JP6083252B2 - Signal transmission device and communication module - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a communication module and a signal transmission device including the communication module.

  In general, a signal transmission device including a communication module is provided with a cooling mechanism for maintaining the operating temperature of the communication module within a predetermined temperature range. Such a cooling mechanism may be provided in a communication module or may be provided in a substrate on which the communication module is mounted.

  Patent Document 1 describes an optical module that is a communication module (optical module) mounted on a substrate (motherboard) and includes a cooling mechanism. In the optical module described in Patent Document 1, an optical element and a control IC are mounted on one surface of a rigid substrate constituting the optical module, and a heat sink is attached to the other surface.

JP2011-128378A (paragraph 0018)

  However, when a plurality of communication modules are mounted on the same substrate, it is desirable that a common cooling mechanism is provided on the substrate for the communication modules. This is because when cooling mechanisms are individually provided for a plurality of communication modules mounted on a board, in order to avoid interference between the cooling mechanisms provided in each communication module, adjacent communication modules are connected to each other. There is a possibility that the interval of the interval needs to be widened. That is, there is a possibility that the densification of the communication module may be inhibited. In addition, if a cooling mechanism is provided for each communication module, the structure and layout of the refrigerant passage becomes complicated when the liquid cooling type cooling mechanism is adopted, and the number of connection points of the refrigerant passage increases, resulting in liquid leakage. There is a risk that the risk will increase.

  On the other hand, when the cooling mechanism is provided on the substrate on which the communication module is mounted, the communication module and the cooling mechanism are not thermally connected until the communication module is mounted on the substrate. Therefore, it is necessary to reliably realize the thermal connection between the communication module mounted on the substrate and the cooling mechanism provided on the substrate.

  An object of the present invention is to reliably realize a thermal connection between a communication module and a cooling mechanism provided on a substrate on which the communication module is mounted.

  The signal transmission device according to the present invention is a signal transmission device in which a communication module is mounted on a substrate having a cooling mechanism, and is provided adjacent to the cooling mechanism on the substrate, and a slot into which the communication module is inserted and removed. And a movable piece that is provided in the communication module and is switched between a first state and a second state in which a protrusion length with respect to the surface of the communication module is longer than that in the first state. When the movable piece is switched to the second state, the inner surface of the slot is pressed by the movable piece, and the communication module is pressed against the cooling mechanism by the reaction.

  In one aspect of the signal transmission device of the present invention, the communication module is located on the first outer surface facing the inner surface of the slot, and on the opposite side of the first outer surface and facing the cooling mechanism. And an outer surface. The movable piece switched to the second state has a longer protrusion length with respect to the first outer surface of the communication module than the first state.

  In another aspect of the signal transmission device of the present invention, an operation unit that switches the movable piece between the first state and the second state is provided.

  In another aspect of the signal transmission device of the present invention, the operation unit is exposed to the outside of the slot in which the communication module is inserted.

  In another aspect of the signal transmission device of the present invention, the movable piece is a cam provided on a rotating shaft parallel to an insertion direction of the communication module into the slot, and the operation piece is disposed at an end of the rotating shaft. Parts are provided.

  In another aspect of the signal transmission device of the present invention, the cooling mechanism includes a heat sink against which the communication module is pressed, and a refrigerant passage through which a refrigerant that exchanges heat with the heat sink is circulated.

  A communication module according to the present invention is a communication module that is inserted into and removed from a slot provided on a substrate having a cooling mechanism, and has a first protrusion and a protrusion length that is longer than the first state on the surface of the communication module. It has a movable piece that can be switched between two states. When the movable piece is switched to the second state while being inserted into the slot, the inner surface of the slot is pressed by the movable piece and is pressed against the cooling mechanism by the reaction.

  In one aspect of the communication module of the present invention, a first outer surface facing the inner surface of the slot, and a second outer surface positioned on the opposite side of the first outer surface and facing the cooling mechanism are provided. It is done. The movable piece switched to the second state has a longer projection length than the first state relative to the first outer surface.

