JP5331837B2 - Photoelectric conversion connector and method of manufacturing photoelectric conversion connector - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a photoelectric conversion connector and a method for manufacturing the same by which optical positioning between an optical semiconductor element and an optical waveguide member is automatically performed, and the optical semiconductor element is sealed as that positions of both are certainly maintained without increasing the number of components and the number of processes. <P>SOLUTION: In a connector 1, a first resin member 60 has: a strand wire support part 62 which is made of a translucent resin and supports an optical fiber strand wire C1 of an optical fiber cable C for transmitting an optical signal; and a reflection surface 63A for transmitting the optical signal between the optical fiber cable C and a light receiving element 10 by reflecting the optical signal to turn an optical path. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2012,JPO&amp;INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a photoelectric conversion connector and a method for manufacturing a photoelectric conversion connector.

  As an opto-electric conversion connector that converts an optical signal and an electric signal, for example, connectors disclosed in Patent Documents 1 to 3 are known.

  The connector of Patent Document 1 is a connector that fits with a mating connector disposed on a circuit board, and is connected to a front end portion of an optical fiber cable that extends in parallel to the circuit board. The connector has a housing in which a concave portion opened upward toward the mating connector is formed. An optical semiconductor is mounted and held at a predetermined position and posture in the recess by a mounting member (stage) fixedly disposed on the bottom wall of the recess, and the light receiving and emitting surface of the optical semiconductor is the bottom. It faces backwards making a direction perpendicular to the wall. A ground plate is disposed on the bottom wall of the recess at a position behind the mounting member, and the front end portion of the optical fiber is supported by a guide groove formed on the plate surface of the ground plate. Has been.

  In the connector of Patent Document 1, the height of the guide groove is adjusted, the optical semiconductor and the optical fiber are optically aligned, and in that state, the liquid resin is poured into the recess of the housing. As a result, the optical semiconductor and the front end of the optical fiber are fixed.

  Patent Document 2 discloses a light having a substrate, an optical semiconductor element disposed on the substrate with a light receiving surface facing upward, and a receptacle disposed on the substrate and holding an optical fiber cable at a predetermined position. A module is disclosed, and a front end portion of an optical fiber cable is connected to the optical module. The receptacle is formed of a light-transmitting resin, and includes a receiving portion that opens downward toward the substrate, a reflecting surface for changing the optical path of the optical signal, and a front end portion of the optical fiber cable parallel to the substrate. It has an insertion hole to be inserted and a board mounting protrusion extending downward. The receptacle is attached to the substrate by inserting and locking a plurality of protrusions in the mounting holes of the substrate, and the semiconductor element disposed on the substrate is received in the receiving recess of the receptacle, The front end of the fiber cable is inserted into the insertion hole and supported. The reflection surface is located above the semiconductor element and in front of the front end portion of the optical fiber cable, reflects an optical signal and bends the optical path at a right angle.

  In the optical module disclosed in Patent Document 2, a slight clearance is provided between each projection of the receptacle and the mounting hole, and the amount of light is checked with a separately prepared light receiving device and light amount monitor when the optical module is assembled. However, the receptacle is moved within the clearance range to optically align with the optical semiconductor element.

  In Patent Document 3, a substrate, a light emitting / receiving element disposed on the substrate, a height compensation member that determines the height position of the film optical waveguide, and a front end portion are disposed on the height compensation member. An optical cable module having a film optical waveguide is disclosed. The height compensation member has a frame shape and forms a space penetrating in the vertical direction, and the light emitting / receiving element is located on the substrate in the space. The light receiving / emitting element has a light receiving surface facing upward, and the front end of the film optical waveguide is located above the light receiving / emitting element. The front end face of the film optical waveguide is processed as an inclined surface of 45 degrees, and the inclined surface serves as a reflecting surface that changes the optical path of the optical signal at a right angle. A sealing material is injected into the space of the height compensation member after the light emitting / receiving element is arranged, and the light receiving / emitting element located in the space is sealed. At the time of assembling the optical cable module of Patent Document 3, the light emitting / receiving element and the film optical waveguide are optically aligned using an image recognition device prepared separately.

