JP3482358B2 - Optical connector and optical transmission module - Google Patents

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a connector used for connecting an optical fiber and an optical transmission module using this connector.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, with the widespread use of optical fibers, optical fiber cables are often used in combination with general electric wire cables. By the way, it is customary to use a connector when connecting cables to each other or connecting a cable to a device, and an optical fiber cable is no exception.

Therefore, for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 5-114434 discloses an electrical connector and an optical (transmitting) connector in which an electric terminal for connecting an electric wire and an optical terminal for connecting an optical fiber are provided in the same connector. There is.

On the other hand, according to IEC (International Electrotechnical Commission), an optical minijack (OMJ) connector having the same shape as an electrical connector known as a minijack is standardized as IEC603-11. .

In this OMJ connector, a POF (plastic optical fiber) is provided at the center of a metal member having the same outer shape as the electrical connector.
Regarding the connector, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 6-140106 discloses a plug / jack type shared optical transmission device.

[0006]

In the above-mentioned prior art, it cannot be said that the miniaturization of the connector is taken into consideration, and an electric terminal for connecting an electric wire and an optical terminal for connecting an optical fiber are provided in the same connector. In this case, there is a problem that the size becomes large.

That is, in the conventional electrical and optical transmission connector, since both the electric terminal and the optical terminal are arranged in substantially the same plane within the connector, the size of the connector is large in the direction in which these terminals are arranged. It becomes. In particular,
In the case of an optical connector intended for a thick POF (plastic optical fiber) having a core diameter of about 1 mm, the problem of increasing the size becomes remarkable.

Regarding the OMJ connector, OMJ
Since only one POF is provided in the connector, it is necessary to use two OMJ connectors for two-way communication, which causes a problem that the entire connector becomes large like the conventional electrical and optical transmission connectors. there were.

The present invention has been made to solve the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide an optical connector which can be easily miniaturized and an optical transmission module for connecting the optical connector. To do.

[0010]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The above-described object is to provide an optical connector for connecting an optical fiber, which has an electric terminal for connecting an electric wire, and to connect the end of each optical fiber for reception and for transmission by the optical connector. Optical waveguide member is provided in each section,
Each of the optical waveguide members has a cross-sectional shape similar to the shape of the end surface of the optical fiber at the end portion on the side in contact with the optical fiber, and the end portion on the side opposite to the end portion on the side in contact with the optical fiber. Then, a plurality of linearly arranged in a line
And a substantially rectangular cross-sectional shape of the optical fiber of
The respective optical waveguide members are achieved by being arranged on one side and the other side with the electric terminal in between.

Further, the above object is an optical transmission module including a light source, a photodetector, and an electric terminal for connecting an electric wire in a socket for connecting an optical connector, wherein an insulating member of the socket has an optical waveguide for coupling a light source. A member and an optical waveguide member for coupling the detector are provided, and the optical waveguide member for coupling the light source has a plurality of linearly arranged end faces on the side forming the light incident end of the optical connector . Optical fiber
The optical waveguide member for coupling the detector has the optical connector having a substantially rectangular cross-sectional shape, and the end surface on the side coupled to the light source has a cross-sectional shape that matches the emission pattern of the light source. On the side that forms the light emitting end of the optical fiber,
The optical waveguide has a substantially rectangular cross-section, and the end face on the side coupled to the photodetector has a cross-sectional shape that matches the surface shape of the light-receiving surface of the photodetector. The member is also achieved by arranging the member on one side and the other side with the electric terminal in between.

[0012]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION An optical connector and an optical transmission module according to the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the illustrated embodiments. 1 and 2 show a first embodiment of an optical connector according to the present invention, in which FIG. 1 is a side sectional view and FIG.
1 is a vertical cross-sectional view taken along the line AA in FIG. 1, in which 2 is a receiving optical fiber array, 4 is a transmitting optical fiber array, 18a to 18d are connector electric terminals, and 20 is a connector. An insulating member, 22 is a connector metal shell, 24 is a protrusion, 26 is a connector case, 28 is a receiving optical fiber, and 30 is a transmitting optical fiber.

The receiving optical fiber 28 and the transmitting optical fiber 30 are fixed to the connector case 26 by POF (plastic optical fiber) having a fiber diameter of about 1 mm.
Then, here, light is transmitted from the left side to the right side in FIG.
Within 0, light is transmitted from the right side to the left side.

First, the optical signal sent through the receiving optical fiber 28 is coupled to the receiving optical fiber array 2, and the optical signal from the transmitting optical fiber array 4 is
It is incident on the transmission optical fiber 30 and is transmitted therethrough.

The connector metal shell 22 is provided at the joint portion of the optical connector, and has four connector electric terminals 18 inside.
a to 18d are provided. Here, in the case of an electric connector having the same outer shape and the same dimensions as the optical connector according to this embodiment, two pairs of shielded twisted pair wires are usually used as the electric cable to be connected, and in this case , Connector electrical terminals 18a-18
Two to four twisted pair wires are respectively connected to d, and their shield conductors are connected to the connector metal shell 22.