  In another aspect of the communication module of the present invention, an operation unit that switches the movable piece between the first state and the second state is provided.

  In another aspect of the communication module of the present invention, the operation unit is exposed to the outside of the slot in a state where the communication module is inserted into the slot.

  In another aspect of the communication module of the present invention, the movable piece is a cam provided on a rotation shaft parallel to an insertion direction of the communication module into the slot, and the operation portion is provided at an end of the rotation shaft. Is provided.

  According to the present invention, the thermal connection between the communication module and the cooling mechanism provided on the substrate on which the communication module is mounted is reliably realized.

It is a perspective view of a signal transmission device. It is a perspective view of the signal transmission apparatus from which the communication module was extracted. It is an expanded sectional view of the communication module inserted in the slot. It is an expansion perspective view of a communication module when a cam is a 1st state. It is an expansion perspective view of a communication module when a cam is a 2nd state. It is a figure which shows the communication module in a slot typically, Comprising: (A) is typical sectional drawing which shows a communication module when a cam is a 1st state, (B) is a communication module when a cam is a 2nd state It is a typical sectional view showing.

  Hereinafter, an example of an embodiment of the present invention will be described. The signal transmission device 1 shown in FIG. 1 has a substrate (hereinafter referred to as “motherboard 2”). An IC chip 3 is mounted at substantially the center of the mounting surface of the mother board 2, and heat sinks 4 and 5 constituting a cooling mechanism are arranged on both sides of the IC chip 3. Further, slots 6 a and 6 b are provided on both sides of the respective heat sinks 4 and 5 so as to be adjacent to the heat sinks 4 and 5. That is, two slots are provided for one heat sink. A plurality of communication modules 10 are detachably set in the slots 6a and 6b.

  Each communication module 10 inserted into each of the slots 6a and 6b is electrically connected to the IC chip 3 via a wiring (not shown) formed on the mother board 2, and signals are transmitted to and from the IC chip 3. I / O is performed. Specifically, each communication module 10 converts an optical signal input from the outside into an electric signal and outputs the electric signal to the IC chip 3, and converts the electric signal input from the IC chip 3 into an optical signal to the outside. Output. Hereinafter, each of the above components will be described in detail.

  Please refer to FIG. Each of the heat sinks 4 and 5 is a substantially prismatic block formed of a metal having high thermal conductivity (for example, copper or aluminum). The heat sinks 4 and 5 are arranged in parallel with each other with the IC chip 3 interposed therebetween, and both side surfaces of the heat sinks 4 and 5 function as heat absorbing surfaces. Therefore, in the following description, one side surface 4a of the heat sink 4 may be referred to as “endothermic surface 4a” and the other side surface 4b may be referred to as “endothermic surface 4b”. Also, one side surface 5a of the heat sink 5 may be referred to as “endothermic surface 5a” and the other side surface 5b may be referred to as “endothermic surface 5b”.

  Through holes are formed in the respective heat sinks 4 and 5 along the longitudinal direction of the heat sinks 4 and 5. Further, the through hole formed in the heat sink 4 and the through hole formed in the heat sink 5 are connected via a pipe 7. In FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, the pipe 7 is broken halfway for convenience, but a series of circulation paths (refrigerant passages) are actually formed by the through holes and the pipe 7. Further, a pump and a tank (not shown) are provided in the middle of the refrigerant passage. A predetermined amount of refrigerant (for example, water) is stored in the tank, and the refrigerant stored in the tank is sent out to the refrigerant passage by a pump. The refrigerant sent out to the refrigerant passage goes around the refrigerant passage, returns to the tank, and is sent out again to the refrigerant passage. That is, the refrigerant circulates through the refrigerant passage. The refrigerant circulating in the refrigerant passage exchanges heat with the heat sinks 4 and 5 when passing through the through holes of the heat sinks 4 and 5. In addition, a radiator etc. can also be provided in the middle of a refrigerant path as needed.

