US 6,952,530 B2 · Integrated glass ceramic systems

Abstract

Integrated glass ceramic spacecraft include a plurality of glass ceramic components including molded, tempered, annealed, and patterned glass ceramic components coupled together for forming a support structure or frame or housing through which is communicated optical signals through an optical communications grid and electrical signals through an electrical communications grid, with the optical communications grid and electrical communication grid forming a composite electrooptical communications grid for spacecraft wide intercommunications. The support structure multifunctions as a frame, a housing, a support, a thermal control system, and as part of an electrooptical communications grid while encapsulating a plurality of optical, electronic, electrical, and MEMS devices between which is communicated the electrical and optical signals over the electrooptical communication grid.

Claims19

Dependent claims

An integrated glass ceramic system for providing internal communications, comprising,

a plurality of glass ceramic components, one of the glass ceramic components being a patterned component made of a photostructurable glass ceramic material, the glass ceramic components are coupled together for forming a support structure,
operational devices supported by the support structure, two of the operational devices are optical devices for communicating an optical signal through one of the glass ceramic material components providing an optical path along which is communicated the optical signal, two of the operational devices are electronic devices for communicating an electrical signal through one of the glass ceramic material components providing an electrical path along which is communicated the electrical signal, and
an optoelectronic communications grid enabling intercommunications of the electrical signal between the two electronic devices along the electrical path and enabling intercommunications of the optical signal along the optical path and between the two optical devices.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Integrated glass ceramic systems

Life of this patent

Integrated glass ceramic systems

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims19