JP2017220541A - Cable with connector - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To make a configuration of a photoelectric conversion unit common.SOLUTION: A photoelectric conversion unit comprises: a first substrate; and a flexible substrate. The first substrate mounts an optical element opposite to an end surface of an optical fiber, and is vertical to an optical axis of the optical fiber. The flexible substrate electrically connects between the first substrate and a second substrate arranged in parallel to the optical axis. An end part of the flexible substrate is electrically connected to the first substrate. A connection terminal for being connected to the second substrate is formed on both surfaces of the other end part of the flexible substrate. The connection terminal is configured so as to be electrically connectable to the second substrate even when any surface of the other end part of the flexible substrate faces the second substrate.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 6

Description

  The present invention relates to a photoelectric conversion unit, a cable with a photoelectric conversion unit, and a cable with a connector.

  Patent Documents 1 to 3 describe a structure in which an optical element is mounted on a substrate and the optical fiber and the optical element are optically connected with the end face of the optical fiber facing the optical element. In Non-Patent Documents 1 and 2, standards such as the shape of the connector are performed.

JP 2014-137484 A International Publication Number 2008/096716 JP 2009-98343 A

Universal Serial Bus 3.1 Specification (Revision1.0 July 26, 2013) USB3 Vision version 1.0 (Jan. 2013)

  FIG. 17 of Patent Document 1 describes a state in which the first substrate (1) on which the light emitting / receiving element (2) is mounted is disposed perpendicular to the optical axis of the optical fiber. Also in Patent Document 2, the first substrate (10) including the optical semiconductor element (16) is arranged perpendicular to the optical axis of the optical fiber. Also in Patent Document 3, the circuit body (30) including the light emitting / receiving element (16) is disposed perpendicular to the optical axis of the optical fiber. Thus, the 1st board | substrate which mounted the optical element facing the end surface of an optical fiber is arrange | positioned perpendicular | vertical with respect to the optical axis of an optical fiber.

  On the other hand, the connector may include a second board arranged in a different direction with respect to the first board. Usually, when the shape of the connector is different, the shape and arrangement of the second substrate are different. However, if it is necessary to prepare the first substrates according to the second substrates having different configurations, the manufacturing cost of the connector is increased. Therefore, the configuration of the photoelectric conversion unit including the optical element and the first substrate is common. It is desirable that Further, if the photoelectric conversion unit is shared, the manufacturing process such as the alignment of the optical fiber and the optical element can be shared, so that the manufacturing cost can be reduced also from this point.

  An object of the present invention is to make the configuration of photoelectric conversion units common.

The main invention for achieving the above object is:
Mounting an optical element facing the end face of the optical fiber, and a first substrate perpendicular to the optical axis of the optical fiber;
A flexible substrate that electrically connects the first substrate and a second substrate disposed parallel to the optical axis;
One end of the flexible substrate is electrically connected to the first substrate,
Connection terminals for connecting to the second substrate are formed on both surfaces of the other end of the flexible substrate,
The connection terminal is configured to be electrically connectable to the second substrate regardless of which surface of the other end of the flexible substrate faces the second substrate. This is a photoelectric conversion unit.

  Other characteristics of the present invention will be made clear by the description and drawings described later.

  According to the present invention, the configuration of the photoelectric conversion unit can be shared.

FIG. 1 is a plan view of a cable 1 with a connector according to the present embodiment. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the composite cable 3. FIG. 3 is a functional block diagram of the connector-equipped cable 1 of the present embodiment. FIG. 4A is a perspective view showing the internal structure of the host-side connector 10A. FIG. 4B is a perspective view showing the internal structure of the device-side connector 10B. FIG. 5A is an explanatory diagram of a state in which the main board 21A and the photoelectric conversion unit 31 are removed from the housing 11A of the host-side connector 10A, and is an explanatory diagram of the shape of the housing 11A. FIG. 5B is a view of the inside of the host-side connector 10A as viewed from above. 6A is a side view of the main board 21A and the photoelectric conversion unit 31 of the host-side connector 10A. 6B is a side view of the main board 21B and the photoelectric conversion unit 31 of the device-side connector 10B. FIG. 7A is a perspective view of a connection portion between the main board 21A and the photoelectric conversion unit 31 of the host-side connector 10A. FIG. 7B is a perspective view of a connection portion between the main board 21B and the photoelectric conversion unit 31 of the device-side connector 10B. FIG. 8A is a perspective view of a cable with a photoelectric conversion unit. FIG. 8B is a perspective view of the photoelectric conversion unit 31. 9A and 9B are perspective views of the optical element substrate 40. FIG. 10A and 10B are perspective views of the ferrule 70. FIG. FIG. 11 is a flowchart of a method for manufacturing a cable with a photoelectric conversion unit. 12A to 12E are explanatory diagrams of the manufacturing process of the photoelectric conversion unit 31 and the cable with the photoelectric conversion unit. FIG. 13 is a flowchart of the method for manufacturing the cable with connector 1. FIG. 14 is a cross-sectional view of the composite cable 3 used in the cable with connector 1 of another embodiment. FIG. 15 is a perspective view showing an internal structure of a device-side connector 10B according to another embodiment. 16A and 16B are perspective views of the optical element substrate 40 used in the photoelectric conversion unit 31 of FIG. 17A and 17B are perspective views of the ferrule 70 of FIG. FIG. 18A is an explanatory diagram of a cable with a photoelectric conversion unit having eight optical fibers 5. FIG. 18B is an explanatory diagram of a cable with a photoelectric conversion unit having four optical fibers 5. FIG. 18C is an explanatory diagram of a cable with a photoelectric conversion unit having two optical fibers 5. FIG. 19 is an explanatory diagram of a modified example of the holding portion 13A (holding member 131A).

  At least the following matters will be apparent from the description and drawings described below.

Mounting an optical element facing the end face of the optical fiber, and a first substrate perpendicular to the optical axis of the optical fiber;
A flexible substrate that electrically connects the first substrate and a second substrate disposed parallel to the optical axis;
One end of the flexible substrate is electrically connected to the first substrate,
Connection terminals for connecting to the second substrate are formed on both surfaces of the other end of the flexible substrate,
The connection terminal is configured to be electrically connectable to the second substrate regardless of which surface of the other end of the flexible substrate faces the second substrate. The photoelectric conversion unit to be revealed becomes clear.
According to such a photoelectric conversion unit, the configuration of the photoelectric conversion unit can be made common to different second substrates.

  It is preferable that half-shaped through holes are formed at the end portions of the connection terminals formed on both surfaces of the end portion of the flexible substrate connected to the second substrate. Thereby, the electrical connectivity between the flexible substrate and the second substrate is improved.

  It is desirable that a protective resin is formed at a boundary portion between the first substrate and the flexible substrate. Thereby, peeling with the said 1st board | substrate and the said flexible substrate can be suppressed.

A cable with a photoelectric conversion unit comprising a cable having an optical fiber and a photoelectric conversion unit,
The photoelectric conversion unit is
Mounting an optical element facing the end face of the optical fiber, and a first substrate perpendicular to the optical axis of the optical fiber;
A flexible substrate that electrically connects the first substrate and a second substrate disposed parallel to the optical axis;
One end of the flexible substrate is electrically connected to the first substrate,
Connection terminals for connecting to the second substrate are formed on both surfaces of the other end of the flexible substrate,
The connection terminal is configured to be electrically connectable to the second substrate regardless of which surface of the other end of the flexible substrate faces the second substrate. The cable with the photoelectric conversion unit to be revealed becomes clear.
According to such a cable with a photoelectric conversion unit, the configuration of the photoelectric conversion unit can be made common to different second substrates.

  A ferrule is fixed to the first substrate, the ferrule has a ferrule side fiber hole, the first substrate has a substrate side fiber hole, and an end of the optical fiber is on the ferrule side It is desirable to be inserted into the fiber hole and the substrate side fiber hole. Thereby, alignment with an optical element and an optical fiber becomes easy.

  The first substrate and the ferrule preferably have positioning holes for inserting positioning pins. Thereby, positioning with a 1st board | substrate and a ferrule can be performed.

  The ferrule has a contact end surface that comes into contact with the first substrate and a recessed portion that is recessed from the contact end surface, and when the contact end surface is brought into contact with the first substrate, the ferrule and the It is desirable that a gap be formed between the first substrate. Thereby, the insertion state of the positioning pin or the optical fiber can be detected.

  The first substrate has a substrate-side fiber hole, and a gap is formed by a bump between the first substrate and the optical element, and the end surface of the optical fiber is formed by the substrate-side fiber hole. It is desirable to face the optical element in a state protruding from the opening. Thereby, the fall of optical coupling efficiency can be suppressed.

  The optical element preferably includes a plurality of light emitting units or a plurality of light receiving units, and an end surface of the optical fiber is opposed to any one of the light emitting units or the light receiving units. As a result, the transmission side and the reception side can be made into a plurality of channels. Further, the light emitting unit or the light receiving unit that is not opposed to the end face of the optical fiber may be provided. Thereby, the number of channels on the transmission side and the reception side can be reduced without changing the configuration of the photoelectric conversion unit.

A cable with a connector comprising a cable having an optical fiber and a connector provided at an end of the cable,
The connector is
A photoelectric conversion unit including an optical element mounted on an end face of the optical fiber, the first substrate perpendicular to the optical axis of the optical fiber, and a flexible substrate;
A second substrate disposed parallel to the optical axis and electrically connected to the first substrate by the flexible substrate;
With
One end of the flexible substrate is electrically connected to the first substrate,
Connection terminals for connecting to the second substrate are formed on both surfaces of the other end of the flexible substrate,
The connector is electrically connected to the second substrate with one surface of the other end of the flexible substrate facing the second substrate. The attached cable becomes clear.
According to such a cable with a connector, a photoelectric conversion unit having a common configuration can be used.

The connector includes a housing that houses the photoelectric conversion unit and the second substrate,
Preferably, the housing has a holding portion that holds the first substrate perpendicular to the optical axis of the optical fiber, and heat of the first substrate is conducted to the housing through the holding portion. . Thereby, it becomes the structure which is easy to radiate heat from a housing.

  The holding portion has a pair of holding members arranged to face each other, and a groove portion for inserting an edge of the first substrate is formed on an inner surface of the pair of holding members. It is desirable that the edge of the first substrate inserted into the groove is locked at the end. Thereby, the first substrate can be aligned with the housing.

  The holding portion has a pair of holding members disposed facing each other in the width direction, and a gap is formed between an outer surface of the holding member and a side wall surface of the housing, whereby the pair of insertion portions is It is desirable that the first substrate and the holding unit are arranged so as to be spaced apart from each other in the width direction, and at least two power supply lines are wired to different insertion portions. Thereby, two power supply lines with a large potential difference can be arranged apart.

  It is desirable that the optical fiber is disposed between at least two of the power lines in the cable lead-out portion. Thereby, the load to an optical fiber can be suppressed.

  The holding portion has a pair of holding members arranged to face each other in the width direction, and both edges in the width direction of the first substrate are held on the inner surfaces of the pair of holding members, It is desirable that the first substrate is connected to the flexible substrate between both edges of the first substrate held by the pair of holding members. Thereby, since the contact area of a holding | maintenance part and a 1st board | substrate can be enlarged, it becomes advantageous to heat dissipation.

  The first substrate is provided with a control circuit for controlling the optical element, and the first substrate preferably has a higher thermal conductivity than the second substrate. Thereby, it is possible to efficiently dissipate the heat of the first substrate on which the control circuit that generates heat and the optical element that particularly wants to avoid heat are provided. The second substrate is preferably provided with at least one of a step-up circuit for stepping up a voltage and a step-down circuit for stepping down the voltage. As a result, the members (step-up circuit and step-down circuit) that generate heat next in the connector can be arranged away from the optical element, and the wraparound of heat to the optical element can be avoided.

A cable having an optical fiber;
A first connector provided on one end of the cable;
A connector-equipped cable comprising a second connector provided on the other end of the cable,
The first connector and the second connector are respectively
A photoelectric conversion unit including an optical element mounted on an end face of the optical fiber, the first substrate perpendicular to the optical axis of the optical fiber, and a flexible substrate;
A second substrate disposed parallel to the optical axis and electrically connected to the first substrate by the flexible substrate;
With
One end of the flexible substrate is electrically connected to the first substrate,
Connection terminals for connecting to the second substrate are formed on both surfaces of the other end of the flexible substrate,
The connection terminal is configured to be electrically connectable to the second substrate regardless of which side of the other end of the flexible substrate faces the second substrate.
A cable with a connector, characterized in that a surface of the first connector where the connection terminal faces the second substrate is different from a surface of the second connector where the connection terminal faces the second substrate. Become.
According to such a cable with a connector, a photoelectric conversion unit having a common configuration can be used.

  Each of the first connector and the second connector includes a housing, and the position of the second substrate in the housing of the first connector and the second of the second connector in the housing. It is desirable that the position of the substrate is different. Thereby, the photoelectric conversion unit of the structure made common in the housing of a different structure can be utilized.

=== This Embodiment ===
FIG. 1 is a plan view of a cable 1 with a connector according to the present embodiment. The cable with connector 1 has a composite cable 3 and two connectors provided at both ends of the composite cable 3. The cable with connector 1 of the present embodiment is an active optical cable (AOC). An active optical cable is a cable that includes an optical element, which is an active element, and converts electrical signals into optical signals to transmit data. Specifically, the connector-equipped cable 1 of this embodiment is an active optical cable for USB3 Vision, one connector is a host-side connector 10A connected to a personal computer as a host, and the other connector is a peripheral connector. A device-side connector 10B (for example, a camera-side connector) connected to a device (for example, a camera).

  In the following description, the member / part of the host-side connector 10A is given a suffix “A”, and the member / part of the device-side connector 10B is given a suffix “B”. Further, when referring to members / parts common to the host-side connector 10A and the device-side connector 10B, a suffix may not be added. For example, both the host-side connector 10A and the device-side connector 10B may be simply referred to as “connector 10”.

  When signal transmission is performed between two connectors using an electrical signal, there is a problem of signal degradation, and it is difficult to increase the transmission distance. On the other hand, since the cable 1 with a connector of this embodiment performs signal transmission with an optical signal, the transmission distance can be made longer (for example, about 50 m) than when signal transmission is performed with an electric signal. In the present embodiment, in order to realize signal transmission using an optical signal, the host-side connector 10A and the device-side connector 10B perform conversion processing between an optical signal and an electrical signal. In this embodiment, the supply distance of the bus power becomes long, so that the power supply voltage is boosted from 5 V to 16 V in the host side connector 10A, and the 16 V power is supplied from the host side connector 10A to the device side connector 10B. In the connector 10B, the power supply voltage is returned to 5V. The power supply voltage of the device-side connector 10B is actually lower than 16V due to a voltage drop in the power supply line 7, but is described as 16V for convenience in FIG. 3 and the following description.

  FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the composite cable 3. The composite cable 3 has two optical fibers 5 and two power lines 7. The two optical fibers 5 and the two power lines 7 are wrapped in a braid 4A, and the periphery of the braid 4A is covered with a sheath 4B. The optical fiber 5 is for transmitting an optical signal. Here, a graded index (GI) type optical fiber (for example, GI50 / 125) is used as the optical fiber 5, and the core diameter is larger than the core diameter (about 10 μm) of a normal single mode optical fiber. Therefore, the optical coupling with the optical element is easy. In the following description, an optical fiber, an optical fiber, an optical fiber cord, and the like may be simply referred to as “optical fiber”. The power supply line 7 is a line for supplying power from the host-side connector 10A to the device-side connector 10B, and is composed of a metal wire. Here, the potential of one power supply line 7 is 16V, and the potential of the other power supply line 7 is GND. Note that the number of the optical fibers 5 of the composite cable 3 is not limited to two. Further, the number of power supply lines 7 of the composite cable 3 is not limited to two. Further, the composite cable 3 may have a line (for example, a control signal line made of a metal line) different from the optical fiber 5 and the power supply line 7. If the device-side connector 10B is configured to be powered from the outside or from the device, the power line 7 may not be provided.

  FIG. 3 is a functional block diagram of the connector-equipped cable 1 of the present embodiment. FIG. 4A is a perspective view showing the internal structure of the host-side connector 10A. FIG. 4B is a perspective view showing the internal structure of the device-side connector 10B. 4A and 4B show the connector 10 with the top cover of the housing 11 removed.

  In the following description, each direction is defined as shown in FIGS. 4A and 4B. That is, the longitudinal direction of the composite cable 3 is “front-rear direction”, the terminal 22 side of each connector is “front”, and the side from which the composite cable 3 extends is “rear”. The direction perpendicular to the board surface of the main board 21 is “up-down direction”, the main board 21 side (the upper lid side not shown) is “up” when viewed from the main body of the housing 11, and the opposite side is “down”. " Further, the direction perpendicular to the front-rear direction and the up-down direction is referred to as “left-right direction”, the right side when viewing the front side from the rear side is “right”, and the left side is “left”. The left-right direction is sometimes referred to as the “width direction”.

  The host-side connector 10A includes a housing 11A, a main board 21A, and a photoelectric conversion unit 31. The housing 11 </ b> A is a member that accommodates the main substrate 21 </ b> A and the photoelectric conversion unit 31. As a material of the housing 11A, for example, a metal or a resin can be selected, but a metal is preferable in consideration of noise resistance, heat dissipation, and workability. In the present embodiment, aluminum is adopted as the material of the housing 11A in consideration of heat dissipation and workability. A terminal portion 22A is attached to the front end of the main board 21A. The terminal unit 22A is a terminal for connecting to the host side, and is configured as a USB 3.1 Standard A plug here (see Non-Patent Document 1). The pins of the terminal portion 22A are arranged side by side in the left-right direction (width direction). A terminal portion 22A is held at the front end of the housing 11A. At the rear end portion of the housing 11A, a caulking member 9 that holds the end portion (leading portion) of the composite cable 3 is held.

  FIG. 5A is an explanatory diagram of a state in which the main board 21A and the photoelectric conversion unit 31 are removed from the housing 11A of the host-side connector 10A, and is an explanatory diagram of the shape of the housing 11A. FIG. 5B is a view of the inside of the host-side connector 10A as viewed from above. The housing 11A has a support portion 12A and a holding portion 13A. The support portion 12A is a portion that supports the main board 21A from below.

  The holding unit 13 </ b> A is a part that holds the optical element substrate 40 of the photoelectric conversion unit 31. The holding portion 13A has a pair of plate portions 131A (holding members) that are erected upward from the bottom surface of the housing 11A. The pair of plate portions 131A are disposed so as to oppose each other in the left-right direction. A groove portion 132A is formed on the inner surface of the pair of plate portions 131A. The groove 132A is formed along the vertical direction, and is a portion into which the left and right edges of the optical element substrate 40 are inserted. By inserting the left and right edges of the optical element substrate 40 into a pair of grooves 132A formed along the vertical direction, the optical element substrate 40 is held vertically in the front-rear direction. The lower end of the groove portion 132A is a locking portion 133A. The locking portion 133A is a part for aligning the position of the optical element substrate 40 in the vertical direction. The left and right edges of the optical element substrate 40 are inserted into the groove 132A until the lower edge of the optical element substrate 40 abuts against the locking portion 133A.

  The holding unit 13A also has a function of transferring heat of the optical element substrate 40 of the photoelectric conversion unit 31 to the housing 11A. In order to reduce the thermal resistance between the holding portion 13A and the optical element substrate 40, a heat radiation sheet (heat radiating member) may be interposed between the holding portion 13A and the optical element substrate 40. In order to transmit the heat of the optical element substrate 40 to the housing 11A, a heat dissipation sheet may be sandwiched between the upper lid (not shown) of the housing 11A and the upper edge of the optical element substrate 40.

  A gap is formed between the outer surface of the plate portion 131A and the side wall surface of the housing 11A, and this gap serves as an insertion portion 14A. By inserting the power supply line 7 into the insertion portion 14A (see FIG. 5B), the movement of the power supply line 7 in the housing 11A can be restricted. The width of the insertion portion 14A (the distance between the outer surface of the plate portion 131A and the side wall surface of the housing 11A) is set slightly smaller than the outer diameter of the power supply line 7, and the insertion portion 14A is pressed while pressing the cover of the power supply line 7 from the left and right. If the power supply line 7 is inserted through the power supply line 7, the power supply line 7 can be more stably held against cable pulling, vibration, shock, or the like.

  14 A of insertion parts are formed in each outer side of a pair of board part 131A. For this reason, the pair of insertion portions 14A are arranged apart from each other on the left and right sides so as to sandwich the optical element substrate 40 and the holding portion 13A. Thus, the two power supply lines 7 (16V and GND power supply lines 7) inserted through the insertion portion 14A can be separated from each other on the left and right. Accordingly, the pair of power supply terminals 24 (the power supply terminal 24A is not shown in FIG. 4A) of the main board 21A can also be arranged apart from each other on the left and right.

  By the way, as shown in FIG. 2, the composite cable 3 has two optical fibers 5 and two power lines 7, and the two optical fibers 5 have two power lines 7. Arranged between. As shown in FIGS. 4A and 4B, the two optical fibers 5 in the lead-out portion of the composite cable 3 have a width in accordance with the direction in which the two optical elements 41 (see FIG. 8A) of the optical element substrate 40 are arranged. It is lined up in the direction. Since the current line 7 is higher in rigidity than the optical fiber 5, if the power line 7 is arranged so as to surround the optical fiber 5, a load is applied to the optical fiber 5 if the power line 7 is fixed to the main board 21 </ b> A. Since it becomes difficult, the workability | operativity at the time of the assembly work of the connector 10 improves. Further, even after the connector 10 is assembled, the power line 7 is disposed so as to surround the optical fiber 5 so that the interference between the power line 7 and the optical fiber 5 is minimized. -The load to the optical fiber 5 with respect to an impact etc. can be suppressed, and the disconnection of the optical fiber 5 can be suppressed. For this reason, when there are two power supply lines 7, it is desirable to arrange the two power supply lines 7 so as to surround the optical fiber 5 so as to sandwich the optical fiber 5 between the two power supply lines 7. Even when there are two or more power supply lines 7, it is desirable to arrange a plurality of power supply lines 7 so as to surround the optical fiber 5. Since the two power supply lines 7 are arranged in the vertical direction at the lead-out portion, the power supply line 7 is bent and wired in the housing 11A as compared with the optical fiber 5, but the power supply line 7 is It is allowed to be bent and wired in the housing 11A.