  Here, the slots 6a and 6b provided on both sides of the heat sink 4 shown in FIG. 2 and the slots 6a and 6b provided on both sides of the heat sink 5 have the same shape, structure and dimensions. Therefore, only the slots 6a and 6b provided on both sides of the heat sink 4 will be described below, and description of the slots 6a and 6b provided on both sides of the heat sink 5 will be omitted.

  Cover members 20 a and 20 b made of metal plates are disposed on both sides of the heat sink 4 so as to surround the heat sink 4. Specifically, the cover member 20a is disposed outside the heat absorbing surface 4a of the heat sink 4 with a gap substantially the same as the thickness of the communication module 10 (FIG. 1) between the heat absorbing surface 4a. Similarly, a cover member 20b is disposed outside the heat absorbing surface 4b of the heat sink 4 with a gap substantially the same as the thickness of the communication module 10 (FIG. 1) between the heat absorbing surface 4b. That is, the slot 6a is formed by one endothermic surface 4a of the heat sink 4 and the inner surface of the cover member 20a facing the endothermic surface 4a. A slot 6b is formed by the other heat absorbing surface 4b of the heat sink 4 and the inner surface of the cover member 20b facing the heat absorbing surface 4b. In other words, the heat absorbing surfaces 4a and 4b of the heat sink 4 form one inner surface of the slots 6a and 6b. Moreover, the other inner surface of the slots 6a and 6b is formed by the inner surfaces of the cover members 20a and 20b. In the following description, the inner surface of the slots 6a and 6b formed by the inner surfaces of the cover members 20a and 20b may be particularly referred to as “inner surface 8”. The slots 6a and 6b may be collectively referred to as “slot 6”.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the communication module 10 includes a module substrate 11, an optical package 12 mounted on the module substrate 11, an optical fiber 13 as a communication cable extending from the optical package 12, and a module case that accommodates these modules. 14. In FIG. 1, the optical fiber 13 is drawn out from only one communication module 10, but actually the same optical fiber is drawn out from all the communication modules 10.

  The upper and lower sides of the module case 14 are opened, and the upper opening is closed by a plastic lid 15. On the other hand, the opening below the module case 14 is closed by a male connector 16 as a module-side connector. A part of the male connector 16 protrudes below the module case 14 and forms a fitting portion 16 a that fits with a female connector 17 as a board-side connector provided at the bottom of the slot 6. On the surface of the fitting portion 16 a of the male connector 16, a large number of connection terminals are formed which are electrically connected to the optical package 12 through wiring (not shown) formed on the module substrate 11. On the other hand, on the inner surface of the female connector 17, a large number of connection terminals that are electrically connected to the connection terminals formed on the male connector 16 are formed. The connection terminals formed on the female connector 17 are electrically connected to the IC chip 3 via wiring (not shown) formed on the mother board 2 (FIGS. 1 and 2).

  As shown in FIG. 3, the communication module 10 (module case 14) has a first outer surface 31 and a second outer surface 32. The communication module 10 inserted into the slot 6a is inserted into the slot 6a with the first outer surface 31 facing the inner surface 8 of the slot 6a and the second outer surface 32 facing the heat absorbing surface 4a of the heat sink 4. The Although not shown, the communication module 10 inserted into the slot 6b (FIG. 2) has a first outer surface facing the inner surface of the slot 6b and a second outer surface being the heat absorbing surface 4b ( It is inserted into the slot 6b in the direction opposite to FIG. In other words, of the two outer surfaces of the communication module 10, the outer surface facing the inner surface 8 of the slot 6 when inserted into the slot 6 is the first outer surface 31. The outer surface located on the opposite side is the second outer surface 32.

