JP2006065060A - Optical fiber transmission device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an optical fiber transmission device that reduces an installation space of optical fibers and that facilitates mounting of optical fibers. <P>SOLUTION: The optical fiber transmission device 22 is equipped with an optical element module 24 having an element 28 and a guide member 26 which is mounted with an optical fiber 36 and which is then attached to the optical element module 24. The optical element module 24 is installed on the surface of a circuit board 34. The guide member 26 is assembled, from above, into the groove 30 that is provided in the optical element module 24. Thus, with the optical element module 24 and the guide member 26 provided to make mounting possible from above, optical fibers 36 can be easily mounted, facilitating the installation of optical fibers even inside a small space. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to an optical fiber transmitter used for wiring or the like in various devices, and more particularly to an apparatus for reducing the mounting space of an optical fiber and facilitating the mounting.

  In general, connection in equipment is performed using a flexible circuit board or the like, but when it is necessary to prevent the influence of noise and increase the speed of communication, for example, transmission / reception of image signals, etc. In this case, connection is performed using an optical fiber. Usually, the optical fiber used for the wiring in the equipment is connected to the circuit by being attached to an optical fiber transmitter (FOT: Fiber Optical Transceiver) having a structure as shown in FIG. .

  As shown in FIGS. 12 and 13, the optical fiber transmitter 2 is a device in which an element 4 made of a light emitting element or a light receiving element is housed in a housing 6. The lead terminal 10 is mounted on the circuit board 8 by being inserted and fixed. The light emission or light reception direction of the element 4 is set to be parallel to the surface of the circuit board 8 in order to draw out the optical fiber 12 parallel to the surface of the circuit board 8 and to minimize the wiring space. In the housing 6 of the optical fiber transmitter 2, a cylindrical optical fiber mounting portion 14 for mounting the optical fiber 12 is provided on the front surface of the element 4 in the light emitting or receiving direction. The optical fiber 12 is attached so that the end thereof faces the element 4 by being fitted into the optical fiber attachment portion 14.

  By using the optical fiber transmitter 2 as described above, the optical fiber 12 and the circuit board 8 are connected by fitting the optical fiber 12 into the optical fiber mounting portion 14 from the front of the optical fiber transmitter 2. be able to. However, usually, after the optical fiber transmitter 2 is attached to the circuit board 8, the optical fiber 12 is manually inserted and connected to the optical fiber attachment portion 14, so that the fingertip that pinches the optical fiber 12 or the relief of the tool tip is used. The minimum distance T1 between the optical fiber 12 and the circuit board 8 is about 5 mm or more. For this reason, the height of the optical fiber mounting portion 14 must be increased, and as a result, the height T2 of the optical fiber transmitter 2 is also increased and is usually set to 8 mm or more, and there is a margin in the mounting space of a mobile phone or the like. There was a problem that it could not be used for devices without.

  Further, depending on the mounting position of the circuit board, the optical fiber transmitter may be sandwiched between peripheral devices, and the optical fiber insertion work may be extremely difficult. In particular, since a large stress is applied to the portion of the optical fiber transmitter 2 attached to the circuit board 8 when the optical fiber 12 is inserted and removed, it is necessary to connect more firmly. In the surface mount type optical fiber transmitter, the connection terminal It is necessary to increase or enlarge the number of portions, and guide terminals may be provided as necessary.

In addition to the above optical fiber transmitter, there is also an optical fiber transmitter that includes both a light emitting element and a light receiving element, and emits and receives light using two connected optical fibers. In such a bidirectional optical fiber transmitter, a light emitting module and a light receiving module are housed in a housing, and optical fibers are connected to the housing one by one so as to correspond to each (see Patent Document 1). ). However, in this optical fiber transmitter, as in the prior art described above, light is emitted and received in a direction substantially parallel to the mounting surface to be attached to the circuit board, and the optical fiber is inserted and removed from the light emitting and receiving direction. Therefore, there is a problem that a certain installation space for the optical fiber is required and it is difficult to attach the optical fiber.
JP 2002-368287 A

  The problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide an optical fiber transmitter capable of reducing the mounting space of the optical fiber and facilitating the mounting of the optical fiber.