However, in this embodiment, the connector electric terminal 18a is provided for the purpose of coupling and identifying the connector, which will be described later.
And connector electric terminal 18c, and connector electric terminal 18
It is assumed that b and the connector electric terminal 18d are connected to each other as illustrated.

In this embodiment, a groove is formed in advance in the connector case 26, and the receiving optical fiber 28, the transmitting optical fiber 30, the receiving optical fiber array 2, and the transmitting optical fiber array are formed in the groove. 4 is fitted and then sealed so as to be assembled as an optical connector.

A connector insulating member 20 is provided inside the connector metal shell 22.
The connector metal terminals 18a to 18d are arranged at 0. Here, the connector insulating member 20 serves as an insulating material between the connector metal shell 22 and the connector electric terminals 18a to 18d, and together with that, forms a side wall of the connector and is a structure for coupling to a socket of a connection partner. It acts to form the body.

Next, the receiving optical fiber array 2 will be described. This is the light having a rectangular cross section, which is transmitted in the receiving optical fiber 28 with a substantially circular cross section. , Serves as an optical waveguide member for emitting light from the connection portion (right end portion in FIG. 1) of the optical connector.

For this reason, as shown in FIG.
At the (left end in FIG. 1) 2a, they are arranged in a state of being bundled into a nearly circular shape in accordance with the end face of the receiving optical fiber 28. As shown, it is formed of a plurality of optical fibers arranged in a straight line and rearranged so as to be aligned in a line.

The receiving optical fiber array 2 and the receiving optical fiber 28 are adhered with a transparent adhesive to reduce the reflection loss. At this time, in this embodiment, the receiving optical fiber is used. The array 2 is made of seven plastic optical fibers with a diameter of 0.35 mm, so that the outermost diameter of the receiving optical fiber array 2 is 1.05 mm at the joint with the receiving optical fiber 28.
And is larger than the receiving optical fiber 28 of about 1 mmφ.

Therefore, in this embodiment, since the light incident end of the receiving optical fiber array 2 is larger than the light emitting end of the receiving optical fiber 28, there is a margin in the alignment of both ends. It is possible to suppress light loss due to misalignment at the joint.

Further, as a result, on the side where the optical fiber array 2 for reception is arranged in a line, the optical fibers are closely arranged so that the width is 0, which is the same as the diameter of the optical fiber, as shown in FIG. The size (height) in the arrangement direction can be physically set to 2.45 mm, which is the total of the diameters of seven wires. However, in this embodiment, the diameter of the socket-side optical fiber that is the mating partner of this optical connector is slightly increased so that the optical loss at the time of splicing can be reduced. 2.75m in height due to the provision of
It became m.

In this embodiment, although not shown, these parts are not shown in the connector case 26.
A groove having a predetermined shape is provided in the optical fiber array, and the receiving optical fiber arrays 2 are arranged so as to fit in the groove, and then the whole is fixed in a predetermined shape.

By the way, in this embodiment, the receiving optical fiber array 2 is rearranged in a vertical line on the exit side thereof. However, when the diameter of the optical fibers is reduced and the number of optical fibers is increased correspondingly, You can arrange them in multiple rows. Therefore, for the receiving optical fiber array 2, 0.1-0.5 mmφ
A bundle of optical fibers can be used.

Further, the embodiment of the present invention is not limited to the plastic optical fiber, and an optical fiber array made of glass optical fibers may be used. In this case, a glass optical fiber having a thickness of 5 μmφ to 100 μmφ can be used.

Further, the plastic or glass optical fiber used at this time is not limited to the one having a circular sectional shape, and may have a polygonal shape. In particular, if a regular hexagonal optical fiber is used, the gap between the optical fibers can be reduced and the optical loss at the time of splicing with the receiving optical fiber 28 can be further reduced.

Next, the transmission optical fiber array 4 will be described. This is a light having a rectangular cross section from a joint (not shown) of the transmission optical fibers provided in the socket of the connection partner. It serves as an optical waveguide member for receiving the emitted light and for emitting the light so that the cross-sectional shape becomes substantially circular from the end portion in contact with the transmission optical fiber 30.

Therefore, as shown in FIG. 4, it is made by bundling three plastic optical fibers. Here, a fiber having an outer diameter of 0.35 mm is used for each plastic optical fiber, and one of them is used. End (right end in the figure) 4a
Then, as shown in FIG. 2, the optical fibers are arranged linearly in a line in line with the shape of the joint of the optical fiber in the socket. From this state, the other end (the left end Part) 2
In FIG. 6B, the optical fibers for transmission 30 are joined together and rearranged into a triangular bundle.

Therefore, the transmitting optical fiber array 4 is accommodated within the cross section of the transmitting optical fiber 30 on the side of the splicing portion with the transmitting optical fiber 30, and therefore, the transmitting optical fiber array 4 and the transmitting optical fiber 30. There is a margin in alignment with and, and it is possible to suppress light loss at the joint. Then, the transmitting optical fiber array 4 and the transmitting optical fiber 30 are bonded with a transparent adhesive, thereby reducing the reflection loss.

