JP2011233501A - Connector component - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a connector component capable of accommodating lead wire connection and optical connection.SOLUTION: A receptacle 1 includes: a connection section 18 connected to a lead wire of a USB cable 2; a light emitting element 23 emitting light to a ferrule 4; and a light-receiving element 24 receiving the light emitted from the ferrule 4. The lead wire connection is made between the lead wire and the connection section 18 and the optical connection is made between an optical fiber enclosed in the USB cable 2, the light emitting element 23, and the light-receiving element 24. Accordingly, the receptacle is capable of accommodating the USB cable 2 that permits the optical connection by enclosing an optical cord as well as the lead wire connection, thus enabling high-capacity data communication at a high speed.

Description

  The present invention relates to a connector component.

  In recent years, a USB (Universal Serial Bus) cable has been used as a serial bus for connecting peripheral devices to a computer. USB is a bus standard for connecting devices, and the USB 3.0 standard is currently realized. USB 3.0 is currently the fastest transfer speed in the USB standard, and the maximum transfer speed is 5 Gbit / s (for example, see Non-Patent Document 1).

“Universal Serial Bus 3.0 Specification Revision 1.0”, [online], November 12, 2008, USBImplementers Forum, Inc., [Search December 23, 2010], Internet <URL: http: //www.usb. org / developers / docs /> JP 2010-520369 A

  As described above, in the communication field in recent years, transfer of a large amount of data is required. However, there is a limit to the communication speed by the conducting wire as in USB 3.0. Therefore, in order to further increase the speed, a USB cable has been proposed in which an optical cord is built in a USB cable and optical connection is made in addition to connection with a conducting wire (see Patent Document 1 above). For this reason, in a computer or the like, it is necessary to mount a connector component that can cope with both the conductive wire connection and the optical connection.

  The present invention has been made to solve such a problem, and an object of the present invention is to provide a connector component that can cope with conductive wire connection and optical connection.

  In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, a connector component according to the present invention is a connector component that is coupled to a connector that includes a plurality of conductors and a plurality of ferrules that hold tip portions of a plurality of optical fibers. A connection portion connected to the lead wire, a light emitting element that emits light to the ferrule, and a light receiving element that enters the light emitted from the ferrule, and a plurality of the lead wires and the connection portion are connected to the lead wire, and an optical fiber The light emitting element and the light receiving element are optically connected.

  The connector component includes a connection portion connected to the lead wire, a light emitting element that emits light to the ferrule, and a light receiving element that enters the light emitted from the ferrule, and the plurality of lead wires and the connection portion are connected to the lead wire. The optical fiber, the light emitting element, and the light receiving element are optically connected. Thereby, it can respond to the USB cable which incorporates an optical cord and performs optical connection together with the connection by conducting wire. As a result, large-capacity data communication can be performed at high speed.

  It is preferable to provide a lens for collimating light at a position facing the light emitting element and the light receiving element. According to such a configuration, since the light emitted from the light emitting element and the light received by the light receiving element are converted into parallel light by the lens, the optical connection can be made more reliable.

  A mirror that refracts light at a position facing the lens is provided. The mirror refracts the light emitted from the light emitting element and collimated by the lens to the ferrule side, and refracts the light emitted from the ferrule to the light receiving element side. It is preferable to make it. According to such a configuration, optical connection with the optical cord of the USB cable is possible without providing a light emitting element and a light receiving element at a position facing the ferrule. Therefore, the arrangement positions of the light emitting element and the light receiving element can be set as appropriate.

  It is preferable that the lens case includes a housing portion that forms a housing space for housing the light emitting element and the light receiving element, and the lens is provided at a position facing the light emitting element and the light receiving element in the lens case. According to such a configuration, the light emitting element and the light receiving element can be protected by the lens case.

  A substrate on which the light emitting element and the light receiving element are mounted is provided, and a terminal electrically connected to the mounting substrate is connected to the substrate. According to such a configuration, the mounting substrate and the substrate can be connected well.

