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

• US 9,509,415 B1
• Filed: 06/25/2015
• Issued: 11/29/2016
• 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, Thomas M. III
• Primary Examiner(s): LEE, SIU M
• Application Number:
  US14/750,866
• Time in Patent Office: 523 Days
• Field of Search: 375/256, 375/288, 375/295, 333/109, 333/113, 333/114, 333/122, 333/134, 333/136, 333/137, 333/156, 333/157, 333/202, 333/209
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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:

generating, by a waveguide system, instances of first electromagnetic waves that 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 has a non-optical operating frequency; and

directing, by the waveguide system, the combined electromagnetic wave to an interface of a transmission medium for guiding propagation of the combined electromagnetic wave without utilizing an electrical return path.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the waveguide system comprises waveguide slots that generate the instances of the first electromagnetic waves.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein a pair of the waveguide slots are configured to have a relative position to each other to generate a pair of the first electromagnetic waves having electric field orientations of substantially opposing directions to produce the combined electromagnetic wave having the fundamental wave mode.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein a first instance of the instances of the first electromagnetic waves is radiated by a first slot of the waveguide slots, and wherein a second instance of the instances of the first electromagnetic waves is radiated by a second slot of the waveguide slots.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the waveguide slots are located on a cover of the waveguide system, wherein a surface of the cover is divided into an inner median region and an outer median region, wherein currents flowing on the surface in the inner median region differ from currents flowing on the surface in the outer median region, and wherein placement of the first slot and the second slot at certain locations relative to the inner median region and the outer median region having a certain circumferential distance between the first slot and the second slot, results in first electric fields of the first instance of the first electromagnetic waves being substantially symmetrical to second electric fields of the second instance of the first electromagnetic waves, thereby producing the combined electromagnetic wave having the fundamental wave mode.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the waveguide system comprises transmitters positioned around the transmission medium for generating the instances of the first electromagnetic waves.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein first and second transmitters of the transmitters are adapted to generate first and second instances of the first electromagnetic waves having substantially symmetrical electric fields that enable generation of the fundamental wave mode.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the first and second transmitters are symmetrically positioned around the transmission medium.

9. The method of claim 6, wherein each transmitter of the transmitters comprises a microwave transmitter.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the waveguide system comprises a waveguide structure for directing the combined electromagnetic wave to the interface of the transmission medium.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the waveguide structure has a tapered cross-section.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein the waveguide structure has a cylindrical cross-section.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the interface of the transmission medium comprises a core, and wherein the combined electromagnetic wave is guided and bound to the core.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the interface of the transmission medium comprises an outer surface of an insulated conductor.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein the interface of the transmission medium comprises an outer surface of an uninsulated conductor.

16. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving, by the waveguide system, second electromagnetic waves guided by the transmission medium.

17. A system, comprising:

a plurality of microwave transmitters for launching instances of first electromagnetic waves that combine to produce a combined electromagnetic wave substantially having a fundamental wave mode; and

a waveguide for directing the combined electromagnetic wave to an interface of a transmission medium for guiding propagation of the combined electromagnetic wave without utilizing an electrical return path.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the waveguide comprises first and second slots that radiate the instances of the first electromagnetic waves with substantially symmetrical electric fields which when combined produce the combined electromagnetic wave substantially having the fundamental wave mode.

19. The system of claim 17, wherein the plurality of microwave transmitters surround the transmission medium for generating the instances of the first electromagnetic waves.

20. The system of claim 17, wherein a first and a second of the plurality of microwave transmitters are adapted to adjust phases of first and second instances of the first electromagnetic waves to generate the first and the second instances of the first electromagnetic waves having substantially symmetrical electric fields which when combined produce the combined electromagnetic wave substantially having the fundamental wave mode.

21. The system of claim 17, further comprising a receiver for receiving, via the waveguide, second electromagnetic waves.

22. The system of claim 17, wherein the transmission medium comprises a core, an insulated conductor, or an uninsulated conductor, and wherein the combined electromagnetic wave are guided by the core, the insulated conductor, or the uninsulated conductor.

23. A non-transitory machine-readable storage medium, comprising executable instructions that, when executed by a processor of a waveguide system, facilitate performance of operations, comprising:

obtaining operational parameters for configuring a plurality of launchers of the waveguide system; and

configuring the plurality of launchers according to the operational parameters to generate instances of electromagnetic waves that combined to produce a combined electromagnetic wave having a selected wave mode and a non-optical operating frequency, wherein the waveguide system comprises a waveguide structure to direct the combined electromagnetic wave to an interface of a transmission medium for guiding propagation of the combined electromagnetic wave without utilizing an electrical return path.

24. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 23, wherein the plurality of launchers comprise a first slot and a second slot, wherein the first slot radiates a first instance of the instances of the electromagnetic waves, wherein the second slot radiates a second instance of the instances of the electromagnetic waves, and wherein electric fields of the first instance of the instances of the electromagnetic waves and the second instance of the instances of the electromagnetic waves are approximately symmetrical.

25. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 23, wherein the plurality of launchers comprise a first launcher and a second launcher, wherein the first launcher adjusts a first phase of a first instance of the instances of the electromagnetic waves, wherein the second launcher adjusts a second phase of a second instance of the instances of the electromagnetic waves, and wherein electric fields of the first instance and the second instance are approximately symmetrical.

26. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 23, wherein the selected wave mode is substantially a fundamental wave mode.