The present disclosure pertains generally to the field of reconfigurable reflective devices, specifically for the directing of signals, such as radio waves and/or radio signals. The present disclosure relates to a reconfigurable reflective device and methods of operation. BACKGROUND

In general, reconfigurable reflective devices (RRDs), which also come by the name of large intelligent surfaces (LISs), reconfigurable intelligent surfaces (RISs) and intelligent reflective surfaces (IRSs), are expected to play an instrumental role in the success of current (5G) and future (6G) communication systems. In particular, RRDs are important for systems operating at millimeter wave and THz frequencies. Envisaged applications of reflective RRDs include coverage enhancement and blockage mitigation. More generally, by judiciously deploying RRDs, it is possible to engineer a given radio environment into a smart one, such as a radio environment with more favorable propagation conditions.

To make this vision possible, ubiquitous, low-cost RRDs need to be produced which still provide an acceptable coverage. Currently, the development of RRDs is in its infancy and the handful of prototypes that have been announced so far are expensive pieces of advanced hardware.

SUMMARY

Accordingly, there is a need for reconfigurable reflective devices which may mitigate, alleviate or address the shortcomings existing and may provide for improved signal coverage to a user device.

A reconfigurable reflective device is disclosed. The reconfigurable device can be arranged to direct radio signals incoming from one direction into an output direction. The reconfigurable reflective device can have an x-axis, a y-axis, and a z-axis. The reconfigurable reflective device can comprise a plurality of reflective laminae. Each of the plurality of reflective laminae can have a lamina x-axis, a lamina y-axis, and a lamina z- axis. Each of the plurality of reflective laminae can be adjacent another of the plurality of reflective laminae along the x-axis. The reconfigurable reflective device can be configured to individually control movement of each of the plurality of reflective laminae. It is an advantage of the present disclosure that directability of waves and/or signals, as well as efficiency, can be maintained without the use of expensive technology. In other words, the present disclosure enables maintaining efficiency and directability of the waves while providing a less complex reconfigurable reflective device (e.g., through the use of mechanical features). Advantageously, the disclosed devices can greatly improve wave and/or signal directability while avoiding shadowing, destructive signaling, and issues related to spatial arrangement. This can be particularly advantageous when a device needs to be located near a non-movable structure, such as a wall. With the disclosed technique, affordable, ultra-slim, passive, and easily configurable devices can be produced having a wide capture range and virtually no surface efficiency losses.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The above and other features and advantages of the present disclosure will become readily apparent to those skilled in the art by the following detailed description of examples thereof with reference to the attached drawings, in which: Fig. 1 is a schematic diagram of a reconfigurable reflective device of height H and width W with an impinging signal from a source reflected off the reconfigurable reflective device and toward a user device (UD) (front view),

Fig. 2 is a schematic diagram of a reconfigurable reflective device at a bearing angle Tp _us from the wall (top view), Fig 3. is a schematic diagram illustrating how a signal from a source impinges on a reconfigurable reflective device and is reflected off to a user device (top view),

Fig. 4 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of a reconfigurable reflective device according to the disclosure (front view),

Fig. 5 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of a plurality of reflective laminae according to the disclosure (front view),

Fig. 6 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of a reconfigurable reflective device individually controlling a lamina bearing angle a plurality of reflective laminae according to the disclosure (top view), Fig. 7 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of a reconfigurable reflective device individually controlling a plurality of reflective laminae according to the disclosure (top view),

Fig. 8 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of a reconfigurable reflective device controlling itself and individually controlling a plurality of reflective laminae according to the disclosure (top view),

Fig. 9 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example z-axis rotation of a reconfigurable reflective device according to the disclosure (front view),

Fig. 10 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of a plurality of reflective laminae according to the disclosure (front view),

Figs. 11A-11B are graphs illustrating properties of the received signal for a setup shown in Fig. 6. Fig. 11 A shows the received power generated from each laminae (they are all overlapped) as a function of y. Fig. 11 B shows the phase of the signal generated by each laminae. In this setup we have N=10, 0i=6O° and 0 _r =45, Figs. 12A-12B are graphs illustrating a total received power for the setup shown in Fig. 6. Fig. 12A:

Fig. 13 is a graph illustrating a total received power for the setup shown in Fig. 7 with optimized i|; _LIS . The plot remains the same no matter the incident and reflected angles,

Fig. 14 is a 3D graph illustrating a total depth of the reconfigurable reflective device with and meter, as a function of the incident and reflected angles.

Optimal adjustments of the retraction angle have been made,

Fig. 15 is a graph illustrating a total depth of the reconfigurable reflective device with, l=0.01 m and W=1 meter, as a function of N. The minimum values of the incident and reflected angles (30, 40, 60, 70, 80, 90) are given in the legend. The maximum values of the incident and reflected angles are 180-“min angle”, and

Fig. 16 is a graph illustrating a power loss by selecting a sub-optimal (very similar results are obtained for different values), DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Various examples and details are described hereinafter, with reference to the figures when relevant. It should be noted that the figures may or may not be drawn to scale and that elements of similar structures or functions are represented by like reference numerals throughout the figures. It should also be noted that the figures are only intended to facilitate the description of the examples. They are not intended as an exhaustive description of the disclosure or as a limitation on the scope of the disclosure. In addition, an illustrated example needs not have all the aspects or advantages shown. An aspect or an advantage described in conjunction with a particular example is not necessarily limited to that example and can be practiced in any other examples even if not so illustrated, or if not so explicitly described.

Disclosed herein are examples of simple, cost-effective reflective reconfigurable reflective devices (RRDs), which also come by the name of large intelligent surfaces (LISs), reconfigurable intelligent surfaces (RISs), reflect antennas (RAs), and intelligent reflective surfaces (IRSs).

Reconfigurable reflective devices can be advantageous to reflect and/or direct waves and/or signals, such as radio waves and/or radio signals. As disclosed herein, reflecting and directing can be used interchangeably. As disclosed herein, waves and signals can be used interchangeably. For example, reconfigurable reflective devices can be used to reflect radio waves and/or radio signals. Reconfigurable reflective devices can be used to reflect electromagnetic waves and/or electromagnetic signals, such as in the range of 100 MHz to 10 THz. Reconfigurable reflective devices can be used to reflect waves and/or signals in the mm wave spectrum. Further, the reconfigurable reflective device can be configured to make reflections of signals and/or waves which appear in-phase in a certain direction and/or area.

As used herein, reflecting or directing a wave and/or signal can be seen as reflecting and/or deflecting at least 50, 60, 70, 80, 90, 95, 98, 99, or 100% of the incident wave and/or the incident signal (such as an impinging wave and/or an impinging signal).

In particular, reconfigurable reflective devices can be used to direct waves and/or signals to a particular location or in a particular direction. For example, the reconfigurable reflective devices can be used to direct waves and/or signals to a location or direction where a user device, such as a receiver device may be located. This can improve reception at the user device, and avoid dead or blind areas where the waves and/or signals do not reach. The reconfigurable reflective devices can be particularly advantageous for directing waves and/or signals towards areas which have some wave and/or signal blocking, such as within buildings.

In one or more reconfigurable reflective devices, the reconfigurable reflective device can control a reflection angle of a wave and/or signal, such as a radio wave and/or radio signal. The reconfigurable reflective device can be configured to control the reflection angle of an incident wave and/or signal, such as an incident radio wave and/or radio signal.

