Functionally adaptive smart metasurface window with Weber beams for obstacle-avoiding communications in vehicle cabin

Area of Science:

• Electromagnetic Metasurfaces
• Wireless Communication Systems
• Optical Wave Control

Background:

• Metasurfaces offer advanced wave control but practical optical transparent applications are limited.
• In-vehicle wireless communication faces challenges with signal obstruction and reliability.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a transparent metasurface smart window for robust in-vehicle wireless communication.
• To generate self-accelerating Weber beams for enhanced signal transmission.

Main Methods:

• Fabrication of a transparent metasurface using a low-cost printed circuit board (PCB) process on flexible polyethylene terephthalate (PET) substrates.
• Generation of orthogonal and semi-auto-focusing Weber beams tailored for vehicle windshield integration.
• Real-world vehicle cabin testing to evaluate system performance.

Main Results:

• Achieved 73.5% optical transmittance and efficient microwave cross-polarization conversion.
• Demonstrated self-bending and self-healing capabilities of the generated Weber beams.
• Significantly improved link reliability under obstruction (average 8.37 dB power enhancement, <1% bit error rate).

Conclusions:

• The transparent metasurface smart window provides a practical solution for robust in-vehicle wireless communications.
• The technology enables dynamic rerouting of wireless signals, with broad applications in smart vehicles and beyond.
• This work paves the way for transparent electromagnetic interfaces in various IoT applications.