Optical waveguides – With disengagable mechanical connector – Structure surrounding optical fiber-to-fiber connection
Reexamination Certificate
2002-07-12
2003-08-12
Luebke, Renee (Department: 2833)
Optical waveguides
With disengagable mechanical connector
Structure surrounding optical fiber-to-fiber connection
C385S053000, C385S076000, C385S092000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06604862
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The invention lies in the field of optical elements and is applied to mechanical connecting devices for optical fibers in which a plurality of optical fibers, which are arranged in parallel to one another and which end in a plug-in connector, are connected to a coupling partner arranged on a circuit board. Using a holder, this plug-in connector is arranged in a housing wall. Coupling partners can be, for example, optical transmitting and/or receiving modules or can be formed by identical or similar plug-in connectors.
European Patent Application EP 0807 837 A1 teaches a known multichannel optical coupling configuration of this type in which one or two plug connectors are assigned to a coupling partner, likewise including one or two plug-in connectors, by using a holder which is arranged in a housing wall (back panel). This holder includes an outer housing having four walls that run toward one another at right angles and an inner housing arranged in the outer housing such that it can be moved axially, that is to say in the Z direction, and at right angles thereto, that is to say in the X/Y direction. The inner housing is used to accommodate and axially fix one or both plug-in connectors, which each contain a multichannel optical fiber end piece arranged in a housing in a known way. This multichannel optical fiber end piece is referred to as a “ferrule” and is arranged at the end of a multichannel optical fiber cable (See also Issued German Patent DE 195 39 549 C1, International Publication WO 97/34176, European Patent application EP 0803 749 A1, and European Patent application EP 0803 748 A1). A coupling partner is arranged on a circuit board using a connector housing. The connector housing can be plugged into the outer housing of the holder, to which end both housings are provided with guide surfaces and interengaging guide grooves and webs. The connector housing is also provided with latching hooks, arranged in a resilient manner, which engage in corresponding openings in the inner housing of the holder and in this way brace the optical fiber end pieces (ferrules) of the plug-in connectors to be coupled axially against each other. The latching and locking elements arranged in the inner region of the holder make disassembling this coupling configuration more difficult.
It is further known, to provide diodes as coupling partners for an optical plug-in connector arranged at the end of an optical fiber cable. These diodes are arranged on a circuit board and a plug-in inlet is provided in order to retain the plug-in connector (See U.S. Pat. No. 5,138,680 and German Patent Application DE 42 05 568 A1). In a coupling configuration which is also known, the plug-in connectors, which are substantially identically designed and arranged in mirror-image fashion in relation to each other, are connected to each other within a two-part adapter (See European Patent Application EP 0712 015 A2). In another known configuration, in each case, a plurality of plug-in connectors are assigned one half of a two-part coupling housing. The two differently designed halves of the coupling housing interengage with finger-like guide wings and corresponding guide grooves and also with retaining collars (See International Publication WO 97/34 176).
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is accordingly an object of the invention to provide a multichannel optical coupling configuration which overcomes the above-mentioned disadvantages of the prior art apparatus of this general type.
With the foregoing and other objects in view there is provided, in accordance with the invention, a multichannel optical coupling configuration, which includes a plug-in connector, a coupling partner arranged on a circuit board and a holder to be arranged in a recess in a housing wall (back panel) to guide and retain the plug-in connector and to guide the coupling partner. A multichannel optical fiber end piece (ferrule) is arranged in an axially resilient manner in the housing of the plug-in connector and the coupling partner has a plug-in inlet to connect to the plug-in connector, in such a way that the coupling configuration, while being easy to mount and disassemble, permits the compensation even of relatively large tolerances between the board and the back panel transversely with respect to the plug-in direction, as well as the compensation of angular tolerances.
In order to achieve this object, the invention uses some design features which are known for coupling configurations of this type. To some extent, these features are placed in a different operative conjunction and new design features are added. These measures lead to a coupling configuration in which the plug-in connector is locked in the holder such that it can be unlocked in a simple way, and in which the coupling partner can be locked accurately in position with the plug-in connector. In addition, the housing wall carrying the holder is completely relieved of plug forces, and only compressive and tension forces have to be exerted on the plug-in connector or the coupling partner in order to couple and uncouple coupling partner and the plug-in connector. This is achieved by using a special configuration of the holder, including the outer and inner housing, and the parts of the plug-in connector and the coupling partner that come into an operative connection with the inner housing of the holder.
Accordingly, first of all the holder includes an outer housing, which is arranged such that it can be displaced at right angles to the plug-in direction, and an inner housing. The inner housing is arranged such that it can rotate in the outer housing. At the same time, in order to retain the plug-in connector in the holder on the inner housing, a locking element designed as a two-armed lever is mounted. One lever arm of the locking element is subject to the action of a spring. Then, in order to latch the plug-in connector to the coupling partner, the housing of the plug-in connector is provided with at least one resilient latching arm having a latching lug, and the coupling partner is provided with a recess arranged in the plug-in inlet to accommodate the latching lug. For the invention, it is also important that the plug-in inlet of the coupling partner is provided with finger-like guide elements which extend in the plug-in direction, which have operative faces arranged in a stepped manner. Guide faces are assigned on the inner housing of the holder to couple the coupling partner in an accurately fitting manner to the plug-in connector, and also operative faces for unlocking the locking element on the lever arm of the locking element which is subject to the action of a spring. The recess arranged in the plug-in inlet and the operative faces on the finger-like guide elements of the plug-in inlet are staggered in the plug-in direction in such a way that when the coupling partner is joined to the plug-in connector retained in the holder, the locking element arranged in the holder is unlocked after the latching lug of the plug-in connector has latched in the recess in the plug-in inlet.
A coupling configuration configured in this way permits adequate compensation of tolerances between the parts arranged in the housing wall and the parts of the coupling configuration arranged on the circuit board. It is also possible for angular errors with regard to the configuration of the coupling partner on the circuit board to be compensated for by using the pivotable configuration of the inner housing of the holder. The configuration of the locking element as a two-armed, spring-loaded lever permits complete relief of the load on the housing wall from the forces acting between the plug-in connector and the coupling partner in the coupled state, and also enables secure retention of the plug-in connector when the coupling is released. It is possible nevertheless for this retention to be released in a simple way.
In order to be able to implement the latching and locking functions provided when the plug-in connector and the coupling partner are guided t
Rogge Clemens
Weigel Hans-Dieter
Greenberg Laurence A.
Infineon - Technologies AG
Luebke Renee
McCamey Ann
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