Reconfigurable reflective devices may be acquired by end-users, for example, to enhance wireless communications at millimeter-wave and THz frequencies at home, such as for 3GPP systems, such as 5G and eventual 6G applications or wireless fidelity communications (Wi-Fi).

The reconfigurable reflective device can be a passive device. The reconfigurable reflective device can be an active device.

The reconfigurable reflective devices as disclosed herein can be stand-alone devices. For example, they may be in the form-factor of a wall painting. The reconfigurable reflective devices can fulfill a decorative function as well as acting as an efficient reflector device. Further, the reconfigurable reflective device can be a part of a larger product. For example, one or more reconfigurable reflective devices can be used for enabling communication, such as alternative line-of-sight, from an access point to a user device, such as a virtual reality headset. In particular, reconfigurable reflective devices can be set up at or near a non-movable structure, such as walls, surfaces, poles, pillars, or other non-moveable objects. The non moveable objects can prevent full rotation of the reconfigurable reflective devices as a whole. Reconfigurable reflective devices of the disclosure can advantageously provide greater range of signals even with the non-moveable object nearby. Alternatively, the reconfigurable reflective device may not be set up near any non moveable object. The disclosure provides for minimized and unobtrusive movements.

As will be described in detail below, disclosed herein are examples of reconfigurable reflective devices which may be made up of a plurality of reflective laminae. The reconfigurable reflective device can control the movement/translation, such as the position and/or the bearing angle, of each of the plurality of reflective laminae. This control can allow the reconfigurable reflective device to direct waves and/or signals to particular locations. As discussed herein, movement can mean translation and/or retraction and/or rotation. The movement can be controlled via, for example, electro-mechanical steering and/or mechanical steering.

Accordingly, the disclosed reconfigurable reflective devices can be used to modify the path of waves and/or signals interacting with the reconfigurable reflective device, in particular with the plurality of reflective laminae. In one or more example reconfigurable reflective devices, the reconfigurable reflective device can be configured to direct the radio signals interacting with the plurality of reflective laminae to a location, such as a focus location in the output direction. The focus location can be, for example, an area and/or a location where a user device is located. The focus location can be, for example, an area and/or a location where waves and/or signals have difficulty reaching without the reconfigurable reflective device.

In one or more example reconfigurable reflective devices, the reconfigurable reflective device may be thin and/or slim. For example, the reconfigurable reflective device may be ultra-slim and/or ultra-thin.

In one or more example reconfigurable reflective devices, the reconfigurable reflective device can be one order of magnitude thinner than a corresponding structure formed from a single sheet of reflective material. For example, if a one meter wide single sheet of reflective material was used, and the reconfigurable reflective device was also one meter wide, the reconfigurable reflective device could have a thickness of 7cm to a thickness of 71cm of the single sheet of reflective material.

The translations and/or the rotations of the plurality of reflective laminae may be set according to specific values. For example, the plurality of reflective laminae may be set to obtain a coherent reflection from the plurality of reflective laminae. The plurality of reflective laminae may be set to obtain a coherent reflection from all of the plurality of reflective laminae. The plurality of reflective laminae may be set to obtain a coherent reflection from most of the plurality of reflective laminae. The plurality of reflective laminae may be set to obtain a coherent reflection from at least 50, 60, 70, 80, or 90% the plurality of reflective laminae.

Fig. 1 illustrates a front view of an example reconfigurable reflective device 10 known in the art having a height H and a width W. As shown in Fig. 1 , the x-axis 103 discussed herein follows the width W of the reconfigurable reflective device 10, the y-axis 105 follows the height H of the reconfigurable reflective device 10, and the z-axis 107 extends perpendicular to both the x-axis 103 and the y-axis 105 of the reconfigurable reflective device 10 (out from the figure). The same axis nomenclature will be used throughout the disclosure.

As seen in Fig. 1 , a reconfigurable reflective device 10 can be seen as a metal plate endowed with a mechanism that allows directing incident, or impinging signals 16 (0;) onto a desired reflected direction for a reflecting signal 18 (0 _r ). This mechanism as shown is as simple as an axis that allows adjusting the bearing angle of the reconfigurable reflective device 10.

As shown in Fig. 2, which is a top view, by adjusting the bearing angle ( \p _LIS ) of the reconfigurable reflective device 10, incident signals and/or waves 12 from a source 14, such as an access point, can be reflected off multiple locations where a user device 25 might be located. However, a consequence is that a bearing angle Tp _us requires a separation D from the nearest wall 20, such as shown in the top view of Fig. 3, so that the reconfigurable reflective device 10 does not hit the wall 20. The separation D can be, for example, the distance between the reconfigurable reflective device 10 and a wall 20. The separation D can be, for example, the distance between a centerline of the reconfigurable reflective device 10 and a wall 20. By basic geometry considerations, the depth D can be seen to be: where W is the width of the reconfigurable reflective device 10. For some user device 25 locations, the required distance D might be unacceptably large. For example, the reconfigurable reflective device 10 might need to be placed too far away from the wall 20, making it unaesthetically pleasing or cluttering to the area. Moreover, the wall 20 may prevent the reconfigurable reflective device 10 from providing adequate signal and/or wave coverage to the user device 25 in certain locations.

Fig. 4 illustrates an example reconfigurable reflective device (RRD) 100 front a front view according to the disclosure. As shown, the reconfigurable reflective device 100 can have a height H and a width W. The reconfigurable reflective device 100 can also have a depth or thickness D. Fig. 4 shows a rectangular shape of a reconfigurable reflective device 100, but the reconfigurable reflective device 100 can be any other shape as well.

In one or more example reconfigurable reflective devices, the reconfigurable reflective device 100 may have a width W of 30, 40, 50, 60, 70, 80, 90, or 100cm. In one or more example reconfigurable reflective devices, the reconfigurable reflective device 100 may have a width W of less than 30, 40, 50, 60, 70, 80, 90, or 100cm. In one or more example reconfigurable reflective devices, the reconfigurable reflective device 100 may have a width W of greater than 30, 40, 50, 60, 70, 80, 90, or 100cm.

In one or more example reconfigurable reflective devices, the reconfigurable reflective device 100 may have a height H of 30, 40, 50, 60, 70, 80, 90, or 100cm. In one or more example reconfigurable reflective devices, the reconfigurable reflective device 100 may have a height H of less than 30, 40, 50, 60, 70, 80, 90, or 100cm. In one or more example reconfigurable reflective devices, the reconfigurable reflective device 100 may have a height H of greater than 30, 40, 50, 60, 70, 80, 90, or 100cm.