JP 2010-135109 A JP2007-264411A JP2008-256870

  In patent document 1, since it is necessary to provide an attachment member on a board | substrate, the number of parts increases by the part of this attachment member. Further, since there is no mechanism for automatically performing optical alignment, it is necessary to perform optical alignment while adjusting the height of the guide groove, which increases the number of processes. The increase in the number of parts and the number of processes leads to an increase in manufacturing cost. Furthermore, after optical alignment between the optical semiconductor and the front end of the optical fiber, the liquid resin is poured into the recess of the housing, so that the adjusted optical semiconductor and the front end of the optical fiber are pushed by the liquid resin. The positions of the optical semiconductor and the front end of the optical fiber may be shifted.

  In Patent Document 2, the number of processes increases because it is necessary to align the optical semiconductor element and the receptacle while checking the amount of light using a separately prepared light receiving device and light amount monitor, and thus the manufacturing cost increases. In addition, in an optical module such as that disclosed in Patent Document 2, it is conceivable to seal the optical semiconductor by filling a resin in the receptacle recess, but in this case, the resin leaks from the recess and enters the reflecting surface of the receptacle. Since there exists a possibility of adhering, the sealing operation | work which avoids this is difficult. Therefore, in order to avoid leakage and adhesion of the resin, it is necessary to process the shape of the receptacle and to fill the resin using a precise filling device. This also increases the manufacturing cost.

  Further, in Patent Document 3, since the number of steps is increased by the necessity of optical alignment using a separately prepared image recognition device, the manufacturing cost increases. Also, when sealing the light emitting / receiving element, the space of the height compensation member remains open upward, so that the leaked sealing material may adhere to the reflective surface of the film optical waveguide, and the sealing avoiding this Make work difficult. Therefore, in order to avoid leakage and adhesion of the sealing material, it is necessary to process the shape of the height compensation member and to inject the resin using a precise injection device, which also increases the manufacturing cost. .

  In view of such circumstances, the present invention automatically performs optical alignment between the optical semiconductor element and the optical waveguide member without increasing the number of parts and the number of processes, and the positions of both are reliably maintained. An object of the present invention is to provide a photoelectric conversion connector in which an optical semiconductor element is sealed.

<First invention>
The photoelectric conversion connector according to the present invention is an optical semiconductor element for converting an optical signal and an electrical signal, a support member that supports the optical semiconductor element, and connected to the optical semiconductor element. A contact member that comes into contact with the mating contact, and holds the optical semiconductor element, the support member, and the contact member by integral molding, and at least a first resin member that seals the optical semiconductor element.

  In this photoelectric conversion connector, the photoelectric conversion connector has a second resin member integrally formed on the outer surface of the first resin member, and the first resin member is made of a light-transmitting resin. A waveguide support for supporting the optical waveguide member for transmitting the optical signal, and transmitting the optical signal between the optical waveguide member and the optical semiconductor element by reflecting the optical signal and turning the optical path And a reflecting surface to be used.

  In the present invention, in the connector manufacturing process, the first resin member is integrally formed with the optical semiconductor element, the support member, and the contact member, so that the first resin member seals at least the optical semiconductor element, and at the same time, A waveguide support portion and a reflecting surface of one resin member are formed. Therefore, when the first resin member is molded, the optical semiconductor element and the waveguide support portion are aligned. As a result, the optical alignment between the optical waveguide member and the optical semiconductor element is automatically performed only by arranging the optical waveguide member on the waveguide support portion.

  In addition, since the optical semiconductor element and the waveguide support portion are aligned at the same time as the optical semiconductor element is sealed when the first resin member is molded, the alignment is performed before the molding as in the conventional case. A situation in which the relative position of the optical semiconductor element and the optical waveguide that has been shifted due to filling of the resin does not occur. Furthermore, in the present invention, the parts and devices used for the above alignment are not necessary, and a process for performing only the alignment is not necessary, so that an increase in cost can be suppressed accordingly.

