US Patent 7667981 Multifunctional composite sandwich element with embedded electronics

A composite sandwich structure carrying an externally applied structural load and having embedded electronics, that in one embodiment includes two multilayered composite facesheet laminates, a central core, embedded electronic components within the central core region, embedded electrical conductors within the central core region, and two multilayer printed circuit laminates that are secondarily bonded or cured to the inner surface of the sandwich facesheet laminates. The electronic components and electrical conductors, which are located in the central core region of the sandwich element, are attached to one or both of the two circuit laminates.