Next, the receiving optical fiber array 2 and the transmitting optical fiber array 4 are provided in the side wall of the connector insulating member 20, as clearly shown in FIG. The conventional electrical connector can be formed without changing the shape.

However, in the present invention, the locations of the receiving optical fiber array 2 and the transmitting optical fiber array 4 are not limited to the side walls, and optical signal crosstalk occurs between the optical fiber arrays. It goes without saying that they can be arranged at any position in the structure of the connector as long as they can be separated from each other.

Returning to FIG. 2, in this embodiment, the protrusion 24
Is provided in the connector metal shell 2, so that a socket intended for an electrical connector according to the prior art, that is,
Since it is not possible to fit into a socket intended for a conventional connector that does not have such a protrusion, there is no fear that the connector according to this embodiment is accidentally inserted into a socket intended for only electrical signals.

In an embodiment of the optical connector according to the present invention,
Since the cross-sectional shape of the optical fiber array, which is an optical waveguide member, is gradually changed, the optical waveguide member can be arranged within the optical connector with a narrow width, and therefore an optical connector having the same shape as a small electrical connector can be formed. can do.

According to this embodiment, the diameter is about 1 m.
Even if an optical fiber of m is used, the height is 3.5 at the joint.
The two optical transmission parts and the electric terminals can be arranged side by side in an optical connector with a width of 6 mm or less and a width of 6 mm or less. Even a small-sized optical connector having a narrow width of 2.5 mm to 6.0 mm can be easily realized.

Further, in the above-described embodiment, since the optical fiber array is used, the cross-sectional shape of the light transmission path can be easily changed, and moreover, even if the optical waveguide member is bent and arranged, optical loss is hard to occur. The transmission loss can be suppressed.

As a result, the optical connector according to the embodiment of the present invention has a great effect when it is used for an optical fiber cable having a large fiber diameter and when it is used for a small optical connector. A great effect can be expected when applied to the case where communication is performed using a plastic optical fiber having a fiber diameter of 0.5 mmφ or more, for example, 0.75 mmφ or more and 1.25 mmφ or less. Further, in the present invention, the optical fibers forming the optical fiber arrays 2 and 4 may not be densely arranged as in the above-described embodiment, but may be arranged with a wide interval.

Next, the socket of the optical connector of the present invention and the electric light transmission module of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG.
And the embodiment of FIG. Here, FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line BB of FIG.

First, in this embodiment, the socket insulating member 36 is provided with the detector coupling optical fiber array 6, the light source coupling optical fiber array 8, and the socket metal terminals 34a to 34a.
34d is provided, and the socket insulating member 36 is provided with a socket metal shell 38. Here, the detector coupling optical fiber array 6 and the light source coupling optical fiber array 8
Are the optical waveguide members, respectively.

The socket metal shell 38 is formed with a groove 40 which is not provided in the socket for electric signals only, so that it can be combined with both the electric signal connector and the optical connector. That is, the groove 40 is the protrusion 2 in the optical connector shown in FIG.
It is provided corresponding to No. 4.

First, a photodetector module 50 is coupled to the detector coupling optical fiber array 6, and the optical signal inputted from the detector coupling optical fiber array 6 is inputted to the photodetector 48. The electric signal is converted into an electric signal, amplified by the amplifier 54, and output.

Next, a light source module 46 is coupled to the light source coupling optical fiber array 8 so that an optical signal generated from a light source 42 provided in the light source module 46 is incident. Here, the light source 42 is driven by a drive circuit 52 based on an electric signal given from the outside.
The optical signal is generated in accordance with the electric signal.

In the electro-optical transmission module according to this embodiment, since the optical signal is coupled to the photodetector module 50 and the light source module 46 by using the optical fiber array, the receiving optical fiber array 6 and the transmitting optical fiber 6 are arranged inside the connector. Even when the fiber array 8 is arranged in the vicinity, the photodetector module 50 and the light source module 46 can be arranged separately, so that the photodetector module 50 and the light source module 46 can be arranged.
It is possible to sufficiently suppress electrical crosstalk between the two. In particular, since crosstalk is likely to occur when optical communication is performed at high speed, this embodiment is extremely effective because it can easily cope with high-speed communication of, for example, 250 Mbit / sec or more.

FIG. 7 shows a state in which the optical connectors shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 are inserted into the sockets shown in FIGS. 5 and 6 and coupled, in which the connector metal shell 22 is a socket metal. The optical fiber array 2 for reception is inserted into the shell 38, and as a result, the tip of the optical fiber array 2 for reception is butted against the end of the optical fiber array 6 for detector coupling, and is optically coupled. Are butted against the light source coupling optical fiber array 8 and coupled.

Further, the connector electric terminals 18a to 18d
Are superposed on and contact with the socket electric terminals 34a to be electrically connected to each other, and the connector metal shell 22 and the socket metal shell 38 are also electrically connected.