  An optical fiber transmitter of the present invention includes an optical element module having an element composed of one or both of a light emitting element and a light receiving element, and an optical fiber for transmitting and receiving to and from the optical element module. A guide member incorporated in an outer shape of the optical element module or a groove provided in front of the light receiving and emitting direction of the optical element module is provided. Further, the guide member in the optical fiber transmitter includes a recess corresponding to the outer shape of the optical element module and a through hole for incorporating the optical fiber at the center of the optical element module in the light receiving and emitting directions. The guide member has a substantially I shape corresponding to a groove provided in front of the optical element module, and includes a through hole for incorporating the optical fiber into the center of the light receiving and emitting direction of the optical element module. The guide member is made of an elastic member such as rubber or elastomer. The guide member includes an engaging portion and an elastic portion for fixing to the optical element module.

  In the optical fiber transmitter of the present invention, an optical element module having elements is mounted on a circuit board, and a guide member to which an optical fiber is attached from above is incorporated in the groove, or an optical fiber is mounted on the optical element module. Since it is attached so as to cover the attached guide member, the optical fiber can be attached easily even in a small space.

  Further, as described above, since it can be easily mounted, mounted and wired even in a small space, it can be used for in-device wiring in a cellular phone or the like which requires a thin thickness that can ensure only a very small space.

  In addition, the optical fiber is inserted into and removed from the guide member in advance, and then the guide member is attached to the optical element module, so that not only the optical fiber can be easily inserted and removed, but also the stress caused by the insertion and removal is the connection part between the optical element module and the circuit board. In addition, the connection state does not become unstable, and high mounting quality can be ensured without using a guide pin or the like that facilitates assembly and increases mounting strength.

  An optical fiber transmitter of the present invention includes an optical element module that performs optical-electrical conversion having an element composed of one or both of a light emitting element and a light receiving element, a guide member to which an optical fiber is attached and attached to the optical element module, It has. The optical element module is surface-mounted on a circuit board. Further, the guide member is incorporated into the groove provided in the optical element module from above (substantially perpendicular to the mounting surface or the surface of the circuit board). On the other hand, the guide member has a concave portion that matches the outer shape of the optical element module, and is attached to the optical element module from above the optical element module so as to cover the concave portion on the optical element module.

  As described above, the optical element module for receiving and emitting light and the guide member for attaching the optical fiber are separately provided and configured so that they can be assembled from above, so that the optical fiber can be easily attached in a small space. However, an optical fiber can be easily attached.

  FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an optical fiber transmitter according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a central longitudinal sectional view after assembly. The optical fiber transmitter 22 includes an optical element module 24 that converts a signal into electricity and light, and a guide member 26 that attaches the optical fiber. In addition, the optical element module 24 in a present Example has shown as an example what mounted the light emitting element.

  The optical element module 24 includes an element 28 that is housed in an exterior 32 and includes a light emitting element such as an LED, an IC that controls the light emitting element, and the like, and a groove 30 that incorporates the guide member 26. When the optical element module 24 is mounted with a light receiving element such as a photodiode, an OEIC in which the light receiving element and its control IC are integrated is housed as the element 28. When the optical element module 24 is mounted with both a light emitting element and a light receiving element, the light emitting element, the light receiving element and the element 28 composed of their control ICs are housed together. The element 28 in the optical element module 24 is mounted on the circuit board 34 so that the mounting surface 28b, which is the lower surface in the drawing, is placed on the surface 34a of the circuit board 34. Is set to emit or receive light in a direction substantially parallel to the mounting surface 28b (or the surface 34a of the circuit board 34) (left side in the figure). The groove portion 30 is provided adjacent to the light emitting / receiving direction of the element 28, and is formed by projecting an exterior 32 containing the element 28 in a substantially L shape. This groove part 30 is opened upward (substantially perpendicular to the mounting surface 28b or the surface 34a). Further, the side wall 32a at the end of the exterior 32 is provided with a through hole 30b, which is formed in the light emitting / receiving direction of the element 28 and has a notch opening upward (substantially perpendicular to the mounting surface 28b). 30c is provided.