  As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the first outer surface 31 of the communication module 10 has a pair of cams 40 a and 40 b as movable pieces and a pair of knobs as operation units for operating the cams 40 a and 40 b. 41a and 41b are provided. The cam 40 a and the knob 41 a are provided at one end in the longitudinal direction of the first outer side surface 31, and the cam 40 b and the knob 41 b are provided at the other end in the longitudinal direction of the first outer side surface 31. In other words, the cam 40a and the knob 41a are provided on one edge in the longitudinal direction of the first outer surface 31, and the cam 40b and the knob 41b are provided on the other edge in the longitudinal direction. In the following description, the edge of the first outer surface 31 provided with the cam 40a and the knob 41a is referred to as a “right edge”, and the edge of the first outer surface 31 provided with the cam 40b and the knob 41b is referred to as “left”. Sometimes called “edge”. However, such a distinction is merely a distinction for convenience of explanation.

  A pair of bearing portions 42 and 43 are integrally formed on the right edge and the left edge of the first outer surface 31 along the insertion direction into the slot 6 (FIG. 3) of the communication module 10. That is, a pair of bearing portions 42 and 43 are vertically arranged at both ends of the first outer surface 31 along the short side, and a rotating shaft (not shown) is rotatably supported by the bearing portions 42 and 43. ing. That is, the rotating shaft is provided in parallel with the insertion direction of the communication module 10 into the slot 6 (FIG. 3).

  A gap is provided between the bearing portions 42 and 43, and cams 40a and 40b are provided at intermediate portions of the rotating shaft exposed in the gap. Further, knobs 41a and 41b are respectively provided at the end portions (upper ends) of the rotary shaft protruding from the bearing portion 42. When the knobs 41a and 41b are rotated, the rotary shaft and the cams 40a provided on the rotary shaft are provided. 40b rotates integrally. As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the knobs 41 a and 41 b in the present embodiment are parallel to the first outer surface 31 (FIG. 4) and perpendicular to the first outer surface 31 (FIG. 5). That is, the knobs 41 a and 41 b can be rotated 90 degrees with respect to the first outer surface 31. And the protrusion length with respect to the 1st outer surface 31 of the cams 40a and 40b becomes longer when the knobs 41a and 41b are in a state of being perpendicular to the state of being parallel to the first outer surface 31. That is, by rotating the knobs 41a and 41b, the protruding length of the cams 40a and 40b with respect to the first outer surface 31 can be changed. Specifically, the cams 40a and 40b are switched between a first state in which the protrusion length with respect to the first outer surface 31 is relatively short and a relatively long second state as the knobs 41a and 41b rotate. It is done. In other words, the knobs 41a and 41b are operation units that switch the cams 40a and 40b between the first state and the second state.

  The operation and function of the cams 40a and 40b and the knobs 41a and 41b shown in FIGS. 3 and 4 will be described taking the communication module 10 inserted into the slot 6a shown in FIG. 1 as an example.

  As shown in FIG. 6A, when the cams 40a and 40b are in the first state, the thickness (t) of the communication module 10 including the cams 40a and 40b is narrower than the width (w) of the slot 6a. Accordingly, if the communication module 10 is inserted into the slot 6a after operating the knobs 41a and 41b to place the cams 40a and 40b in the first state, the communication module 10 does not interfere with the inner surface 8 of the slot 6a. It is smoothly inserted into 6a.

  On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 6B, when the cams 40a and 40b are switched to the second state by operating the knobs 41a and 41b after the communication module 10 is inserted into the slot 6a, the inner surface 8 of the slot 6a is The communication module 10 is pressed against the heat sink 4 by the reaction of the cams 40a and 40b. Specifically, the second outer surface 32 of the communication module 10 is pressed against the heat absorbing surface 4 a of the heat sink 4. In addition, although illustration is abbreviate | omitted, the 2nd outer side surface of the communication module 10 (FIG. 1) inserted in the slot 6b on the opposite side of the heat sink 4 is pressed on the heat absorption surface 4b (FIG. 2) of the heat sink 4. Therefore, the contact pressure with respect to the heat sink 4 of each communication module 10 increases, and the thermal connection between the communication module 10 and a heat sink is implement | achieved reliably.