FIG. 8 shows an optical fiber array 6 for coupling detectors. In this embodiment, the fiber diameter is 0.4 m.
Seven plastic optical fibers of m are used and arranged in a line on the side of the joint with the optical fiber array 2 for detection, and rearranged so as to be nearly circular on the side of the photodetector 48 and arranged in a bundle. I am doing it.

At this time, the end of each fiber of the detector coupling optical fiber array 6 corresponds to each end of each optical fiber of the detection optical fiber array 2, but in this embodiment, detection is performed in this embodiment. The diameter of each fiber forming the optical fiber array 6 for coupler coupling is made larger than the diameter of each fiber of the optical fiber array 2 for detection, whereby the optical fiber array 2 for detection and the detector coupling optical fiber array 2 are connected. It is possible to reduce the optical loss at the coupling portion of the optical fiber array 6.

Specifically, the receiving optical fiber 28 and the receiving optical fiber array 2 have a numerical aperture of 0.3, and the detector coupling optical fiber array 8 has a numerical aperture of 0.5. Thus, by receiving light using the optical fiber array having a large numerical aperture, the diameter of the optical fiber array can be gradually reduced toward the photodetector without optical loss.

At this time, in this embodiment, each fiber having a fiber diameter of 0.4 mm is narrowed down to 0.25 mmφ. Therefore, the diameter of the optical fiber array on the photodetector 48 side is 0.75 mmφ. The photodetector 48 having a light receiving diameter of 0.8 mmφ is used. Therefore, the signal light from the detector coupling optical fiber array 6 can be efficiently detected, and the light receiving diameter of 0. Since the 8 mmφ photodetector 48 is used, it is possible to easily detect an optical signal of high-speed data of 500 Mbit / sec or more.

FIG. 9 shows an optical fiber array 8 for light source coupling. In this embodiment, the fiber diameter is 0.3 mm.
Three φ plastic optical fibers are used and these are bundled and used. As a result, the diameter of the light source coupling optical fiber array 8 becomes smaller than that of the transmission optical fiber array 4, and therefore the optical signal from the semiconductor laser 44 can be efficiently coupled to the transmission optical fiber array 4.

A semiconductor laser 44 is used as the light source 42, and as shown in the figure, the plastic optical fibers are arranged so as to be aligned with the emission pattern P of the semiconductor laser 44 and arranged in a line with a large divergence angle. The coupling optical fiber array 8 is formed.

When a light emitting diode or the like is used as the light source 42, the light source coupling optical fiber array 8 may be rearranged according to the light emitting pattern of the light source. For example, since a light emitting diode emits light isotropically, the optical fibers may be bundled in a circular shape to form the optical fiber array 8 for light source coupling.

Next, driving of the electro-optical transmission module according to the embodiment of the present invention shown in FIG. 5 will be described below. FIG. 10 shows a drive detection circuit of the electro-optical transmission module, and the electro-optical transmission module according to the embodiment of the present invention shown in FIG. 5 is represented by 80. Then, the socket electric terminals 34a to 34d are connected to the physical layer circuit 62 via the switching circuit 60, and at this time, the socket metal shell 38 is grounded and connected to the common potential point.

The physical layer circuit 62 is a circuit for detecting the connection of the partner device and controlling arbitration operation, negotiation of communication speed and the like, data communication, etc., and that the connector is inserted in the socket. Then, it is detected whether the inserted connector is an electrical connector or an optical connector, and the switching circuit 60 is switched according to the detection result.

First, when it is an electrical connector, the switching circuit 60 switches the signal path to the socket electrical terminals 34a to 34d, and transmits and receives an electrical signal to perform communication.

Then, when the optical connector is coupled, the physical layer circuit 62 switches the switching circuit 60 to the modulation circuit 56 and the demodulation circuit 58. And the modulation circuit 5
6, the electrical signal input from the physical layer circuit 62 is 8B.
A code suitable for optical communication such as / 10B modulation, and the code converted into this code is driven by the drive circuit 52 of the light source module 46.
To drive the light source 42 and send an optical signal to the light source coupling optical fiber array 8.

On the other hand, the optical signal transmitted through the detector coupling optical fiber array 6 is the photodetector module 5
It is detected by the photodetector 48 of 0, converted into a current voltage by the amplifier 54, amplified, and then input to the demodulation circuit 58. Therefore, in the demodulation circuit 58, the input electric signal is demodulated, code-converted, and then supplied to the physical layer circuit 62 via the switching circuit 60.

Next, the operation of detecting the type of connector by the physical layer circuit 62 and the communication procedure will be described with reference to FIGS. 11 and 12. FIG. 11 shows a circuit provided in the switching circuit 60. In the operation by an electric signal, the electric terminal 34a, the electric terminal 34b, and the electric terminal 3 are used.
4c and the electric terminal 34d are paired to form a transmission path of one system, and these are used for both transmission and reception.

Therefore, the electric terminal 34a and the electric terminal 34
To b, an electric signal is sent from one drive circuit 64a, a data signal component of the electric signal transmitted via these is received by one receive circuit 66a, and an arbitration signal component is received by one detection circuit. 68a.

