MXPA98001168A - Un conec - Google Patents

Abstract

A connector for connecting one end of an optical fiber with an optical component includes a retaining sleeve (62) for a portion of the fiber near the end of the optical fiber, and a structure (64) carrying the holding sleeve and intended for be fixed with respect to the optical component. A spring (66) acts between the retaining sleeve (62) and the carrier structure (64) to compensate for tolerances in the direction of the length of the retaining sleeve at the connection to the optical component. The spring (66) and the carrier structure (64) are mutually configured to accept the introduction of the retaining sleeve (62) together with the fiber retained therein, towards the carrier structure (64) before the spring (66), and then the introduction of the spring laterally into the ported structure

Description

"ONE CONNECTOR" TECHNICAL AREA The present invention relates generally to a connector for connecting an end of an optical fiber with an optical component, in particular, intended for use in an electro-optical circuit. More particularly, a connector is included that includes a retaining sleeve for a portion of the fiber near the end of the optical fiber, and a structure that carries the holding sleeve and that is intended to be fixed with respect to the optical component, and a spring acting between the retaining sleeve and the carrier structure to compensate for tolerances in the length direction of the retaining sleeve at the connection with the optical component. An electro-optical circuit comprising optical emitter and receiver components for transforming an electrical output signal into an optical output signal and for transforming a received optical signal and an electrical input signal, respectively, is known. A connection means for an optical conductor in which the optical signals of output and received are transmitted, an emitter for the electrical output signal and a receiver for the electrical input signal. Electro-optical circuits of this kind are used e.g., placed on a printed circuit board in a telecommunication switch. Each circuit card carries a plurality of these electro-optical circuits and in the switch one or more cabinets can contain a plurality of protected card stores, each of which contains a plurality of these circuit cards. To increase the insensitivity to EMC, ie the electromagnetic disturbance radiation, the emitters and receivers are conventionally placed far away on the card as seen from its edge placed on an external wall of the cabinet, below the front of the so-called card. On the front of the card there are a number of connection devices for connecting an external optical conductor with two optical conductors that open towards the emitter and receiver, respectively, of a corresponding emitter / receiver pair. To minimize the risk of interference between the sender and the receiver of each sender / receiver pair, the sender and receiver are placed more distant from each other on the card. This distribution of the components of the electro-optical circuit counteracts an effort for a more compact switch architecture of the type just described, while also saving and improving the insensitivities for EMC, as well as ESD, ie the electrostatic discharges. To be aware of this, it has proven advantageous for the individual circuit to form a module with an electromagnetically protected housing containing the emitting and receiving optical components, the connecting means for the optical conductor and having a receiving aperture for a connector in order to to connect the optical conduit.

STATE OF THE CURRENT TECHNIQUE In a connector of the kind defined by way of introduction, the retaining sleeve is conventionally composed, for reasons of assembly, of five parts, the spring, a coil spring surrounding the retaining sleeve, the support structure, and a sleeve that surrounds the spring of the coil and at the same time forms a female means of a bayonet clutch, the male means of which is joined with a housing for the signal receiving means. With the aforementioned location of the remote emitter and receiver in the card, in a conventional electro-optical circuit according to the above, the two optical fibers that open towards this are connected through this connector. The design of the connector briefly described complicates and makes more expensive the production and assembly of these parts, therefore, it is not appropriate for a simplification, in case of having to diminish these disadvantages to a certain greater degree. Therefore, it is not particularly suitable for this modification that the retaining sleeve and the support structure can be produced in a few pieces, preferably in one piece each, by a simple molding method.

