GUIDED-WAVE TRANSMISSION DEVICE WITH NON-FUNDAMENTAL MODE PROPAGATION AND METHODS FOR USE THEREWITH

• US 20180145756A1
• Filed: 01/02/2018
• Published: 05/24/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 02/20/2015
• 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, Gerszberg, Irwin, Barzegar, Farhad, Barnickel, Donald J., Willis, III, Thomas M.
• Granted Patent: US 10,200,126 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 13/26 Surface waveguide constituted by a single conductor, e.g. strip conductor
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 10/25759 Details of the reception of RF signal or the optical conversion before the optical fibre
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 10/40 Transceivers
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 3/36 Repeater circuits H04B3/58 takes precedence

Abstract

Aspects of the subject disclosure may include, for example, a coupler that includes a tapered collar that surrounds a transmission wire. A coaxial coupler, that surrounds at least a portion of the transmission wire, guides an electromagnetic wave to the tapered collar. The tapered collar couples the electromagnetic wave to propagate along an outer surface of the transmission wire. Other embodiments are disclosed.

Claims

1. A coupler comprising:

a tapered collar that surrounds a transmission wire; and

a coaxial launcher, that surrounds at least a portion of the transmission wire, and guides an electromagnetic wave to the tapered collar and wherein the tapered collar couples the electromagnetic wave to be guided by the transmission wire for propagation, without requiring an electrical return path, along the transmission wire via a non-fundamental wave mode.

2. The coupler of claim 1, wherein the coaxial launcher forms a gap between a conductive material and the transmission wire that includes a dielectric.

3. The coupler of claim 1, wherein the tapered collar includes a dielectric.

4. The coupler of claim 1, wherein a majority of a signal strength of the electromagnetic wave is outside of the transmission wire and in proximity to an outer surface of the transmission wire.

5. The coupler of claim 4, wherein the non-fundamental wave mode generates an electromagnetic field pattern having a first local minimum at a first azimuthal orientation about the transmission wire corresponding to an expected orientation of water droplet formation on the transmission wire.

6. The coupler of claim 5, wherein the first azimuthal orientation corresponds to a bottom of the transmission wire.

7. The coupler of claim 5, wherein the electromagnetic field pattern has a second local minimum at a second azimuthal orientation about the transmission wire corresponding to a top of the transmission wire.

8. The coupler of claim 5, wherein the electromagnetic field pattern is bilaterally symmetrical.

9. The coupler of claim 1, wherein the electromagnetic wave has a carrier frequency within a microwave frequency band.

10. The coupler of claim 1, wherein the transmission wire is an insulated wire.

11. A method comprising:

generating an electromagnetic wave to convey data in accordance with a non-fundamental mode having an electromagnetic (EM) field pattern with a local minimum at an azimuthal orientation; and

coupling the electromagnetic wave to propagate, via the non-fundamental mode and without requiring an electrical return path, along a transmission medium so as to align the azimuthal orientation of the local minimum at a desired orientation with respect to the transmission medium.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the non-fundamental mode has a cutoff frequency, and wherein a carrier frequency of the electromagnetic wave is selected based on the cutoff frequency.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the desired orientation with respect to the transmission medium corresponds to an expected orientation of water droplet formation on an outer surface of the transmission medium.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the transmission medium includes an insulating jacket and wherein the outer surface of the transmission medium corresponds to an outer surface of the insulating jacket.

15. The method of claim 11, wherein the transmission medium is a single wire transmission medium.

16. The method of claim 11, wherein the electromagnetic wave is coupled to propagate on an outer surface of the transmission medium without altering the azimuthal orientation of the local minimum.

17. The method of claim 11, wherein the electromagnetic wave is coupled to be guided by the transmission medium without altering the non-fundamental mode of the electromagnetic wave.

18. The method of claim 11, wherein the electromagnetic wave is coupled to propagate on an outer surface of the transmission medium without introducing additional propagating electromagnetic modes of the electromagnetic wave.

19. The method of claim 11, wherein the azimuthal orientation corresponds to a bottom of the transmission medium.

20. A coupler comprising:

means for generating an electromagnetic wave to convey data in accordance with a non-fundamental mode having an electromagnetic (EM) field pattern with a local minimum at an azimuthal orientation; and

means for coupling the electromagnetic wave to propagate, via the non-fundamental mode and without requiring an electrical return path, along a transmission medium so as to align the azimuthal orientation of the local minimum at a desired orientation with respect to the transmission medium.