Beam shaping in reflective metasurface utilizing mechanical linear actuators

A method, comprising:

• obtaining, by a system comprising a controller, phase profile data representative of a phase profile of a reconfigurable surface;
• and
• driving, by the controller based on the phase profile data, a group of linear actuators mechanically coupled to a ground plane of the reconfigurable surface, to curve the ground plane into a curved shape, relative to metallic elements of the reconfigurable surface, as a result of which the reconfigurable surface redirecting incoming electromagnetic signals as a redirected beam that is beamformed based on the phase profile data,
• wherein the ground plane comprises four respective corners, wherein the group of linear actuators comprises four respective linear actuators mechanically coupled to the four respective corners, and wherein the driving by the controller of the group of linear actuators comprises driving the four respective corners towards a center of the reconfigurable surface to curve the ground plane into the curved shape.

A system, comprising:

• a substrate;
• metallic resonating elements placed on the substrate, wherein respective metallic resonating elements of respective unit cells are located at an upper portion of a reconfigurable surface;
• a flexible metallic ground plane adjacent to the respective metallic resonating elements that forms respective gaps between respective portions of the flexible metallic ground plane and the respective metallic resonating elements;
• and
• a controller that mechanically curves the flexible metallic ground plane to determine respective distances between the respective portions of the flexible metallic ground plane and the respective resonating metallic elements,
• wherein the respective distances determine a shape of a beamformed beam reflected by the reconfigurable surface from an electromagnetic signal impinging on the reconfigurable surface,
• wherein the flexible metallic ground plane comprises four respective corners, and further comprising four respective mechanical actuators that are mechanically coupled to the four respective corners, wherein the controller mechanically curves the flexible metallic ground plane by driving the four respective mechanicals actuators, and
• wherein the four respective mechanicals actuators are angled relative to the four respective corners to drive the four respective corners towards one another.