COMPENDIUM OF THE INVENTION An object of the invention is to provide a connector of the kind defined by way of introduction, the design of which allows the production of the retaining sleeve and the support structure in a few pieces, preferably in each one piece, by the method of simple molding. Another object is to manufacture a connector well suited to be capable of being received in the receiving opening of an electro-optical circuit module of the kind discussed above, placed on the front of the card of a circuit board, in a switch of telecommunication These objects have been achieved in the connector according to the invention, by means of a spring and the support structure which is mutually configured to admit the introduction of the retaining sleeve with the fiber held in this way in the support structure, before the spring , and then the introduction of the spring laterally towards the support structure.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The invention will now be described in more detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a perspective view of a housing for an electro-optical circuit mounted on an original printed circuit board, Figure 2 shows a detailed view of the housing shown in Figure 1, with the parts thereof as well as the enclosed components thus shown in perspective, Figure 3 shows a perspective view of a module of the contact spring according to the invention, ud in the housing intended to be between the different elements, forming parts of the housing according to Figure 1, a printed circuit board inserted into the housing and the original card, Figures 4 and 5 show sections in the direction of arrows 4-4 in Figure 3 through the contact spring module to illustrate the cooperation of the same with the elements shown in the Figure 3, Figure 6 shows a perspective view of a housing for a contact means, Figure 7 shows a detailed view of the housing shown in Figure 6, with the parts thereof as well as the components, enclosed therein in perspective , Figure 8 shows a perspective view of a component enclosed in the housing according to Figures 6 and 7 and that is rotated 90 ° in the left-handed direction in the same plane as the corresponding perspective view in Figure 7 Figure 9 shows a perspective view of the same component as in Figure 8, although having been rotated 180 ° about an axis long with respect to the corresponding perspective view in Figure 7, Figure 10 shows a longitudinal section of another component enclosed in the housing in accordance with Figure 7.

PREFERRED MODALITY Figure 1 shows the housing for an electro-optical circuit according to the invention, generally designated 2 and mounted on the original card 4. The housing 2, the design of which appears more detailed in Figure 2, contains a connection means in the form of a housing 6 with a receiving tube 7 for receiving an end of an optimal conductor. The optical conductor is fixedly held by a connection device generally designated 8 and received in an opening in the generally designated guide part 9. The connection device 8 will be described in more detail below. The housing 6 contains an electro-optical component not shown and comprising parts of the optical emitting and receiving component for transforming an electrical output signal into an optical output signal, and for transforming a received optical signal into an electrical input signal respectively. The optical emitter and receiver component parts can be combined in a unit eg ABB HAFO Duplex-2, which supports the use of a single optical fiber for transfer in both directions to and from the electro-optical component. The housing 2 also encloses a diposition 10 of the printed circuit board in which the housing 6 is fixed. The arrangement 10 of the printed circuit card is in the form of a printed circuit board 10 transmitter / receiver and therefore, for reasons of simplification, it is referred to as "printed circuit board" or alternatively "emitter / receiver printed circuit board" despite the fact that as will be described below, it may consist of a sandwich of two printed circuit boards. The circuit board 10 printed on one side carries a transmitting circuit for the electrical output signal and on the other side a receiving circuit for the electrical input signal. Circuits are indicated for the top side of the card at 12 and for the bottom side of the card with an arrow 13, but are not shown in more detail for the rest. The card 10 also carries connections, not illustrated between the inputs and outputs of the sender and receiver circuits, respectively on the one hand, and connection pins 14 on the other hand extending through the housing to the outside thereof to connect to the external circuits in the original 4 card.

The housing 2 has a lower part 16 and an upper part 18, both metallic, each comprising the half 9a and 9b respectively of the guide in the piece 9. Between the lower part 16 and the upper part 18, the card 10 the transmitter / receiver printed circuit is placed, the housing containing contact means, which will be described in more detail below between the housing parts and between the housing parts and ground of the transmitter / receiver printed circuit card 10 in the external card 4 , respectively. As will appear more clearly below, the ground pieces of another original card are part of a metal layer applied to the card in parallel with and between the two sides of the printed circuit board. The printed circuit card 10 can then consist of a single printed circuit board in which the metal layer is formed by an integrated conductive layer between the sides of the card. The printed circuit card 10, however, can also be composed as a sandwich of two printed circuit boards connected together side by side through the metallic layer. The metallic layer may also include a magnetic material e.g., in the form of a nickel plate to be protected against inductive transverse induction. By designing the housing 2 just described, it forms three Farady cages. Two of the cages each enclose one of the emitter and receiver circuits 12 and 13, respectively, one consisting of the lower part 16 of the housing and the metal layer of the printed circuit card 10, the other consisting of the upper part 18 of the housing and the metal layer of the printed circuit board 10. The third cage is housing 2 in its entirety. The aforementioned contact means consists of a number of longitudinal spring means 20 along the sides of the parts 16 and 18 of the housing. Each spring means 20 is manufactured in one piece and comprises a number of contact points for the transmitting / receiving circuit board 10. A number of contact points for the lower part 16 of the housing, a number of contact points for the upper part 18 of the housing and a number of contact points for the original card 4. Each spring means has a first piece 22 of continuous ribbon in the form of essentially a rib extending along the longitudinal direction of the spring means. A second piece 24 of continuous tape extends along and at a distance from the first piece 22 of continuous tape is connected thereto by means of the arcuate connecting pieces 26 extending from a first side edge 28 of the first piece of tape continues to a first near lateral edge 30 of the second piece of continuous tape. The first contact tabs 32 are bent away from the first side edge 30 of the second piece of continuous tape in the direction towards the first piece 22 of continuous tape, and the end between the planes of the two pieces of the continuous tape. The second contact tabs 34 are bent arcuately away from the first side edge 28 of the first piece 22 of the continuous tape in a direction towards the second piece 24 of continuous tape and terminate outside the plane of the second piece of the continuous tape. . Each of the first and second contact tongues 32 and 34, respectively, are placed in pairs in the spaces between the arcuate connection pieces 26. The third contact tabs 36 are bent away from the second side edge of the first piece of tape 22 in an outward direction from the two pieces of continuous tape. Each of the third contact tabs 36 has an internal leg 38 folded away from the first continuous band part 22 and an external leg 40 connected thereto and bent away from the inner leg to form an acute angle between the two legs.

