Quasi-optical coupler

• US 9,794,003 B2
• Filed: 06/08/2016
• Issued: 10/17/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 12/10/2013
• 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: Henry, Paul Shala, Barnickel, Donald J, Barzegar, Farhad, Bennett, Robert, Gerszberg, Irwin, Willis, III, Thomas M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Bello, Agustin
• Application Number:
  US15/176,247
• Publication Number:
  US 20160285512A1
• Time in Patent Office: 496 Days
• Field of Search: 398115-117, 398140
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/46 Electric supply lines or communication lines
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 13/26 Surface waveguide constituted by a single conductor, e.g. strip conductor
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 19/10 using reflecting surfaces
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 10/501 Structural aspects
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 10/802 for isolation, e.g. using optocouplers
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 2203/5483 using coupling circuits
• 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

Abstract

A quasi-optical coupling system launches and extracts surface wave communication transmissions from a wire. At millimeter-wave frequencies, where the wavelength is small compared to the macroscopic size of the equipment, the millimeter-wave transmissions can be transported from one place to another and diverted via lenses and reflectors, much like visible light. Transmitters and receivers can be positioned near telephone and power lines and reflectors placed on or near the cables can reflect transmissions onto or off of the cables. The lenses on the transmitters are focused, and the reflectors positioned such that the reflected transmissions are guided waves on the surface of the cables. The reflectors can be polarization sensitive, where one or more of a set of guided wave modes can be reflected off the wire based on the polarization of the guided wave modes and polarization and orientation of the reflector.

Claims

1. An apparatus, comprising:

a transmitter that facilitates emitting a focused transmission, wherein the focused transmission is directed to a focal plane of a reflector;

the reflector, positioned with respect to a transmission medium, facilitating reflecting from the focal plane the focused transmission thereby generating a first guided wave bound to a surface of the transmission medium; and

an antenna, coupled to the transmission medium, that facilitates reception of the first guided wave from the transmission medium and generation of a wireless signal based on the first guided wave.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the focused transmission is a first transmission reflected in a first direction by a side of the reflector, and wherein the apparatus further comprises:

another transmitter that emits a second transmission directed towards another side of the reflector, wherein the reflector facilitates reflecting the second transmission substantially parallel to the transmission medium in a second direction substantially opposite to the first direction.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the reflector further facilitates reflecting an incoming transmission to a receiver, and the incoming transmission is a second guided wave that is bound to the surface of the transmission medium.

4. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the transmitter and the receiver are communicably coupled to each other, and the focused transmission is a repeated transmission of the incoming transmission.

5. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the reflector is polarized, and facilitates reflecting a first component of the first guided wave to the receiver and enabling a second component of the first guided wave to propagate through the reflector.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein a wavelength of the focused transmission is smaller than a circumference of the transmission medium.

7. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the first guided wave comprises a symmetric surface-wave mode.

8. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the transmission medium comprises an insulated conductor.

9. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the transmission medium comprises an uninsulated conductor.

10. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the transmitter comprises a lens, and wherein a focus of the lens is directed to the focal plane of the reflector.

11. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein a focal plane of the lens is at an intersection area of the transmission medium and the reflector.

12. An apparatus, comprising:

a first reflector, positioned with respect to a transmission medium, facilitating reflecting a first component of an incoming guided wave away from the transmission medium while enabling a second component of the incoming guided wave to propagate through the first reflector, wherein the guided wave is bound to a surface of the transmission medium and propagates in a direction substantially parallel to the transmission medium;

a receiver that facilitates receiving the first component of the incoming guided wave; and

an antenna, coupled to the transmission medium, that facilitates reception of the second component of the incoming guided wave from the transmission medium and generation of a wireless signal according to the second component of the incoming guided wave.

13. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the first reflector is polarized to facilitate reflecting the first component of the incoming guided wave and enabling the second component of the incoming guided wave to propagate through the first reflector.

14. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the surface of the transmission medium comprises an insulator.

15. The apparatus of claim 12, further comprising:

a repeater that facilitates repeating the incoming guided wave received by the receiver resulting in an amplified transmission; and

a transmitter that facilitates transmitting the amplified transmission to a second reflector that facilitates reflecting the amplified transmission in the direction substantially parallel to the transmission medium, wherein the amplified transmission comprises an outgoing guided wave that propagates on the surface of the transmission medium.

16. The apparatus of claim 15 wherein the first reflector and the second reflector are two sides of a reflecting device.

17. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the receiver and the transmitter are communicably coupled to each other and on substantially opposite sides of the reflecting device.

18. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the receiver comprises a lens, and a size of a focal plane of the lens that intersects the first reflector and the transmission medium corresponds to a size of a mode of the incoming guided wave.

19. A method, comprising:

emitting, by a transmission device, a transmission towards a focal plane of a side of a reflector that is coupled to a transmission medium;

reflecting, by the reflector, the transmission in a direction substantially parallel to the transmission medium resulting in a reflected transmission, wherein the reflected transmission comprises a first guided wave on a surface of the transmission medium; and

generating, by an antenna coupled to the transmission medium, a wireless signal based on the first guided wave.

20. The method of claim 19, further comprising:

reflecting an incoming transmission away from the transmission medium, wherein the incoming transmission comprises a second guided wave on the surface of the transmission medium; and

receiving the incoming transmission at a receiver.