Package having lock mechanism

Details Package having lock mechanism Package having lock mechanism

2003-06-04

2004-12-14

Lee, John R. (Department: 2881)

Optical waveguides

With disengagable mechanical connector

Optical fiber to a nonfiber optical device connector

C385S053000

Reexamination Certificate

active

06830385

ABSTRACT:

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a package such as an optical transmitting and receiving module having lock mechanism which enable exchangeable installment to a substrate, and more specifically to a package having lock mechanism which enable easy lock releasing and easy extraction and insertion of package.
2. Prior Art
In an optical transmitting and receiving module for use in a long distance and high speed optical communication, a transmitting optical element and a receiving optical element are accommodated in one package. Further, in an optical transmitting and receiving module, elements for modulating, amplifying, compensating and stabilizing optical signal and electrical signal are accommodated in the above package too. For connecting between an optical transmitting and receiving module and an optical fiber as an external transmitting line, a receptacle type optical transmitting and receiving module which is constituted to have an opening leading to an optical element to a package and to insert an optical fiber connecter equipped to a terminal of an optical fiber to this opening portion is known.
In a communicating apparatus to which many optical fibers are concentrated, consideration that optional optical fiber connector can be inserted to optional opening by arraying openings of many optical transmitting and receiving modules on a panel is given. So as to put together alignment of optical transmitting and receiving module openings to a panel and simplify inner wirings of a communicating apparatus, it is desirable to install a substrate within a communicating apparatus exposing each opening from each window of a panel by aligning optical transmitting and receiving modules to end of a substrate.
On the other hand, when some failure is occurred to an optical element or an electrical element of an optical transmitting and receiving module, or when adjustment is needed to coincide communicating method (optical wavelength or modulating method) with others, assembly change of an optical transmitting and receiving module is needed. To facilitate assembly change, an optical transmitting and receiving module is provided to a substrate to be mounted and dismounted freely. Namely, a cage is provided on a substrate to maintain mechanically an optical transmitting and receiving module package. A cage is formed in housing shape with its front end being opened, and fixed on a substrate. A package is extracted and inserted from front end of this cage. When a package is inserted to a cage, electrical connection is achieved by forming connecting terminal group at rear end of a package, and disposing corresponding terminal group on a substrate. Accordingly, a package is extracted and inserted from window of a panel, an optical transmitting and receiving module is changed without disassembling a communicating apparatus.
A lock mechanism (female side) to hold a package is provided on a cage, and a lock mechanism (male side) is provided on a package. Because lock mechanism acts when a package is inserted perfectly to a cage (state that contact between connecting terminal group themselves became firmly), disconnecting of package and unstable electrical connecting are prevented. Specifically, a triangular window is opened at bottom of a cage, a projection to be fitted to a triangular window is provided on a package. A projection is provided to be appeared and disappeared inside and outside of bottom of a package. When in the middle of inserting a package to a cage, a projection is disappeared to inside of bottom of package, and when a package is inserted perfectly, a projection is fitted to a triangular window by thrusting out of bottom, and lock mechanism acts. In addition, shape of cage (size or position of a triangular window) is determined according to manufacture's standard.
In above explained optical transmitting and receiving module provided with package having lock mechanism, to make possible extraction and insertion by access from outside of panel of communicating apparatus, lock must be released from front end side of a package.
A conventional package having lock mechanism comprising, as shown in
FIG. 1
, forming a nearly rectangular shaped body portion
302
and a head portion
303
positioned front end of the body portion
302
by molding, and providing a slide block
325
formed by molding and slidable back and forth at bottom of the head portion
303
of the package main body
304
. A cage
201
formed from sheet metal is provided on a substrate
202
. As shown in
FIG. 2
, a triangular window
204
is provided at a position located predetermined distance from open end of bottom of the cage
201
. At both sides of the triangular window
204
, a flat spring
205
is formed by cutting from open end to backward of the triangular window
204
. At front end of the plate spring
205
, a slight bent
206
is formed. These
FIGS. 1 and 2
are showing a state that the package is inserted perfectly to the cage
201
, concerning the package main body
304
, the body portion
302
is accommodated wholly in the cage
201
, and only the head portion
303
is exposed, further, a projection
306
formed on bottom of the body portion
302
is fitted to the triangular window
204
of the cage
201
. Namely, in this state, lock is acting. Further, in this state, front end of the slide block
325
is coinciding with front end of the head portion
303
of the package main body
304
, and rear end of the slide block
325
is situating at front of the body portion
302
of the package main body
304
. At rear end of the slide block
325
, a taper
326
is formed. This taper
326
and front end bent
206
of the plate spring
205
of the cage
201
are facing each other.
As shown in
FIG. 3
, pushing the slide block
325
to backward, the taper
326
gets into the bent
206
of the plate spring
205
, and the plate spring
205
is raised to bottom side. By raising the plate spring
205
, the projection
306
passes through inside of the triangular window
204
. Then, lock is released, and package is extracted forward easily.
In addition, in
FIGS. 2 and 3
, to explain for easy understanding, main part of locking mechanism is drawn by emphasizing thickness of the slide block
325
and angle of the bent
206
of the plate spring
205
, however, the plate spring
205
and the projection
306
are having practically so small expansion not to touch the substrate
202
.
By the way, to put together arrangement of openings in panel, it is desirable to arrange openings multistage up and down, and interval from upper to lower is as short as possible. However, in a conventional package having lock mechanism, there is limitation to shorten interval from upper to lower. As shown in
FIG. 4
, if interval of upper and lower package is small, interval between the slide block
325
of the upper package and lower package become small. In the Figure, a fingertip is drawn for reference. It becomes difficult to push slide block
325
to lock releasing position by this fingertip. Further, in extracting the package to forward, if interval between top and bottom or right and left is small, it is difficult to hold the head portion of package main body
304
with finger from top and bottom or right and left.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
An object of the present invention is to provide a package having lock mechanism which enable easy lock releasing, and enable easy extraction and insertion of package. Further, an object of the present invention is to provide a package having lock mechanism which enable reliable locking action and easy assembling, improve dimensional accuracy and reduce manufacturing cost.
In accordance with this invention, there is provided a package having lock mechanism, comprising, a package main body provided with a nearly rectangular shaped body portion and a head portion positioned longitudinal front end of said body portion, a lever and a lever turning axis provided beneath bottom of said head portion, said lever is provided so as to make a projection

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