  In the present embodiment, both the left and right edges of the optical element substrate 40 are held on the inner surfaces of the pair of plate portions 131A (specifically, the groove portion 132A), and at the lower edge of the optical element substrate 40. The optical element substrate 40 is electrically connected to the flexible substrate 50. As described above, since the optical element substrate 40 is connected to the flexible substrate 50 between both edges of the optical element substrate 40 held by the pair of plate portions 131A, the optical element substrate 40 can be held by the plate portion 131A. Since the edge of the substrate 40 can be lengthened and the contact area between the plate portion 131A and the optical element substrate 40 can be increased, the heat of the optical element substrate 40 can be easily transferred to the housing 11A, which is advantageous for heat dissipation.

  The main board 21A of the host-side connector 10A includes a booster circuit 211A and an MCU 213A (see FIG. 3). The booster circuit 211A is a circuit that boosts the input voltage of 5V from the terminal unit 22A to 16V. The MCU 213A is a control circuit that controls the main board 21A. For example, the MCU 213A detects the voltage supplied from the host-side connector 10A and controls the voltage of the power supply line 7 based on the detection result. The MCU 213A also controls the photoelectric conversion unit 31. A booster circuit 211A and MCU 213A are mounted on the mounting surface of the main board 21A. The mounting surfaces of various members of the main board 21A of the host-side connector 10A are the upper side and the lower side (see FIG. 4A). Note that a connection terminal 23A is disposed on the lower side of the main board 21A so as to be electrically connected to a flexible board 50 described later (see FIG. 6A).

  The device-side connector 10B includes a housing 11B, a main board 21B, and a photoelectric conversion unit 31 (see FIG. 4B). The housing 11B is a member that accommodates the main substrate 21B and the photoelectric conversion unit 31. As the material of the housing 11B, for example, metal or resin can be selected, but metal is preferable in consideration of noise resistance, heat dissipation, and workability. In the present embodiment, aluminum is adopted as the material of the housing 11B in consideration of heat dissipation and workability. A terminal portion 22B is attached to the front end of the main board 21B. The terminal portion 22B is a terminal for connecting to the device side, and here is configured as a USB3 Vision Micro B plug (see Non-Patent Document 2). The pins of the terminal portion 22B are arranged side by side in the left-right direction (width direction). A terminal portion 22B is held at the front end of the housing 11B. A caulking member 9 is held at the rear end of the housing 11B by caulking the end (leading portion) of the composite cable 3. The housing 11B is provided with a lock screw. Note that the housing 11B of the device-side connector 10B also has a support portion 12B and a holding portion 13B, like the housing 11A of the host-side connector 10A. Description of the support portion 12B and the holding portion 13B of the housing 11B of the device-side connector 10B is omitted.

  The main board 21B of the device-side connector 10B includes a step-down circuit 212B and an MCU 213B (see FIG. 3). The step-down circuit 212B is a circuit that steps down the supply voltage of 16V from the host-side connector 10A to 5V. The MCU 213B is a control circuit that controls the main board 21B. The MCU 213B detects a voltage supplied from the host-side connector 10A, for example, and controls an output voltage supplied from the terminal unit 22B based on the detection result. The MCU 213B also controls the photoelectric conversion unit 31. A step-down circuit 212B and an MCU 213B are mounted on the mounting surface of the main board 21B. The mounting surface of various members of the main board 21B of the device-side connector 10B is on the upper side (see FIG. 4B). In addition, in order to be electrically connectable to the flexible board 50 described later, the connection terminal 23B is provided on the upper side of the main board 21B. Are arranged (see FIGS. 4B and 6B).

  Each of the host-side connector 10A and the device-side connector 10B has a photoelectric conversion unit 31. The photoelectric conversion unit 31 includes a light emitting element 411, a light receiving element 412, and a control IC 42 (see FIG. 3). The light emitting element 411 is an optical element 41 that outputs an optical signal (a photoelectric conversion element that converts an electrical signal into an optical signal). The light emitting element 411 is, for example, a laser diode. In the present embodiment, a VCSEL (vertical cavity surface emitting laser) that emits light perpendicular to the substrate is employed as the light emitting element 411. The light receiving element 412 is an optical element 41 that receives an optical signal (a photoelectric conversion element that converts an optical signal into an electrical signal). The light receiving element 412 is, for example, a photodiode. A light emitting element 411 is optically connected to one end side of the optical fiber 5 of the composite cable 3, and a light receiving element 412 is optically connected to the other end side of the optical fiber 5. The control IC 42 is a circuit that controls the light emitting element 411 and the light receiving element 412. Specifically, the control IC 42 includes a laser driver for driving the light emitting element 411, a transimpedance amplifier for converting the photocurrent of the light receiving element 412 into a voltage signal, and a differential circuit located after the transimpedance amplifier. It is an amplifier.

  In the present embodiment, the photoelectric conversion unit 31 of the host-side connector 10A and the device-side connector 10B has a common configuration. By making the photoelectric conversion unit 31 common, it is possible to reduce the manufacturing cost. On the other hand, when the shape of the connector (for example, the shape of the terminal portion 22) is different, the configuration of the main board 21 of each connector is different. For this reason, even if the configuration of the photoelectric conversion unit 31 is made common, it is necessary to configure the photoelectric conversion unit 31 so that it can be connected to the main substrate 21 having a different shape and configuration.

  6A is a side view of the main board 21A and the photoelectric conversion unit 31 of the host-side connector 10A. 6B is a side view of the main board 21B and the photoelectric conversion unit 31 of the device-side connector 10B. FIG. 7A is a perspective view of a connection portion between the main board 21A and the photoelectric conversion unit 31 of the host-side connector 10A. FIG. 7B is a perspective view of a connection portion between the main board 21B and the photoelectric conversion unit 31 of the device-side connector 10B. 6A to 7B, the power supply line 7 is not shown in order to show the shape of the photoelectric conversion unit 31 (actually, the power supply line 7 is the power supply terminal 24 of the main board 21 (the device side connector 10B). The power terminal 24B is connected to (shown in FIG. 7B)).

  The optical element substrate 40 on which the optical elements 41 such as the light emitting element 411 and the light receiving element 412 are mounted is disposed perpendicular to the optical axis of the optical fiber 5. On the other hand, the main substrate 21 is disposed in parallel to the optical axis of the optical fiber 5. That is, the optical element substrate 40 and the main substrate 21 are arranged orthogonal to each other. In the present embodiment, a flexible substrate 50 is interposed in order to electrically connect the optical element substrate 40 and the main substrate 21 arranged orthogonally in this way.

  The position (height) of the main board 21 inside the housing 11 is determined by the standardized shape of the connector 10 (see Non-Patent Documents 1 and 2). Here, the main board 21A of the host-side connector 10A is located on the relatively upper side inside the housing 11A (positioned near the center of the height (thickness) of the housing 11A), whereas the main board 21A of the device-side connector 10B. The main board 21B is positioned relatively lower in the housing 11B (located near the bottom surface of the housing 11B). As described above, the main board 21A of the host-side connector 10A and the main board 21B of the device-side connector 10B have different arrangements inside the housing 11B. Since the main board 21A of the host-side connector 10A is positioned relatively upper in the housing 11A, various members (for example, a booster circuit 211A and MCU 213A) can be mounted on the upper and lower surfaces of the main board 21A. is there. On the other hand, since the main board 21B of the device-side connector 10B is close to the bottom surface of the housing 11B, various members (for example, the step-down circuit 212B and the MCU 213B) are mounted only on the top surface of the main board 21B. In the case where the photoelectric conversion unit 31 is made common, it is necessary to configure so that it can be connected to the different main substrates 21 in this way. Therefore, in the present embodiment, the connection terminals 51 (comb-like connection terminals 51) on the main board 21 side of the flexible board 50 are formed on both sides, and the main board 21 can be connected from either the front or back side of the flexible board 50. It is configured to be electrically connectable.

Hereinafter, the configuration of the common photoelectric conversion unit 31 will be further described in detail.
FIG. 8A is a perspective view of a cable with a photoelectric conversion unit. FIG. 8B is a perspective view of the photoelectric conversion unit 31. In the drawing, each direction is shown along the direction of the optical element substrate 40 when it is arranged in the housing 11. The photoelectric conversion unit 31 includes an optical element substrate 40 and a flexible substrate 50. The cable with the photoelectric conversion unit includes a photoelectric conversion unit 31 provided at the end of the optical fiber 5 of the composite cable 3. The optical fiber 5 of the composite cable 3 is connected to the photoelectric conversion unit 31 via a ferrule 70 fixed to the optical element substrate 40.

9A and 9B are perspective views of the optical element substrate 40. FIG.
The optical element substrate 40 is a substrate on which the optical elements 41 such as the light emitting element 411 and the light receiving element 412 are mounted. Here, the optical element substrate 40 is a ceramic substrate. Since the ceramic substrate can be precisely processed, it is advantageous for optical coupling with the optical fiber 5 that requires high positional accuracy and dimensional accuracy. Further, since the ceramic substrate has a higher thermal conductivity than glass epoxy, which is a general printed board material, it is easy to radiate heat to the housing 11. Specifically, the thermal conductivity of the ceramic substrate (alumina) is, for example, 32 W / m · k, whereas the thermal conductivity of the glass epoxy substrate is 0.3 to 0.4 W / m · k, which is flexible. Since the thermal conductivity of the substrate (polyimide) is about 0.3 W / m · k, the ceramic substrate is about 100 times higher in thermal conductivity than other substrates, which is advantageous for heat dissipation.
By the way, the ceramic substrate is difficult to match impedance as compared with a glass epoxy substrate or a flexible substrate, and is not suitable for long-distance transmission of high-speed signals. For this reason, in this embodiment, the control IC 42 and the optical element 41 (the light emitting element 411 and the light receiving element 412) are arranged close to the optical element substrate 40 which is a ceramic substrate, and the signal lines on the optical element substrate 40 are arranged. It is shortened. In addition, it is not preferable from the viewpoint of manufacturing cost that impedance matching is difficult in addition to making the other substrate (the main substrate 21 or the like) a ceramic substrate. The element substrate 40 is reduced in size. Here, the control IC 42 is a member that particularly generates heat in the connector 10, while the optical element 41 (the light emitting element 411 and the light receiving element 412) disposed in the vicinity of the control IC 42 is a member that particularly wants to avoid heat. . Therefore, it is particularly effective in the present embodiment to efficiently dissipate heat by focusing on the optical element substrate 40. Note that the step-up circuit 211A (or step-down circuit 212B), which is the next member that generates heat in the connector 10, is mounted on a glass epoxy substrate having a relatively low thermal conductivity in addition to being separated from the light emitting element 411. Therefore, it is possible to avoid the heat sneaking into the optical element 41.

  The front surface of the optical element substrate 40 is a mounting surface on which the optical element 41 and the control IC 42 are mounted. The light emitting element 411 and the light receiving element 412 are electrically connected to the optical element substrate 40 via bumps by flip chip mounting. The control IC 42 is electrically connected to the optical element substrate 40 by wire bonding and then sealed and protected by a sealing resin 42A. The light emitting surface of the light emitting element 411 and the light receiving surface of the light receiving element 412 face the rear side (the optical element substrate 40 side). Further, the light emitting surface of the light emitting element 411 and the light receiving surface of the light receiving element 412 are opposed to the end face of the optical fiber 5, whereby the optical element 41 and the optical fiber 5 are optically connected. Note that a light-transmitting underfill material may be filled between the optical element 41 and the end face of the optical fiber 5 for the purpose of improving the optical coupling efficiency and preventing contamination. The two optical elements 41 (light emitting element 411 and light receiving element 412) are arranged side by side in the left-right direction (width direction).

