Patent ID: 6872007

Claim:
An apparatus for optical line-of-sight inter-board data transfer of the type having a backplane with circuit connectors to which circuit boards are detachedly coupled for communicating with each other over the backplane comprising: a first array of light emitting devices situated at a first predetermined location on each circuit board, the light emitting devices emitting collimated light; a second array of light detecting devices situated at a second predetermined location on each circuit board for detecting the collimated light from corresponding light emitting devices of the first array, the first and second predetermined locations being aligned when the circuit boards are coupled to the backplane via the circuit connectors such that the light emitting devices of the first array on one circuit board are aligned with corresponding ones of the light detecting device of the second array on an adjacent circuit board to provide a high data rate transmission path between circuit boards; and means for focusing light from each light emitting device onto a specific one of the light detecting devices.