  The support member and the contact member are formed as a single member with a metal lead frame, are formed integrally with the first resin member, and are separated from each other. The contact member is formed as a plurality of strips. It may be a formed terminal.

  By making the support member and the contact member as one member with the lead frame, the terminal can be provided by simply separating the support member and the contact member after the molding of the first resin member. The operation | work which attaches the terminal as another member is unnecessary. Therefore, the process becomes simple and the positional accuracy of the terminals is improved.

  The support member may be made of a resin or ceramic substrate, and the contact member may be printed on the support member.

  The photoelectric conversion connector includes a driving device that drives the optical semiconductor element in addition to the optical semiconductor element, and the driving device is connected to the optical semiconductor element and the contact member to thereby connect the driving device. The optical semiconductor element and the contact member may be indirectly connected via each other.

<Second invention>
The method of manufacturing the photoelectric conversion connector according to the present invention includes a position of a reference hole formed in a support member that supports an optical semiconductor element for converting an optical signal and an electrical signal, or a member connected to the support member. The optical semiconductor element is positioned with respect to the support member with reference to the element, the element placement step of placing the optical semiconductor element on the support member, and the contact member contacting the mating contact of the mating connector with the conductive material. Conductive material connecting step for connecting, waveguide support for supporting optical waveguide member for transmitting optical signal based on position of said reference hole, and optical waveguide by reflecting optical signal and turning optical path The optical semiconductor element, the support member, and the contact member are integrated with a light-transmitting resin in a state where a reflection surface for transmitting the optical signal between the member and the optical semiconductor element is positioned with respect to the support member. And forming a resin different from the translucent resin on the outer surface of the translucent resin molded in the first resin molding step and at least a first resin molding step of sealing the optical semiconductor element with the translucent resin And a second resin molding step of integrally molding.

  In the present invention, in the first resin molding step, the translucent resin is integrally formed with the optical semiconductor element, the support member, and the contact member, and the translucent resin seals at least the optical semiconductor element and the waveguide. A support part and a reflective surface are formed. That is, in the first resin molding step, the light transmitting resin is integrally formed with the optical semiconductor element, and at the same time, the waveguide support portion and the reflecting surface of the light transmitting resin are formed. In addition, the positioning of the optical semiconductor element in the element arranging step and the positioning of the mold for molding the translucent resin in the first resin molding step are performed with reference to the position of the same reference hole. Therefore, by aligning the optical semiconductor element and the waveguide support portion of the translucent resin, the translucent resin is molded in the first resin molding step. As a result, the optical alignment between the optical waveguide member and the optical semiconductor element is automatically performed only by arranging the optical waveguide member on the waveguide support portion.

  In the first resin molding step, the optical semiconductor element and the waveguide support portion of the translucent resin are aligned at the same time as the optical semiconductor element is sealed by molding the translucent resin. The situation where the relative positions of the optical semiconductor element and the optical waveguide, which have been aligned in the previous stage of molding of the translucent resin, are not shifted due to the filling of the resin does not occur. Furthermore, in the present invention, the parts and devices used for the above alignment are not necessary, and a process for performing only the alignment is not necessary, so that an increase in cost can be suppressed accordingly.

  The support member and the contact member are made of a metal lead frame with a carrier, and a reference hole is formed in the carrier of the lead frame with the carrier, and the contact member is formed as a plurality of strips. A cutting and separating step of separating the contact member from the carrier at a portion extending from the translucent resin after the first resin molding step; And a bending step of forming a terminal shape.

By making the support member and the contact member as a single member with a lead frame with a carrier, the terminal can be provided only by separating the support member and the contact member after the first resin molding step. The process of attaching the terminal becomes unnecessary, and the positional accuracy of the terminals is improved.