The optical element substrate 40 includes a substrate-side fiber hole 43 and a positioning hole 44. The substrate-side fiber hole 43 is a hole for inserting the optical fiber 5 and is a through hole penetrating the optical element substrate 40 in the front-rear direction. Since the substrate-side fiber hole 43 also functions to position the end face of the optical fiber 5, the substrate-side fiber hole 43 has a size suitable for the diameter of the optical fiber 5. Specifically, the optical fiber 5 (bare optical fiber) has a diameter of about 125 μm, whereas the substrate-side fiber hole 43 has a diameter of about 130 μm. Optical signals are input and output between the end face of the optical fiber 5 inserted into the substrate-side fiber hole 43 and the optical element 41 (the light emitting element 411 and the light receiving element 412) mounted on the optical element substrate 40. . The positioning hole 44 is a hole for inserting a positioning pin, and is a hole used for alignment with the ferrule 70 (described later). It is also possible to use both the substrate-side fiber hole 43 and the positioning hole 44.
The optical element substrate 40 is formed with comb-like connection terminals 45 for connection to the flexible substrate 50. The connection terminal 45 of the optical element substrate 40 is formed on the rear surface of the optical element substrate 40. That is, the connection terminal 45 of the optical element substrate 40 is formed on the surface opposite to the main substrate 21 side. Thereby, the angle of the bent portion (first bent portion 511) of the flexible substrate 50 can be relaxed. The optical element substrate 40 is formed with through vias 46 for wiring between a front surface serving as a mounting surface and a rear surface having the connection terminals 45. If the connection terminal 45 of the optical element substrate 40 is formed on the front surface of the optical element substrate 40, the angle of the bent portion (first fold portion 511) of the flexible substrate 50 is reduced, but the optical element 41 ( In addition, since the mounting surface on which the control IC 42 is mounted is the same surface, the through via 46 is unnecessary, and the manufacturing cost of the optical element substrate 40 can be reduced.

  By the way, it is preferable to wire the optical fiber 5 in the connector without bending as much as possible. For this reason, it is preferable that the positions of the light emitting element 411 and the light receiving element 412 of the optical element substrate 40 and the substrate side fiber hole 43 are the positions where the optical fiber 5 led out from the composite cable 3 is extended as it is. On the other hand, in order to suppress electrical signal noise, it is preferable to shorten the wiring of the optical element substrate 40 (particularly, the wiring between the light receiving element 412 and the control IC 42) as much as possible. Due to these restrictions, the light emitting element 411 and the light receiving element 412 are disposed above the optical element substrate 40, and the control IC 42 is disposed between the optical element 41 and the connection terminal 45 (through via 46). A connection terminal 45 is disposed below the optical element substrate 40.

  The flexible substrate 50 is a flexible substrate that electrically connects the main substrate 21 and the optical element substrate 40. A connection terminal (not shown) is formed at one end of the flexible substrate 50 and is solder-connected to the connection terminal 45 of the optical element substrate 40. A connection terminal 51 for connecting to the main board 21 is formed at the other end of the flexible board 50.

  In order to adapt the photoelectric conversion unit 31 to a different main substrate 21, the flexible substrate 50 is not initially bent as shown in FIGS. 8A and 8B. In other words, the flexible substrate 50 is bent so as to be compatible with the main substrate 21 having a different shape and configuration.

  As illustrated in FIGS. 6A and 6B, the flexible substrate 50 after bending includes a first fold portion 511 and a second fold portion 512. In addition, in the bent flexible substrate 50, regions of the base end side plane portion 52, the connection side plane portion 53, and the intermediate portion 54 are formed by the first fold portion 511 and the second fold portion 512.

  The proximal side flat surface portion 52 is a planar portion located on the optical element substrate 40 side. Since the base end side plane portion 52 is a substrate surface parallel to the optical element substrate 40, it is a substrate surface perpendicular to the front-back direction (the optical axis direction of the optical fiber 5). The proximal side flat surface portion 52 has a connection terminal (not shown) for connecting to the optical element substrate 40. Since the connection terminal 45 is formed on the rear surface of the optical element substrate 40, the front surface of the base end side plane portion 52 is joined to the connection terminal 45 of the optical element substrate 40.

  The connection side plane part 53 is a planar part connected to the main board 21. Since the connection-side flat portion 53 is a substrate surface parallel to the main substrate 21, it is a substrate surface perpendicular to the vertical direction (a substrate surface parallel to the front-rear direction and the left-right direction). The connection side plane part 53 is a plane perpendicular to the base end side plane part 52. Connection terminals 51 for connecting to the connection terminals 23 of the main board 21 are formed on both surfaces of the end portion of the connection side plane portion 53. In the present embodiment, since the connection terminals 51 are formed on both surfaces of the end portion of the connection side plane portion 53, the connection can be electrically connected to the main substrate 21 from either the front or back side of the connection side plane portion 53. (See FIGS. 6A and 6B).

  The intermediate portion 54 is a portion between the base end side plane portion 52 and the connection side plane portion 53. Since the base-side plane portion 52 is a surface perpendicular to the front-rear direction, the connection-side plane portion 53 is a surface parallel to the front-rear direction, so that the base-side plane portion 52 and the connection-side plane portion 53 are connected. The intermediate portion 54 is a surface inclined with respect to the front-rear direction. Further, since the intermediate portion 54 is not restrained by the main substrate 21 or the optical element substrate 40, it can be bent.

  The first fold portion 511 is a fold portion that divides the base-end plane portion 52 and the intermediate portion 54. The first folded portion 511 is bent into a valley fold when viewed from above. The first folding part 511 is a part where the intermediate part 54 is bent at an acute angle with respect to the proximal side flat surface part 52. When the flexible substrate 50 is bent at an acute angle by the first bent portion 511, the connection-side planar portion 53 and the intermediate portion 54 are positioned in front of the optical element substrate 40 and the base-end-side planar portion 52. Since the bending angle of the first fold portion 511 (the angle of the intermediate portion 54 with respect to the extended surface of the base end side plane portion 52 in the first fold portion 511) is increased, the radius of curvature of the first fold portion 511 is set to be large. It is desirable to suppress damage to the flexible substrate 50. However, since the connection terminal 45 of the optical element substrate 40 is formed on the rear surface, the angle of the first bent portion 511 is relaxed compared to the case where the connection terminal 45 is formed on the front surface. Yes.

  The second bent portion 512 is a bent portion that divides the connection-side flat portion 53 and the intermediate portion 54. The second folded portion 512 is bent in a mountain fold shape when viewed from above. The second bent portion 512 is a portion that bends the connection-side flat portion 53 in an obtuse angle with respect to the intermediate portion 54. The bending angle of the second bent portion 512 (the angle of the connection side plane portion 53 with respect to the extended surface of the intermediate portion 54 in the second bent portion 512) is smaller than the bent angle of the first bent portion 511.

  In order to prevent the flexible substrate 50 from peeling from the optical element substrate 40, a first protective resin 61 is formed at the boundary between the rear lower edge of the optical element substrate 40 and the front surface of the substrate side plane portion. It is formed (see FIGS. 6A and 6B). Since the first protective resin 61 is formed in the angular gap between the lower edge of the optical element substrate 40 and the front surface of the substrate side plane portion, the corner (the corner) of the rear lower edge of the optical element substrate 40 is formed. It also has a function of suppressing damage to the flexible substrate 50 due to the above. Further, in order to prevent the flexible substrate 50 from being peeled off from the main substrate 21, the second protective resin 62 is formed at the boundary portion between the rear edge of the main substrate 21 and the connection side plane portion 53. (See FIGS. 6A and 6B).

  In the present embodiment, the method of bending the flexible substrate 50 on the host-side connector 10A side (the angle of the bent portion) and the method of bending the flexible substrate 50 of the device-side connector B are common. Thereby, the jig | tool, type | mold, etc. which are used for the process which bends the flexible substrate 50 can be made shared. In the present embodiment, since the connection terminals 51 are formed on both surfaces of the end portion of the connection side plane portion 53, the method of bending the flexible substrate 50 on the host side connector 10A side and the flexible substrate of the device side connector B are described. 50 folding methods can be shared.

  10A and 10B are perspective views of the ferrule 70. FIG. In the drawing, each direction is shown along the direction of the ferrule 70 when it is arranged in the housing 11. The ferrule 70 is a member that is fixed to the optical element substrate 40 and is a member that holds the end of the optical fiber 5. The ferrule 70 includes a ferrule side fiber hole 71, a positioning hole 72, a contact end surface 73, and a recess 74.

  The ferrule side fiber hole 71 is a hole for inserting the optical fiber 5 and is a through hole penetrating the ferrule 70 in the front-rear direction. The ferrule side fiber hole 71 also functions to position the optical fiber 5, and thus has a size suitable for the diameter of the optical fiber 5. Specifically, the optical fiber 5 (optical fiber strand) has a diameter of 250 μm, whereas the ferrule side fiber hole 71 has a diameter of about 260 μm. The end portion of the optical fiber 5 inserted into the ferrule side fiber hole 71 of the ferrule 70 is inserted into the substrate side fiber hole 43 of the optical element substrate 40. In order to facilitate the insertion of the optical fiber 5 from the rear opening of the ferrule side fiber hole 71, a tapered portion 71A is provided at the rear end of the ferrule side fiber hole 71 so that the opening of the ferrule side fiber hole 71 becomes large. ing. In order to facilitate the insertion of the optical fiber 5 from the rear opening of the ferrule-side fiber hole 71, the distal end portion of the optical fiber 5 is subjected to electric discharge machining or the like so that the distal end portion of the optical fiber 5 is tapered. Accordingly, the tapered portion 5A (shown in the right diagram of FIG. 12D) may be formed.

  The positioning hole 72 is a hole for inserting a positioning pin, and is a hole used for alignment with the optical element substrate 40 (described later). In order to facilitate the insertion of the positioning pin from the opening on the rear side of the positioning hole 72, a tapered portion 72A is provided at the rear end portion of the positioning hole 72 so that the opening of the positioning hole 72 becomes large. The ferrule side fiber hole 71 and the positioning hole 72 can also be used together.

  The contact end surface 73 is a front end surface of the ferrule 70 and is a surface in contact with the rear surface of the optical element substrate 40.

  The recess 74 is a portion that is recessed from the contact end surface 73. The ferrule side fiber hole 71 and the positioning hole 72 are opened by a recess 74. By forming the recess 74, a gap is formed between the ferrule 70 and the optical element substrate 40 in the recess 74 when the contact end surface 73 is brought into contact with the optical element substrate 40. This gap is opened in the vertical direction, and it is possible to detect the insertion state of the optical fiber 5 and the positioning pin (see FIG. 12A) by photographing the gap with the camera from the vertical direction.

  The photoelectric conversion unit 31 (and the cable with the photoelectric conversion unit) of the present embodiment has the ferrule 70. However, if the end of the optical fiber 5 can be fixed to the optical element substrate 40, the ferrule. 70 may be omitted.

<Method for manufacturing cable with photoelectric conversion unit>
FIG. 11 is a flowchart of a method for manufacturing a cable with a photoelectric conversion unit.

  First, the optical element substrate 40 is prepared, and processing for mounting the optical element 41 (the light emitting element 411 and the light receiving element 412) and the control IC 42 on the optical element substrate 40 is performed (S001). The light emitting element 411 and the light receiving element 412 are mounted on the optical element substrate 40 via bumps by flip chip mounting. At this time, the light emitting surface of the light emitting element 411 and the light receiving surface of the light receiving element 412 are arranged apart from the mounting surface of the optical element substrate 40 by the thickness of the bump (described later). The control IC 42 is mounted on the optical element substrate 40 by wire bonding and then sealed with a sealing resin 42A.