  The substrate includes a substrate on which the light emitting element and the light receiving element are mounted. The substrate has a connection portion that is electrically connected to the conductive wire and a connection portion that is directly connected to the mounting substrate. According to such a structure, a board | substrate can be directly connected to the edge connector socket mounted in the mounting board | substrate. Therefore, high speed transmission is possible.

  The lens case is provided with a guide pin that is inserted into the connector and aligns the optical axis between the ferrule, the light emitting element, and the light receiving element. According to such a configuration, the optical axis alignment between the ferrule, the light emitting element, and the light receiving element can be performed satisfactorily, and the accuracy of optical connection can be improved.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to cope with a conductor connection and an optical connection. Thereby, the communication speed can be further improved.

It is a perspective view which shows the receptacle and USB connector which concern on 1st Embodiment. It is sectional drawing in FIG. It is a sectional side view which shows the state which the receptacle and USB connector couple | bonded. It is a perspective view of the receptacle shown in FIG. FIG. 5 is a top view of the receptacle shown in FIG. 4. It is a front view of the receptacle shown in FIG. FIG. 5 is a side view of the receptacle shown in FIG. 4. It is a figure explaining the assembly method of the receptacle shown in FIG. It is a sectional side view of the receptacle which concerns on 2nd Embodiment. It is a top view of the receptacle which concerns on 3rd Embodiment.

  DESCRIPTION OF EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of a connector component according to the invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the following description, the same reference numerals are used for the same elements or elements having the same functions, and redundant description is omitted. In the following description, “front” indicates the right side in the figure, and “rear” indicates the left side in the figure.

[First Embodiment]
FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a receptacle and a USB connector according to the first embodiment. FIG. 2 is a sectional side view in FIG. FIG. 3 is a side sectional view showing a state in which the receptacle and the USB connector are coupled.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the receptacle 1 is a connector part to which a USB connector 3 having a USBA terminal connected to a USB (Universal Serial Bus) cable 2 is coupled. The USB cable 2 incorporates a plurality (here, two) of optical cords in addition to a plurality (here, four) of conducting wires (metal lines). As shown in FIG. 2, the ferrule 4 is built in the insertion part 5 of the USB connector 3, and this ferrule 4 holds the tip part of the optical fiber core wire (not shown) of each optical cord. Yes. The tip of the ferrule 4 is a lens 4a, and the central axis of the lens 4a and the central axis of the optical fiber core wire are positioned with high accuracy. The receptacle 1 is mounted on, for example, a personal computer or other external device (for example, a printer, an external hard disk, etc.).

  As shown in FIG. 3, the receptacle 1 and the USB connector 3 are connected by holding the USB connector 3 between the receptacle 1. Specifically, the receptacle 1 includes a metal shell 11, and the metal shell 11 is provided with a pair of projecting portions 12 a and 12 b projecting inward in the vertical direction (opposing direction). With such a configuration, when the USB connector 3 is inserted into the receptacle 1, the upper surface 5a and the lower surface 5b of the insertion portion 5 of the USB connector 3 come into contact with the protruding portions 12a and 12b. Thereby, the upper surface 5a and the lower surface 5b of the insertion part 5 of the USB connector 3 are pressed by the protrusions 12a and 12b, and the connection state between the receptacle 1 and the USB connector 3 is maintained. The receptacle 1 is optically connected by aligning the optical axis with the USB connector 3 by guide pins 30a and 30b described later. Simultaneously with the optical connection, connection (metal contact) between the lead wire of the USB connector 3 and the connection portion 18 of the receptacle 1 is also performed.

  Next, the configuration of the receptacle 1 will be described with reference to FIGS. 4 is a perspective view showing the external appearance of the receptacle, FIG. 5 is a top view of the receptacle shown in FIG. 4, FIG. 6 is a front view of the receptacle shown in FIG. 4, and FIG. 7 is a side view of the receptacle shown in FIG. 7 is a view for explaining assembly of the receptacle shown in FIG. 4-8, illustration of the metal shell 11 is abbreviate | omitted for convenience of explanation.