Similarly, the electric terminals 34c and 34d
An electric signal is sent from the other drive circuit 64b, the data signal component of the sent electric signal is the other receive circuit 66b, and the arbitration signal component is the detection circuit 68b.
Then, they are received respectively.

Here, the detection of the operation by the electric signal and the operation by the optical signal are automatically obtained according to the type of the connected connector. Therefore, first, the electric terminal 34a and the electric terminal are detected. A bias circuit 70 is connected to 34b via a resistor so that a bias voltage is applied thereto, and a detection circuit 68a is connected to the 34b, and then an electric terminal 34c and an electric terminal 34d are connected.
Is grounded via a resistor and is connected to the detection circuit 68b.

First, the operation of detecting that the connector is connected to the socket 33 and connected to the communication partner will be described separately for the case of the electrical signal and the case of the optical signal of the connector.

In the case of a connector for electric signals, when the connectors are combined, a voltage is applied from the bias circuit 70 to the electric cable of the connector. Therefore, when the device is connected to both ends of the electric cable, the voltage applied from the bias circuit on the other side is input to the receive circuit 66b. By detecting this, the transmission line is connected to the other side. I understand.

Next, in the case of an optical fiber connector,
As shown in FIG. 1, the electric terminals are connected to each other. Therefore, when the connector is inserted, as shown in the drawing, between the socket electric terminal 34a and the socket electric terminal 34c and between the socket electric terminal 34b and the socket electric terminal 34b. The terminals 34d are short-circuited.

Therefore, when the connector is inserted, the bias voltage applied from the bias circuit 70 appears between the socket electrical terminal 34c and the socket electrical terminal 34d, and this is input to the receive circuit 66b. The connection can be detected.

When the insertion of the connector is detected in this manner, it is next determined whether the inserted connector is for electrical signals or optical signals. Therefore, the drive circuit 6
4a and the drive circuit 64b send arbitration signals, and the detection circuits 68a and 68b detect the arbitration signals.

In the case of the electrical signal connector, the arbitration signal from the other side is detected, whereas in the case of the optical signal connector, the signal of the drive circuit 64a is detected by the detection circuit 68b. Since the signal of the drive circuit 64b is detected and the signal of the drive circuit 64b is detected by the detection circuit 68a, it is possible to determine whether the connector is for an electric signal or an optical signal.

The above operation is the operation until the process proceeds from the process 1 to the process 2 in the flowchart of FIG. 12 and the determination in this process 2 is either NO (negative) or YES (affirmative). After that, when the result is NO, the process shifts to the operation by the process 3, and the communication is performed according to the communication procedure of the electric signal as in the conventional case.

If YES, then in step 4, an arbitration signal is transmitted by an optical signal. Here, when the transmission path by the optical cable is connected to the other party, the response to the transmitted arbitration signal is transmitted from the other party. Therefore, by detecting this, the determination in the processing 5 causes the processing to proceed to the processing 6. Then, the communication is performed according to the communication procedure of the optical signal.

On the other hand, despite transmitting the arbitration signal,
If there is no response from the other party, the process proceeds to the process 7 according to the determination in the process 5. Then, at this time, since it is indicated that the transmission path by the optical fiber is not connected to the other side, the process 7 waits until there is a response from the other side, and when the other side responds, the process proceeds to the process 8 and the network After performing the reset of step 1, the process 6 and subsequent steps are performed, and the communication is performed according to the communication procedure of the optical signal.

Therefore, according to this embodiment, since the electric connector provided in the electro-optical transmission module is used to distinguish the electric connector from the optical connector, the optical connector and the electro-optical transmission module require special modification. It is possible to automatically switch the operation without doing.

However, in the present invention, the method of distinguishing the electrical connector from the optical connector is not limited to the method according to the above-described embodiment, and for example, a switch is provided in the recess of the socket and only the protrusion of the optical connector is provided. The parts may be detected and distinguished, or the optical connector and the socket may be provided with separate identification electric terminals for distinction.

According to this embodiment of the electric-optical transmission module, one socket can be shared by both the electric cable and the optical cable. Therefore, according to this embodiment, separate sockets for electricity and light are provided. Since it is not necessary to install, it is possible to reduce the installation area of the electrical / optical interface.

As a result, according to this embodiment, a high-speed optical interface can be mounted not only on a stationary apparatus but also on a portable apparatus, and a short-distance transmission is realized by an electric / optical interface. In this case, it is possible to use an electric cable for the case and an optical cable for connecting over a long distance.

Next, referring to FIGS. 13 and 14, a second embodiment of the optical connector according to the present invention will be described. The embodiment described here is an optical connector that uses an optical waveguide instead of the optical fiber array, and is therefore different from the first embodiment described in FIGS. 1 to 7. I will explain mainly.

