The configuration of systems to transmit power or data in a vehicle can be complicated. When the vehicle is not land-based, e.g., for aircraft or spacecraft, the weight and size of such transmission systems can be a substantial constraint. Additionally, certain types of transmission systems may be relatively inflexible. For example, waveguides may have very tight design constraints, such as physical dimension constraints. As a result, design changes to a system that uses waveguides may be difficult and can result in substantial expense.
Additionally, both waveguide and wire based transmission lines may be constrained to point-to-point connections lying in a single path. The path may be straight or curved, but the path is generally not 2-dimensional. The path is also generally not point-to-multipoint transmission.
A frequency selective surface (FSS) layer may be used as a transmission medium to transmit an electromagnetic signal along a surface. In such configurations, a propagating electromagnetic wave may be bound to a surface of the FSS layer; however, the propagating electromagnetic wave may have a height above the surface and below this surface (i.e., the height in the direction perpendicular to the surface). It may be desired to reduce the height of the propagating electromagnetic wave above (and below) this surface. For example, if the height is not reduced, then conductive or semi-conductive objects that are too near the surface may degrade or impede the transmission of the propagating electromagnetic wave. Further, when a single layer of FSS layer is used as a transmission media (e.g., in a broadband application), the transmission may be limited to a frequency band that the FSS layer is designed to transmit—in combination with coupler design and dielectric material properties.