Excitation and use of guided surface wave modes on lossy media

• US 9,912,031 B2
• Filed: 03/07/2013
• Issued: 03/06/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 03/07/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cpg Technologies, LLC
• Original Assignee: Cpg Technologies, LLC
• Inventors: Corum, James F., Corum, Kenneth L.
• Primary Examiner(s): Fureman, Jared
• Assistant Examiner(s): Sun, Pinping
• Application Number:
  US13/789,538
• Publication Number:
  US 20140252886A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,825 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/0218 Very long range radars, e.g. surface wave radar, over-the-horizon or ionospheric propagation systems for meteorological use G01S13/95
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/88 Radar or analogous systems specially adapted for specific applications electromagnetic prospecting or detecting of objects, e.g. near-field detection, G01V3/00
• CPC Class Codes: H01P 3/00 Waveguides; Transmission lines of the waveguide type
• CPC Class Codes: H01P 5/00 Coupling devices of the waveguide type
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/00 Details of, or arrangements associated with, antennas arrangements for varying orientation of directional pattern H01Q3/00
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/20 using microwaves or radio frequency waves
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 3/52 Systems for transmission between fixed stations via waveguides

Abstract

Disclosed are various embodiments for transmitting energy conveyed in the form of a guided surface-waveguide mode along the surface of a terrestrial medium by exciting a polyphase waveguide probe.

Claims

1. An apparatus, comprising:

a polyphase waveguide probe configured to create a plurality of resultant fields that are substantially mode-matched to a Zenneck surface wave mode on a surface of a terrestrial medium, wherein a radial surface current density of the Zenneck surface wave mode is substantially expressed by

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein a radiation resistance of the polyphase waveguide probe is substantially zero.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein a height of the polyphase waveguide probe is less than λ

/2π

at an operating frequency of the polyphase waveguide probe, where λ

is a wavelength at the operating frequency.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the resultant fields substantially synthesize a wave front incident at a complex Brewster angle of the terrestrial medium, resulting in substantially zero reflection.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein an excitation source is electrically coupled to the polyphase waveguide probe.

6. An apparatus, comprising:

a polyphase waveguide probe configured to create a plurality of resultant fields that are substantially mode-matched to a Zenneck surface wave mode on a surface of a terrestrial medium, wherein the Zenneck surface wave mode is substantially expressed as

7. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the polyphase waveguide probe further comprises a plurality of charge terminals, the polyphase waveguide probe being further configured to impose a plurality of voltage magnitudes and a plurality of phases on the charge terminals.

8. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the polyphase waveguide probe further comprises a probe coupling circuit coupled to the charge terminals, the probe coupling circuit being configured to impose the voltage magnitudes and the phases on the charge terminals.

9. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein both the voltage magnitudes and the phases vary as a function of an electrical circuit.

10. An apparatus, comprising:

a polyphase waveguide probe configured to create a plurality of resultant fields that are substantially mode-matched to a Zenneck surface wave mode on a surface of a terrestrial medium, the polyphase waveguide probe comprising a plurality of charge terminals, the polyphase waveguide probe being further configured to impose a plurality of voltage magnitudes and a plurality of phases on the charge terminals; and

wherein both the voltage magnitudes and the phases vary as a function of a geometrical position of the charge terminals relative to each other.

11. An apparatus, comprising:

a polyphase waveguide probe configured to create a plurality of resultant fields that are substantially mode-matched to a Zenneck surface wave mode on a surface of a terrestrial medium, the polyphase waveguide probe comprising a plurality of charge terminals, the polyphase waveguide probe being further configured to impose a plurality of voltage magnitudes and a plurality of phases on the charge terminals; and

wherein both the voltage magnitudes and the phases vary as a function of a geometrical position of each of the charge terminals relative to the terrestrial medium.

12. An apparatus, comprising:

a polyphase waveguide probe configured to create a plurality of resultant fields that are substantially mode-matched to a Zenneck surface wave mode on a surface of a terrestrial medium, the polyphase waveguide probe comprising a plurality of charge terminals, the polyphase waveguide probe being further configured to impose a plurality of voltage magnitudes and a plurality of phases on the charge terminals; and

wherein both the voltage magnitudes and the phases vary as a function of a physical size of the charge terminals.

13. An apparatus, comprising:

a polyphase waveguide probe configured to create a plurality of resultant fields; and

wherein the resultant fields are substantially mode-matched to a Zenneck surface wave mode on a surface of a terrestrial medium and a radial surface current density of the Zenneck surface wave mode is substantially expressed by

14. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the polyphase waveguide probe further comprises a pair of charge terminals, the polyphase waveguide probe being further configured to impose a plurality of voltage magnitudes and a plurality of phases on the charge terminals.

15. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the polyphase waveguide probe further comprises distribution circuitry coupled to the charge terminals.

16. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein an electrical source is coupled to the distribution circuitry.

17. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the distribution circuitry further comprises a coil.

18. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the polyphase waveguide probe further comprises a coil coupled between the charge terminals.

19. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein both the voltage magnitudes and the phases vary as a function of an electrical circuit.

20. An apparatus, comprising:

a polyphase waveguide probe configured to create a plurality of resultant fields; and

wherein the resultant fields are substantially mode-matched to a Zenneck surface wave mode on a surface of a terrestrial medium and the Zenneck surface wave mode is substantially expressed as

21. The apparatus of claim 20, wherein the resultant fields substantially synthesize a wave incident at a complex Brewster angle of the terrestrial medium, resulting in substantially zero reflection.

22. The apparatus of claim 20, wherein an excitation source is electrically coupled to the polyphase waveguide probe.

23. The apparatus of claim 20, wherein a radiation resistance of the polyphase waveguide probe is substantially zero.

24. The apparatus of claim 20, wherein a height of the polyphase waveguide probe is less than

25. An apparatus, comprising:

a polyphase waveguide probe configured to create a plurality of resultant fields; and

the resultant fields being substantially mode-matched to a Zenneck surface wave mode on a surface of a terrestrial medium;

the polyphase waveguide probe further comprising a pair of charge terminals, the polyphase waveguide probe being further configured to impose a plurality of voltage magnitudes and a plurality of phases on the charge terminals; and

wherein both the voltage magnitudes and the phases vary as a function of a geometrical position of the charge terminals relative to each other.

26. An apparatus, comprising:

a polyphase waveguide probe configured to create a plurality of resultant fields; and

the resultant fields being substantially mode-matched to a Zenneck surface wave mode on a surface of a terrestrial medium;

the polyphase waveguide probe further comprising a pair of charge terminals, the polyphase waveguide probe being further configured to impose a plurality of voltage magnitudes and a plurality of phases on the charge terminals; and

wherein both the voltage magnitudes and the phases vary as a function of a geometrical position of each of the charge terminals relative to the terrestrial medium.

27. An apparatus, comprising:

a polyphase waveguide probe configured to create a plurality of resultant fields; and

the resultant fields being substantially mode-matched to a Zenneck surface wave mode on a surface of a terrestrial medium;

the polyphase waveguide probe further comprising a pair of charge terminals, the polyphase waveguide probe being further configured to impose a plurality of voltage magnitudes and a plurality of phases on the charge terminals; and

wherein both the voltage magnitudes and the phases vary as a function of a physical size of the charge terminals.