a nonconductive support structure;

a control system coupled to the guided surface waveguide probe; and

a plurality of subsystems in data communication with the control system via a communications interface,

the control system being configured to monitor and control operation of the guided surface waveguide probe and a plurality of subsystems.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the one or more control subsystems comprise at least one of:

a security system, a fire protection system, an electrical control system, an environmental control system, or one or more field sensors.

12. The system of claim 10, wherein the control system is further configured to:

detect a fault associated with at least one of the plurality of subsystems; and

adjust operation of the guided surface waveguide probe based at least in part on the fault.

13. The system of claim 10, further comprising a control room situated outside a predefined distance from the guided surface waveguide probe, the control room comprising at least one computing device in data communication with the control system via the communications interface and being configured to facilitate user interaction with the control system.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the control system is further configured to:

receive data associated with the plurality of subsystems; and

forward the data to the at least one computing device of the control room for presentation via a user interface rendered on a display of the at least one computing device.

15. The system of claim 13, wherein the communications interface comprises Modbus.

16. The system of claim 13, wherein the guided surface waveguide probe further comprises:

a feed network configured to provide a voltage to the charge terminal with a phase delay that matches a wave tilt angle associated with a complex Brewster angle of incidence associated with the lossy conducting medium, and the charge terminal having a load impedance that is determined based upon an image ground plane impedance associated with the lossy conducting medium; and

a lumped element tank circuit comprising an inductor and a variable capacitor connected in parallel.

17. A method, comprising:

monitoring, via a control system, a plurality of subsystems associated with operation of a guided surface waveguide probe;

receiving, via the control system, data from a particular subsystem of the plurality of subsystems; and

adjusting, via the control system, one or more operational parameters of the guided surface waveguide probe based at least in part on the received data.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the plurality of subsystems comprise at least one of:

a security system, a fire protection system, an electrical control system, an environmental control system, or one or more field sensors.

19. The method of claim 17, further comprising:

forwarding, via the control system, the data to a control room computing device located outside a predefined safety perimeter surrounding the guided surface waveguide probe, the data being presented on a user interface rendered on a display of the control room computing device; and

receiving, via the control system, an action request via the control room based at least in part on the data, the action request submitted via the user interface.

20. The method of claim 17, wherein the action request comprises an instruction to adjust at least one of an operational parameter of the guided surface waveguide probe or at least one of an operational parameter for a particular subsystem of the plurality of subsystems.