In one or more example reconfigurable reflective devices, the reconfigurable reflective device 100 may have a depth D of 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 15, 20, 25, or 30cm. In one or more example reconfigurable reflective devices, the reconfigurable reflective device 100 may have a depth D of greater than 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 15, 20, 25, or 30cm. In one or more example reconfigurable reflective devices, the reconfigurable reflective device 100 may have a depth D of less than 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 15, 20, 25, or 30cm. The reconfigurable reflective device 100 can be used to reflect and/or direct a wave and/or signal 12, such as a radio signal, from a source 14 in a direction. For example, the reconfigurable reflective device 100 can reflect and/or direct a wave and/or signal 12 to a particular location or area. The reconfigurable reflective device 100 can reflect and/or direct a signal 12 in a particular direction. The reconfigurable reflective device 100 can reflect and/or direct a signal 12 to user device 25. The user device 25 can be, for example, one or more of a computer, an antenna, a radio, a panel, a tablet, a laptop, a smartphone, and a phone. The user device 25 can be anything that uses a signal and/or wave. The reconfigurable reflective device 100 can be arranged to direct radio signals incoming from one direction into an output direction.

As shown, the reconfigurable reflective device 100 can include an x-axis 103, a y-axis 105, and a z-axis 107. The y-axis 105 can extend along a height H of the reconfigurable reflective device 100, the x-axis 103 can extend along a width W of the reconfigurable reflective device 100, and the z-axis 107 can extend perpendicular, or orthogonal, from the x-axis and/or the y-axis of the reconfigurable reflective device 100.

The reconfigurable reflective device 100 comprises a plurality of reflective laminae 200. Each of the plurality of reflective laminae has a lamina x-axis, a lamina y-axis, and a lamina z-axis (for example illustrated in Figs. 5 and 10). Each of the plurality of reflective laminae 200 is adjacent another of the plurality of reflective laminae along the x-axis.

The reconfigurable reflective device 100 is configured to individually control movement of each of the plurality of reflective laminae 200.

In one or more example reconfigurable reflective devices, the reconfigurable reflector device 100 is configured to (e.g. individually) control movement of each of the plurality of reflective laminae 200 via a mechanical actuator.

In one or more example reconfigurable reflective devices, the reconfigurable reflective device 100 can be mounted on a surface, such as a backing surface. The z-axis 107 may be perpendicular to the surface. The surface may be a flat surface. The surface may be a curved surface. The surface may be metal, plastic, ceramic, wood, plasterboard, and combinations thereof. The type of material is not limiting. The surface may be a plate. The surface may be a mounting surface. The surface may be a frame. The surface may be part of the reconfigurable reflective device 100. The surface may be separate from the reconfigurable reflective device 100.

As shown in Fig. 4, the reconfigurable reflective device 100 can include, or be made up of, a plurality of reflective laminae 200, also known as reflective panels, reflective elements, reflective components. The plurality of reflective laminae 200 may be configured to reflect incoming waves and/or signals.

In one or more example reconfigurable reflective devices, each of the plurality of reflective laminae 200 may have a width W of 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, 35, 40, 45, or 50cm. In one or more example reconfigurable reflective devices, each of the plurality of reflective laminae 200 may have a width W greater than 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, 35, 40, 45, or 50cm. In one or more example reconfigurable reflective devices, each of the plurality of reflective laminae 200 may have a width W less than 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, 35, 40, 45, or 50cm.

In one or more example reconfigurable reflective devices, each of the plurality of reflective laminae 200 may have a height H of 30, 40, 50, 60, 70, 80, 90, or 100cm. In one or more example reconfigurable reflective devices, each of the plurality of reflective laminae 200 may have a height H of less than 30, 40, 50, 60, 70, 80, 90, or 100cm. In one or more example reconfigurable reflective devices, each of the plurality of reflective laminae 200 may have a height H of greater than 30, 40, 50, 60, 70, 80, 90, or 100cm. Each of the plurality of reflective laminae 200 can have a lamina x-axis (Lx) 203, a lamina y-axis (Ly) 205, and a lamina z-axis (Lz) 207. The lamina y-axis 205 can extend along a height of the lamina, the lamina x-axis 203 can extend along a width of the lamina, and the lamina z- axis 207 can extend perpendicular, or orthogonal, from the lamina. In certain positions, the lamina axes can be aligned with the axes of the reconfigurable reflective device 100.

In certain positions, the lamina axes may not be aligned with the axes of the reconfigurable reflective device 100. In certain positions, the lamina axes can be parallel with the respective axes of the reconfigurable reflective device 100. In certain positions, the lamina axes may not be parallel with the respective axes of the reconfigurable reflective device 100.

The lamina y-axis 205 can be located at a center of each of the plurality of reflective laminae 200. The lamina y-axis 205 can be located not at a center of each of the plurality of reflective laminae 200. The lamina y-axis can be located at a center, along the x-axis 103, of each of the plurality of reflective laminae 200. The lamina y-axis 205 can be located at an end of each of the plurality of reflective laminae 200. The lamina y-axis can be located at an end, along the x-axis 103, of each of the plurality of reflective laminae 200. Each of the plurality of reflective laminae 200 can be adjacent another of the plurality of reflective laminae 200. Each of the plurality of reflective laminae 200 can be adjacent another of the plurality of reflective laminae along the x-axis 103. Each of the plurality of reflective laminae 200 can be adjacent another of the plurality of reflective laminae along the y-axis 105. There may be spacing between adjacent laminae. There may not be spacing between adjacent laminae.

In some examples, each of the plurality of reflective laminae 200 can have generally the same dimension. In other examples, one or more of the plurality of reflective laminae 200 can have different dimensions than other laminae of the plurality of reflective laminae 200.

The surface of the reconfigurable reflective device 100 can be divided into a number of narrow laminae, such as having a width less than a height. As shown, the plurality of reflective laminae 200 may be parallel. However, other configurations can be used as well, and the plurality of reflective laminae 200 need not be parallel.

As shown in Fig. 4, each of lamina of the plurality of reflective laminae 200 may extend an entire height H of the reconfigurable reflective device 100 in some examples. For example, they may be rectangular in shape. Alternatively, each of lamina of the plurality of reflective laminae 200 may not extend an entire height H of the reconfigurable reflective device 100.

For example, as shown in Fig. 4, the original width W of the reconfigurable reflective device 100 can be divided into N reflective laminae 200 of width DI V = W/N. As another example, the height H of the reconfigurable reflective device 100 can be divided into N reflective laminae 200 of height AH = H/N.

It is to be noted that other laminae configurations can be used as well. The number of the plurality of reflective laminae 200 is not limiting. For example, the reconfigurable reflective device 100 could have 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, 35, 40, 45, 50, 60, 70, 80, 90, or 100 reflective laminae. The reconfigurable reflective device 100 could have less than 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, 35, 40, 45, 50, 60, 70, 80, 90, or 100 reflective laminae. The reconfigurable reflective device 100 could have greater than 1 , 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, 35, 40, 45, 50, 60, 70, 80, 90, or 100 reflective laminae.

Each of the plurality of reflective laminae 200 can be associated and/or connected to a frame of the reconfigurable reflective device 100. Each of the plurality of reflective laminae 200 can be associated and/or connected to a surface of the reconfigurable reflective device 100.

Each of the plurality of reflective laminae 200 can be a metal plate. The metal plate can be reflective of signals and/or waves. Each of the plurality of reflective laminae 200 can be coated. Each of the plurality of reflective laminae 200 can be coated with a non-active electromagnetic material. Each of the plurality of reflective laminae 200 can be coated with a non-active electromagnetic, printable material. Each of the plurality of reflective laminae 200 can be coated by a wall painting form-factor.

Each of the plurality of reflective laminae 200 may not be a metal plate. Each of the plurality of reflective laminae 200 can be coated with a metallic substance. Each of the plurality of reflective laminae 200 can be coated with a reflective substance.

