An apparatus and process for operating connectorless, free-space data
porting optical structural composites with integrated optical or
electrical busses are disclosed. Optical transceivers and fiber
optic/coaxial cable are embedded into a foam-core composite sandwich
structure which is infiltrated with vinyl ester resin. The embedded
busses are composed of a signal source producing an optical free space
signal, which is shone onto an optical/electrical bus containing a
transceiver for converting this signal into another electrical or optical
signal which then is imprinted upon a coaxial or fiber optic cable buried
in the composite structure. The signal traverses the composite structure,
then a transceiver converts the electrical/optical signal into a free
space optical signal which shines out of the composite structure to an
outside free space optical receiver. The optical free space signal is
oriented to be received and transmitted at an angle of about 90 degrees
relative to the composite material.