  Next, the flexible substrate 50 is prepared, and a process of connecting the flexible substrate 50 and the optical element substrate 40 is performed (S002). The connection terminals 45 of the optical element substrate 40 and the connection terminals of the flexible substrate 50 are connected by soldering. In order to prevent the flexible substrate 50 from being peeled off from the optical element substrate 40 after soldering, the first protective resin 61 is formed at the boundary between the rear lower edge of the optical element substrate 40 and the front surface of the substrate side plane portion. It is formed.

  Note that the photoelectric conversion unit 31 shown in FIG. 8B is manufactured by the processes of S001 and S002. Since the photoelectric conversion unit 31 of this embodiment has a common configuration so that it can be applied to the main substrate 21 having various shapes, the photoelectric conversion unit 31 may be shipped and delivered to a connector manufacturer alone. Is possible.

  Next, extraction of the composite cable 3 is performed (S003). The operator prepares the composite cable 3, removes the coating on the end of the composite cable 3, leads out the optical fiber 5 and the power supply line 7, and caulks the lead-out portion of the composite cable 3 with caulking parts. Further, the worker removes the coating on the end of the optical fiber 5 (optical fiber core wire) and cuts the end face of the optical fiber 5 (bare optical fiber).

  Next, a process of fixing the ferrule 70 to the optical element substrate 40 is performed (S004). FIG. 12A and FIG. 12B are explanatory diagrams showing how the ferrule 70 is fixed to the optical element substrate 40. The operator inserts the positioning pin into the positioning hole 72 of the ferrule 70, projects the tip of the positioning pin from the front side of the ferrule 70, and inserts the tip of the positioning pin into the positioning hole 44 of the optical element substrate 40. . Thereby, the ferrule 70 is positioned with respect to the optical element substrate 40 in the vertical direction and the horizontal direction (direction perpendicular to the positioning hole). At this time, the worker brings the contact end surface 73 of the ferrule 70 into contact with the rear surface of the optical element substrate 40. As a result, the ferrule 70 is positioned in the front-rear direction with respect to the optical element substrate 40. Thereafter, the operator fixes the ferrule to the boundary between the optical element substrate 40 and the ferrule 70 along the outer edge of the ferrule 70 in a state where the optical element substrate 40 and the ferrule 70 are positioned using the positioning pins. Resin 75 (UV curable resin) is applied, and the ferrule fixing resin 75 is irradiated with ultraviolet rays to fix the ferrule 70 to the optical element substrate 40. After the ferrule 70 is fixed to the optical element substrate 40, the positioning pins are removed. The positioning hole 44 of the optical element substrate 40 and the positioning hole 72 of the ferrule 70 after removal of the positioning pin can be used as a fiber hole into which the optical fiber 5 is inserted.

  Next, a process of inserting the optical fiber 5 into the substrate-side fiber hole 43 of the optical element substrate 40 is performed (S005). At this time, the optical fiber 5 is first inserted into the ferrule side fiber hole 71 of the ferrule 70. Since the ferrule 70 is fixed in a state of being positioned with respect to the optical element substrate 40, when the optical fiber 5 is inserted into the ferrule side fiber hole 71 of the ferrule 70, the end of the optical fiber 5 becomes the optical element substrate. 40 is inserted into the substrate-side fiber hole 43 (see FIGS. 12C and 12D). Further, the end portion of the optical fiber 5 is inserted into the substrate-side fiber hole 43 of the optical element substrate 40, whereby the optical element 41 mounted on the optical element substrate 40 and the optical fiber 5 are aligned. Therefore, alignment between the optical element 41 and the optical fiber 5 can be performed. By the process of S005, the end surface of the optical fiber 5 is disposed to face the light emitting surface of the light emitting element 411 and the light receiving surface of the light receiving element 412. A light-transmitting underfill material may be filled between the optical element 41 and the end face of the optical fiber 5 for the purpose of improving the optical coupling efficiency and preventing foreign matter from entering.

  12D, the light emitting surface of the light emitting element 411 and the light receiving surface of the light receiving element 412 are arranged away from the mounting surface of the optical element substrate 40 by the thickness of the bump. Therefore, a gap is formed between the light emitting surface of the light emitting element 411 and the light receiving surface of the light receiving element 412 and the mounting surface of the optical element substrate 40. This gap is about 30 μm. In the present embodiment, a gap is photographed with a camera from the mounting surface of the optical element substrate 40 from a direction parallel to the mounting surface of the optical element substrate 40, and the end face of the optical fiber 5 is the substrate of the optical element substrate 40. The optical fiber 5 is inserted into the substrate-side fiber hole 43 of the optical element substrate 40 until the camera detects that it protrudes from the opening of the side fiber hole 43. Desirably, based on the image data from the camera, the amount of protrusion of the end face of the optical fiber 5 protruding from the opening of the substrate-side fiber hole 43 of the optical element substrate 40 is detected, and the optical fiber until the predetermined amount of protrusion is reached 5 is inserted into the substrate-side fiber hole 43 of the optical element substrate 40. Thereby, in this embodiment, since the end surface of the optical fiber 5 can be made to adjoin to the light emitting surface of the light emitting element 411, and the light-receiving surface of the light receiving element 412, the fall of optical coupling efficiency can be suppressed. In order to prevent the other optical fiber 5 arranged in the left-right direction from interfering with photographing, and since the optical element 41 is arranged on the upper side of the optical element substrate 40, the camera is directed from the top to the bottom. It is desirable to photograph the gap between the optical element substrate 40 and the mounting surface.

  In addition, when the positioning pin (see FIG. 12A) is inserted into the positioning hole 72 of the ferrule 70 and the positioning hole 44 of the optical element substrate 40 in the above-described S004, from the camera in the same manner as when the optical fiber 5 is inserted. The positioning pin may be inserted until the end face of the positioning pin comes into contact with the optical element 41 based on the image data. Thereby, since the positioning pin can be inserted as deeply as possible, the positioning accuracy of the ferrule 70 can be improved.

  Next, a process of fixing the optical fiber 5 to the ferrule 70 is performed (S006). As shown in FIG. 12E, a fiber fixing resin 76 is applied to the range from the rear end face of the ferrule 70 to the coating of the optical fiber 5 (optical fiber core wire) to fix the optical fiber 5 to the ferrule 70. In addition, by applying the fiber fixing resin 76 to the step portion of the optical fiber 5 (the boundary portion between the optical fiber core wire and the optical fiber strand), disconnection of the optical fiber 5 at the step portion can be suppressed. At this time, a fixing resin may be applied to the recess 74 of the ferrule 70, and the optical fiber 5 may be fixed to the ferrule 70 also in the recess 74. In this embodiment, the step portion of the optical fiber 5 (the boundary portion between the bare optical fiber and the optical fiber strand) is located inside the ferrule 70, and the fixing resin is also applied to the concave portion 74 of the ferrule 70. As a result, disconnection of the optical fiber 5 at the stepped portion can be suppressed.

  The cable with a photoelectric conversion unit shown in FIG. 8A is manufactured by the above manufacturing process. Since the cable with the photoelectric conversion unit of the present embodiment is configured so as to be applicable to the main board 21 having various shapes, the cable with the photoelectric conversion unit may be shipped to and delivered to a connector manufacturer. Is possible.

<Manufacturing method of cable 1 with connector>
FIG. 13 is a flowchart of the method for manufacturing the cable with connector 1.

  First, a process of bending the flexible substrate 50 of the photoelectric conversion unit 31 is performed (S101). The flexible substrate 50 is sandwiched between press machines to form a first fold portion 511 and a second fold portion 512. The connection-side flat portion 53 of the bent flexible substrate 50 is a surface perpendicular to the optical element substrate 40 and the base-end-side flat portion 52. The flexible substrate 50 after bending has a shape suitable for the shape and arrangement of the main substrate 21. In the present embodiment, the bending method of the flexible substrate 50 on the host-side connector 10A side and the bending method of the flexible substrate 50 of the device-side connector B are common. For this reason, the jig | tool, type | mold, etc. which are used for the process which bends the flexible substrate 50 can be made shared.

  Next, a process of electrically connecting the photoelectric conversion unit 31 and the main substrate 21 is performed (S102). Specifically, the connection terminal 51 of the connection side plane portion 53 of the flexible substrate 50 of the photoelectric conversion unit 31 and the connection terminal 23 of the main substrate 21 are connected by soldering. The connection terminals 23A of the main board 21A of the host-side connector 10A are arranged on the lower side, and the connection-side flat portion 53 of the flexible board 50 is arranged on the lower side of the main board 21A (see FIG. 6A). The connection terminal 51 of the connection side plane portion 53 of the flexible substrate 50 of the conversion unit 31 and the connection terminal 23A of the main substrate 21A are soldered. The photoelectric conversion unit is arranged such that the connection terminal 23B of the main board 21B of the device-side connector 10B is arranged on the upper side, and the connection side plane portion 53 of the flexible board 50 is arranged on the upper side of the main board 21B (see FIG. 6B). The connection terminal 51 of the connection side plane part 53 of the flexible substrate 50 of 31 and the connection terminal 23B of the main board 21B are soldered. As described above, in the present embodiment, the connection terminals 51 on the main board 21 side of the flexible board 50 are formed on both sides, so that the main board 21 can be electrically connected from either the front or back side of the flexible board 50. is there. After the soldering, in order to prevent the flexible substrate 50 from being peeled off from the main substrate 21, the second protective resin 62 is applied to the boundary portion between the rear edge of the main substrate 21 and the connection side plane portion 53 (FIG. 6A). And FIG. 6B).

  Next, a process of connecting the end of the power line 7 to the power terminal 24 of the main board 21 is performed (S103). A pair of power supply terminals 24 are formed at the rear edge of the main substrate 21, and the 16 V power supply line 7 is soldered to one power supply terminal 24 and the GND power supply line 7 is soldered to the other power supply terminal 24. . In the present embodiment, since the power supply terminals 24 are provided at the left and right ends of the main substrate 21, the two power supply lines 7 having a large potential difference can be separated and connected to the main substrate 21. Note that it is desirable from the viewpoint of insulation that the two power supply lines 7 having a large potential difference are connected apart from each other.

  Next, the process which installs the main board | substrate 21 and the photoelectric conversion unit 31 in the housing 11 is performed (S104). The main substrate 21 is supported by the support portion 12 of the housing 11, and the optical element substrate 40 of the photoelectric conversion unit 31 is held by the holding portion 13 of the housing 11. At this time, the operator inserts the left and right edges of the optical element substrate 40 into the groove 132 until the lower edge of the optical element substrate 40 abuts against the locking portion 133. As a result, the optical element substrate 40 has a predetermined positional relationship with the housing 11. Further, at this time, the operator inserts the two power supply wires 7 through the separate insertion portions 14 and performs wiring. Thereby, the movement of the power supply line 7 in the housing 11 can be regulated. The state when the main board 21 and the photoelectric conversion unit 31 are installed in the housing 11 is as shown in FIGS. 4A and 4B.

  Finally, a process of fixing the upper lid of the housing 11 is performed (S105). Thereby, the connector (or cable 1 with a connector) shown in FIG. 1 is manufactured.

<Another embodiment>
In the above-described embodiment, the composite cable 3 has the two optical fibers 5, and one optical fiber is used for each of transmission and reception. In the above-described embodiment, the composite cable 3 has the two power supply lines 7. However, as will be described below, the configuration of the composite cable 3 is not limited to this. In addition, the number of optical fibers for transmission and reception may be plural.