First, FIG. 13 shows an optical waveguide for reception which is used instead of the optical fiber array in the optical connector and the optical transmission module according to the second embodiment. The optical waveguide 10 is provided in the optical connector, and the detector coupling optical waveguide 14 is provided in the electro-optical transmission module. Therefore, the receiving optical waveguide 10 corresponds to the optical fiber array 2 shown in FIG. ,
The detector coupling optical waveguide 14 corresponds to the optical fiber array 6 shown in FIG.

Each of the optical waveguides 10 and 14 has a rectangular cross section and is formed by injection molding. Although only the core portion is shown in the figure, a transparent member having a low refractive index is provided on the surface as a clad, thereby forming an optical waveguide structure.

The light transmitted by the receiving optical fiber 28 is emitted from the end and enters the receiving optical waveguide 10. Then, it is transmitted along the inside of the receiving optical waveguide 10 and becomes a beam long in one direction.

Here, as shown in FIG. 7, when the optical connector having the receiving optical waveguide 10 is fitted into the optical transmission module, the emitting end of the receiving optical waveguide 10 is connected to the detector coupling optical waveguide. The optical signal is sent into the detector coupling optical waveguide 14 by coming into contact with the incident end of the waveguide 14.

The optical signal incident on the detector coupling optical waveguide 14 is narrowed down in the detector coupling optical waveguide 14 and guided to the photodetector. The joint surface of the receiving optical waveguide 10 with the receiving optical fiber 28 is sized so as to include the entire cross section of the receiving fiber 28, and as a result, all optical signals emitted from the receiving fiber 28 are received. It is incident on the waveguide 10.

Therefore, also in this embodiment, there is a margin in the alignment between the receiving optical fiber 28 and the receiving optical waveguide 10, and the optical loss at the joint can be sufficiently suppressed.

The same applies to the joint between the receiving optical waveguide 10 and the detector coupling optical waveguide 14, and the joint surface of the detector coupling optical waveguide 14 includes the joint surface of the receiving optical waveguide 10. The junction loss at the contact portion between the receiving optical waveguide 10 and the detector coupling optical waveguide 14 is suppressed.

At this time, the detector coupling optical waveguide 1
By making the numerical aperture of 4 larger than that of the receiving optical waveguide 10, the light emitting end face of the detector coupling optical waveguide 14 is made smaller than the light incident end face of the receiving optical waveguide 10 with almost no optical loss. Can be narrowed down.

Here, it is not necessary to arrange the receiving optical fiber 28, the receiving optical waveguide 10 and the detector coupling optical waveguide 14 side by side, and to match the gaps in the optical connector and the socket. The angle and shape may be adjusted.

Next, FIG. 14 shows an optical waveguide for transmission which is used instead of the optical fiber array in the optical connector and the optical transmission module according to the second embodiment. The trust optical waveguide 12 is provided in the optical connector, and the light source coupling optical waveguide 16 is provided in the electro-optical transmission module. Therefore, the transmitting optical waveguide 12 corresponds to the optical fiber array 4 shown in FIG. ,
The light source coupling optical waveguide 16 corresponds to the optical fiber array 8 shown in FIG.

Here again, these optical waveguides 12, 16
Has a rectangular cross-section and was created by injection molding.
Similarly, a transparent member having a low refractive index is provided on the surface as a clad so that an optical waveguide structure can be obtained.

When the light from the light source is incident on the light source coupling optical waveguide 16, this light is transmitted to the contact portion with the transmitting optical waveguide 12 and is incident on the transmitting optical waveguide 12. Then, the optical signal incident on the transmitting optical waveguide 12 is sent to the transmitting optical fiber 30 and transmitted to the receiving device side.

At this time, the shape and size of the end portion where the transmission optical waveguide 12 is joined to the transmission optical fiber 30 is such that it is included in the end face of the transmission optical fiber 30.
As a result, even if there is a slight deviation in the joint portion, all the optical signals emitted from the transmission optical waveguide 12 are incident on the transmission optical fiber 30. Therefore, also here, there is a margin in the alignment of the transmission optical fiber 30 and the transmission optical waveguide 12, and the optical loss at the junction can be sufficiently suppressed.

Also, in the joint portion of the transmitting optical waveguide 12 and the light source coupling optical waveguide 16, the joint end face of the transmitting optical waveguide 12 is made larger than the joint surface of the light source coupling optical waveguide 16, and here, Since the junction is provided with a margin, it is possible to suppress the junction loss at the junction between the transmission optical waveguide 12 and the light source coupling optical waveguide 14.

Furthermore, it is not necessary to align the transmitting optical fiber 30, the transmitting optical waveguide 12, and the light source coupling optical waveguide 16 in a straight line, and the angle and shape can be changed according to the installation space in the optical connector and the socket. Adjust it.

According to this embodiment of the optical connector, since the optical waveguide is integrally formed, it is possible to sufficiently suppress the optical loss when the signal light enters the optical waveguide from the optical fiber.
Further, since the optical waveguide can be injection-molded, any shape can be easily made according to the installation space.