  As shown in each drawing, the receptacle 1 includes a main body 13 and an optical device unit (OSA: Optical Sub Assembly) 14. The main body 13 is made of an insulating material. The main body 13 has a projecting portion 15 and a housing portion 16. The protruding portion 15 is provided in the main body portion 13 so as to protrude forward from the accommodating portion 16 and has a flat plate shape. The projecting portion 15 incorporates a plurality (four in this case) of conductors (connection conductors) 17 for electrical signals, power sources, and power grounds. As shown in FIG. 7, one end side of the conductor 17 is provided so as to be exposed on the surface of the projecting portion 15 at a position electrically connected to a contact portion (not shown) provided on the USB connector 3. Thus, the connection portion 18 is formed. The other end side of the conductor 17 is bent by approximately 90 ° on the rear side (accommodating portion 16 side) of the main body portion 13, and is drawn out downward of the main body portion 13. The accommodating portion 16 is provided on the rear side of the main body portion 13. The accommodating portion 16 is a portion that accommodates the optical device portion 14, and has a rectangular shape in a top view as shown in FIG.

  The optical device unit 14 includes a substrate 20, a lens case 21, and a mirror component 22. The board | substrate 20 is a printed circuit board, for example. The substrate 20 has a rectangular shape and has an outer dimension equivalent to the outer dimension of the housing part 16 in the main body part 13. A light emitting element 23, a light receiving element 24, and an IC (Integrated Circuit) chip 25 are mounted on the front end side of the substrate 20. The light emitting element 23 and the light receiving element 24 and the IC chip 25 are connected by a wiring 26. As the light emitting element 23, for example, a vertical cavity surface emitting laser (VCSEL) can be used. As the light receiving element 24, a photodiode (PD: Photodiode) can be used.

  The IC chip 25 has a function of controlling the light emitting element 23 and the light receiving element 24. For example, a driver (Driver) that drives the light emitting element 23 or a voltage signal corresponding to light received by the light receiving element 24 is provided. Functions such as an output transimpedance amplifier (TIA) and a limiting amplifier (LA) are provided. The IC chip 25 is controlled by a device on which the receptacle 1 is mounted.

  Further, a through hole H into which a terminal (pin) 27 for connecting the optical device unit 14 and a mounting substrate (not shown) is inserted is formed on the rear end side of the substrate 20. A plurality of (for example, nine) through holes H are formed corresponding to the terminals 27 and are electrically connected to the terminals 27. The same number (for example, nine) of terminals 27 inserted in the through holes H as the through holes H are provided in the main body 13. Specifically, for example, four terminals 27 are provided for signal lines, one for power supply and ground (grounding), and three for controlling the IC chip 25. The terminal 27 is inserted into a through hole H formed in the substrate 20 and is electrically connected to the substrate 20. In the example of FIG. 7, the terminals 27 connected to the substrate 20 are arranged in a line in a direction perpendicular to the paper surface, but may be arranged in a direction perpendicular to the paper surface over a plurality of rows.

  The lens case 21 is disposed on the substrate 20 so as to cover the light emitting element 23, the light receiving element 24, the IC chip 25, and the like. The lens case 21 is formed of a transparent resin having translucency such as polyetherimide (PEI), polycarbonate (PC), and acrylic resin. Furthermore, it is preferable to use an electron beam cross-linking resin. When an electron beam cross-linked resin is used, it becomes possible to have reflow heat resistance, and it can be mounted simultaneously with general electronic components. The lens case 21 has a concave shape in cross section, and has a housing portion 21a that forms a housing space S that houses the light emitting element 23, the light receiving element 24, the IC chip 25, and the like in a state of being disposed on the substrate 20. Yes. On the upper surface of the lens case 21 (the surface on the mirror 29 side), a lens portion 28a for collimating the light emitted from the light emitting element 23 is formed in a spherical convex shape at a position facing the light emitting element 23. Further, on the upper surface of the lens case 21, a lens portion 28b for collimating light incident on the light receiving element 24 is formed in a spherical convex shape at a position facing the light receiving element 24. The lens portion 28 a and the lens portion 28 b are arranged on the same straight line in the width direction of the main body portion 13. Note that the lens portion 28 a and the lens portion 28 b can correspond to both the light emitting element 23 and the light receiving element 24. Further, the positions of the light emitting element 23 and the light receiving element 24 can be appropriately changed according to the specifications.

