Millimeter-wave surface-wave communications

• US 8,897,697 B1
• Filed: 11/06/2013
• Issued: 11/25/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 11/06/2013
• 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: Barnickel, Donald J., Barzegar, Farhad, Gerszberg, Irwin, Henry, Paul Shala, Willis, Thomas M. III, Bennett, Robert
• Primary Examiner(s): Alam, Fayyaz
• Application Number:
  US14/073,267
• Time in Patent Office: 384 Days
• Field of Search: 455/7, 455/14, 455/15, 340/531, 340/533, 340/538, 340/538.11
• US Class Current: 455/14
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/46 Electric supply lines or communication lines
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/10 using inductive coupling
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 3/36 Repeater circuits H04B3/58 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 3/52 Systems for transmission between fixed stations via waveguides
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 3/54 Systems for transmission via power distribution lines
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 3/56 Circuits for coupling, blocking, or by-passing of signals
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/72 for local intradevice communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/022 Site diversity; Macro-diversity using two or more spaced independent antennas H04B7/04
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 16/26 Cell enhancers or enhancement, e.g. for tunnels, building shadow
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/52 using AGC [Automatic Gain Control] circuits or amplifiers

Abstract

A millimeter-wave surface-wave communications system to provide network connectivity for a backhaul network and a distributed antenna system. Rather than building new structures, and installing additional fiber and cable, embodiments described herein disclose using high-bandwidth, millimeter-wave communications propagating over existing power line infrastructure. The wavelength of the transmission is comparable in size or smaller than the circumference of the power lines.

Claims

1. A system, comprising:

a memory that stores executable instructions; and

a processor, coupled to the memory, to facilitate execution of the executable instructions to perform operations, comprising;

facilitating receipt of a signal;

modulating a carrier-wave signal with the signal resulting in a modulated signal, wherein the carrier-wave signal is a millimeter-wave signal;

generating a transmission of the modulated signal; and

inducing the transmission as an electromagnetic wave guided by an outer surface of a wire, wherein the electromagnetic wave propagates longitudinally along the outer surface of the wire and at least partially around the outer surface of the wire via a coupling device that is not coaxially aligned with the wire.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the electromagnetic wave comprises a set of surface-wave modes, wherein the surface-wave modes are transverse electromagnetic modes.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the signal is associated with a surface-wave mode of the set of surface-wave modes.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the surface-wave mode is asymmetrical.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein a wavelength of the carrier-wave signal is smaller than a circumference of the wire.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the coupling device is a planar antenna.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the coupling device is a quasi-optical coupler.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise receiving power inductively from the wire.

21. The system of claim 1, wherein the electromagnetic wave is guided by the wire in two dimensions with respect to a cross section of the wire.

22. The system of claim 1, wherein the wire is positioned outside a cross-sectional area of the coupling device.

24. The system of claim 1, wherein the wire comprises a single wire transmission line.

9. A method, comprising:

receiving, by a device comprising a processor, a signal;

modulating, by the device, a carrier-wave signal with the signal to generate a modulated signal;

generating, by the device, a transmission based on the modulated signal, wherein the transmission is a millimeter-wave transmission; and

inducing, by the device, the transmission as an electromagnetic surface-wave guided by an outer surface of a wire, wherein the electromagnetic surface-wave propagates longitudinally along the outer surface of the wire and at least partially around the outer surface of the wire, wherein an axis of the wire is not aligned with an axis of the device.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the inducing further comprises emitting the transmission by a quasi-optical coupler.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein the inducing further comprises emitting surface-wave modes.

12. The method of claim 9, further comprising receiving, by the device, power from the wire.

13. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

determining, by the device, a circumference of the wire; and

selecting, by the device, a wavelength of the carrier wave signal, wherein the selecting comprises selecting a wavelength of the transmission that is smaller than a circumference of the wire.

14. An apparatus, comprising:

a frequency mixer that combines a signal and a carrier wave to form a combined signal;

a transmitter that generates a transmission based on the combined signal, wherein the transmission has a wavelength corresponding to a millimeter-wave band; and

a coupling device that emits the transmission as an electromagnetic wave guided by an outer surface of a wire, wherein the electromagnetic wave propagates longitudinally along the surface of the wire and at least partially around the surface of the wire, wherein the coupling device is positioned such that the wire is outside a cross-sectional area of the coupling device.

15. The apparatus of claim 14, further comprising a waveguide that facilitates transport of the transmission from the transmitter to the coupling device.

16. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the electromagnetic wave comprises a plurality of surface-wave modes.

17. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein a surface-wave mode of the plurality of surface-wave modes is asymmetrical.

18. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein a wavelength of the carrier wave is smaller than a circumference of the wire.

19. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the coupling device is a quasi-optical coupler.

20. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the coupling device is a planar antenna.

23. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the coupling device is not coaxially aligned with the wire.