The continuous band part 22 extends between the interior of a side wall 42 that rises from the bottom wall of the lower part 16 and an opposite side edge 44 of the emitter / receiver printed circuit board 10. The continuous strip part 24 extends between the exterior of the side wall 42 of the lower part and the interior of the side wall 46 extending downwardly from the upper wall of the upper part 18. The contact tongues 32 are placed in contact with the exterior of the side wall 42 of the lower part 16. The contact tongues 34 are placed in contact with the interior of the side wall 46 of the upper part 18 of the housing. The contact tabs 36 extend between and bump against the ground parts not shown on the underside of the transmitter / receiver circuit board 10 and the top side of the original card 4. The inner leg 38 of each contact tab 36 has an upper side formed with a contact flange 48, making contact with the ground part of the transmitting / receiving circuit board 10. The external leg 40 makes contact with the ground part on the original card 4. Figures 4 and 5 the aforementioned metal layer of the card 10 is indicated at 50 as well as an external continuation 52 thereof extending outwardly at the edge 28 of the card 10, to its bottom side to form the land piece of the card 10 there. In Figures 6 to 10, an embodiment of the connection device 8 is illustrated in more detail with respect to its design and function, which is intended to connect one end of a shielded optical fiber 60 with the electro-optical component enclosed in the housing 6. The connecting device 8 includes, even when referring particularly to Figure 7, a retaining sleeve designated generally 62 for a portion of the fiber that connects to the end of the shielded optical fiber 60, a designated support structure. generally 64, for the holding sleeve 62 intended to be fixed with respect to the electro-optical component in a manner that is disclosed in more detail below, and a spring 66 acting between the holding sleeve 62 and the support structure 64 . More particularly, the spring 66, in connection with the electro-optical component in the housing 6, will compensate the tolerances in the length direction of the retaining sleeve 62 with respect to the electro-optical component. So as to be described in more detail below, the spring 66 and the support structure 64 are mutually configured to first admit the introduction of the holding sleeve 62 with the shielded fiber 60 thus maintained in the direction of the arrow 68 before that the spring 66 can then be introduced in the direction of the arrow 70 and in conformity with the lionesses 72 and 74 of dashes, laterally in the support structure. The spring 66 is made in a piece of two spring legs 76 and 78 bent in a "V" shape and which are placed in parallel with and joined together at the end of the leg of the respective "V" by means of the moorings 80 and 82, respectively. At its location in the support structure 64, the spring 66 straddles the retaining sleeve 62 with the "V" shaped spring legs 76 and 78 in a direction thereof and which commonly act between a stop 84 in the sleeve 62 extending around the circumference of the sleeve 62, and a stop 86 in the support structure. The support structure 64 is essentially in the form of a cage and comprises, while referring to Figures 7 to 9, a passage for the retaining sleeve 62 which extends in the direction of the arrow 68. This passage includes in turn, in the direction of the arrow 68, an aperture 88 placed in an end wall 90, an aperture 92 placed in an intermediate wall 94, and an end opening 96 that is positioned at the other end of the support structure 64 with respect to the end wall 90. The end wall 90 and the intermediate wall 94 delimit each, an upper edge as seen in Figures 7 and 9, together with the side walls 98 and 100 extending therebetween, a rectangular side opening towards the passageway for introducing the spring 66 in the direction of the arrow 70. As shown in Figure 9, the stop 86 is placed in this side opening on the side of the end wall 90 facing the side opening. When placed in the support structure 64, the spring 66 is held in place by the edge of the "V" of the respective "V" shaped spring pieces 76 and 78, jumping below the end 102 and 104 respectively of each tab 106 and 108, respectively formed in each of the side walls 98 and 100, respectively. The legs of the spring parts 76 and 78 facing the wall 94 then abut against the stop 84 in the sleeve 62, on each side of the sleeve, and the tie 82 of the spring 66 abuts against the stop 86. The stop 84, which correspondingly it is placed between the walls 90 and 94, it forms one side of a radial extension from the sleeve, the other side 110 of which by coupling with the intermediate wall 94 delimiting the movement of the sleeve 62 in the direction of the arrow 68.