  Although not shown, the accommodation space S (accommodating portion 21a) of the lens case 21 is filled with a refractive index matching material (resin). As the refractive index matching agent, for example, an epoxy resin or a silicone resin can be used, and the refractive index thereof is, for example, about n = 1.4 to 1.6. By filling the accommodation space S of the lens case 21 with the refractive index matching material, reflection generated at the interface with the air of the incident and emitted light can be reduced, and the light emitting element 23 disposed on the substrate 20 and the light receiving element. The element 24, the IC chip 25, and the like can be protected.

  The mirror component 22 is disposed on the substrate 20 so as to be positioned above the lens case 21. The mirror component 22 includes a mirror 29 and guide pins 30a and 30b. The mirror 29 is provided at a position facing the lens portions 28a and 28b of the lens case 21 (the lens portions 28a and 28b face). The mirror 29 has an angle (for example, 45 °) that refracts light by 90 ° with respect to the incident direction or the outgoing direction, and is formed along the width direction (vertical direction in FIG. 5) of the mirror component 22. .

  As shown in FIG. 4, the guide pins 30 a and 30 b are formed on a pair of standing leg portions 31 a and 31 b provided on both sides in the width direction of the main body portion 13. The guide pins 30a and 30b are provided so as to protrude forward from the front surface of the mirror component 22 (the surface on which the USB connector 3 is located). Specifically, the guide pins 30a and 30b are formed so as to become thinner from the base end portion on the standing leg portions 31a and 31b side toward the distal end portion. The guide pins 30 a and 30 b are inserted into guide grooves (not shown) formed in the insertion portion 5 of the USB connector 3. The guide pins 30a and 30b and the mirror 29 are integrally formed.

  As shown in FIG. 8, the receptacle 1 having the above configuration is configured by arranging the optical device unit 14 in the accommodating unit 16 of the main body unit 13 after assembling the optical device unit 14. At this time, the terminal 27 formed on the main body portion 13 is positioned so as to be inserted into the through hole H formed on the substrate 20 of the optical device portion 14, and the optical device portion 14 is placed in the housing portion 16 of the main body portion 13. Deploy. Then, the main body 13 on which the optical device unit 14 is mounted is inserted into the metal shell 11 to complete the receptacle 1.

  Next, an operation when the receptacle 1 and the USB connector 3 are connected will be described with reference to FIG. In FIG. 3, the conductor of the USB cable 2 and the connecting portion 18 of the receptacle 1 are in contact with each other, and the conductors are connected (metal contact). Further, for example, the emitted light emitted from the light emitting element 23 of the receptacle 1 is collimated by the lens portion 28a of the lens case 21 (made parallel light), reflected by the mirror 29 of the mirror component 22, and changed in direction by 90 °. Then, the reflected light is incident on the lens 4 a of the ferrule 4.

  On the other hand, similarly, the emitted light emitted from the ferrule 4 is reflected by the mirror 29 of the mirror component 22 to change the direction by 90 °, is condensed by the lens portion 28 b of the lens case 21, and enters the light receiving element 24. Thus, the optical connection is performed simultaneously with the conductor connection.

  The receptacle 1 having the above-described configuration is provided with a shutter (not shown) that covers the insertion port portion of the USB connector 3 when mounted on a personal computer or the like. Thereby, the light emission from the light emitting element 23 cannot be directly seen. Thereby, safety to the eyes of the user is ensured. In the receptacle 1, the IC chip 25 may be controlled so that the light emitting element 23 emits light only when connected to the USB connector 3.