  On the other hand, the guide member 26 has a shape suitable for the groove 30 of the optical element module 24 (for example, a rectangular parallelepiped such as a substantially I shape), and has a through hole 26a into which the end of the optical fiber 36 is fitted. ing. The through hole 26a is positioned so that when the guide member 26 is fitted into the groove 30, the one opening faces the light emitting or receiving portion of the element 28 and the other opening faces the through hole 30b. Is formed.

  The optical element module 24 and the guide member 26 having the above-described configuration are attached as follows to connect the optical fiber 36. First, the optical element module 24 is mounted on the surface 34 a of the circuit board 34. As described above, the optical element module 24 is mounted such that the mounting surface 28b of the element 28 is placed on the surface 34a of the circuit board 34. For this reason, the element 28 emits light or receives light in a substantially parallel direction which is the left side in the drawing with respect to the mounting surface 28b or the surface 34a. When the optical element module 24 is mounted in this manner, the groove portion 30 and the cutout opening portion 30c open in a substantially vertical direction that is upward in the drawing with respect to the attachment surface 28b or the surface 34a.

  As described above, the guide member 26 is incorporated into the groove 30 of the optical element module 24 from above (substantially perpendicular to the surface 34 a) in the optical element module 24 attached to the circuit board 34. The outer shape of the guide member 26 and the internal shape of the groove portion 30 of the optical element module 24 are set to a substantially I-shape that fits, and the optical element module 24 and the guide member 26 are fitted only by incorporating the guide member 26 into the groove portion 30. To do.

  When the optical element module 24 and the guide member 26 are fitted as described above, the element 28 of the optical element module 24 and the end of the optical fiber 36 attached to the guide member 26 face each other, and light transmission / reception is performed. Is possible. At this time, the optical fiber 36 attached to the guide member 26 is inserted into the notch opening 30c from above in the drawing, and is directly accommodated in the through hole 30b and pulled out substantially parallel to the surface 34a of the circuit board 34. Will be.

  Thus, by attaching the optical element module 24 and the guide member 26 from above the surface 34a of the circuit board 34, the optical fiber 36 can be connected and the optical fiber 36 can be pulled out in a direction parallel to the surface 34a. it can. Therefore, even if other circuits or other devices mounted on the circuit board 34 are adjacent to each other, if there is a space above the circuit board 34, the optical element module 24 and the guide member 26 can be easily attached to the optical fiber 36. Can be connected.

  The guide member 26 may be attached to the optical element module 24 in a removable manner by fitting, or may be fixed by applying or adhering an adhesive or double-sided tape to the guide member 26. May be.

  The guide member 26 may be made of plastic, resin, or the like, but is preferably formed of an elastic member such as rubber or elastomer in order to prevent the guide member 26 from being removed by impact or the like after being inserted into the groove portion 30.

  Further, the guide member 26 may be configured as shown in FIGS. 5 and 6 so that the guide member 26 is not easily detached from the groove portion 30. The guide member 26 has both ends 26b and 26c in the longitudinal direction divided into two forks by grooves 26d and 26e formed from the end face toward the center. Accordingly, the end portions 26b and 26c of the guide member 26 have elasticity in the axial direction. In addition, on the surface of the guide member 26 facing the side wall 32a of the optical element module 24, there are several engaging portions 26f projecting in a substantially hemispherical shape at the symmetrical position around the optical fiber 36 (in FIG. 5, 2). Pieces). As shown in FIG. 7, when the guide member 26 having the above configuration is fitted into the groove portion 30 of the optical element module 24, the engaging portion 26f is pressed against the inner surface of the groove portion 30 by the elasticity of the end portions 26b and 26c. The guide member 26 is unlikely to be disengaged from the groove portion 30. Note that a shallow engagement recess can be provided at a position corresponding to the engagement portion 26d on the inner side surface of the groove portion 30 on the side wall 32a side, and the engagement state with the engagement portion 26d can be made more reliable. In this embodiment, the engaging portion 26 f is provided so as to face the side wall 32 a of the optical element module 24, and when the guide member 26 is fitted into the groove portion 30, the tip of the optical fiber 36 is oriented in the direction of the element 28. It is comprised so that it may adhere to. In the case of the guide member 26, the end portions 26c and 26d are structurally elastic even when formed of plastic, resin, or the like, but can also be formed of an elastic member such as rubber or elastomer. Alternatively, the engaging portion 26f or only the engaging portion 26f and its periphery may be formed of an elastic member as an elastic portion.

  FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing an optical fiber transmitter according to Embodiment 2 of the present invention, and FIG. 4 is a central longitudinal sectional view after assembly. The optical fiber transmitter 42 includes an optical element module 44 and a box-shaped guide member 46. In addition, the optical element module 44 in the present embodiment is also shown as an example in which a light emitting element is mounted.

  The optical element module 44 in this embodiment is composed of an element 48 including a light emitting element such as an LED and an IC that controls the light emitting element (OEIC in which the light receiving element and the IC are integrated in the case of a light receiving element). . The element 48 in the optical element module 44 is mounted in such a manner that the mounting surface 48b which is the lower surface of the element 48 in the drawing is brought into contact with the surface 34a of the circuit board 34 in the same manner as in the first embodiment. The light is emitted or received in a substantially parallel direction (left side in the figure). Note that the optical element module 44 in the present embodiment has an outer shape arranged in a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape with a sealing resin, a case, or the like.

  The guide member 46 has a concave portion 46b that opens in the direction of the connection surface 46a (the lower surface in the drawing) and fits the outer shape of the optical element module 44, and a through hole 46c into which the optical fiber 56 is inserted. It is provided on the side. The through hole 46c is formed so as to be substantially parallel to the surface 34a of the circuit board 34 and to communicate with the inner side wall of the recess 46b. When the optical element module 44 is accommodated in the recess 46b, the element 48 is provided. The light emitting or light receiving portions 48a are set to face each other.

  The optical element module 44 and the guide member 46 having the above configuration are attached and connected as follows. First, as in the first embodiment, the optical element module 44 is mounted on the surface 34 a of the circuit board 34. The light emission or light reception direction of the element 48 at this time is substantially parallel to the surface 34a of the circuit board 34 (left side in the figure).

  The guide member 46 is attached to the optical element module 44 from above in the drawing (substantially perpendicular to the surface 34a) so that the concave portion 46b covers the optical element module 44. The shape of the recess 46b is also set to a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape that matches the outer shape of the optical element module 44, and the recess 46b and the optical element module 44 are fitted.

  When the optical element module 44 and the guide member 46 are fitted in this manner, the light emitting or light receiving portion 48a of the optical element module 44 and the inner end of the through hole 46c of the guide member 46 face each other, and the through hole 46c. The end of the optical fiber 56 inserted into the optical element module 44 faces the light emitting or light receiving portion 48a of the optical element module 44. Thereby, similarly to the first embodiment, the element 48 of the optical element module 44 and the optical fiber 56 of the guide member 46 can transmit and receive light.

  The optical element module 44 and the guide member 46 in the second embodiment may be attached by fitting the element 48 and the recess 46b, or may be fixed by an adhesive or a double-sided tape. is there. Further, the guide member 46 may be fixed by being adhered to the surface 34 a of the circuit board 34.

  Also, the guide member 46 may be made of plastic, resin, or the like as in the first embodiment. However, in order to prevent the guide member 46 from coming off due to impact after being externally fitted to the optical element module 44, rubber, elastomer, etc. The elastic member may be used.

  Further, the guide member 46 can be configured as shown in FIGS. In the guide member 46, a pair of slits 46d parallel to the connection surface 46a are provided vertically on three side wall portions to which the optical fiber 56 is not attached. The belt-like portion 46e formed between the upper and lower slits 46d has elasticity in the inner and outer directions of the guide member 46. The belt-like portion 46e is provided with a substantially hemispherical engaging portion 46f that protrudes inward of the concave portion 46b. As shown in FIG. 11, when the guide member 46 is put on the optical element module 44 and externally fitted, the engaging part 46f is brought into contact with the side surface of the optical element module 44 due to the elasticity of the band-shaped part 46e. It is pressed and engaged. Thereby, the fitting state of the guide member 46 and the optical element module 44 is firmly maintained. Further, in the case of this guide member 46, the band-like portion 46e is elastic in structure even if it is formed of plastic, resin, etc., but it can also be formed of an elastic member such as rubber or elastomer. Alternatively, the engaging portion 46f or only the engaging portion 46f and the belt-like portion 46e may be formed of an elastic member as an elastic portion.