In one or more example reconfigurable reflective devices, each of the plurality of reflective laminae 200 can include a meta-material. Each of the plurality of reflective laminae 200 can be formed from a meta-material. Each of the plurality of reflective laminae 200 can be coated by a meta-material. Each of the plurality of reflective laminae 200 can be partially coated by a meta-material. Each of the plurality of reflective laminae 200 can be fully coated by a meta-material. The meta-material can be used to adjust the reflection angle of the signals and/or waves which strike the laminae 200. The meta-material can be used to provide additional degrees of freedom and can be tailored to particular scenarios, such as specific conference venues or auditoriums and production industry, in order to address spots particularly difficult to cover. Further, the use of meta-materials can make the reflective laminae 200 respond to a single polarization. For example, an electromagnetic wave can be decomposed into components, such as two polarizations. One of the polarizations can be reflected, while the other is absorbed. In one or more examples, all of the plurality of reflective laminae 200 are formed from the same material and/or have the same coating. In one or more examples, one or more of the plurality of reflective laminae 200 can be formed from different material and/or have a different coating.

By having the plurality of reflective laminae 200, the reconfigurable reflective device 100 can control the location, movement, and/or position of one or more lamina of the reflective laminae 200. This can allow for the easier direction of waves and/or signals, without requiring the full reconfigurable reflective device 100 to move.

For example, the reconfigurable reflective device 100 can be configured to individually control each of the plurality of reflective laminae 200.The reconfigurable reflective device 100 can be configured to individually control movement of each of the plurality of reflective laminae 200. The reconfigurable reflective device 100 can be configured to individually control movement of each of the plurality of reflective laminae 200 with respect to an adjacent lamina of the plurality of reflective laminae 200.

The reconfigurable reflective device 100 can be configured to control the position of each of the plurality of reflective laminae 200. The reconfigurable reflective device 100 can be configured to individually control the position of each of the plurality of reflective laminae 200. The reconfigurable reflective device 100 can be configured to control the location of each of the plurality of reflective laminae 200. The reconfigurable reflective device 100 can be configured to individually control the location of each of the plurality of reflective laminae 200. The reconfigurable reflective device 100 can be configured to control the shape of each of the plurality of reflective laminae 200. The reconfigurable reflective device 100 can be configured to individually control the shape of each of the plurality of reflective laminae 200. The reconfigurable reflective device 100 can be configured to control the rotation of each of the plurality of reflective laminae 200. The reconfigurable reflective device 100 can be configured to individually control the rotation of each of the plurality of reflective laminae 200. The reconfigurable reflective device 100 can be configured to control the bearing angle of each of the plurality of reflective laminae 200. The reconfigurable reflective device 100 can be configured to individually control the bearing angle of each of the plurality of reflective laminae 200. The reconfigurable reflective device 100 can be configured to individually control the movement of each of the plurality of reflective laminae 200 via any number of systems and/or mechanisms and/or components and/or actuators. For example, the reconfigurable reflective device 100 can be configured to individually control the movement of each of the plurality of reflective laminae via an electronic actuator. The reconfigurable reflective device 100 can be configured to individually control the movement of each of the plurality of reflective laminae via a mechanical actuator. The reconfigurable reflective device 100 can be configured to individually control the movement of each of the plurality of reflective laminae via an electronic and/or mechanical actuator.

For example, the reconfigurable reflective device 100 can include a screwing mechanism. The reconfigurable reflective device 100 can include a codebook. The reconfigurable reflective device 100 can include a controller. The reconfigurable reflective device 100 can be configured to receive commands (such as from another device optionally operated by a user) and operate the controller, which can control operation of the plurality of reflective laminae 200. The reconfigurable reflective device 100 can be configured to receive commands (such as from another device optionally operated by a user) indicative of a particular location and operate the controller, which can control operation of the plurality of reflective laminae 200 to direct waves and/or signals to the particular location.

As mentioned, the reconfigurable reflective device 100 can individually control the lamina bearing angle of each of the plurality of reflective laminae 200. In one or more examples, the bearing angle of each reflective lamina 200 can then be controlled autonomously. In one or more reconfigurable reflective devices, the reconfigurable reflective device 100 can be configured to individually control the movement of each of the plurality of reflective laminae 200 autonomously.

The reconfigurable reflective device 100 can be configured to individually control a lamina bearing angle of each of the plurality of reflective laminae 200 about the lamina y-axis 205 and/or the lamina x-axis 203 and/or the lamina z-axis 207. The reconfigurable reflective device 100 can be configured to individually control a lamina bearing angle of each of the plurality of reflective laminae 200 about the lamina y-axis 205. The reconfigurable reflective device 100 can be configured to individually control a lamina bearing angle of each of the plurality of reflective laminae 200 about the lamina x-axis 203. The reconfigurable reflective device 100 can configured to individually control a lamina bearing angle of each of the plurality of reflective laminae 200 about the lamina z-axis 207. The reconfigurable reflective device 100 can configured to individually control a lamina bearing angle of each of the plurality of reflective laminae 200 about the lamina y-axis 205 and/or the lamina x-axis 203. The reconfigurable reflective device 100 can configured to individually control a lamina bearing angle of each of the plurality of reflective laminae 200 about the lamina y-axis 205 and/or the lamina z-axis 207. The reconfigurable reflective device 100 can configured to individually control a lamina bearing angle of each of the plurality of reflective laminae 200 about the lamina z-axis 207 and/or the lamina x-axis 203. In one or more examples, the reconfigurable reflective device 100 is configured to individually rotate each of the plurality of reflective laminae 200. In other words, the lamina bearing angle may be different for each of the plurality of reflective laminae 200.

Fig. 5 illustrates an example of the plurality of reflective laminae 200. As shown, each of the plurality of reflective laminae 200 can have a respective lamina x-axis 203, lamina y- axis 205, and lamina z-axis 207. The reconfigurable reflective device 100 can be configured to control a bearing angle of each of the plurality of reflective laminae 200 with about, or with respect to, the respective lamina y-axis 205. The reconfigurable reflective device 100 can be configured to control a rotation of each of the plurality of reflective laminae 200 about, or with respect to, the respective lamina y-axis 205. The reconfigurable reflective device 100 can individually control the bearing angle of each of the plurality of reflective laminae 200. For example, adjacent lamina of the plurality of reflective laminae 200 can rotate into different angles, thereby deflecting a wave and/or signal into a different direction.

The reconfigurable reflective device 100 can control the bearing angle of all of the plurality of reflective laminae 200 at the same time. In one or more example reconfigurable reflective devices, the lamina bearing angle may be the same for each of the plurality of reflective laminae 200. For example, the bearing angles of the reflective laminae 200 could be adjusted at the same time, such as simultaneously. For example, by means of a screwing mechanism integrated into the reconfigurable reflective device 100. Stated differently, a single bearing angle for all of the plurality of reflective laminae 200 can be used. For instance, the bearing angle y ^* could be computed so as to maximize a certain objective function / that represents a quantity of interest, such as a channel gain experienced by a user device 25 which is exposed to the reflected signal. That is, for example:

The computation above can be carried out automatically by some control system, such as an automatic control system associated with the reconfigurable reflective device 100.

