Methods and apparatus for monitoring conditions to switch between modes of transmission

• US 10,666,323 B1
• Filed: 12/13/2018
• Issued: 05/26/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 12/13/2018
• 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: Vannucci, Giovanni, Barzegar, Farhad, Henry, Paul Shala, Willis, III, Thomas M., Gerszberg, Irwin, Bennett, Robert, Barnickel, Donald J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Haider, Syed
• Application Number:
  US16/219,411
• Publication Number:
  US 20200195303A1
• Time in Patent Office: 530 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H01P 3/10 Wire waveguides, i.e. with a single solid longitudinal conductor
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 2203/5441 Wireless systems or telephone
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 2203/5445 Local network
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 2203/5479 using repeaters
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 2203/5483 using coupling circuits
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 2203/5495 having measurements and testing channel
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 3/32 Reducing cross-talk, e.g. by compensating
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 3/56 Circuits for coupling, blocking, or by-passing of signals
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 3/58 Repeater circuits
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/22 Alternate routing

Abstract

Aspects of the subject disclosure may include, a system for determining from one or more conditions for a retransmission of electromagnetic waves received by the waveguide system via a transmission medium, a duty cycle for retransmitting the electromagnetic waves, retransmitting the electromagnetic waves utilizing a first repeater type of the waveguide system during a first portion of the duty cycle, and retransmitting the electromagnetic waves utilizing a second repeater type of the waveguide system during a second portion of the duty cycle. Other embodiments are disclosed.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

monitoring, by a waveguide system, one or more conditions for a retransmission of electromagnetic waves, wherein the electromagnetic waves are received by the waveguide system via a first transmission medium and retransmitted by the waveguide system via a second transmission medium, wherein the electromagnetic waves propagate along the first transmission medium and along the second transmission medium without requiring an electrical return path, and wherein the electromagnetic waves convey data;

determining, by the waveguide system, from the one or more conditions a duty cycle for retransmitting the electromagnetic waves via the second transmission medium utilizing a first repeater type or a second repeater type of the waveguide system;

retransmitting, by the waveguide system, the electromagnetic waves via the second transmission medium utilizing the first repeater type during a first portion of the duty cycle; and

retransmitting, by the waveguide system, the electromagnetic waves via the second transmission medium utilizing the second repeater type during a second portion of the duty cycle.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the first repeater type consumes a first power level, wherein the second repeater type consumes a second power level that differs from the first power level, and wherein the first power level exceeds the second power level.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

supplying, by a storage device of the waveguide system, power to the first repeater type while the first repeater type is being utilized for retransmission of the electromagnetic waves; and

charging, by a power supply of the waveguide system, the storage device while the second repeater type is being utilized for retransmission of the electromagnetic waves, wherein the first power level exceeds the second power level.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein operations of the second repeater type comprise retransmitting the electromagnetic waves after the electromagnetic waves are amplified, retransmitting the electromagnetic waves after the electromagnetic waves are filtered, or a combination thereof, without converting the electromagnetic waves to digital signals.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein operations of the second repeater type comprise retransmitting the electromagnetic waves after converting the electromagnetic waves to digital signals and converting the digital signals to analog signals without modifying the digital signals.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more conditions comprise a signal quality of the electromagnetic waves, a charging capacity of a storage device of the waveguide system, a range of power a power supply of waveguide system is able to draw from the first transmission medium, a time of day of operation of the waveguide system, a user-generated condition, a received command, a synchronization signal, or combinations thereof.

7. A method, comprising:

receiving, by a first waveguide system, electromagnetic waves via a first transmission medium, and retransmitting the electromagnetic waves, by the first waveguide system, via a second transmission medium, wherein the electromagnetic waves propagate along the first transmission medium and along the second transmission medium without requiring an electrical return path, and wherein the electromagnetic waves convey data;

determining, by the first waveguide system, a first duty cycle for retransmitting the electromagnetic waves via the second transmission medium utilizing a first repeater type or a second repeater type of the first waveguide system;

retransmitting, by the first waveguide system, the electromagnetic waves via the second transmission medium utilizing the first repeater type during a first portion of the first duty cycle; and

retransmitting, by the first waveguide system, the electromagnetic waves via the second transmission medium utilizing the second repeater type during a second portion of the first duty cycle;

wherein the first duty cycle is synchronized with a second duty cycle of a second waveguide system.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the second waveguide system utilizes a third repeater type during a third portion of the second duty cycle and utilizes a fourth repeater type during a fourth portion of the second duty cycle, wherein the third portion of the second duty cycle occurs at a first same time as the first portion of the first duty cycle and the fourth portion of the second duty cycle occurs at a second same time as the second portion of the first duty cycle.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the first repeater type consumes a first power level, wherein the second repeater type consumes a second power level that differs from the first power level, wherein the first power level exceeds the second power level, wherein the third repeater type consumes a third power level, wherein the fourth repeater type consumes a fourth power level that differs from the third power level, wherein the fourth power level exceeds the third power level.

10. The method of claim 7, wherein the first waveguide system receives a synchronization signal that causes the first duty cycle to be synchronized with the second duty cycle of the second waveguide system.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the synchronization signal is generated by the second waveguide system.

12. The method of claim 7, wherein the first waveguide system and the second waveguide system utilize a time server system for synchronizing the first duty cycle with the second duty cycle.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the time server system is a satellite system.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the satellite system is a Global Positioning System.

15. A 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;

monitoring one or more conditions for a retransmission of electromagnetic waves received by the waveguide system via a first transmission medium;

determining from the one or more conditions a duty cycle for retransmitting the electromagnetic waves;

retransmitting, via a second transmission medium, the electromagnetic waves utilizing a first repeater type of the waveguide system during a first portion of the duty cycle; and

retransmitting, via the second transmission medium, the electromagnetic waves utilizing a second repeater type of the waveguide system during a second portion of the duty cycle;

wherein the electromagnetic waves propagate along the first transmission medium and along the second transmission medium without requiring an electrical return path.

16. The waveguide system of claim 15, wherein the operations further comprise:

supplying, by a storage device of the waveguide system, power to the first repeater type while the first repeater type is being utilized for retransmission of the electromagnetic waves; and

charging, by a power supply of the waveguide system, the storage device while the second repeater type is being utilized for retransmission of the electromagnetic waves.

17. The waveguide system of claim 15, wherein operations of the first repeater type comprise:

converting the electromagnetic waves to digital signals;

generating updated digital signals by performing digital signal processing on the digital signals;

converting the updated digital signals to updated electromagnetic waves; and

inducing propagation of the updated electromagnetic waves along the second transmission medium, and

wherein operations of the second repeater type comprise retransmitting the electromagnetic waves after the electromagnetic waves are amplified, retransmitting the electromagnetic waves after the electromagnetic waves are filtered, or a combination thereof.

18. A non-transitory machine-readable medium;

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

determining from one or more conditions for a retransmission of electromagnetic waves received by the waveguide system via a first transmission medium, a duty cycle for retransmitting the electromagnetic waves;

retransmitting the electromagnetic waves utilizing a first repeater type of the waveguide system during a first portion of the duty cycle; and

retransmitting the electromagnetic waves utilizing a second repeater type of the waveguide system during a second portion of the duty cycle.

19. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 18, wherein operations of the first repeater type comprise conditioning the electromagnetic waves for retransmission by performing digital signal processing on digital signals conveyed by the electromagnetic waves.

20. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 18, wherein operations of the second repeater type comprise conditioning the electromagnetic waves for retransmission without performing digital signal processing on digital signals conveyed by the electromagnetic waves.