Guided Surface Waveguide Probe Navigation
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Solution Overview
Problem
For over a century, there has been a theoretical understanding of launching open surface guided waves over planar or spherical surfaces of lossy, homogeneous media, but no practical structures have existed to efficiently accomplish this.
Innovation Solution
Guided surface waveguide probes are configured to excite electric fields that couple into a guided surface waveguide mode along the surface of a lossy conducting medium, such as the Earth, by synthesizing a wave front incident at a complex Brewster angle, resulting in zero reflection and launching a guided electromagnetic field as a guided surface wave.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of energy
If conventional antenna structures are used to transmit radio waves, then radiation fields can be launched, but the energy transmission efficiency deteriorates due to exponential decay with distance
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a lossy conducting medium (such as the Earth's surface) as an intermediary to guide electromagnetic waves. This mediator enables the waves to propagate along its surface rather than radiating freely through space, fundamentally changing the transmission mechanism from radiation to guidance, thereby reducing energy loss over distance
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the propagation parameters by transitioning from conventional radiation fields to guided surface waves. By adjusting the operating frequency to match the surface wave mode and modifying the field configuration to couple with the conducting medium, the system achieves exponential decay characteristics similar to transmission lines rather than the inverse-square law of conventional radiation
2Loss of energy
If guided surface waveguide probes are configured to excite electric fields at a complex Brewster angle, then zero reflection is achieved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies parameter changes by exciting the guided surface waveguide probe at a specific complex Brewster angle frequency and orientation. This precise parameter setting causes the electric field to couple perfectly with the surface wave mode, resulting in zero reflection. The complexity is justified by the significant energy efficiency improvement
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces conventional mechanical antenna structures with guided surface waveguide probes that operate on different physical principles. Instead of relying on traditional radiation patterns and geometric configurations, the system uses electromagnetic coupling with the conducting medium, substituting mechanical design optimization with electromagnetic parameter optimization
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
The solution enables the efficient launching of guided surface waves along lossy conducting media, providing a practical means to achieve exponential decay of the electric field with distance, similar to transmission line propagation, and allows for energy transmission without loss unless a resistive load is present.
Implementation Method 1
Guided surface waveguide probes are configured to excite electric fields that couple into a guided surface waveguide mode along the surface of a lossy conducting medium
Implementation Method 2
by synthesizing a wave front incident at a complex Brewster angle, resulting in zero reflection
Implementation Method 3
launching a guided electromagnetic field as a guided surface wave... providing a practical means to achieve exponential decay of the electric field with distance, similar to transmission line propagation
Data Source
Figure 1~2
Figure 3
Figure 4~5A
AI summary
Disclosed are various approaches for navigation identifying one's current position. A navigation device receives a guided surface wave using a guided surface wave receive structure. The navigation device then receives a reflection of the guided surface wave using the guided surface wave receive structure. The navigation device calculates an amount of time elapsed between receiving the guided surface wave and receiving the reflection of guided surface wave. The navigation device then measures an angle between a wave front of the guided surface wave and a polar axis of the Earth. Finally the navigation device determines a location of the guided surface wave receive structure based at least in part on the angle between the wave front of the guided surface wave and the polar axis of the Earth the amount of time elapsed between receiving the guided surface wave and receiving the reflection of guided surface wave.