Methods and apparatus for launching or receiving electromagnetic waves
AssigneeAT&T Intellectual Property I, L.P.
InventorsEmilio Alessandro Nanni, Paul Shala Henry, Liling Xiao, Jeffrey Michael Neilson
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Abstract
Aspects of the subject disclosure may include, a system configured for generating a signal, and inducing, by a coupler, an electromagnetic wave that propagates along a physical transmission medium. The coupler can be configured to convert the signal into a plurality of wave modes that combine to form the electromagnetic wave having an electromagnetic field configuration that reduces leakage of the electromagnetic wave as the electromagnetic wave propagates along the physical transmission medium. Other embodiments are disclosed.
Claims20
A method, comprising:
- generating, by a transmitter, a signal;
- and
- inducing, by a coupler, a first electromagnetic wave that propagates along a physical transmission medium, wherein the coupler has a structure that converts the signal into a plurality of wave modes that combines to form the first electromagnetic wave, wherein the structure of the coupler causes the plurality of wave modes to have a depth of focus that results in the first electromagnetic wave having a first electromagnetic field configuration, and wherein the first electromagnetic field configuration reduces a leakage of the first electromagnetic wave as the first electromagnetic wave propagates along the physical transmission medium.
A machine-readable medium, comprising executable instructions that, when executed by a processing system including a processor, facilitate performance of operations, the operations comprising:
- receiving data;
- and
- causing a transmitter to transmit a signal that conveys the data, wherein a coupler coupled to the transmitter converts the signal into a plurality of wave modes that combines to form a first electromagnetic wave that propagates along a transmission medium, wherein the first electromagnetic wave has a depth of focus that increases a concentration of electromagnetic fields of the first electromagnetic wave, and wherein the concentration of electromagnetic fields reduces a leakage of the first electromagnetic wave while propagating along the transmission medium.
A communication device, comprising:
- a processing system including a processor;
- and
- a memory that stores executable instructions that, when executed by the processing system, facilitate performance of operations, the operations comprising:
- detecting an obstruction that increases a propagation loss of a first electromagnetic wave as the first electromagnetic wave propagates along a physical transmission medium;
- and
- responsive to the detecting, inducing a propagation of a second electromagnetic wave along the physical transmission medium, wherein the second electromagnetic wave comprises an electromagnetic field configuration, wherein a first portion of the electromagnetic field configuration has a first intensity, wherein a second portion of the electromagnetic field configuration has a second intensity, wherein the first intensity of the first portion of the electromagnetic field configuration is greater than the second intensity of the second portion of the electromagnetic field configuration, and wherein the first portion of the electromagnetic field configuration is positioned away from the obstruction to reduce the propagation loss caused by the obstruction.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.