Guided-wave transmission device with diversity and methods for use therewith

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9564947-B2
Application number	US-201414519799-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 21, 2014
Priority date	Oct 21, 2014
Publication date	Feb 7, 2017
Grant date	Feb 7, 2017

Abstract

Aspects of the subject disclosure may include, for example, a transmission device that includes a first coupler that guides a first electromagnetic wave to a first junction to form a second electromagnetic wave that is guided to propagate along the outer surface of the transmission medium via one or more guided-wave modes. These mode(s) have an envelope that varies as a function of angular deviation and/or longitudinal displacement. Other embodiments are disclosed.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A transmission device comprising:
a transmitter that generates a first electromagnetic wave conveying first data; and
a first coupler, coupled to the transmitter, that guides the first electromagnetic wave to a first junction for coupling the first electromagnetic wave to a transmission medium at a first azimuthal angle to form a second electromagnetic wave that is guided along an outer surface of the transmission medium via at least one guided-wave mode, wherein the second electromagnetic wave has an envelope that varies as a function of angular deviation from the first azimuthal angle, wherein the function has a local minimum at a first angular deviation from the first azimuthal angle, and wherein a third electromagnetic wave propagates along the outer surface of the transmission medium in a direction opposite to the first electromagnetic wave and conveys second data; and
a second coupler guides the third electromagnetic wave from a second junction coupling the third electromagnetic wave from the transmission medium at the first angular deviation from the first azimuthal angle to form a fourth electromagnetic wave that is guided to a receiver.

2. The transmission device of claim 1 wherein the function has a local minimum at the first angular deviation from the first azimuthal angle at a first longitudinal displacement along the transmission medium corresponding to a position of the first junction.

3. The transmission device of claim 1 wherein the envelope of the second electromagnetic wave, for the first angular deviation from the first azimuthal angle, varies as a function of longitudinal deviation from the first junction and the local minimum at the first angular deviation occurs at a first longitudinal displacement from the first junction.

4. The transmission device of claim 1 wherein the envelope of the second electromagnetic wave, for the first angular deviation from the first azimuthal angle, varies as a sinusoidal function of longitudinal deviation from the first junction.

5. The transmission device of claim 4 wherein the sinusoidal function has a corresponding envelope wavelength, wherein the transmitter transmits the first data to at least one remote transmission device having a third coupler that receives the second electromagnetic wave via a third junction that is remotely displaced at a second longitudinal displacement from the first junction, and wherein the second longitudinal displacement is substantially an integer number of envelope wavelengths.

6. The transmission device of claim 4 wherein the sinusoidal function has a corresponding envelope wavelength, wherein the receiver receives the second data from at least one remote transmission device having a third coupler that forms the third electromagnetic wave via a third junction that is remotely displaced at a second longitudinal displacement from the second junction, and wherein the second longitudinal displacement is substantially an integer number of envelope wavelengths.

7. The transmission device of claim 1 further comprising:
a training controller, coupled to the transmitter and the receiver, that selects at least one carrier frequency of the first electromagnetic wave based on feedback data received by the receiver from at least one remote transmission device coupled to receive the second electromagnetic wave.

8. The transmission device of claim 1 further comprising:
a training controller, coupled to the transmitter and the receiver, that generates feedback data based on reception of the fourth electromagnetic wave;
wherein the feedback data is included in the first data transmitted by the transmitter to at least one remote transmission device coupled to receive the second electromagnetic wave.

9. A transmission device comprising:
a transmitter that generates a first electromagnetic wave conveying first data; and

a first coupler, coupled to the transmitter, that guides the first electromagnetic wave to a first junction for coupling the first electromagnetic wave to a transmission medium to form a second electromagnetic wave that propagates along an outer surface of the transmission medium via at least one guided-wave mode, wherein the second electromagnetic wave has an envelope that varies as a function of longitudinal displacement from the first junction, wherein the function has a local minimum at a first longitudinal displacement from the first junction, and wherein a third electromagnetic wave propagates along the outer surface of the transmission medium in a direction opposite to the first electromagnetic wave and conveys second data; and
a second coupler guides the third electromagnetic wave from a second junction coupling the third electromagnetic wave from the transmission medium at the first longitudinal displacement from the first junction to form a fourth electromagnetic wave that is guided to a receiver.

10. The transmission device of claim 9 wherein the envelope of the second electromagnetic wave, for the first longitudinal displacement from the first junction, varies as a function of a first angular deviation from the first junction and the local minimum at the first longitudinal displacement from the first junction occurs at the first angular deviation from the first junction.

11. The transmission device of claim 10 wherein the envelope of the second electromagnetic wave, for the first angular deviation from the first junction, varies as a sinusoidal function of the longitudinal displacement from the first junction.

12. The transmission device of claim 11 wherein the sinusoidal function has a corresponding envelope wavelength, wherein the transmitter transmits the first data to at least one remote transmission device having a third coupler that receives the second electromagnetic wave via a third junction that is remotely displaced at a second longitudinal displacement from the first junction, and wherein the second longitudinal displacement is substantially an integer number of envelope wavelengths.

13. The transmission device of claim 11 wherein the sinusoidal function has a corresponding envelope wavelength, wherein the receiver receives the second data from at least one remote transmission device having a third coupler that forms the third electromagnetic wave via a third junction that is remotely displaced at a second longitudinal displacement from the second junction, and wherein the second longitudinal displacement is substantially an integer number of envelope wavelengths.

14. The transmission device of claim 9 further comprising:
a training controller, coupled to the transmitter and the receiver, that selects at least one carrier frequency of the first electromagnetic wave based on feedback data received by the receiver from at least one remote transmission device coupled to receive the second electromagnetic wave.

15. The transmission device of claim 9 further comprising:
a training controller, coupled to the transmitter and the receiver, that generates feedback data based on reception of the fourth electromagnetic wave;
wherein the feedback data is included in the first data transmitted by the transmitter to at least one remote transmission device coupled to receive the second electromagnetic wave.

16. A method comprising:
generating a first electromagnetic wave conveying first data from a transmitting device;
guiding the first electromagnetic wave to a first junction for coupling the first electromagnetic wave to a transmission medium at a first azimuthal angle to forms a second electromagnetic wave that is guided to propagate along an outer surface of

Assignees

• At & T Ip I Lp
• At & T Ip I Lp

Inventors

• Stuckman Bruce
• Henry Paul Shala
• Bennett Robert
• Gerszberg Irwin
• Barzegar Farhad
• Barnickel Donald J
• Willis Iii Thomas M

Classifications

• H01P5/18

  consisting of two coupled guides, e.g. directional couplers · CPC title

• H01P5/188

  the guides being dielectric waveguides · CPC title

• H04B3/56 Primary

  Circuits for coupling, blocking, or by-passing of signals · CPC title

• H01P5/12

  Coupling devices having more than two ports (H01P5/04 takes precedence) · CPC title

• H04B3/52 Primary

  Systems for transmission between fixed stations via waveguides · CPC title