  If the knobs 41a and 41b shown in FIG. 6B are operated in reverse to return the cams 40a and 40b to the first state, the communication module 10 can be smoothly pulled out from the slot 6a.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the knobs 41 a and 41 b are provided at positions (heights) that are exposed to the outside of the slot 6 in a state where the communication module 10 is completely inserted into the slot 6. Therefore, when the communication module 10 is inserted into the slot 6, the knobs 41a and 41b are picked and the communication module 10 is inserted into the slot 6, and the knobs 41a and 41b are rotated and the cams 40a and 40b are rotated. It is possible to switch from the first state to the second state. Further, when pulling out the communication module 10 from the slot 6, the knobs 41a and 41b are rotated to switch the cams 40a and 40b from the second state to the first state, and the knobs 41a and 41b that are being picked are pulled up as they are. 10 can be withdrawn from the slot 6. That is, the knobs 41 a and 41 b also function as handles when the communication module 10 is inserted into the slot 6 or pulled out from the slot 6.

  The state where the communication module 10 is completely inserted into the slot 6 is a state where the fitting between the male connector 16 and the female connector 17 shown in FIG. In other words, when the male connector 16 and the female connector 17 are completely fitted, the insertion of the communication module 10 into the slot 6 is completed. Here, the completion of fitting of the male connector 16 and the female connector 17 means that the male connector 16 is inserted into the female connector 17 until it is electrically connected to the female connector 17. That is, it means that the insertion length of the male connector 16 into the female connector 17 has reached the effective fitting length. In addition, the fitting length of the male connector 16 and the female connector 17 in this embodiment is 1.0 mm, and the effective fitting length is 0.7 mm.

  The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the invention. For example, the number of movable pieces provided in one communication module may be one or three or more. When providing a plurality of movable pieces, the movable pieces may be arranged in a horizontal row, in a vertical row, or in a staggered manner. However, when providing a plurality of movable pieces, it is preferable to devise the arrangement of the movable pieces so that the communication module is pressed as uniformly as possible in the cooling mechanism. For example, when two movable pieces are provided in one communication module, it is preferable to arrange the movable pieces at a position equidistant from the center of the communication module. In this regard, in the above embodiment, the two cams 40a and 40b are arranged in a horizontal row, and the cams 40a and 40b are arranged at an equidistant position from the center of the first outer surface 31 (FIG. 4, FIG. 4). FIG. 5).

  The cams 40a and 40b in the above embodiment are cylindrical, but the shape of the cam is not limited to a specific shape. For example, an embodiment in which the cylindrical cams 40a and 40b in the above embodiment are replaced by a disk cam, a spherical cam, and other cams is also included in the present invention.

  The movable piece is not limited to a cam. The movable piece can be switched between the first state and the second state in which the protrusion length with respect to the surface of the communication module is longer than that in the first state. When the movable piece is switched to the second state, the communication module is used as a cooling mechanism. Any element may be used as long as it generates a pressing force.

  The movable pieces (cams 40a and 40b) in the above embodiment are switched between the first state and the second state by a turning operation. However, an embodiment in which the movable piece is switched between the first state and the second state by an operation other than the rotation operation is also included in the present invention. Furthermore, an embodiment in which the knobs 41a and 41b in the above embodiment are replaced with a lever or the like is also included in the present invention.

  An embodiment in which the optical fiber 13 shown in FIG. 3 and the like is drawn out from the side surface of the module case 14 is also included in the present invention.

  An embodiment in which the communication module is pressed against the cooling mechanism via a heat conductive sheet or a heat conductive rubber is also included in the present invention. For example, a heat conductive sheet, a heat conductive rubber, or the like is disposed between the heat absorbing surface 4a of the heat sink 4 shown in FIG. 6B and the second outer surface 32 of the communication module 10 that is pressed against and closely contacts the heat absorbing surface 4a. Such embodiments are also included in the present invention.

  An embodiment in which an optical signal is input / output between the IC chip 3 and the communication module 10 shown in FIG. 1 is also included in the present invention. In addition, an embodiment in which a signal input from the outside to the communication module 10 and a signal output from the communication module 10 to the outside are electric signals is also included in the present invention. An embodiment in which the communication module 10 is inserted and removed in parallel with the mother board 2 is also included in the present invention.