  Also, in both the first and second embodiments, the optical element module is exemplified by an element including a light emitting element and an IC for controlling the same, but the element including the light receiving element and the IC are integrated. The OEIC may be mounted, or the light emitting element and the light receiving element and their control ICs may be mounted together.

  In either of the first and second embodiments, it is preferable to fix the optical fiber in advance to the guide member. However, a pin-shaped plug portion is provided at the end of the optical fiber, and the guide member is adapted to the plug portion. The optical fiber may be easily attached and detached before and after connecting the optical element module and the guide member by providing a connector part to be connected and fitting and detaching the plug part and the connector part.

  Since the optical fiber transmitter of the present invention can connect and wire an optical fiber in a very narrow space, it is optimal for wiring in equipment that is small in size and requires high speed and noise countermeasures. For example, examples of such a small device include a mobile phone and a notebook computer, and it is particularly preferable to use it for wiring between a display unit made of liquid crystal or the like and a control circuit thereof.

It is a perspective view which shows the optical fiber transmitter which concerns on Example 1 of this invention. FIG. 2 is a central longitudinal sectional view after assembling the guide member and the optical element module shown in FIG. 1. It is a perspective view which shows the optical fiber transmitter which concerns on Example 2 of this invention. It is a center longitudinal cross-sectional view after the assembly | attachment of the guide member and optical element module shown in FIG. FIG. 5 is a partially cut plan view showing a partial modification of the guide member shown in FIG. 1. It is a perspective view of the guide member shown in FIG. FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view showing a state where the guide member shown in FIG. 5 is fitted to the optical element module. It is a bottom view which shows the example of a partial change of the guide member shown in FIG. It is sectional drawing which shows the inside of the guide member shown in FIG. It is a perspective view of the guide member shown in FIG. It is sectional drawing which shows the state which made the guide member shown in FIG. 8 fit to the optical element module. It is sectional drawing which shows the conventional optical fiber transmitter. It is a perspective view of the optical fiber transmitter shown in FIG.

Explanation of symbols

2, 22, 42 Optical fiber transmitters 4, 28, 48 Element 6 Housing 8, 34 Circuit board 10 Lead terminal 12, 36, 56 Optical fiber 14 Optical fiber mounting portion 24, 44 Optical element module 26, 46 Guide member 26a, 30b, 46c Through hole 26b, 26c End portion 26d, 26e Groove 26f Engagement portion 28b, 48b Mounting surface 30 Groove portion 30c Notch opening 32 Exterior 32a Side wall 34a Surface 46a Connection surface 46b Recess 46d Slit 46e Band-like portion 46f Engagement portion

Claims (5)

An optical element module having an element composed of one or both of a light emitting element and a light receiving element, and an optical fiber for transmitting and receiving to and from the optical element module, the optical fiber being attached and the outer shape of the optical element module or the optical element An optical fiber transmission comprising a guide member incorporated in a groove provided in front of the light receiving and emitting direction of the module. 2. The optical fiber transmission according to claim 1, wherein the guide member includes a recess corresponding to an outer shape of the optical element module and a through hole for incorporating the optical fiber in the center of the light receiving and emitting direction of the optical element module. Machine. The guide member has a substantially I shape corresponding to a groove provided in front of the optical element module, and includes a through hole for incorporating the optical fiber into the center of the light receiving and emitting direction of the optical element module. The optical fiber transmitter according to claim 1. 4. The optical fiber transmitter according to claim 2, wherein the guide member is made of an elastic member such as rubber or elastomer. 4. The optical fiber transmitter according to claim 2, wherein the guide member includes an engaging portion and an elastic portion for fixing to the optical element module.

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