The movement of the sleeve 62 in the other direction is limited by the engagement of the spring 66 with it. In Figure 10, the locations for the stop 86 and the intermediate wall 94 with respect to the sleeve 94 are indicated when the sleeve is in its position mounted on the support structure 64. Referring further to Figure 10, the sleeve is assembled, in the illustrated embodiment, of two mutually concentric pieces, for example, a piece 112 that holds the fiber and a fiber that is guided in the piece 114. Pieces 112 and 114 both are essentially bottle-shaped with a portion 116 and 118, respectively, and a mantle portion 120 and 122, respectively, with the open bottom carrying the mantle portion 122, the radial extension 84/110. The mantle portion 120 is furthermore surrounded by a collar 124 which extends outward from its lower edge and which is essentially of the same length as the mantle portion 120 and which extends parallel with it in order to delimit a clearance 126. between them, the width of which is somewhat greater than the thickness of the mantle portion 122 of the piece 114. The pieces 112 and 114 are interconnected with the open end portion of the mantle portion 122 extending to the outside. free space 126.

The neck portion 116 of the piece 112 serves to hold in place the shielded fiber 60 not shown in Figure 10, which extends upwardly from the mouth 128 of the neck portion 118. The mouth 128 has a width that corresponds to the thickness of the optical fiber without the shielding. By mounting the sleeve 62 with the shielded optical fiber 60 seated therein, the first pull of an appropriate section of the shielded optical fiber through the neck portion 116, the fastening thereof in the neck portion 116 by means of an appropriate clamping tool is carried out. Then, the part of the optical fiber extending outward from the neck portion 116 is cut to a length that is greater than the distance between the outer ends of the neck portions 116 and 118, when the sleeve 62 is already assembled . Then, the end of the optical fiber is discovered by removing an appropriate section of its mantle, glue is applied at an end portion of the turned-up mantle portion 122 away from its neck portion 118, and this end is inserted into the free space. 126 towards the bottom of it. This is carried out while simultaneously ensuring that the end of the discovered fiber is guided towards the mouth 128 so that it will ultimately protrude therefrom. The protruding end in this manner is then cut along the end surface of the neck portion 118. A conceivable and advantageous alternative to this embodiment of the sleeve 62 shown in Figure 10 and described above is that the part 114 be replaced by a sprayed layer directly towards the part 112 and the shielded optical fiber attached thereto. and that has the same contours as piece 122 when required. The part 112 is then appropriately modified so that the collar 124. disappears. The parts 62-66 are dimensioned and mutually configured in a manner in their already assembled state that the support structure 64 surrounds the sleeve 62 essentially through a portion thereof extending from the rear end of the sleeve 62 upwards to the transition between the mantle portion 122 and the neck portion 118. The parts 62-66 are enclosed in an external housing with a pipe socket 130 attached thereto in a single piece through which the shielded optical fiber 60 is guided towards the sleeve 62. The housing is shown in Figure 7 as divided into a half 132 of the upper housing and a half 134 of the lower housing, in figure 6 they are shown in a state mounted by means of screw connections 136 and 138. Figures 1 and 2, shows as in Figure 6 the same view of the connection device 8. At 140 and 142, lugs extending from each of halves 132 and 134 of the housing, respectively, are shown containing screw holes. Also referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, the upper piece 18 and the lower piece 16 of the housing 2 have correspondingly extending lugs 144 and 146, provided with screw holes. The lugs 140 and 144 which are provided with holes with a screw passing through them on the one hand and the lugs 142 and 146 provided with holes with a screw passing through them, on the other hand each form a gasket. screw for joining, in accordance with the ion lines 148 and 150, respectively, the contact device 8 with the housing 2, with the housing 130/132 guided towards the guide piece 9. In this position, the mouth 128 of the sleeve 62 in the housing 6 is in a correct position with respect to the electro-optical component enclosed therein. The receiver tube 7 then extends towards the support structure 64 approximately upwards to its intermediate wall 94, and the tolerances of the retaining sleeve 62 in its length direction with respect to the electro-optical component being taken by the spring 66.

