Optical and/or electrical communications fabrics in circuit boards and/or other composite structures

• US 20070154132A1
• Filed: 12/29/2005
• Published: 07/05/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 12/29/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Original Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Inventors: Mates, John
• Granted Patent: US 7,496,249 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 385/14
• CPC Class Codes: D03D 1/0082 Fabrics for printed circuit boards
• CPC Class Codes: D03D 15/267 Glass
• CPC Class Codes: D03D 15/547 with optical functions other than colour, e.g. comprising light-emitting fibres
• CPC Class Codes: D10B 2101/06 Glass
• CPC Class Codes: D10B 2101/12 Carbon; Pitch
• CPC Class Codes: D10B 2401/062 stiff, shape retention
• CPC Class Codes: D10B 2401/16 antistatic; conductive
• CPC Class Codes: D10B 2401/20 optical
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/4201 Packages, e.g. shape, construction, internal or external details
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/43 Arrangements comprising a plurality of opto-electronic elements and associated optical interconnections
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 1/0274 Optical details, e.g. printed circuits comprising integral optical means H05K1/0269 takes precedence; coupling light guides with opto-electronic components G02B6/42
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 1/0366 reinforced, e.g. by fibres, fabrics H05K1/036 takes precedence

Abstract

An optical and/or electrical communication and structural fabric, method and system. For one aspect, an optical fabric is embedded within a structure to communicate an optical and/or electrical signal and to stiffen the structure. The structure may be a circuit board, for example, and the optical cloth may be used to interconnect devices coupled to the circuit board. For another aspect, the structure may be a different type of structure such as, for example, part of a vehicle, airplane or other structure.

Claims

1. An apparatus comprising:

a structure; and

an optical cloth embedded within the structure, the optical cloth to communicate an optical signal and to stiffen the structure.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein

the structure is a circuit board.

3. The apparatus of claim 2 wherein

the optical fiber cloth is to optically interconnect at least two devices on the circuit board.

4. The apparatus of claim 2 further comprising a transducer coupled to the optical cloth to convert an electrical signal from a device coupled to the circuit board into an optical signal to be provided to the optical cloth.

5. The apparatus of claim 2 further comprising

at least one optical crossbar plug to optically couple at least two optical fibers of the optical fiber cloth.

6. The apparatus of claim 5 wherein

the at least one optical crossbar plug comprises a cylindrical plug in a via of the circuit board.

7. The apparatus of claim 5 wherein

the at least one optical crossbar plug includes at least one embedded optical fiber to optically couple the at least two optical fibers of the optical fiber cloth.

8. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein

the embedded optical cloth includes at least one fold.

9. An apparatus comprising:

a circuit board;

at least first and second devices coupled to the circuit board; and

an optical fiber cloth embedded within the printed circuit board to optically couple at least the first and second devices.

10. The apparatus of claim 9 further comprising:

at least one of an optical socket and an optical crossbar in a via of the circuit board to optically couple at least a first optical fiber of the optical fiber cloth to one of a second optical fiber and a device coupled to the circuit board.

11. The apparatus of claim 9 further comprising:

an optical crossbar plug to couple at least first and second fibers of the optical fiber cloth.

12. The apparatus of claim 11 wherein the optical crossbar plug is in a via of the circuit board.

13. The apparatus of claim 11 wherein the optical crossbar plug includes at least a first optical fiber to optically couple the at least first and second fibers of the optical fiber cloth.

14. The apparatus of claim 9 further comprising a transducer coupled to the circuit board to convert an electrical signal into an optical signal to be communicated via the optical fiber cloth.

15. The apparatus of claim 9 wherein the optical fiber cloth is further to communicate an electrical signal.

16. An apparatus comprising:

a circuit board including multiple layers;

an optical communications fabric embedded within and interconnecting at least two of the multiple layers, the optical communications fabric to stiffen the at least two layers and to communicate a signal between the two layers.

17. The apparatus of claim 16 wherein the optical communications fabric is further to communicate an electrical signal.

18. The apparatus of claim 16 further comprising at least first and second devices, the optical communications fabric to communicate a signal between the first and second devices.

19. A computing system comprising:

a circuit board including an embedded communications fabric to communicate at least one of an electrical and an optical signal between at least two devices coupled to the circuit board;

a processor and a chipset coupled to the circuit board; and

a network connection device to couple the computing system to a network.

20. The computing system of claim 19 further comprising at least a first transducer coupled to the circuit board to convert an electrical signal from one of the processor and the chipset to an optical signal to be communicated via the communications fabric.

21. The computing system of claim 19 wherein the communications fabric is to communicate both an optical and an electrical signal.

22. A method comprising:

receiving a signal from a first device at a communications fabric that is to communicate at least one of an optical and an electrical signal, the communications fabric being embedded in a composite structure and acting to stiffen the structure; and

communicating the signal to a second device via the communications fabric.

23. The method of claim 22 further comprising

converting the signal from an electrical to an optical signal prior to receiving;

and

converting the signal from an optical signal to an electrical signal prior to communicating the signal to the second device.