Such a system can estimate / with help of sensors, and it can set Aip by means of some actuators, e.g., electro-mechanical actuators. The computation and subsequent application can also be affected by a user. For example, a user can set a control integrated in the reconfigurable reflective device 100 that determines the bearing angle Aip ^* to some position that the user considers satisfactory.

As an example, the bearing angle Aip ^* can be set to the value that is optimal for the middle reflective lamina. Hence, for example: p p( / ) ) and the maximum depth of the reconfigurable reflective device 100 can be computed e.g. as

A thickness reduction by a factor N is shown.

Fig. 6 illustrates an example of the plurality of reflective laminae 200 at a common bearing angle around a common y-axis so that the lamina x-axis 203 is not parallel with the x-axis 103.

An advantage of rotating about a common y-axis is to enable mitigation of the canceling effects the difference in length of the propagation path for signals reflected by different laminas may have. Hence, to ensure that they arrive at the receiver with the same phase.

However, Fig. 6 also illustrates a shadowing effect when the reconfigurable reflective device 100 only utilizes adjusting the lamina bearing angle of the reflective laminae 200 with respect to the lamina y-axis 205. Furthermore, the reflected signals from the different laminae can be configured to add coherently. Accordingly, as shown, there may be a separation AW between adjacent reflective lamina that can be used. Under the assumption that the plurality of reflective laminae 200 behave as reflecting surfaces, and they exhibit mirror-like properties, the separation ΔW between them can be larger than λ/2, where λ is the free-space wavelength of the signal 12, such as the carrier frequency. For values of AW smaller than λ/2, the plurality of reflective laminae 200 may stop behaving as “mirrors” and start behaving as isotropic scatterers, which demands other, more expensive ways of controlling their properties.

Further, when dividing the reconfigurable reflective device 100 into plurality of reflective laminae 200, an aspect that can be taken into consideration is that of shadowing and cancellation by neighboring reflective laminae, which is illustrated in Fig. 6.

As shown, when a wave and/or signal 12 arrives at a particular angle after the plurality of reflective laminae 200 have been adjusted with respect to their bearing angle, one reflective laminae may cover, and block the signal 12, with respect to an adjacent reflective laminae. This may create a shadow 210, which is a dead zone where the wave and/or signal 12 would not strike the particular reflective laminae.

Alternatively, to avoid the difference in propagation path-length experienced by a signal reflected by two adjacent laminae from cancelation, as the waves and/or signals may arrive at the user device with various phases, the phases may be destructive, thereby weakening or eliminating the waves and/or signals before reaching a user device 25. As the reflective laminae 200 in some configurations are overlapping and parallel, multiple reflections may cause interference to the desired reflections. In certain examples, an absorptive layer can be used on one or more of the plurality of reflective laminae 200. Further, alternatively or in conjunction with the layer, a different angle can be used at the back of the plurality of reflective laminae 200. Each of these approaches may reduce and/or eliminate the destructive effect of the waves and/or signals.

A consequence of this shadowing effect may be that the effective area of the reconfigurable reflective device 100 may be considerably reduced for some combinations of incident and reflected angles. Larger bearing angles Ay ^* may suffer from more severe shadowing. One way to overcome shadowing caused by neighboring reflective laminae may be to increase the separation LW between reflective laminae such that gaps exist between them. For example a separation may be expressed as: 5) ' can be used while keeping the width between laminae to

Fig. 7 illustrates an example configuration of a reconfigurable reflective device 100 having coherent movement. For example, translation, such as mechanical translation, of the plurality of reflective laminae 200 can achieve coherency of signal at a receiver. Advantageously, the configuration shown can avoid the shadowing effect while not requiring greater spacing between adjacent reflective laminae 200. However, greater spacing can also be used in conjunction with the following disclosure.

As shown, the reconfigurable reflective device 100 may be configured to control a translation, such as retraction, of each of the plurality reflective laminae 200 along the z- axis 107. Accordingly, the plurality of reflective laminae 200 can be retractable. The reconfigurable reflective device 100 may be configured to control a translation of each of the plurality reflective laminae 200 along the x-axis 103. The reconfigurable reflective device 100 may be configured to control a translation of each of the plurality reflective laminae 200 along the y-axis 105. The reconfigurable reflective device 100 may be configured to control a translation of each of the plurality reflective laminae 200 along the z-axis 107 and/or the x-axis 103. The reconfigurable reflective device 100 may be configured to control a translation of each of the plurality reflective laminae 200 along the y-axis 105 and/or the x-axis 103. The reconfigurable reflective device 100 may be configured to control a translation of each of the plurality reflective laminae 200 along the z-axis 107 and/or the y-axis 105. The reconfigurable reflective device 100 may be configured to control a translation of each of the plurality reflective laminae 200 along the z-axis 107 and/or the y-axis 105 and/or the x-axis 103.

The reconfigurable reflective device 100 may be configured to control a translation, such as retraction, of each of the plurality reflective laminae 200 along the lamina z-axis 207. Accordingly, the plurality of reflective laminae 200 can be retractable. The reconfigurable reflective device 100 may be configured to control a translation of each of the plurality reflective laminae 200 along the lamina x-axis 203. The reconfigurable reflective device 100 may be configured to control a translation of each of the plurality reflective laminae 200 along the lamina y-axis 205. The reconfigurable reflective device 100 may be configured to control a translation of each of the plurality reflective laminae 200 along the lamina z-axis 207 and/or the lamina x-axis 203. The reconfigurable reflective device 100 may be configured to control a translation of each of the plurality reflective laminae 200 along the lamina y-axis 205 and/or the lamina x-axis 203. The reconfigurable reflective device 100 may be configured to control a translation of each of the plurality reflective laminae 200 along the lamina z-axis 207 and/or the lamina y-axis 205. The reconfigurable reflective device 100 may be configured to control a translation of each of the plurality reflective laminae 200 along the lamina z-axis 207 and/or the lamina y-axis 205 and/or the lamina x-axis 203.

In one or more example reconfigurable reflective devices, the reconfigurable reflective device 100 can be configured to control a distance separation of adjacent reflective laminae 200 of the plurality of reflective laminae 200.

In other words, one or more of the plurality of reflective laminae 200 may be located at a different position along the z-axis 107 than others of the plurality of reflective laminae 200. The reconfigurable reflective device 100 may also be able to control the bearing angle of each of the plurality of reflective laminae 200 as well.

For example, each of the plurality of reflective laminae 200 can include a rail and/or a groove that allows the reflective laminae 200 to change their location. Each of the reflective laminae 200 can be attached and/or associated with an actuator to change their location. The rail and/or groove and/or actuator may be electronic or mechanical.

In one or more example reconfigurable reflective devices, the reconfigurable reflective device 100 may be configured to control and change the location of each of the reflective laminae 200 at the same time as the bearing angle of each of the reflective laminae 200.

For example, as shown in Fig. 7, the rightmost reflective laminae of the plurality of reflective laminae 200 can advance its position along the direction of positive z-axis 107, while the leftmost reflective laminae of the plurality of reflective laminae 200 can retract toward negative z-axis 107. In this case, the mechanism integrated in the reconfigurable reflective device 100 can act jointly to both apply a lamina bearing angle {Dy ^* ) and to displace/translate/move the depth z of the laminae.

