Classification of transmission

Abstract

Disclosed are various embodiments for distributing power to loads and classifying loads that receive electrical energy in the form of guided surface waves that are transmitted by guided surface waveguide probes along a terrestrial medium. A request can be received for power from one or more guided surface wave receive structures. The guided surface wave receive structures can be assigned to a discrete transmission frequency from one of a plurality of frequency sets. The assignment can occur in response to the request for power. The frequency set can correspond to one or more guided surface waveguide probes.

Therefore, the following is claimed: 
     
         1 . A method comprising:
 transmitting, by each of a plurality of guided surface waveguide probes, at least one guided surface wave along a terrestrial medium at a respective one of a plurality of frequency sets to at least one guided surface wave receive structure; and   supplying, by the at least one guided surface wave receive structure, electrical energy to at least one electrical load coupled to the at least one guided surface wave receive structure.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein transmitting the at least one guided surface wave comprises:
 transmitting, by one of the plurality of guided surface waveguide probes, a first discrete frequency from within the respective one of the plurality of frequency sets; and   transmitting, by the one of the plurality of guided surface waveguide probes, a second discrete frequency from within the respective one of the plurality of frequency sets.   
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein each of the plurality of guided surface waveguide probes is designated to transmit within a respective transmission class among a plurality of transmission classes. 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising associating each of the plurality of guided surface waveguide probes with the respective one of the plurality of frequency sets. 
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein one of the plurality of frequency sets corresponds to a critical load frequency set and another one of the plurality of frequency sets corresponds to a non-critical load frequency set. 
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 identifying a frequency set of the plurality of frequency sets associated with the at least one electrical load; and   determining at least one available discrete frequency within the frequency set; and   assigning the at least one electrical load to the at least one available discrete frequency.   
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 determining that a power source coupled to one of the plurality of guided surface waveguide probes exceeds a threshold power output; and   preventing electrical energy from being supplied to at least one load to prevent overloading of the power source.   
     
     
         8 . A system comprising:
 at least one guided surface waveguide probe associated with at least one respective frequency set among a plurality of frequency sets, the at least one guided surface probe being configured to at least transmit at least one guided surface wave along a terrestrial medium at the respective frequency set to at least one guided surface wave receive structure; and   the at least one receive structure being configured to at least supply electrical energy to at least one electrical load coupled to the at least one guided surface receive structure.   
     
     
         9 . The system of  claim 8 , wherein transmitting the at least one guided surface wave comprises:
 transmitting, by one of the plurality of guided surface waveguide probes, a first discrete frequency from within the respective one of the plurality of frequency sets; and   transmitting, by the one of the plurality of guided surface waveguide probes, a second discrete frequency from within the respective one of the plurality of frequency sets.   
     
     
         10 . The system of  claim 8 , wherein each of the plurality of guided surface waveguide probes is designated to transmit within a respective transmission class among a plurality of transmission classes. 
     
     
         11 . The system of  claim 8 , further comprising associating each of the plurality of guided surface waveguide probes with the respective one of the plurality of frequency sets. 
     
     
         12 . The system of  claim 8 , wherein one of the plurality of frequency sets corresponds to a critical load frequency set and another one of the plurality of frequency sets corresponds to a non-critical load frequency set. 
     
     
         13 . The system of  claim 8 , further comprising:
 identifying a frequency set of the plurality of frequency sets associated with the at least one electrical load; and   determining at least one available discrete frequency within the frequency set; and   assigning the at least one electrical load to the at least one available discrete frequency.   
     
     
         14 . The system of  claim 8 , further comprising:
 determining that a power source coupled to one of the plurality of guided surface waveguide probes exceeds a threshold power output; and   preventing electrical energy from being supplied to at least one load to prevent overloading of the power source.   
     
     
         15 . A non-transitory computer-readable medium embodying a program that, when executed by at least one computing device, causes the at least one computing device to at least:
 receive a request for power from at least one guided surface wave receive structure; and   assign the at least one guided surface wave receive structure to a discrete transmission frequency of a respective one of a plurality of frequency sets in response to the request for power, the respective one of the plurality of frequency sets corresponding to at least one guided surface waveguide probe.   
     
     
         16 . The non-transitory computer-readable medium of  claim 15 , wherein the at least one guided surface wave receive structure is configured to:
 receive electrical energy from at least one guided surface wave transmitted along a terrestrial medium from the at least one guided surface waveguide probe transmitting in the respective one of the plurality of frequency sets; and   supply the electrical energy to at least one electrical load coupled to the at least one guided surface wave receive structure.   
     
     
         17 . The non-transitory computer-readable medium of  claim 16 , wherein the at least one electrical load encompasses at least one portable personal device. 
     
     
         18 . The non-transitory computer-readable medium of  claim 15 , wherein the at least one guided surface waveguide probe comprises a charge terminal elevated over a lossy conducting medium configured to generate at least one resultant field that synthesizes a wave front incident at a complex Brewster angel of incidence (θ i,B ) of the lossy conducting medium. 
     
     
         19 . The non-transitory computer-readable medium of  claim 15 , wherein the program further causes the at least one computing device to at least:
 determine that a power source coupled to the at least one guided surface waveguide probe exceeds a threshold power output; and   prevent electrical energy from being supplied to at least one load to prevent overloading of the power source.   
     
     
         20 . The non-transitory computer-readable medium of  claim 15 , wherein the program further causes the at least one computing device to at least:
 generate a record including the assigning of the at least one guided surface wave receive structure to the discrete transmission frequency within the respective one of the plurality of frequency sets; and   determine a priority of power distribution associated with the at least one guided surface wave receive structure based at least in part on at least one electrical load.