Guided Surface Wave Communication on Power Lines
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current wireless infrastructure faces challenges in providing sufficient bandwidth to meet increasing data demands, particularly in areas served by macrocells, as traditional systems require higher capacity and often rely on electrical return paths for signal propagation.
Innovation Solution
A guided wave communication system that utilizes electromagnetic waves bound to transmission media like wires or dielectric materials, allowing for propagation without an electrical return path, using couplers and transceivers to launch and receive guided waves along the surface of power lines or cables, enabling efficient data transmission over long distances with low loss.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If traditional wireless infrastructure is used to provide broadband access, then coverage area is maintained, but bandwidth capacity becomes insufficient to meet increasing data demands
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies multi-functionality by enabling power lines to serve dual purposes: traditional electrical power distribution and electromagnetic wave transmission for data communication. The power line infrastructure is utilized as a transmission medium for guided electromagnetic waves, allowing the existing electrical grid to function as both a power delivery system and a communication channel, thereby increasing bandwidth capacity without requiring separate communication infrastructure.
2Productivity
If small cell deployment is pursued to provide additional mobile bandwidth, then bandwidth capacity increases, but coverage area decreases and device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent eliminates the need for separate small cell infrastructure by making the existing power line system multi-functional. Instead of deploying additional wireless base stations or small cells, the system utilizes the power line network to carry both power and data signals, thereby providing increased mobile bandwidth while avoiding the complexity and cost of deploying numerous small cell towers and associated equipment.
Solution Approach 2:
The power line infrastructure serves itself by simultaneously handling both power distribution and data communication functions. The same physical infrastructure that delivers electrical power to homes and businesses also carries electromagnetic waves for high-speed data transmission, eliminating the need for separate communication infrastructure and reducing overall system complexity.
3Loss of energy
If guided electromagnetic waves are transmitted along power lines, then propagation loss is reduced and transmission distance increases, but the system requires specialized couplers and transceivers
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces couplers as intermediary devices that facilitate the transition between free-space electromagnetic waves and guided waves on the power line. These couplers act as mediators that convert wireless signals into guided waves for transmission along the power line and vice versa, enabling low-loss long-distance transmission while managing the complexity through standardized interface components.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This solution provides a high-bandwidth communication network that can support data transmission with reduced propagation loss and does not require electrical return paths, enhancing wireless infrastructure capacity and flexibility.
Implementation Method 1
A guided wave communication system utilizes electromagnetic waves bound to transmission media like wires or dielectric materials, allowing for propagation without an electrical return path
Data Source
AI summary
In accordance with the present disclosure, a communication network includes a surface wave transceiver, mounted on a medium voltage power line, configured to bidirectionally communicate wireless network data via guided electromagnetic waves that propagate along a surface of the medium voltage power line. A plurality of analog surface wave repeater pairs, a plurality of digital surface wave regenerator pairs, are mounted on the medium voltage power line. A plurality of access points, supported by corresponding ones of a plurality of utility poles that also support the medium voltage power line, is configured to wirelessly transmit the wireless network data to a plurality of client devices in accordance with a wireless network protocol and to wirelessly receive client data from the plurality of client devices in accordance with the wireless network protocol. A plurality of surface wave add/drop multiplexer pairs, is also mounted on the medium voltage power line.