Advantageously, the detrimental shadowing effect can be avoided while maintaining the efficiency of the reconfigurable reflective device 100 to one, or close to one.

Fig. 8 illustrates an additional mechanism that can be incorporated into the reconfigurable reflective device 100. As shown, the reconfigurable reflective device 100 as a whole can be configured to rotate, and thus change a device bearing angle. The reconfigurable reflective device 100 can be configured to control a device bearing angle of the reconfigurable reflective device 100 about the y-axis 105 and/or the x-axis 103. The reconfigurable reflective device 100 can be configured to control a device bearing angle of the reconfigurable reflective device 100 about the y-axis 105. The reconfigurable reflective device 100 can be configured to control a device bearing angle of the reconfigurable reflective device 100 about the x-axis 103. The reconfigurable reflective device 100 can be configured to control a device bearing angle of the reconfigurable reflective device 100 about the z-axis 107. The reconfigurable reflective device 100 can be configured to control a device bearing angle of the reconfigurable reflective device 100 about the y-axis 105 and/or the z-axis 107. The reconfigurable reflective device 100 can be configured to control a device bearing angle of the reconfigurable reflective device 100 about the z-axis 107 and/or the x-axis 103. The reconfigurable reflective device 100 can be configured to control a device bearing angle of the reconfigurable reflective device 100 about the y-axis 105 and/or the x-axis 103 and/or the z-axis 107.

In one or more example devices, the reconfigurable reflective device 100 can be configured to control a device bearing angle of the reconfigurable reflective device 100 about the y-axis and/or the x-axis, which can advantageously enable reflection at larger angles. This may ensure that the phase-offset between laminae of the plurality of reflective laminae 200 is constructive, such as an integer lambda. For each reflection angle on the laminae of the plurality of reflective laminae 200, there is an associated bearing angle to ensure the constructive phase offsets. In one or more example devices, the reconfigurable reflective device 100 can be configured to rotate about the z-axis, which can advantageously enable reflection at larger angles. This may ensure that the phase-offset between laminae of the plurality of reflective laminae 200 is constructive, such as an integer lambda. For each reflection angle on the laminae of the plurality of reflective laminae 200, there is an associated bearing angle to ensure the constructive phase offsets.

The reconfigurable reflective device 100 as a whole can rotate about the device bearing angle while also individually controlling the position, such as rotation or translation, of each of the plurality of reflective laminae 200, allowing for very fine targeting of any waves and/or signals interacting with the reconfigurable reflective device 100.

In one or more example devices, the reconfigurable reflective device 100 can be configured to control the device bearing angle and the lamina bearing angle. In one or more example devices, the reconfigurable reflective device 100 can be configured to control the device bearing angle and the position of each of the plurality of reflective laminae 200 along the z-axis 107. In one or more example devices, the reconfigurable reflective device 100 can be configured to control the device bearing angle, the lamina bearing angle, and the position of each of the plurality of reflective laminae 200 along the z-axis 107.

In Fig. 8, a bearing angle is applied to the whole reconfigurable reflective device 100, a bearing angle is applied to each lamina of the plurality of reflective laminae 200. Accordingly, the captured range of the reflective reconfigurable reflective device 100 can be increased, e.g., beyond +/- 60 degrees.

Fig. 9 illustrates another feature that can be incorporated into the reconfigurable reflective device 100, which can enable rotation of the reconfigurable reflective device 100, as mentioned above. The reconfigurable reflective device 100 as a whole can rotate around a z-axis 107, thereby rotating all of the plurality of reflective laminae 200 along with the reconfigurable reflective device 100. Specifically, the reconfigurable reflective device 100 can be configured to rotate about the z-axis 107. Fig. 9 shows a circular shape of a reconfigurable reflective device 100, but the reconfigurable reflective device 100 can be any other shape as well. In one or more example devices, a portion or section of the reconfigurable reflective device 100 may be configured to rotate about the z-axis 107 while the remainder remains stationary. By enabling rotation of the reconfigurable reflective device 100, by up to +/-90 degree along the center axis, full 3D beam scanning can be enabled.

In a reconfigurable reflective device 100 which can rotate around the z-axis 107, the reconfigurable reflective device 100 can also control the device bearing angle and/or the lamina bearing angle and/or the position of each of the plurality of reflective laminae 200 along a common z-axis 107.

In the preceding, the disclosure has been limited to explaining reconfigurable reflective devices under the assumption that the impinging waves and/or signals are plane waves and/or signals, also known as far-field operation. However, the reconfigurable reflective devices disclosed above can also be applied to the case of spherical waves and/or spherical signals, known as near-field operation. In near-field operation, it is not only the incident and the reflected angles to consider, but also the focal distances from the source and to the destination.

To this effect, additional mechanisms, components, etc. may be integrated into the reconfigurable reflective device. The reconfigurable reflective device can still include one or more of the above-described features in addition to the following. For example, the reflective laminae in the reconfigurable reflective device could have a curvature rather than being flat. For example, the reflective laminae in the reconfigurable reflective device could have a curvature along the y-axis and/or the x-axis and/or the z-axis.

In one or more reconfigurable reflective devices, the reconfigurable reflective device 100 can be configured to individually control a curvature of each of the plurality of reflective laminae 200. By appropriately setting the curvature of the plurality of reflective laminae 200, the focal distances may be adjusted. The curvature of each reflective lamina of the plurality of reflective laminae 200 could be different. The curvature of each reflective lamina of the plurality of reflective laminae 200 could be the same.

The curvatures could be a dynamic, or adjustable, property of the plurality of reflective laminae 200. The reconfigurable reflective device 100 can be configured to control the curvature. A user can control the curvature. Alternatively the curvatures could be a static property of the plurality of reflective laminae 200. For example, the curvature can be applied to the reconfigurable reflective device 100 at the time of manufacturing the device and never changed afterwards.

In one or more reconfigurable reflective devices, the reconfigurable reflective device 100 can be configured to control a curvature of each of the plurality of reflective laminae 200 with respect and/or about and/or along to the x-axis (e.g., x-axis 103 of Fig. 4-7) and/or the y-axis (e.g., y-axis 105 of Fig. 4-7) and/or the z-axis (e.g., z-axis 107 of Fig. 4-7) and/or the lamina x-axis (e.g., lamina x-axis 203 of Fig. 5) and/or the lamina y-axis (e.g., lamina y-axis 205 of Fig. 5) and/or the lamina z-axis 207 (e.g., lamina z-axis 207 of Fig.

5).

As discussed below: the azimuth angle of arrival is the zenith angle of arrival is E _{ , the azimuth angle of departure is and the zenith angle of departure is can be the angles defined earlier, respectively.

When the plurality of reflective laminae 200 are set up extending vertically with a bearing angle rotation at the lamina y-axis 205, certain variables can be defined for example as one or more of:

A width W, a height H of each lamina, and a separation AW between the centers

A list of rotation angles around the y

A list of translations in the z-axis direction,

For example, the R _yk can be the angles Ay _{ defined earlier, and the T _zk can be the retraction distances.