In the present invention, the sectional shape of the optical waveguide member in the optical connector or the optical transmission module is
For example, from a shape with a small deviation from the center, such as a shape close to a circle or a square, to a shape that is long in one direction,
One of the characteristics is that the shape is changed to another shape that is not similar to the center, and therefore the cross-sectional shape of the optical waveguide is not limited by the embodiment.

By changing the cross-sectional shape in this manner, the outer peripheral length of the outer joint end face on the opposite side becomes longer than the outer peripheral length of the inner joint end face joined to the optical fiber.

In the above embodiments, the case where the entire optical waveguide is formed of the transparent member has been described.
A metal such as aluminum may be coated on the outside of the clad or directly on the surface of the core without using the clad. By using the metal coating, the inner surface of the optical waveguide becomes a total reflection surface, and as a result, optical loss can be sufficiently suppressed even when the optical transmission path of the optical waveguide is bent with a large curvature.

Next, regarding the third embodiment of the present invention,
This will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 15 is a cross-sectional view showing the optical connector according to this embodiment inserted into a socket and combined with each other. The same parts as those in the first embodiment are designated by the same reference numerals.

In the above-described embodiment, the coupling of light between the optical fiber arrays is obtained by the abutting of the respective end faces, but in the embodiment of FIG. 15, in the vicinity of the respective end faces. , The respective side surfaces are overlapped with each other so that light can be coupled at this overlapped portion.

Therefore, in the embodiment of FIG. 15, as shown, grooves are provided on both outer surfaces of the connector metal shell 22, and the receiving optical fiber array 2 and the transmitting optical fiber array 4 are arranged in the grooves. Similarly, the detector coupling optical fiber array 6 and the light source coupling optical fiber array 8 are arranged with grooves provided on both inner surfaces of the socket metal shell 38.

At the end of the receiving optical fiber array 2, about 4 is provided.
A reflecting surface 76a having an angle of 5 degrees is formed, and a reflecting surface 76b having an angle of about 45 degrees is also formed at the end of the detector coupling optical fiber array 6. In addition, in the transmitting optical fiber array 4 and the light source coupling optical fiber array 8,
Similarly, a reflecting surface 76c and a reflecting surface 76d are formed.

Then, as shown in the figure, when the optical connector is inserted in the socket, the vicinity of the tip of the receiving optical fiber array 2 and the vicinity of the tip of the detector coupling optical fiber array 6 are overlapped with each other, so that the transmitter The optical fiber array 4 and the light source coupling optical fiber array 8 are also arranged to overlap each other.

As a result, the light transmitted through the receiving optical fiber array 2 is reflected by the reflecting surface 76a, is emitted from the side surface, is incident from the side surface of the detector coupling optical fiber array 6, and is then reflected by the reflecting surface 76b. Then, the light is guided into the detector coupling optical fiber array 6.

The transmission optical signal transmitted through the light source coupling optical fiber array 8 is reflected by the reflecting surface 76d,
After being reflected by the reflecting surface 76c of the transmitting optical fiber array 4, the light propagates through the transmitting optical fiber array 4.

According to this embodiment, even if the tip of the connector metal shell 22 is molded into a shape that reduces the size of its cross section, it is possible to easily obtain the coupling of light and also the optical fiber array. Since the tip of the optical fiber array does not protrude, there is no risk of accidentally damaging the tip of the optical fiber array, and the handling becomes easy.

Next, FIG. 16 shows an example of an optical connector conversion optical cable using the optical connector according to the present invention. In the figure, 72 is an electric optical connector according to an embodiment of the present invention, which is an optical connector. With the fiber cable 32,
It is connected to a general optical connector 74.

The optical fiber 32 is a two-core optical fiber having two optical fibers. The two optical fibers are separately used for transmission and reception, and are connected to predetermined portions of the optical connector.

Thus, the optical connector according to the present invention is
It can be converted and connected with conventional optical connectors. Further, the optical connector according to the present invention may be provided with an insertion port of a conventional optical connector to form an optical connector converter.

By the way, in the above embodiment, the optical connector according to the present invention has been described by using the embodiment having the electric terminal, but the present invention is not limited to the one having the electric terminal, and only the optical terminal is provided. May be included. If the optical connector is not provided, the size of the optical connector can be further reduced.

In the above embodiment, the electric terminals have been described as being connected to each other in the connector, but the electric terminals of the connectors at both ends of the cable may be electrically coupled to each other. It can be used for power supply, low-speed electrical signal communication, etc.

[0108]

According to the present invention, an optical waveguide member is provided inside, and the shapes of the light incident end and the light emitting end of the optical waveguide member are changed inside the optical connector, and the optical waveguide member at the joint portion of the optical connector is changed. Since we have given flexibility to the placement of
The optical connector can be downsized, and both the optical coupling portion and the electric terminal can be arranged in the optical connector.

Moreover, the optical transmission module according to the present invention is
Since the optical waveguide member is provided inside and the light is taken out, both the optical coupling portion and the electrical terminal can be arranged,
It is possible to easily provide an electric / optical transmission module.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a plan sectional view showing a first embodiment of an optical connector according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a vertical sectional view showing a first embodiment of an optical connector according to the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing an example of a receiving optical fiber array according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a transmitting optical fiber array according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a plan sectional view of a socket and an electric light transmission module for an optical connector according to the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a side sectional view of the socket of the optical connector according to the embodiment of the present invention as seen from the joint portion.