  FIG. 14 is a cross-sectional view of the composite cable 3 used in the cable with connector 1 of another embodiment. The composite cable 3 of the present embodiment has one optical fiber cord 6 having eight optical fibers 5 and ten power lines 7. Also in the present embodiment, the optical fiber 5 (optical fiber cord 6) is disposed between at least two power supply lines 7 at the lead-out portion of the composite cable 3, and the power supply line 7 surrounds the optical fiber 5. Arranged (see also FIG. 15). Thereby, if the power supply line 7 is fixed to the main board 21A, it becomes difficult to apply a load to the optical fiber 5, and therefore the workability at the time of assembling the connector 10 is improved. In addition, since the interference between the power supply line 7 and the optical fiber 5 is suppressed to a minimum even after the connector 10 is assembled, the load on the optical fiber 5 against cable pulling, vibration, shock, etc. can be suppressed. 5 disconnection can be suppressed. In the present embodiment, three power supply lines are connected and connected to the main substrate 21 as the power supply line 7 having the GND potential (see FIG. 15). Similarly, three power supply lines are connected and connected to the main substrate 21 as a high potential (for example, 16V) power supply line 7 (see FIG. 15).

  FIG. 15 is a perspective view showing an internal structure of a device-side connector 10B according to another embodiment. 16A and 16B are perspective views of the optical element substrate 40 used in the photoelectric conversion unit 31 of FIG. 17A and 17B are perspective views of the ferrule 70 of FIG. The same reference numerals are given to the same members and configurations as those in the above-described embodiment, and the description of these members and configurations may be omitted. In FIG. 15, eight optical fibers 5 are connected to the photoelectric conversion unit 31, but as will be described later, the number of optical fibers 5 connected to the photoelectric conversion unit 31 can be changed to four or two. It is.

  Also in the present embodiment, the device-side connector 10B includes the housing 11B, the main substrate 21B, and the photoelectric conversion unit 31.

  Two optical elements 41 (light emitting element 411 and light receiving element 412) arranged in the left-right direction are electrically connected to the optical element substrate 40. The light emitting element 411 has four light emitting parts (not shown) facing the rear side (the optical element substrate 40 side), and the four light emitting parts are arranged side by side in the left-right direction. The light receiving element 412 has four light receiving portions (not shown) facing rearward, and the four light receiving portions are arranged side by side in the left-right direction. The four light emitting units of the light emitting element 411 are configured to be capable of outputting an optical signal, but all four light emitting units may not be used. For example, two light emitting units are used and the remaining two light emitting units are used. The light emitting unit may be unused. The same applies to the four light receiving portions of the light receiving element 412. Here, four light emitting units are provided in one light emitting element 411, but four light emitting elements 411 having one light emitting unit may be provided in the optical element substrate 40. In addition, although four light receiving portions are provided in one light receiving element 412, four light receiving elements 412 having one light receiving portion may be provided in the optical element substrate 40.

  The optical element substrate 40 has eight substrate-side fiber holes 43 (see FIG. 16B). Of the eight substrate-side fiber holes 43, four substrate-side fiber holes 43 are arranged so as to correspond to the four light-emitting portions (not shown) of the light-emitting element 411, and the remaining four substrate-side fiber holes 43. Are arranged so as to correspond to four light receiving portions (not shown) of the light receiving element 412. The substrate-side fiber holes 43 at both ends of the eight substrate-side fiber holes 43 also function as positioning holes 44 (described later). The end face of the optical fiber 5 inserted into the substrate side fiber hole 43 faces the light emitting part of the light emitting element 411 or the light receiving part of the light receiving element 412.

  When the light emitting element 411 is mounted on the optical element substrate 40, the positions of the inner and outer light emitting portions (near the center of the optical element substrate 40) are arranged through the substrate-side fiber hole 43 for the optical element. By measuring through the substrate 40, the position (mainly the position in the rotation direction) of the light emitting element 411 with respect to the optical element substrate 40 can be detected and confirmed. Similarly, when mounting the light receiving element 412 on the optical element substrate 40, by measuring the positions of the inner light receiving part and the outer light receiving part through the substrate side fiber hole 43 through the optical element substrate 40, The position of the light receiving element 412 with respect to the optical element substrate 40 (mainly the position in the rotational direction) can be detected and confirmed.

  The ferrule 70 has eight ferrule side fiber holes 71, a contact end face 73, and a recess 74 (see FIGS. 17A and 17B). The ferrule side fiber holes 71 at both ends of the eight ferrule side fiber holes 71 also function as positioning holes 72 (described later).

  FIG. 18A is an explanatory diagram of a cable with a photoelectric conversion unit having eight optical fibers 5. Even in the case where the eight optical fibers 5 are connected to the photoelectric conversion unit 31 (specifically, the optical element 41 of the optical element substrate 40), the photoelectric conversion unit 31 is manufactured as in the above-described embodiment (see FIG. 11). After the ferrule 70 is fixed to the optical element substrate 40 (S004), the optical fiber 5 led out from the composite cable 3 is inserted into the substrate-side fiber hole 43 of the optical element substrate 40 (see S001 and S002). Thereafter, the optical fiber 5 is fixed to the ferrule 70 (S006). When the ferrule 70 is fixed to the optical element substrate 40 (S004), positioning pins are inserted into the substrate-side fiber holes 43 at both ends of the optical element substrate 40 and the ferrule-side fiber holes 71 at both ends of the ferrule 70. The ferrule 70 is fixed to the optical element substrate 40 in a state where the optical element substrate 40 and the ferrule 70 are positioned. Then, after fixing the ferrule 70 to the optical element substrate 40, the positioning pin is removed, and the optical fiber 5 is inserted into the substrate side fiber hole 43 of the optical element substrate 40 or the ferrule side fiber hole 71 of the ferrule 70. The optical fiber 5 is also inserted into the positioning hole 44 of the optical element substrate 40 and the positioning hole 72 of the ferrule 70 after the positioning pins are removed. That is, the positioning hole 44 of the optical element substrate 40 after the positioning pin is removed and the positioning hole 72 of the ferrule 70 are used as fiber holes. Of the eight optical fibers 5, the end faces of the four optical fibers 5 face the four light emitting portions of the light emitting element 411, and the end faces of the remaining four optical fibers 5 are the four light receiving elements of the light receiving element 412. Opposite the part.

  As shown in FIG. 18A, since a gap is formed between the ferrule 70 and the optical element substrate 40 in the recess 74, when the optical fiber 5 (or positioning pin) is inserted, the insertion state is changed. It is possible to detect from the opening of the recess 74.

  FIG. 18B is an explanatory diagram of a cable with a photoelectric conversion unit having four optical fibers 5. Note that the composite cable 3 at this time has a cross-sectional structure in which, for example, the number of optical fibers 5 shown in FIG. 14 is reduced from eight to four. Even in the case where the four optical fibers 5 are connected to the photoelectric conversion unit 31 (specifically, the optical element 41 of the optical element substrate 40), after fixing the ferrule 70 to the optical element substrate 40, the positioning pins are removed, The optical fiber 5 is inserted into the positioning hole 44 of the optical element substrate 40 and the positioning hole 72 of the ferrule 70 after the positioning pins are removed. That is, the positioning hole 44 of the optical element substrate 40 after the positioning pin is removed and the positioning hole 72 of the ferrule 70 are used as fiber holes. However, when the number of optical fibers 5 is four, the positioning holes 44 of the optical element substrate 40 after the positioning pins are removed and the positioning holes 72 of the ferrule 70 are not used as fiber holes, but the optical fibers are placed in different fiber holes. 5 may be inserted. Of the four optical fibers 5, the end faces of the two optical fibers 5 are opposed to the two light emitting portions of the light emitting element 411, and the end faces of the remaining two optical fibers 5 are the two light receiving elements of the light receiving element 412. Opposite the part. Accordingly, a connector (for example, USB 3.1 Type C) having two channels for transmission and two channels for reception can be configured. When the number of the optical fibers 5 is four, the two light emitting portions that are not opposed to the end face of the optical fiber 5 are not emitting light (invalid), and the two light receiving portions that are not opposed to the end face of the optical fiber 5 are also included. It is preferable not to receive an optical signal and to make it unused (invalid). Thereby, since the consumption current of the photoelectric conversion unit 31 is suppressed, heat generation of the entire connector is also suppressed.

  FIG. 18C is an explanatory diagram of a cable with a photoelectric conversion unit having two optical fibers 5. The composite cable 3 at this time has a cross-sectional structure shown in FIG. 2, for example. Here, for the sake of explanation, the positioning pin is shown without being removed. When the number of optical fibers 5 is two, the configuration is the same as in the above-described embodiment. When two optical fibers 5 are provided, the three light emitting portions that do not face the end face of the optical fiber 5 do not emit light (invalid), and the three light receiving portions that do not face the end face of the optical fiber 5 are also optical signals. It is better not to use (invalid) without receiving. Thereby, since the consumption current of the photoelectric conversion unit 31 is suppressed, heat generation of the entire connector is also suppressed.

  As shown in FIG. 18B and FIG. 18C, since a gap is formed between the ferrule 70 and the optical element substrate 40 in the recess 74, when the optical fiber 5 (or positioning pin) is inserted, The insertion state can be detected from the opening of the recess 74. 18B and 18C, when the optical fiber 5 is inserted into the substrate-side fiber hole 43 of the optical element substrate 40 or the ferrule-side fiber hole 71 (or positioning hole 72) of the ferrule 70, the optical fiber The step portion 5 (the boundary portion between the bare optical fiber and the optical fiber) is located in the concave portion 74 of the ferrule 70. By applying a fixing resin to the concave portion 74 of the ferrule 70, Disconnection of the fiber 5 can be suppressed.

  As shown in FIGS. 18A to 18C, according to the photoelectric conversion unit 31 of the present embodiment, the number of optical fibers 5 can be appropriately changed without changing the configuration of the photoelectric conversion unit 31, and the transmission side or the reception side The number of channels can be changed as appropriate.

  Further, as shown in FIGS. 18B and 18C, when there are four or two optical fibers 5, there are light emitting portions and light receiving portions that are not opposed to the end faces of the optical fibers 5. In this case, it is desirable that the light emitting portion that does not face the end face of the optical fiber 5 is unused (invalid) without emitting light. In addition, it is desirable that the light receiving unit that does not face the end face of the optical fiber 5 is not used (invalid) without receiving an optical signal. Therefore, it is desirable that the control IC 42 can individually set each light emitting unit of the light emitting element 411 to be invalid and can individually set each light receiving unit of the light receiving element 412 to be invalid. As a result, the processing of the control IC 42 can be reduced and the current consumption of the photoelectric conversion unit 31 can be suppressed, so that heat generation of the entire connector can also be suppressed.

  18B and 18C, when the number of optical fibers 5 is four or two, the ferrule 70 shown in FIG. 10 may be used instead of the ferrule 70 shown in FIG. In this case, it is desirable to protect the step portion of the optical fiber 5 (the boundary portion between the bare optical fiber and the optical fiber) with the fiber fixing resin 76.

