Method and apparatus for launching a wave mode that mitigates interference

• US 9,608,740 B2
• Filed: 07/15/2015
• Issued: 03/28/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 07/15/2015
• 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): Huang, David S
• Application Number:
  US14/799,611
• Publication Number:
  US 20170019189A1
• Time in Patent Office: 622 Days
• Field of Search: 375/256, 375/295, 375/316
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H01P 3/06 Coaxial lines
• CPC Class Codes: H01P 3/10 Wire waveguides, i.e. with a single solid longitudinal conductor
• CPC Class Codes: H01P 3/127 with a circular, elliptic, or parabolic cross-section
• CPC Class Codes: H01P 5/08 for linking dissimilar lines or devices H01P1/16, H01P5/04 take precedence; linking lines of the same kind but with different dimensions H01P5/02
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 15/00 Suppression or limitation of noise or interference by means associated with receiver H04B1/10
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 3/06 by the transmitted signal
• 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 3/58 Repeater circuits

Abstract

Aspects of the subject disclosure may include, for example, a system that performs operations including receiving electromagnetic waves on an outer surface of a transmission medium having a non-hybrid wave mode and a cutoff frequency, detecting a degradation of a signal quality of the electromagnetic waves, generating adjusted electromagnetic waves having a hybrid wave mode and a non-optical frequency range responsive to the detecting, and directing the adjusted electromagnetic waves having the hybrid wave mode and the non-optical frequency range to the outer surface of the transmission medium for guiding propagation of the adjusted electromagnetic waves without utilizing an electrical return path. Other embodiments are disclosed.

Claims

1. A waveguide system, comprising:

a receiver that facilitates receipt of electromagnetic waves;

a launcher that facilitates generation of electromagnetic waves; and

a processor coupled to the receiver and the launcher for controlling operations thereof, wherein the processor facilitates performance of operations, comprising;

directing the receiver to receive electromagnetic waves propagating on an outer surface of a transmission medium, the electromagnetic waves having a non-hybrid wave mode and a cutoff frequency;

detecting a degradation in a signal quality of the electromagnetic waves;

obtaining one or more operational parameters for configuring the launcher to generate adjusted electromagnetic waves having a hybrid wave mode and a non-optical frequency range responsive to the detecting, the hybrid wave mode having a substantially zero cutoff frequency; and

directing the launcher to launch the adjusted electromagnetic waves according to the one or more operational parameters, and to induce the adjusted electromagnetic waves on the outer surface of the transmission medium.

2. The waveguide system of claim 1, wherein the degradation in the signal quality is caused by an obstruction disposed on the outer surface of the transmission medium, and wherein the operations further comprise configuring the launcher for adjusting the hybrid wave mode to cause electric fields of the adjusted electromagnetic waves to extend outside a longitudinal cross-section of the obstruction.

3. The waveguide system of claim 2, wherein the adjusting the hybrid wave mode comprises reducing the non-optical frequency range of the adjusted electromagnetic waves.

4. The waveguide system of claim 2, wherein a substantial portion of the electric fields of the adjusted electromagnetic waves are approximately perpendicular to the longitudinal cross-section of the obstruction.

5. The waveguide system of claim 1, wherein the hybrid wave mode comprises an HE11 wave mode.

6. The waveguide system of claim 1, further comprising a waveguide structure for directing the adjusted electromagnetic waves to the outer surface of the transmission medium.

7. The waveguide system of claim 1, wherein the hybrid wave mode comprises linearly polarized electric fields.

8. The waveguide system of claim 1, wherein the launcher comprises a slotted waveguide.

9. The waveguide system of claim 1, wherein the launcher comprises a plurality of microwave circuits, each having a radiating element.

10. The waveguide system of claim 1, wherein the obtaining comprises obtaining the one or more operational parameters from a look-up table, the look-up table comprising sets of operational parameters for each of a plurality of electromagnetic waveforms launchable by the launcher.

11. The waveguide system of claim 10, wherein each of the plurality of electromagnetic waveforms has a hybrid wave mode.

12. The waveguide system of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise:

detecting that the degradation in the signal quality is caused by an obstruction disposed on the outer surface of the transmission medium; and

determining a type of the obstruction on the outer surface of the transmission medium, and wherein the obtaining comprises obtaining the one or more operational parameters according to the type of the obstruction.

13. The waveguide system of claim 1, wherein the transmission medium does not comprise an optical fiber for guiding the electromagnetic waves.

14. The waveguide system of claim 1, wherein the outer surface of the transmission medium comprises an insulator.

15. A method, comprising:

generating, by a waveguide system, a first instance of electromagnetic waves having a first wave mode;

generating, by the waveguide system, a second instance of electromagnetic waves having a second wave mode;

combining, by the waveguide system, the first instance of the electromagnetic waves with the second instance of the electromagnetic waves to generate a combined electromagnetic wave having a hybrid wave mode and a non-optical frequency range, the hybrid wave mode having a substantially zero cutoff frequency; and

directing, by the waveguide system, the combined electromagnetic wave having the hybrid wave mode and the non-optical frequency range to an outer surface of a transmission medium for guiding propagation of the combined electromagnetic waves without utilizing an electrical return path.

16. The method of claim 15, detecting, by the waveguide system, an obstruction disposed on the outer surface of the transmission medium.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein a substantial portion of electric fields of the combined electromagnetic wave are approximately perpendicular to a longitudinal cross-section of the obstruction.

18. The method of claim 16, further comprising adjusting the hybrid wave mode to cause electric fields of the combined electromagnetic wave to extend outside a longitudinal cross-section of the obstruction.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein a region above the longitudinal cross-section of the obstruction comprises free space.

20. A method, comprising:

receiving, by a waveguide system, electromagnetic waves on an outer surface of a transmission medium having a non-hybrid wave mode and a cutoff frequency;

detecting, by the waveguide system, a degradation of a signal quality of the electromagnetic waves;

generating, by the waveguide system, adjusted electromagnetic waves having a hybrid wave mode and a non-optical frequency range responsive to the detecting; and

directing, by the waveguide system, the adjusted electromagnetic waves having the hybrid wave mode and the non-optical frequency range to the outer surface of the transmission medium for guiding propagation of the adjusted electromagnetic waves without utilizing an electrical return path.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein the generating the adjusted electromagnetic waves and the directing the adjusted electromagnetic waves to the outer surface of the transmission medium are responsive to determining that the degradation of the signal quality of the electromagnetic waves is caused by an obstruction disposed on the outer surface of the transmission medium.

22. The method of claim 20, further comprising detecting an increase in the signal quality responsive to generating and directing test electromagnetic waves having the non-hybrid wave mode to the outer surface of the transmission medium.

23. The method of claim 22, further comprising resuming, by the waveguide system, communications with another waveguide system utilizing the electromagnetic waves having the non-hybrid wave mode responsive to the detecting the increase in the signal quality.

24. The method of claim 20, wherein the non-hybrid wave mode comprises a transverse wave mode.