FIG. 7 is a plan sectional view showing a state in which an optical connector and an embodiment of a socket according to the present invention are joined.

FIG. 8 is a perspective view showing an example of a detector coupling optical fiber array according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 9 is a perspective view showing an example of a light source coupling optical fiber array according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 10 is a configuration diagram of an embodiment including a drive detection circuit of an electro-optical transmission module according to the present invention.

FIG. 11 is a circuit block diagram of an embodiment of the electro-optical transmission module according to the present invention.

FIG. 12 is a flowchart showing a communication procedure in an embodiment of the electro-optical transmission module according to the present invention.

FIG. 13 is a perspective view showing an example of an optical waveguide for reception in the second embodiment of the optical connector according to the present invention.

FIG. 14 is a perspective view showing an example of an optical waveguide for transmission in the second embodiment of the optical connector according to the present invention.

FIG. 15 is a side sectional view showing an optical connector according to a second embodiment of the present invention in a state of being connected to a socket.

FIG. 16 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of an optical connector conversion optical cable using the optical connector according to the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

2 Optical fiber array for reception 4 Optical fiber array for transmission 6 Optical fiber array for detector coupling 8 Optical fiber array for light source coupling 10 Optical waveguide for reception 12 Transmitting optical waveguide 14 Detector coupling optical waveguide 16 Light source coupling optical waveguide 18a-18d Connector electric terminal 20 Connector insulation member 22 Connector metal shell 24 Projection 26 Connector case 28 Receiving optical fiber 30 Transmission optical fiber 32 optical fiber 33 socket 34a-34d socket electric terminal 36 socket insulation member 38 socket metal shell 40 groove 42 light source 44 Semiconductor laser 46 light source module 48 photo detector 50 Photodetector module 52 drive circuit 54 amplifier 56 Modulation circuit 58 Demodulation circuit 60 switching circuit 62 Physical Layer Circuit 64a, 64b drive circuit 66a, 66b receive circuit 68a, 68b detection circuit 70 Bias circuit 72 Electro-optical connector 74 Optical connector 76a-76d Reflective surface 80 Electric / optical module

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Claims (7)

(57) [Claims] 1. An optical connector for connecting an optical fiber, comprising an electric terminal for connecting an electric wire, wherein an optical waveguide member is provided at an end of each of the receiving and transmitting optical fibers to be connected by the optical connector. , Each of the optical waveguide members has a cross-sectional shape similar to the shape of the end face of the optical fiber at the end portion in contact with the optical fiber, and the end opposite to the end portion in contact with the optical fiber. In the section, multiple pieces arranged in a line in a straight line
An optical connector having a substantially rectangular cross-section formed of the optical fiber , and each of the optical waveguide members is arranged on one side and the other side with the electric terminal in between. 2. The optical connector according to claim 1, wherein the optical waveguide member is composed of an optical fiber array including a plurality of optical fibers. 3. The optical connector according to claim 1, wherein the optical waveguide members are arranged in a line in a line.
An optical connector characterized in that the dimension of the longer side of a substantially rectangular cross-sectional shape composed of a plurality of optical fibers is 3 mm or more and 6 mm or less. 4. The optical connector according to claim 1, wherein the receiving and transmitting optical fibers are 0.75 mm to
An optical connector comprising an optical fiber having an outer diameter of 1.25 mm. 5. An optical transmission module comprising a light source and a photodetector in a socket for connecting an optical connector, and an electric terminal for connecting an electric wire, wherein an insulating member of the socket includes an optical waveguide member for coupling a light source, and a detecting member. An optical waveguide member for optical coupling is provided, and the optical waveguide member for light source coupling is arranged linearly in a line on the end face of the optical connector on the side where the light incident end is formed.
It has a substantially rectangular cross-sectional shape composed of a plurality of optical fibers placed, and the end face on the side to be coupled to the light source has a cross-sectional shape that matches the emission pattern of the light source, The waveguide members are arranged in a line on the end face of the optical connector on the side where the light emitting end is formed to form a straight line.
It has a substantially rectangular cross-sectional shape consisting of a plurality of arranged optical fibers, the end face on the side coupled to the photodetector is provided with a cross-sectional shape that matches the surface shape of the light-receiving surface of the photodetector, The optical transmission module is characterized in that each of the optical waveguide members is arranged on one side and the other side with the electric terminal in between. 6. The optical transmission module according to claim 5, wherein each of the optical waveguide members is composed of an optical fiber array including a plurality of optical fibers. 7. The optical transmission module according to claim 5, further comprising identification means for identifying the type of the connector connected to the socket, and the light source and the light source according to the type of the connector identified by the identification means. The operation of performing optical communication using a photodetector,
An optical transmission module for performing communication by switching to an operation of performing communication by an electric signal using the electric terminal.