  FIG. 19 is an explanatory diagram of a modified example of the holding portion 13A (holding member 131A). In the holding portion 13 </ b> A, a pair of holding members 131 </ b> A protruding inward from the side surface of the housing 11 </ b> A holds the left and right edges of the optical element substrate 40. As described above, the holding member 131A that holds the left and right edges of the optical element substrate 40 is not limited to the pair of plate-like members (plate portions 131A) as shown in FIG. 5B, and has other shapes. May be. Further, as shown in FIG. 19, if there is no power supply line, the insertion portion 14A (see FIG. 5B, even if the gap between the outer surface of the plate portion 131A and the side wall surface of the housing 11A) is not formed. good.

<Summary>
As shown in FIG. 8B, the photoelectric conversion unit 31 of the present embodiment includes an optical element substrate 40 (first substrate) and a flexible substrate 50. The optical element substrate 40 is a substrate on which the optical element 41 facing the end face of the optical fiber 5 is mounted and is perpendicular to the optical axis of the optical fiber 5. The flexible substrate 50 is a flexible substrate that electrically connects between the optical element substrate 40 and the main substrate 21 (second substrate) disposed in parallel with the optical axis of the optical fiber 5. The portion is electrically connected to the optical element substrate 40. In the present embodiment, the connection terminals 51 are formed on both surfaces of the end portion of the flexible substrate 50 on the main substrate 21 side, and the main substrate 21 can be faced regardless of which side of the flexible substrate 50 is opposed to the main substrate 21. It is configured to be electrically connectable to the substrate 21. According to the photoelectric conversion unit 31 of the present embodiment, a structure that can be easily shared with different main substrates 21 can be obtained. In the above embodiment, the photoelectric conversion unit 31 is shared by the two connectors (host-side connector 10A and device-side connector 10B) provided at both ends of the composite cable 3, but the photoelectric conversion unit of the present embodiment is used. 31 can also be used for other connectors, and in this case as well, the photoelectric conversion unit 31 has a structure that can be easily adapted to various main boards 21.

  In the photoelectric conversion unit 31 of the present embodiment, the connection terminals 51 formed on both surfaces of the end portion on the main substrate 21 side are electrically connected through the through holes 511. As a result, the flexible substrate 50 can be configured to be electrically connectable to the main substrate 21 regardless of which side of the flexible substrate 50 is opposed to the main substrate 21. However, the connection terminals 51 formed on both surfaces may be made conductive by a structure different from the through hole 511.

  In addition, you may form a half-shaped through hole in the edge part of the connecting terminal 51 formed in both surfaces. Thereby, when the connection terminal 51 of the flexible substrate 50 is soldered to the main substrate 21, the solder flows into the half-shaped through hole, and the electrical connection between the flexible substrate 50 and the main substrate 21 is improved. The half-shaped through hole can be formed at the end of the connection terminal 51 by cutting the flexible substrate 50 in the through hole after the formation of the normal through hole.

  In the photoelectric conversion unit 31 of this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 8B, a first protective resin 61 (protective resin) is formed between the optical element substrate 40 and the flexible substrate 50. Thereby, it can suppress that the flexible substrate 50 peels from the board | substrate 40 for optical elements. In particular, since the flexible substrate 50 is bent in the present embodiment, it is particularly effective that the first protective resin 61 can suppress the peeling between the flexible substrate 50 and the optical element substrate 40 during the bending process.

  As shown in FIG. 8A, the cable with the photoelectric conversion unit of the present embodiment includes a composite cable 3 (cable) having an optical fiber 5 and a photoelectric conversion unit 31, and the photoelectric conversion unit 31 is shown in FIG. 8B. As shown, an optical element substrate 40 (first substrate) and a flexible substrate 50 are provided. In the cable with the photoelectric conversion unit of the present embodiment, connection terminals 51 are formed on both surfaces of the end portion of the flexible substrate 50 on the main substrate 21 side, and either surface of the flexible substrate 50 on the front or back side is connected to the main substrate 21. Even if it opposes, it is comprised so that electrical connection with respect to the main board | substrate 21 is possible. According to the cable with the photoelectric conversion unit of the present embodiment, a structure that can be easily shared with different main boards 21 can be obtained.

  In the cable with the photoelectric conversion unit of the present embodiment, the ferrule 70 is fixed to the optical element substrate 40, the ferrule 70 has a ferrule side fiber hole 71, and the optical element substrate 40 has a substrate side fiber hole 43. The end of the optical fiber 5 is inserted into the ferrule side fiber hole 71 and the substrate side fiber hole 43. Thereby, the optical fiber 5 can be aligned by the ferrule side fiber hole 71 and the substrate side fiber hole 43.

  In the cable with the photoelectric conversion unit of this embodiment, as shown in the right view of FIG. 12D, a gap is formed between the optical element substrate 40 and the optical element 41 by a bump, and the end face of the optical fiber 5 is The optical element 41 faces the optical element 41 while protruding from the opening of the substrate-side fiber hole 43. Thereby, since the protrusion amount of the optical fiber 5 protruded from the opening of the substrate-side fiber hole 43 can be monitored, a decrease in optical coupling efficiency can be suppressed by bringing the end face of the optical fiber 5 close to the optical element 41. .

  In the cable with the photoelectric conversion unit of the present embodiment, the optical element substrate 40 and the ferrule 70 have positioning holes (44, 72), respectively. Thus, as shown in FIGS. 12A and 12B, the optical element substrate 40 and the ferrule 70 can be positioned by inserting the positioning pins into the respective positioning holes.

  In the cable with the photoelectric conversion unit of the present embodiment, the ferrule 70 has a contact end surface 73 and a recess 74 (see FIGS. 10A and 17A), and when the contact end surface 73 is brought into contact with the optical element substrate 40. In the recess 74, a gap is formed between the ferrule 70 and the optical element substrate 40 (see FIGS. 12A and 18A). As a result, when the positioning pin or the optical fiber 5 is inserted, the insertion state can be detected from the opening of the recess 74.

  In the cable with the photoelectric conversion unit of the present embodiment, the light emitting element 411 of the optical element 41 has four light emitting units (not shown), and the light receiving element 412 has four light receiving units (not shown). . As a result, the transmission side and the reception side can be made into a plurality of channels. Moreover, as shown to FIG. 18B and FIG. 18C, there may exist the light emission part and light-receiving part which are not facing the end surface of an optical fiber. Thereby, the number of channels on the transmission side and the reception side can be reduced without changing the configuration of the photoelectric conversion unit.

  As shown in FIG. 4A (or FIG. 4B), the cable with connector 1 of this embodiment includes a composite cable 3 (cable) having an optical fiber 5 and a host-side connector 10A (or device-side connector 10B). The host-side connector 10A includes a photoelectric conversion unit 31 including an optical element substrate 40 (first substrate) and a flexible substrate 50, and a main substrate 21 (second substrate). In the cable 1 with a connector of the present embodiment, connection terminals 51 are formed on both surfaces of the end portion of the flexible substrate 50 on the main substrate 21 side, and either surface of the flexible substrate 50 faces the main substrate 21. Even if it is made, it is comprised so that electrical connection with respect to the main board | substrate 21 is possible. According to the connector-equipped cable 1 of the present embodiment, the common photoelectric conversion unit 31 can be used.

  In addition, the connector of the cable with connector 1 according to the present embodiment includes a housing 11 that houses the photoelectric conversion unit 31 and the main substrate 21 (second substrate), and the housing 11 corresponds to the optical axis of the optical fiber 5. The holding unit 13 holds the optical element substrate 40 vertically. In this embodiment, the heat of the optical element substrate 40 is conducted to the housing 11 through the holding unit 13. Thereby, the heat of the optical element substrate 40 can be radiated from the housing 11. In this case, the thermal resistance between the holding unit 13 and the optical element substrate 40 can be reduced by disposing a heat dissipation member between the holding unit 13 and the optical element substrate 40.

  In the cable with connector 1 of the present embodiment, the holding portion 13 has a pair of plate portions 131, and a groove portion 132 is formed on the inner surface of the pair of plate portions 131. At the end, the edge of the optical element substrate 40 inserted into the groove 132 is locked. Thereby, the optical element substrate 40 can be aligned with the housing 11.

  Further, in the cable with connector 1 of the present embodiment, a pair of insertion portions 14 is formed between the optical element substrate 40 and the holding portion 13 by forming a gap between the outer surface of the plate portion 131 and the side wall surface of the housing 11. The two power supply lines 7 of the cable are wired to different insertion portions 14 from each other. As a result, the two power supply lines 7 can be wired apart in the width direction.

  Moreover, in the cable 1 with a connector of this embodiment, the optical fiber 5 is arrange | positioned between the at least 2 power supply lines 7 in the opening part of an optical cable (refer FIG. 2, FIG. 14). Thereby, since the power supply line 7 can be arrange | positioned so that the optical fiber 5 may be enclosed, the load concerning the optical fiber 5 can be suppressed.

  Moreover, in the cable 1 with a connector of this embodiment, the holding | maintenance part 13 has a pair of board part 131, and the left and right of the board | substrate 40 for optical elements is in the inner surface (specifically groove part 132A) of a pair of board part 131. The optical element substrate 40 is connected to the flexible substrate 50 between the left and right edges. With such a configuration, the edge of the optical element substrate 40 that can be held by the plate portion 131A can be lengthened, and the contact area between the plate portion 131A and the optical element substrate 40 can be widened, which is advantageous for heat dissipation.

  In the cable 1 with a connector of the present embodiment, the optical element substrate 40 is provided with a control IC 42 (control circuit), and the optical element substrate 40 has a higher thermal conductivity than the main substrate 21. Thereby, the heat of the optical element substrate 40 provided with the control IC 42 that generates heat and the optical element 41 that particularly wants to avoid heat can be efficiently radiated. Further, in the present embodiment, the main substrate 21 is provided with at least one of the booster circuit 211A and the bucker circuit 212B. Since the step-up circuit 211A and the step-down circuit 212B are members that generate heat next to the control IC 42 in the connector, the step-up circuit 211A and the step-down circuit 212B are arranged away from the optical element 41 to the optical element 41. It is possible to avoid the heat wraparound.

  As shown in FIGS. 4A and 4B, the cable with connector 1 of this embodiment includes a composite cable 3 (cable) having an optical fiber 5, a host-side connector 10A (first connector), and a device-side connector 10B (first connector). 2), the host-side connector 10A and the device-side connector 10B include a photoelectric conversion unit 31 including an optical element substrate 40 (first substrate) and a flexible substrate 50, and a main substrate 21 (second substrate). ) And each. In the cable 1 with a connector of the present embodiment, connection terminals 51 are formed on both surfaces of the end portion of the flexible substrate 50 on the main substrate 21 side, and either surface of the flexible substrate 50 faces the main substrate 21. Even if it is made, it is comprised so that electrical connection with respect to the main board | substrate 21 is possible. In the present embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 6A and 6B, the connection terminal 51 of the flexible board 50 of the host-side connector 10A faces the main board 21A (upper surface: see FIG. 6A), and the device-side connector 10B. The surface (the lower surface: see FIG. 6B) where the connection terminal 51 of the flexible substrate 50 faces the main substrate 21B is different. Thereby, the photoelectric conversion unit 31 common to the host-side connector 10A and the device-side connector 10B can be used.

  Further, in the cable with connector 1 of the present embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 6A and 6B, the position of the main board 21A (second board) in the housing 11A of the host side connector 10A and the housing of the device side connector 10B. The position of the main board 21B (second board) in 11B is different. However, in this embodiment, even in such a situation, as shown in FIGS. 6A and 6B, the connection terminal 51 of the flexible board 50 of the host-side connector 10A faces the main board 21A (upper surface: FIG. 6A). And the connection terminal 51 of the flexible substrate 50 of the device-side connector 10B is different from the surface (lower surface: see FIG. 6B) facing the main substrate 21B, so that it is common to the host-side connector 10A and the device-side connector 10B. The photoelectric conversion unit 31 can be used.