For a reflected wave, or signal, in direction Ao,Eo due to an incoming signal from direction AI,EI, the signal at the receiver is the superposition of the reflecting signals per reflective lamina. For the k-th reflective laminae, the power direction and phase in direction may be expressed as e.g.:

Power in direction g) Phase in direction Ao,Eo: Phase = A _k + BT _Zk , for some known constants A _k and B which depend on all four angles.

In other words, a rotation around the lamina y-axis (e.g., lamina y-axis 205 of Fig. 5) can control the reflected signal’s azimuth angle, but not its elevation angle. Further, the phase corresponding to a single reflective lamina is only dependent on the translation along the z-axis (e.g., z-axis 107 of Figs. 4-7), but not on any rotation.

Further, rotation R _Xk around the x-axis 103 would control the elevation angle Eo according to E ₀ = 2R _xk + E, while it would not have any impact on the azimuth angle Ao.

Fig. 10 illustrates an example alternative configuration of the reconfigurable reflective device 100. Instead of reflective laminae 200 that extend along the full height or width of the reconfigurable reflective device 100, as shown in Fig. 4, the reconfigurable reflective device 100 can be made up of a plurality of reflective laminae 200 in both the width W and the height H of the reconfigurable reflective device 100. Stated differently, the reconfigurable reflective device 100 can have a plurality of reflective laminae 200 along both the x-axis 103 and the y-axis 105.

Each of the plurality of reflective laminae 200 can be rotated about a lamina x-axis 203 and/or a lamina y-axis 205 and/or a lamina z-axis 207.

The number of the plurality of reflective laminae 200 along either axis is not limiting. For example, the reconfigurable reflective device 100 could have 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, 35, 40, 45, 50, 60, 70, 80, 90, or 100 reflective laminae along the x-axis 103 and 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, 35, 40, 45, 50, 60, 70, 80, 90, or 100 along the y-axis 105. The reconfigurable reflective device 100 could have less than 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8,

9, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, 35, 40, 45, 50, 60, 70, 80, 90, or 100 reflective laminae along the x- axis 103 and less than 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, 35, 40, 45, 50, 60, 70, 80, 90, or 100 along the y-axis 105. The reconfigurable reflective device 100 could have greater than 1 , 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, 35, 40, 45, 50, 60, 70, 80, 90, or 100 reflective laminae along the x-axis 103 and greater than 1 , 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, 35, 40, 45, 50, 60, 70, 80, 90, or 100 along the y-axis 105.

From Fig. 10, the following variables can be defined e.g.:

A width W, a height H of each lamina, and separations S _x , S _y between the centers. The number of laminae in the x-direction, N _x , and the number in the y-direction N _y . K=N _x N _y .

A list of rotation angles around the y-axis,

A list of rotation angles around the x-axis,

A list of translations in the z-axis direction

A reflective wave or signal in direction Ao,Eo due to an incoming signal with parameters AI,EI is the superposition of the reflecting signals per reflective lamina. For the k-th reflective laminae (traversing the reflective laminae in some arbitrary order):

Power in direction A ₀ ,E ₀ : Power

Phase in direction for some known constants A and B which depends on all four angles. k _x and k _y can depend on the position of the k-th lamina.

Accordingly, the reflected signals can be controlled by the reconfigurable reflective device 100. For example, the reconfigurable reflective device 100 can: 1) Set all rotations R _yfe equal to each other, and such that A ₀ is as desired. 2) Set all rotations R _xk equal to each other, and such that E ₀ is as desired. 3) Then, set the translations T _Zk such that all phases are equal.

Accordingly, the reconfigurable reflective device 100 can achieve full elevation and azimuth control

EXPERIMENTAL RESULTS

In what follows we provide a brief numerical study of what the overall depth of the reflecting structure may be; said depth being the total depth from the said depth being the total depth from the wall.

Figs. 11A-11B illustrate properties of the received signal for a setup of Fig. 6. Fig. 11A shows the received power generated from each reflective laminae (they are all overlapped) as a function of Ay . Fig. 11B shows the phase of the signal generated by each reflective laminae. In this setup we have Hereinafter, all power plots have been normalized to OdB at its max peak. Therefore, power plots cannot be compared with each other. In Figs. 11 A-11 B, plots have been generated for a total surface width W = lm. Hence each lamina is 10cm wide.

The rotation per reflective laminae, Ay, has an effect on the received signal at the UE. In Figures 11 A-11 B, an incoming angle of 60° and an outgoing angle of 45° is used and the received power contributed per reflective lamina (Fig. 11 A) and incoming phase due to each reflective lamina (Fig. 11 B) are shown with a setting of N=10. As can be seen, the 10 reflective laminae generate equal power contributions (there are 10 overlapping curves) and a clear peak is seen at Fig. 11B shows that the incoming phases corresponding to the different reflective laminae are very different. In fact, at , the phases are almost evenly spread out over [—p,p\ and this will have the effect that the signals add up destructively at the user device 25.

To investigate this further, the received power at the user device 25 for N reflective laminae was measured. The total length of the surface grows with N, so each reflective laminae is not scaled by N. It is reasonable that the received power would grow with N since the reconfigurable reflective device 100 becomes larger and larger. However, due to the destructive phases shown in Figs. 11A-11B, this does not happen, as is shown in Figs. 12A-12B for two different combinations of incident and reflected angles (see caption). Figs. 12A-12B show total received power with Fig. 12A:

Altogether, as shown the signals corresponding to each lamina arrive out-of-phase at the UE. An exception to this (not shown in any plot) is if the incident and reflected angles are above, say, 75°. The retractable structure shown in Fig. 7 may not only help in reducing the shadowing, but it also can change the phase properties of the received signals at the user device 25. By adjusting the retracting angle carefully, it can be possible to make all signals arrive in- phase, and thereby greatly boost system performance. It can be an objective to find the smallest possible angle ip _us so that all signals reflected from the reflective laminae arrive in-phase at the user device 25. After some lengthy but straightforward geometrical derivations, one can find that said smallest angle can be found as follows: Algorithm to find advantageous Tp _us Definitions:

Define wavelength)

Further define where q is an arbitrary integer.

Case I

If a negative angle can be implemented, then redefine « ₁ (17) and a ₂ (<7) according to and verbatim for a ₂ (q ).

Case II If a negative angle ip _LIS cannot be implemented, then redefine a^q) and a ₂ {q ) according to: and verbatim for a ₂ (q ).

Optimization The value q in the algorithm represents the number of wavelengths in travel path difference between two adjacent laminae.

With that, for the optimal , a plot similar to the ones in Figs. 12A-12B is shown in Fig. 13, which illustrates total received power for the setup with optimized il> _us · The plot remains the same no matter the incident and reflected angles.

At this point, it has been shown that it is indeed possible to ensure that the reflected signals from each reflective laminae arrive in-phase at the user device 25 by means of a simple retraction of the reconfigurable reflective device 100.

Further, by means of a simple geometrical inspection, it can be found that the total depth, from the wall to the furthest point of the surface is: where it has been assumed that each lamina has a width of W/N as well as an inter spacing of W/N and, further, that an optimal rotation of each reflective laminae is In Fig. 14, the total depth of the reconfigurable reflective device 100 has been plotted for A/=11 , l=0.01m and I/K=1 meter. The depth depends on the incident and reflected angles, and the plot is limited to an . As can be seen, for some angles of departure and angles of arrival, the reconfigurable reflective device 100 may need to exceed 10cm, which is arguably too high a number to be aesthetically pleasant in many environments. However, in a large part of the plot, the depth can be well below 5 cm, should a user be willing to further restrict the range of the incident and/or reflected angles.

