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

• US 10,560,201 B2
• Filed: 10/10/2018
• Issued: 02/11/2020
• 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:
  US16/156,592
• Publication Number:
  US 20190044622A1
• Time in Patent Office: 489 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:

arranging, by a first system including a processor, a plurality of transmitters having different azimuthal positions around a transmission medium; and

selecting, by the first system, at least two transmitters of the plurality of transmitters to generate instances of an electromagnetic wave, wherein the instances 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 propagates along the transmission medium without requiring an electrical return path.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of transmitters are waveguide slots.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein a pair of the waveguide slots is configured according to the azimuthal positions around the transmission medium to generate the instances of the electromagnetic wave, wherein the instances of the electromagnetic wave have electric field orientations of substantially opposing directions.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein a first instance of the instances of the electromagnetic wave is generated by a first slot of the pair of the waveguide slots, and wherein a second instance of the instances of the electromagnetic wave is generated by a second slot of the pair of the waveguide slots.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein a second system is configured for:

obtaining, by receivers positioned around the transmission medium, the instances of the electromagnetic wave.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein first and second receivers of the receivers are adapted to obtain first and second instances of the instances of the electromagnetic wave 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 electromagnetic wave.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein a second system is configured for:

generating a wireless signal by frequency-shifting the modulated signal in the frequency band to a modulated signal in a cellular frequency band for wireless delivery to a mobile communication device.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the first system facilitates frequency-shifting 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 transmitting, by an antenna, a wireless signal according to a second electromagnetic wave that propagates on the transmission medium.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the second electromagnetic wave conveys a modulated signal that has been frequency shifted from a cellular frequency band to a frequency band of the electromagnetic wave.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of transmitters are monolithic microwave integrated circuits.

15. A non-transitory machine-readable storage medium, comprising instructions, wherein responsive to executing the instructions, a processor of a first system performs operations, the operations comprising:

selecting at least two of a plurality of transmitters having different azimuthal positions around a transmission medium; and

generating, by the at least two of the plurality of transmitters, instances of an electromagnetic wave, wherein the instances 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 propagates along the transmission medium without requiring an electrical return path.

16. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein the plurality of transmitters are waveguide slots.

17. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein the plurality of transmitters are monolithic microwave integrated circuits.

18. A system, comprising:

a transmission medium;

a plurality of transmitters having different azimuthal positions around the transmission medium;

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;

selecting at least two of the plurality of transmitters to generate instances of an electromagnetic wave; and

combining the instances of the electromagnetic wave 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 propagates along the transmission medium without requiring an electrical return path.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein the plurality of transmitters are waveguide slots.

20. The system of claim 18, wherein the plurality of transmitters are monolithic microwave integrated circuits.