=== Others ===
The above-described embodiments are for facilitating the understanding of the present invention, and are not intended to limit the present invention. The present invention can be modified and improved without departing from the gist thereof, and it goes without saying that the present invention includes equivalents thereof.

1 cable with connector, 3 composite cable,
4A braid, 4B sheath,
5 optical fiber, 6 optical fiber cord,
7 Power line, 9 Caulking member,
10 connectors (subscript A: host side, subscript B: device side),
10A Host side connector, 10B Device side connector,
11 housing, 12 support part, 13 holding part, 131 plate part (holding member),
132 groove part, 133 locking part, 14 insertion part,
21 main board, 22 terminals,
23 connection terminals, 24 power supply terminals,
211A step-up circuit, 221B step-down circuit, 213 MCU,
31 photoelectric conversion unit, 40 optical element substrate,
41 optical element, 411 light emitting element, 412 light receiving element,
42 control IC, 42A sealing resin,
43 Fiber hole on the substrate side, 44 Positioning hole,
45 connection terminals, 46 through vias,
50 flexible substrate, 51 connection terminal, 511 through hole,
52 base end side plane part, 53 connection side plane part, 54 middle part,
511 1st fold part, 512 2nd fold part,
61 first protective resin, 62 second protective resin,
70 ferrule, 71 ferrule side fiber hole,
72 positioning holes, 73 contact end faces,
74 recess, 75 ferrule fixing resin, 76 fiber fixing resin

  The present invention relates to a cable with a connector.

  In the structure in which the optical fiber and the optical element described in Patent Documents 1 to 3 described above are optically connected, the light receiving / emitting element mounted on the first substrate needs to avoid heat. Therefore, the first substrate needs to be arranged perpendicular to the optical axis of the optical fiber and have a structure that can easily dissipate heat from the housing.

  An object of the present invention is to make it easy to dissipate heat from a housing on a first substrate on which an optical element is mounted.

  A main invention for achieving the above object is a cable with a connector including a cable having an optical fiber and a connector provided at an end of the cable, the connector facing an end surface of the optical fiber. An optical element is mounted, a photoelectric conversion unit including a first substrate perpendicular to the optical axis of the optical fiber, and a flexible substrate, and arranged in parallel to the optical axis, and the first substrate by the flexible substrate A second substrate that is electrically connected to the optical conversion unit, and a housing that accommodates the photoelectric conversion unit and the second substrate, the housing extending the first substrate perpendicular to the optical axis of the optical fiber. A cable with a connector, comprising a holding portion for holding, wherein heat of the first substrate is conducted to the housing through the holding portion.

  According to the present invention, the first substrate on which the optical element is mounted can be easily radiated from the housing.

A primary first invention for achieving the above object is a cable with a connector comprising a cable having an optical fiber and a connector provided at an end of the cable, wherein the connector is an end face of the optical fiber. And a photoelectric conversion unit comprising a first substrate perpendicular to the optical axis of the optical fiber and a flexible substrate, and arranged parallel to the optical axis, and A second substrate electrically connected to the first substrate; and a housing that accommodates the photoelectric conversion unit and the second substrate, wherein the housing is perpendicular to the optical axis of the optical fiber. A holding unit that holds one substrate; heat of the first substrate is conducted to the housing through the holding unit; and the holding unit is a pair of holding units arranged facing each other in the width direction. And a gap is formed between the outer surface of the holding member and the side wall surface of the housing, so that the pair of insertion portions are separated in the width direction so as to sandwich the first substrate and the holding portion. The connector-attached cable is characterized in that at least two power supply lines are wired to the insertion portions different from each other.
In addition, a main second invention for achieving the above object includes a cable having an optical fiber, a first connector provided on one end side of the cable, and a second connector provided on the other end side of the cable. a connectorized cable with bets, said first connector and said second connector, respectively, the optical element facing the end face of the optical fiber is mounted, first perpendicular to the optical axis of said optical fiber A photoelectric conversion unit comprising a substrate and a flexible substrate; a second substrate disposed parallel to the optical axis and electrically connected to the first substrate by the flexible substrate; the photoelectric conversion unit and the first And a housing for housing the first substrate, the housing having a holding portion for holding the first substrate perpendicular to the optical axis of the optical fiber, wherein the heat of the first substrate is Conducted to the housing through the holding portion, one end of the flexible substrate is electrically connected to the first substrate, and the second end of the flexible substrate is provided on both surfaces of the second substrate. A connection terminal for connecting to the substrate is formed, and the connection terminal is located with respect to the second substrate regardless of which surface of the other end of the flexible substrate faces the second substrate. The surface of the first connector facing the second substrate is different from the surface of the first connector facing the second substrate, and the surface of the second connector facing the second substrate is different. This is a cable with a connector.

Claims (20)

Mounting an optical element facing the end face of the optical fiber, and a first substrate perpendicular to the optical axis of the optical fiber;
A flexible substrate that electrically connects the first substrate and a second substrate disposed parallel to the optical axis;
One end of the flexible substrate is electrically connected to the first substrate,
Connection terminals for connecting to the second substrate are formed on both surfaces of the other end of the flexible substrate,
The connection terminal is configured to be electrically connectable to the second substrate regardless of which surface of the other end of the flexible substrate faces the second substrate. Photoelectric conversion unit. The photoelectric conversion unit according to claim 1,
A photoelectric conversion unit characterized in that a half-shaped through hole is formed at the end of the connection terminal formed on both surfaces of the end of the flexible substrate connected to the second substrate. . The photoelectric conversion unit according to claim 1 or 2,
A photoelectric conversion unit, wherein a protective resin is formed at a boundary portion between the first substrate and the flexible substrate. A cable with a photoelectric conversion unit comprising a cable having an optical fiber and a photoelectric conversion unit,
The photoelectric conversion unit is
Mounting an optical element facing the end face of the optical fiber, and a first substrate perpendicular to the optical axis of the optical fiber;
A flexible substrate that electrically connects the first substrate and a second substrate disposed parallel to the optical axis;
One end of the flexible substrate is electrically connected to the first substrate,
Connection terminals for connecting to the second substrate are formed on both surfaces of the other end of the flexible substrate,
The connection terminal is configured to be electrically connectable to the second substrate regardless of which surface of the other end of the flexible substrate faces the second substrate. Cable with photoelectric conversion unit. It is a cable with the photoelectric conversion unit of Claim 4, Comprising:
A ferrule is fixed to the first substrate,
The ferrule has a ferrule side fiber hole,
The first substrate has a substrate-side fiber hole,
An end portion of the optical fiber is inserted into a ferrule side fiber hole and a substrate side fiber hole, and the cable with a photoelectric conversion unit is characterized. A cable with a photoelectric conversion unit according to claim 5,
The cable with a photoelectric conversion unit, wherein the first substrate and the ferrule each have a positioning hole for inserting a positioning pin. A cable with a photoelectric conversion unit according to claim 5 or 6,
The ferrule has a contact end surface that contacts the first substrate, and a recess that is recessed from the contact end surface;
A cable with a photoelectric conversion unit, wherein a gap is formed between the ferrule and the first substrate in the recess when the contact end surface is brought into contact with the first substrate. It is a cable with a photoelectric conversion unit in any one of Claims 4-7,
The first substrate has a substrate-side fiber hole,
A gap due to a bump is formed between the first substrate and the optical element,
The cable with a photoelectric conversion unit, wherein the end face of the optical fiber faces the optical element in a state of protruding from the opening of the substrate-side fiber hole. It is a cable with the photoelectric conversion unit of Claim 4, Comprising:
The optical element has a plurality of light emitting units or a plurality of light receiving units,
A cable with a photoelectric conversion unit, wherein an end face of the optical fiber faces any one of the light emitting unit or the light receiving unit. It is a cable with a photoelectric conversion unit according to claim 9,
A cable with a photoelectric conversion unit, wherein the light emitting unit or the light receiving unit is not opposed to an end face of the optical fiber. A cable with a connector comprising a cable having an optical fiber and a connector provided at an end of the cable,
The connector is
A photoelectric conversion unit including an optical element mounted on an end face of the optical fiber, the first substrate perpendicular to the optical axis of the optical fiber, and a flexible substrate;
A second substrate disposed parallel to the optical axis and electrically connected to the first substrate by the flexible substrate;
With
One end of the flexible substrate is electrically connected to the first substrate,
Connection terminals for connecting to the second substrate are formed on both surfaces of the other end of the flexible substrate,
The connector is electrically connected to the second substrate with one surface of the other end of the flexible substrate facing the second substrate. With cable. A cable with a connector according to claim 11,
The connector includes a housing that houses the photoelectric conversion unit and the second substrate,
The housing has a holding portion that holds the first substrate perpendicular to the optical axis of the optical fiber,
The connector-attached cable, wherein heat of the first substrate is conducted to the housing through the holding portion. A cable with a connector according to claim 12,
The holding part has a pair of holding members arranged to face each other,
A groove portion for inserting an edge of the first substrate is formed on the inner surface of the pair of holding members,
A cable with a connector, wherein an edge of the first substrate inserted into the groove is locked at an end of the groove. A cable with a connector according to claim 12 or 13,
The holding portion has a pair of holding members disposed to face each other in the width direction,
By forming a gap between the outer surface of the holding member and the side wall surface of the housing, a pair of insertion portions are arranged apart in the width direction so as to sandwich the first substrate and the holding portion. ,
A cable with a connector, wherein at least two power lines are wired in different insertion portions. A cable with a connector according to claim 14,
The connector-attached cable, wherein the optical fiber is disposed between at least two of the power lines in the cable lead-out portion. A cable with a connector according to any one of claims 12 to 15,
The holding portion has a pair of holding members disposed to face each other in the width direction,
Both edges in the width direction of the first substrate are held on the inner surfaces of the pair of holding members,
A cable with a connector, wherein the first board is connected to the flexible board between both edges of the first board held by the pair of holding members. A cable with a connector according to any one of claims 11 to 16,
The first substrate is provided with a control circuit for controlling the optical element,
The cable with a connector, wherein the first substrate has a higher thermal conductivity than the second substrate. A cable with a connector according to claim 17,
The cable with a connector, wherein the second substrate is provided with at least one of a booster circuit for boosting a voltage and a step-down circuit for stepping down a voltage. A cable having an optical fiber;
A first connector provided on one end of the cable;
A connector-equipped cable comprising a second connector provided on the other end of the cable,
The first connector and the second connector are respectively
A photoelectric conversion unit including an optical element mounted on an end face of the optical fiber, the first substrate perpendicular to the optical axis of the optical fiber, and a flexible substrate;
A second substrate disposed parallel to the optical axis and electrically connected to the first substrate by the flexible substrate;
With
One end of the flexible substrate is electrically connected to the first substrate,
Connection terminals for connecting to the second substrate are formed on both surfaces of the other end of the flexible substrate,
The connection terminal is configured to be electrically connectable to the second substrate regardless of which side of the other end of the flexible substrate faces the second substrate.
A cable with a connector, wherein a surface of the first connector where the connection terminal faces the second substrate is different from a surface of the second connector where the connection terminal faces the second substrate. A cable with a connector according to claim 19,
Each of the first connector and the second connector includes a housing,
A cable with a connector, wherein a position of the second board in the housing of the first connector is different from a position of the second board in the housing of the second connector.

Images