There is one additional unused degree of freedom left to potentially be exploited in order to reduce the depth, namely the number of reflective laminae N. In Fig. 15, such an investigation is performed, where W=1m and l=0.01 m. The total depth for all possible values of N is reported along with the results. The results depend on the range of the incident and reflected angles, and therefore 6 different curves are presented where different angular spans have been considered. As can be seen, for the angular span considered in Fig. 14, the choice of iV= 11 may be advantageous. Therefore, it may be concluded that for a one meter RRD implemented according to the above, the depth is roughly 10 cm if one wishes to use all incident and reflected angles in the range [50°, 140°]. If some of these angles are discarded, the depth can be reduced.

As a final attempt to reduce the depth, the power loss incurred by choosing a non-optimal, but smaller, value of was considered. For the case of measured from the same direction as (very similar results are obtained for different values), N= 11 , and l=0.01m, it happens to be so that the optimal In Fig. 16, the power loss (due to signals arriving out of phase) is shown by using a smaller value (which would result in less depth). As can be seen, the power loss is dramatic.

Therefore, depth cannot be reduced by neither the rotation of each reflective laminae nor by the retraction angle.

Examples of products (reconfigurable reflective devices) according to the disclosure are set out in the following items:

Item 1. A reconfigurable reflective device arranged to direct radio signals incoming from one direction into an output direction, the reconfigurable reflective device having an x- axis, a y-axis, and a z-axis, the reconfigurable reflective device comprising: a plurality of reflective laminae, each of the plurality of reflective laminae having a lamina x-axis, a lamina y-axis, and a lamina z-axis, and each of the plurality of reflective laminae being adjacent another of the plurality of reflective laminae along the x-axis; wherein the reconfigurable reflective device is configured to individually control movement of each of the plurality of reflective laminae.

Item 2. The reconfigurable reflective device of Item 1, wherein the reconfigurable reflective device is configured to individually control a translation of each of the plurality of reflective laminae along the z-axis and/or the x-axis.

Item 3. The reconfigurable reflective device of Item 2, wherein the reconfigurable reflective device is mounted on a surface, and wherein the z-axis is perpendicular to the surface.

Item 4. The reconfigurable reflective device of any one of Items 1-3, wherein the reconfigurable reflective device is configured to individually control a lamina bearing angle of each of the plurality of reflective laminae about the lamina y-axis and/or the lamina x- axis.

Item 5. The reconfigurable reflective device of Item 4, wherein the lamina bearing angle is the same for each of the plurality of reflective laminae. Item 6. The reconfigurable reflective device of any one of Items 1-5, wherein the reconfigurable reflective device is configured to control a device bearing angle of the reconfigurable reflective device about the y-axis and/or the x-axis.

Item 7. The reconfigurable reflective device of any one of Items 1-6, wherein the reconfigurable reflective device is configured to rotate about the z-axis. Item 8. The reconfigurable reflective device of any one of Items 1-7, wherein the reconfigurable reflective device is configured to control a distance separation of adjacent reflective laminae of the plurality of reflective laminae.

Item 9. The reconfigurable reflective device of any one of Items 1-8, wherein each of the plurality of reflective laminae comprises a meta-material. Item 10. The reconfigurable reflective device of any one of Items 1-9, wherein the reconfigurable reflective device is configured to individually control the movement of each of the plurality of reflective laminae autonomously.

Item 11. The reconfigurable reflective device of any one of Items 1 -10, wherein the reconfigurable reflective device is configured to direct the radio signals interacting with the plurality of reflective laminae to a focus location in the output direction.

Item 12. The reconfigurable reflective device of any one of Items 1-11, wherein the reconfigurable reflective device is configured to individually control the movement of each of the plurality of reflective laminae via an electronic and/or mechanical actuator.

Item 13. The reconfigurable reflective device of any one of Items 1-12, wherein the reconfigurable reflective device is configured to individually control a curvature of each of the plurality of reflective laminae.

Item 14. The reconfigurable reflective device of any one of Items 1-13, wherein the lamina y-axis is located at a center (along the x-axis) of each of the plurality of reflective laminae. Item 15. The reconfigurable reflective device of any one of Items 1-13, wherein the lamina y-axis is located at an end (along the x-axis) of each of the plurality of reflective laminae.

The use of the terms “first”, “second”, “third” and “fourth”, “primary”, “secondary”, “tertiary” etc. does not imply any particular order, but are included to identify individual elements. Moreover, the use of the terms “first”, “second”, “third” and “fourth”, “primary”,

“secondary”, “tertiary” etc. does not denote any order or importance, but rather the terms “first”, “second”, “third” and “fourth”, “primary”, “secondary”, “tertiary” etc. are used to distinguish one element from another. Note that the words “first”, “second”, “third” and “fourth”, “primary”, “secondary”, “tertiary” etc. are used here and elsewhere for labelling purposes only and are not intended to denote any specific spatial or temporal ordering. Furthermore, the labelling of a first element does not imply the presence of a second element and vice versa.

It may be appreciated that Figs. 1-16 comprise some circuitries or operations which are illustrated with a solid line and some circuitries or operations which are illustrated with a dashed line. Circuitries or operations which are comprised in a solid line are circuitries or operations which are comprised in the broadest example. Circuitries or operations which are comprised in a dashed line are examples which may be comprised in, or a part of, or are further circuitries or operations which may be taken in addition to circuitries or operations of the solid line examples. It should be appreciated that these operations need not be performed in order presented. Furthermore, it should be appreciated that not all of the operations need to be performed. The example operations may be performed in any order and in any combination.

It is to be noted that the word "comprising" does not necessarily exclude the presence of other elements or steps than those listed.

It is to be noted that the words "a" or "an" preceding an element do not exclude the presence of a plurality of such elements.

It should further be noted that any reference signs do not limit the scope of the claims, that the examples may be implemented at least in part by means of both hardware and software, and that several "means", "units" or "devices" may be represented by the same item of hardware. The various example methods, devices, nodes and systems described herein are described in the general context of method steps or processes, which may be implemented in one aspect by a computer program product, embodied in a computer- readable medium, including computer-executable instructions, such as program code, executed by computers in networked environments. A computer-readable medium may include removable and non-removable storage devices including, but not limited to, Read Only Memory (ROM), Random Access Memory (RAM), compact discs (CDs), digital versatile discs (DVD), etc. Generally, program circuitries may include routines, programs, objects, components, data structures, etc. that perform specified tasks or implement specific abstract data types. Computer-executable instructions, associated data structures, and program circuitries represent examples of program code for executing steps of the methods disclosed herein. The particular sequence of such executable instructions or associated data structures represents examples of corresponding acts for implementing the functions described in such steps or processes. Although features have been shown and described, it will be understood that they are not intended to limit the claimed disclosure, and it will be made obvious to those skilled in the art that various changes and modifications may be made without departing from the scope of the claimed disclosure. The specification and drawings are, accordingly, to be regarded in an illustrative rather than restrictive sense. The claimed disclosure is intended to cover all alternatives, modifications, and equivalents.