  Embodiments having an air-cooled cooling mechanism are also included in the present invention. For example, an embodiment in which the heat sinks 4 and 5 shown in FIG. 2 and the like are provided with integral or separate radiating fins is also included in the present invention.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Signal transmission apparatus 2 Mother board 3 IC chip 4,5 Heat sink 4a, 4b, 5a, 5b Heat absorption surface 6, 6a, 6b Slot 8 (inside of slot) 10 Communication module 16 Male connector 17 Female connector 20a, 20b Cover Member 31 First outer surface 32 Second outer surface 40a, 40b Cam 41a, 41b Knob

Claims (11)

A signal transmission device in which a communication module is mounted on a substrate having a cooling mechanism,
A slot provided adjacent to the cooling mechanism on the substrate and into which the communication module is inserted and removed;
A movable piece provided in the communication module, wherein the movable piece is switched between a first state and a second state in which a protrusion length with respect to the surface of the communication module is longer than the first state;
An operation unit provided in the communication module, exposed to the outside of the slot in a state in which the communication module is inserted, and switching the movable piece between the first state and the second state ;
When the movable piece is switched to the second state, the inner surface of the slot is pressed by the movable piece, and the communication module is pressed against the cooling mechanism by the reaction. The signal transmission device according to claim 1,
The communication module has a first outer surface facing the inner surface of the slot, and a second outer surface positioned on the opposite side of the first outer surface and facing the cooling mechanism,
The movable piece switched to the second state is a signal transmission device in which a protruding length of the communication module with respect to the first outer surface is longer than that in the first state. The signal transmission device according to claim 2,
The operation unit has a first operation unit state corresponding to the first state and a second operation unit state corresponding to the second state. The signal transmission device according to claim 3,
The operation unit has an elongated shape,
The first operation portion state is a state in which the longitudinal direction of the operation portion is parallel to the first outer surface,
The signal transmission device in which the second operation unit state is a state in which a longitudinal direction of the operation unit is perpendicular to the first outer surface. In the signal transmission device according to any one of claims 1 to 4 ,
The signal transmission device, wherein the movable piece is a cam provided on a rotating shaft parallel to an insertion direction of the communication module into the slot, and the operation unit is provided at an end of the rotating shaft. In the signal transmission device according to any one of claims 1 to 5 ,
The cooling mechanism includes a heat sink against which the communication module is pressed, and a refrigerant passage through which a refrigerant that exchanges heat with the heat sink is circulated. A communication module that is inserted into and removed from a slot provided on a substrate having a cooling mechanism,
A movable piece that can be switched between a first state and a second state in which the protrusion length relative to the surface of the communication module is longer than the first state ;
An operation unit that is exposed to the outside of the slot in a state in which the communication module is inserted, and switches the movable piece between the first state and the second state ;
When the movable piece is switched to the second state while being inserted into the slot, the inner surface of the slot is pressed by the movable piece and pressed against the cooling mechanism by the reaction. The communication module according to claim 7.
A first outer surface facing the inner surface of the slot, and a second outer surface located on the opposite side of the first outer surface and facing the cooling mechanism;
The movable piece switched to the second state is a communication module in which a protruding length with respect to the first outer surface is longer than that in the first state. The communication module according to claim 8, wherein
The operation unit has a first operation unit state corresponding to the first state and a second operation unit state corresponding to the second state. The communication module according to claim 9, wherein
The operation unit has an elongated shape,
The first operation portion state is a state in which the longitudinal direction of the operation portion is parallel to the first outer surface,
The communication module in which the second operation unit state is a state in which a longitudinal direction of the operation unit is perpendicular to the first outer surface. In the communication module as described in any one of Claims 6-10 ,
The communication module, wherein the movable piece is a cam provided on a rotation shaft parallel to an insertion direction of the communication module into the slot, and the operation portion is provided at an end of the rotation shaft.

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