  As described above, the receptacle 1 includes the connection portion 18 connected to the conductor of the USB cable 2, the light emitting element 23 that emits light to the ferrule 4, and the light receiving element 24 that enters the light emitted from the ferrule 4. ing. The conducting wire and the connecting portion 18 are connected by conducting wire, and the optical fiber built in the USB cable 2 and the light emitting element 23 and the light receiving element 24 are optically connected. Thereby, it can respond to the USB cable 2 which incorporates an optical cord and performs an optical connection together with the connection by a conducting wire. As a result, large-capacity data communication can be performed at high speed.

  Further, since the lens portions 28a and 28b for collimating the light are provided at positions facing the light emitting element 23 and the light receiving element 24, the light emitted from the light emitting element 23 and the light received by the light receiving element 24 are transmitted. Since the parallel light is obtained by the lens portions 28a and 28b, the optical connection can be made more reliable.

  In addition, a mirror 29 that refracts light is provided at a position facing the lens portions 28a and 28b, and the mirror 29 refracts light emitted from the light emitting element 23 and collimated by the lens portion 28a toward the ferrule 4 side. The light emitted from the ferrule 4 is refracted toward the light receiving element 24 side. Accordingly, optical connection with the optical cord of the USB cable 2 is possible without providing the light emitting element 23 and the light receiving element 24 at a position facing the ferrule 4. Therefore, the arrangement positions of the light emitting element 23 and the light receiving element 24 can be set as appropriate.

  In addition, the lens case 21 having a housing portion 21 a that forms a housing space S for housing the light emitting element 23 and the light receiving element 24 is provided, and the lens portions 28 a and 28 b are lenses at positions facing the light emitting element 23 and the light receiving element 24. The case 21 is provided. According to such a configuration, the light emitting element 23 and the light receiving element 24 can be protected by the lens case 21. Furthermore, since the refractive index matching material is filled in the accommodation space S, reflection generated at the interface with the air of incident and emitted light can be reduced, and the light emitting element 23 disposed on the substrate 20 and the light receiving element The element 24, the IC chip 25, etc. can be protected more reliably.

[Second Embodiment]
Next, the second embodiment will be described. FIG. 9 is a side sectional view of the receptacle according to the second embodiment. As shown in FIG. 9, the receptacle 1A according to the second embodiment includes a main body portion 13 and an optical device portion 14A. The main body 13 has the same configuration as in the first embodiment.

  The optical device unit 14A is configured by a substrate 20A, a lens case 21, and a mirror component 22, and the lens case 21 and the mirror component 22 have the same configuration as that of the first embodiment. A light emitting element 23, a light receiving element 24, and an IC chip 25 are mounted on the front end side of the substrate 20A. The substrate 20 </ b> A has a length dimension larger than that of the substrate 20 of the first embodiment, and the rear end side of the substrate 20 </ b> A protrudes to the outside of the metal shell 11. A contact (connecting portion) C to be inserted into an edge connector socket (not shown) is formed at the end on the rear end side of the substrate 20A. With such a configuration, the substrate 20A is an edge connector.

  The conductors 17A are bent upward by approximately 90 ° on the rear end side of the main body 13, and are inserted into through holes H formed in the substrate 20A. Therefore, in the receptacle 1A, the terminal connected to the mounting board is only the contact C of the board 20A.

  As described above, the receptacle 1 </ b> A is similar to the first embodiment in that the connection portion 18 connected to the conductor of the USB cable 2, the light emitting element 23 that emits light to the ferrule 4, and the light emitted from the ferrule 4. Is provided. The conducting wire and the connecting portion 18 are connected by conducting wire, and the optical fiber built in the USB cable 2 and the light emitting element 23 and the light receiving element 24 are optically connected. Thereby, it can respond to the USB cable 2 which incorporates an optical cord and performs an optical connection together with the connection by a conducting wire. As a result, large-capacity data communication can be performed at high speed.

