Hybrid guided surface wave communication
Disclosed is hybrid communication in which a first message from a guided surface wave probe node is embedded in a guided surface wave, and a second message from a guided surface wave receive node uses a different messaging mechanism.
1. A guided surface wave receive node, comprising:
a guided surface wave receive structure configured to obtain electrical energy from a guided surface wave traveling along a terrestrial medium, the guided surface wave being generated by a guided surface waveguide probe, the guided surface wave comprising an embedded message;
an electrical load coupled to the guided surface wave receive structure, the electrical load being experienced as a load at an excitation source coupled to the guided surface waveguide probe; and
a communications transceiver configured to establish a communications channel via a different message mechanism from the embedded message.
2. The guided surface wave receive node of claim 1 , wherein the electrical load comprises the communications transceiver.
3. The guided surface wave receive node of claim 1 , wherein the communications transceiver is configured to establish the communications channel with a remote guided surface wave receive node via the different message mechanism.
4. The guided surface wave receive node of claim 3 , wherein the communications channel comprises a two-way communications channel with the remote guided surface wave receive node.
5. The guided surface wave receive node of claim 1 , wherein the communications transceiver is configured to broadcast a message to a plurality of remote guided surface wave receive nodes, the message being transmitted via the different message mechanism.
6. The guided surface wave receive node of claim 1 , wherein the communications transceiver comprises an optical transmitter.
7. A guided surface wave receive node, comprising:
a guided surface receive structure configured to receive electrical energy in a form of a guided surface wave launched from a guided surface waveguide probe, the electrical energy modulated to transmit a message via the guided surface waveguide probe;
an electrical load coupled to the guided surface wave receive structure, the electrical energy being supplied to the electrical load;
a demodulator coupled to the guided surface wave receive structure, the demodulator configured to extract the message from the guided surface wave; and
a communications transceiver configured to communicate with a plurality of remote guided surface wave receive nodes via a different messaging mechanism from the message.
8. The guided surface wave receive node of claim 7 , wherein the message comprises a first message, and wherein the communications transceiver is configured to communicate a second message via a broadcast to the plurality of remote guided surface wave receive nodes.
9. The guided surface wave receive node of claim 7 , wherein the communications transceiver is configured to communicate with a communication receiver associated with the guided surface waveguide probe.
10. The guided surface wave receive node of claim 7 , wherein the communications transceiver comprises a collision avoider.
11. The guided surface wave receive node of claim 7 , wherein a probe node comprises the guided surface waveguide probe.
12. The guided surface wave receive node of claim 7 , wherein the message comprises a first message, and wherein the communications transceiver comprises a plurality of receivers, each of the plurality of receivers configured to receive a different portion of a second message from the plurality of remote guided surface wave receive nodes.
13. The guided surface wave receive node of claim 7 , wherein the message is embedded by modulating at least one of an amplitude, a frequency, or a phase.
14. The guided surface wave receive node of claim 7 , wherein the communications transceiver comprises a plurality of transmitters.
15. The guided surface wave receive node of claim 14 , wherein different portions of a second message are transmitted by different individual ones of the plurality of transmitters.
16. The guided surface wave receive node of claim 7 , wherein the electrical load at the receive node is experienced as a load at an excitation source coupled to the guided surface waveguide probe, and wherein a second message is transmitted as a pattern of electrical load variations to a probe node associated with the guided surface waveguide probe.
17. A method for hybrid two-way communication using a guided surface wave, comprising:
receiving, using a guided surface wave receive structure at a guided surface wave receive node, electrical energy in a form of the guided surface wave launched from a guided surface waveguide probe, the electrical energy modulated according to a first message embedded within the guided surface wave by the guided surface waveguide probe;
supplying the electrical energy to an electrical load coupled to the guided surface wave receive structure; and
broadcasting, using a communications transmitter at the guided surface wave receive node, a second message via a different messaging mechanism from the first message.
18. The method of claim 17 , wherein the communications transmitter comprises a plurality of transmitters.
19. The method of claim 17 , further comprising extracting the first message from the modulated electrical energy.
20. The method of claim 17 , wherein the second message is transmitted, at least in part, as a radiated electromagnetic field to a plurality of guided surface wave receive nodes.