Claims (10)

R E I V I N D I C A C I O N S

1. A connector for connecting one end of an optical fiber with an optical component, including a retaining sleeve (62) for a portion of the fiber near the end of the optical fiber, a structure (64) carrying the retaining sleeve and which is intended to be fixed with respect to the optical component, and a spring (66) acting between the retaining sleeve (62) and the carrier structure (64) to compensate for the tolerances in the length direction of the retaining sleeve in the connection to the optical component, characterized in that the spring (66) and the carrier structure (64) are mutually configured to accept the introduction of the retaining sleeve (62) together with the fiber retained by it, in the carrier structure (64) before the spring (66), and then the introduction of the spring laterally towards the carrier structure by means of the spring (66) which is constructed of two spring legs (76,78) bent in a "V" shape which are placed in stop with and join each other on the legs of the respective "V" and straddle the holding sleeve (62) with the spring legs in a "V" shape on one side of each and that they commonly act between the stop (84) on the sleeve (62) and a stop (86) on the support structure (64).

A connector according to claim 1, characterized in that the support structure (64) contains a passage for the retaining sleeve (62) and a lateral opening towards this passage for introducing (70) the spring (66).

A connector according to claim 2, characterized in that the support structure (64) is essentially in the form of a cage.

A connector according to claim 2 or 3, characterized in that the passage passes the two walls (90) that delimit the side opening to introduce the spring (66), and of which the one located furthest from the end of the fiber , forms the stop (86) of the support structure, and between which the stop (84) of the sleeve is placed.

The connector according to claim 4, characterized in that the stop (84) of the snout (62) forms one side of a radial extension from the sleeve, and that the wall (94) placed closest to the end of the fiber, it serves to delimit the movement of the sleeve in the direction from the other wall (90) by engagement with the other side of the extension.

6. An arrangement in an electro-optical circuit comprising emitting and receiving optical components (6) for transforming an electrical output signal into an optical output signal and for transforming a received optical signal into an electrical input signal, respectively, connecting means (6,7) for an optical conductor (60) in which the optical output and received signals are transmitted, an emitter for the electrical output signal, a receiver for the electrical input signal, characterized in that the electro-optical circuit forms a module with a housing (2) having a receiving opening (9) for a connector (8) designed to connect one end of an optical fiber (60) forming the optical conductor, with the connecting means (6,7) the connector (8) comprises, a retaining sleeve (62) for a portion of the fiber connected to the end of the optical fiber, a support structure (64) for the receiving sleeve intended for ecting with the module, and a spring (66) acting between the retaining sleeve (62) and the support structure (64) to compensate, in connection with the module, the tolerances in the length direction of the retainer sleeve with respect to the module, wherein the spring (66) and the support structure (64) are mutually designed to admit the introduction of the retaining sleeve (62) with a fiber retained by it towards the support structure (64) before the spring (66), and then the insertion in its location of the spring laterally in the support structure by means of the spring (66) which is constructed of two spring legs (76)., 78) folded in a "V" shape, which are placed in parallel with and are joined to each other on the legs of the respective "V", and which straddle the retaining sleeve (62) by means of the legs spring-shaped "V" on one side of each of them and commonly acting between a stop (84) in the retainer sleeve (62) and a stop (86) in the support structure (64).

An arrangement according to claim 6, characterized in that the support structure (64) contains a passage for the retaining sleeve (62) and a side opening towards this passage for inserting (70) the spring (66).

8. An arrangement according to claim 7, characterized in that the support structure (64) is essentially in the form of a cage.

9. An arrangement according to claim 7 or 8, characterized in that the passage passes two walls (90) delimiting the lateral opening for introducing the spring (66), and of which the one located farthest from the end of the fiber forms the stop (86) of the support structure and between which the stop (84) of the sleeve is placed. An arrangement according to claim 9, characterized in that the stop (84) of the sleeve (62) forms one side of a radial extension from the sleeve, and that the wall (94) placed closer to the end of the fiber serves to delimit the movement of the sleeve in the direction from the other wall (90) by engagement with the other side of the extension.