  In addition, since the receptacle 1A has a contact C into which the board 20A is inserted into the edge connector socket and is an edge connector, the receptacle 1A can transmit at a higher speed than when mounted on the mounting board with the conductor 17 and terminals (pins). Is possible.

[Third Embodiment]
Subsequently, the third embodiment will be described. FIG. 10 is a top view showing the receptacle according to the third embodiment. As shown in FIG. 10, the receptacle 1B according to the third embodiment is different from the receptacle 1 of the first embodiment in that it further includes lens portions 28c and 28d, and other basic configurations are the first embodiment. The form is the same.

  The optical device unit 14B of the receptacle 1B includes a plurality (four in this case) of lens units 28a to 28d. Specifically, the lens portions 28a to 28d are arranged along the longitudinal direction of the lens case 21A. Similarly to the first embodiment, the lens portions 28a to 28d are formed in a spherical convex shape at positions facing the light emitting element 23 and the light receiving element 24 on the upper surface (surface on the mirror 29 side) of the lens case 21A. That is, two light emitting elements 23 and two light receiving elements 24 are mounted on the substrate 20 respectively.

  As described above, the receptacle 1B is similar to the first embodiment in that the connection portion 18 connected to the conductor of the USB cable 2, the light emitting element 23 that emits light to the ferrule 4, and the light emitted from the ferrule 4 are used. Is provided. The conducting wire and the connecting portion 18 are connected by conducting wire, and the optical fiber built in the USB cable 2 and the light emitting element 23 and the light receiving element 24 are optically connected. Thereby, it can respond to the USB cable 2 which incorporates an optical cord and performs an optical connection together with the connection by a conducting wire. As a result, large-capacity data communication can be performed at high speed.

  In addition, the configuration having the lens portions 28a to 28d can cope with the case where four optical cables are built in the USB cable 2. Note that the configuration of the receptacle 1B of the third embodiment is also applicable to the receptacle 1A of the second embodiment.

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1,1A, 1B ... Receptacle (connector component), 3 ... USB connector (connector), 4 ... Ferrule, 17 ... Conductor (connection conductor), 18 ... Connection part, 20, 20A ... Substrate, 21, 21A ... Lens case, 21a ... accommodating part, 23 ... light emitting element, 24 ... light receiving element, 27 ... terminal, 28a to 28d ... lens part (lens), 29 ... mirror, 30a, 30b ... guide pin, C ... contact point (connecting part), S ... Containment space.

Claims (7)

A connector component that couples with a connector containing a plurality of conductors and a plurality of ferrules that hold the tip portions of a plurality of optical fibers,
A connecting portion connected to the plurality of conductors;
A light emitting element for emitting light to the ferrule;
A light receiving element for entering the light emitted from the ferrule,
The connector parts, wherein the plurality of conducting wires and the connecting portion are connected by conducting wires, and the optical fiber, the light emitting element, and the light receiving element are optically connected.   The connector component according to claim 1, further comprising a lens that collimates light at a position facing the light emitting element and the light receiving element. A mirror that refracts light at a position facing the lens;
The mirror refracts light emitted from the light emitting element and collimated by the lens toward the ferrule side, and refracts light emitted from the ferrule toward the light receiving element side. 2. Connector component according to 2. A lens case having an accommodating portion for forming an accommodating space for accommodating the light emitting element and the light receiving element;
The connector component according to claim 2, wherein the lens is provided at a position facing the light emitting element and the light receiving element in the lens case. A substrate on which the light emitting element and the light receiving element are mounted;
The connector part according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein a terminal electrically connected to the mounting board is connected to the board. A substrate on which the light emitting element and the light receiving element are mounted;
5. The substrate according to claim 1, wherein a connection conductor that is electrically connected to the conductive wire is connected to the substrate, and a connection portion that is directly connected to the mounting substrate. Connector parts as described in the item.   The lens case is provided with a guide pin that is inserted into the connector and performs optical axis alignment between the ferrule, the light emitting element, and the light receiving element. The connector part as described in any one.

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