  The support member may be made of a resin or ceramic substrate, a reference hole may be formed in the substrate, and the contact member may be printed on the support member.

  Prior to the conductive material connecting step, the device has a device placement step of placing a drive device for driving the optical semiconductor element on the support member or a member connected to the support member. It is good also as connecting an optical semiconductor element and a contact member indirectly via this drive device by connecting to an optical semiconductor element and a contact member.

  As described above, in the present invention, since the first resin member (translucent resin) is integrally formed with the optical semiconductor element, the waveguide support portion and the reflection surface of the first resin member are formed. When the first resin member is molded, the optical alignment between the optical semiconductor element and the waveguide support portion becomes possible. Therefore, in the connector obtained by integral molding, the optical alignment between the optical waveguide member and the optical semiconductor element can be automatically performed only by arranging the optical waveguide member on the waveguide support portion. In addition, as in the second invention, the positioning of the optical semiconductor element and the positioning for molding the translucent resin are performed based on the position of the same reference hole, so that the optical semiconductor element and the optical waveguide are supported simultaneously with the integral molding. Positioning with the part is performed with high accuracy.

  In the present invention, since the optical semiconductor element and the waveguide support portion of the light-transmitting resin are aligned at the same time as the sealing of the optical semiconductor element, as in the prior art, before the light-transmitting resin is molded. Occurrence of a situation in which the relative positions of the optical semiconductor element and the optical waveguide that have been aligned are shifted due to the filling of the resin can be prevented.

  Furthermore, in the present invention, the parts and devices used for the above alignment are not necessary, and a process for performing only the alignment is not necessary, so that an increase in cost can be suppressed accordingly.

It is a perspective view which shows the photoelectric conversion connector which concerns on 1st embodiment with the other party connector. It is the perspective view shown in the attitude | position which turned the connector of FIG. 1 upside down. (A) is a longitudinal cross-sectional view in a plane parallel to the extending direction of the optical waveguide of the connector of FIG. 2, and (B) is a partially enlarged view of (A) showing the vicinity of the optical semiconductor element. FIG. 3 is a longitudinal sectional view taken along a plane perpendicular to the extending direction of the optical waveguide member of the connector of FIG. 2, (A) shows a cross section at the position of the signal terminal, and (B) shows at the position of the ground terminal. A cross section is shown. It is a perspective view which shows a lead frame with a carrier. FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing a state in which an optical semiconductor element and a driving device are mounted on the lead frame with a carrier in FIG. 5. It is a perspective view which shows the state by which the 1st resin member was integrally molded by the lead frame with a carrier of FIG. FIG. 8 is a perspective view showing a state in which a terminal and a lock portion of the lead frame with a carrier in FIG. 7 are cut from the carrier and bent. It is a perspective view which shows the state by which the 2nd resin member was integrally molded by the outer surface of the 1st resin member of FIG. It is a perspective view which shows the photoelectric conversion connector which concerns on 2nd embodiment with the other party connector. It is the perspective view shown in the attitude | position which turned the connector of FIG. 10 upside down. It is a longitudinal cross-sectional view in a surface parallel to the extending direction of the optical waveguide member of the connector of FIG. It is a perspective view which shows a board | substrate. FIG. 14 is a perspective view showing a state where an optical semiconductor element and a driving device are mounted on the substrate of FIG. 13. It is a perspective view which shows the state by which the 1st resin member was integrally molded by the board | substrate of FIG. FIG. 16 is a perspective view illustrating a state where the substrate of FIG. 15 is cut. It is a perspective view which shows the state by which the 2nd resin member was integrally molded by the outer surface of the 1st resin member of FIG.

  DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, an embodiment of a photoelectric conversion connector according to the present invention will be described based on the accompanying drawings.

[Connector configuration]
FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing the photoelectric conversion connector 1 according to this embodiment together with the mating connector 2, and shows a state before the connector is fitted. FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the connector 1 of FIG. FIG. 3A is a longitudinal sectional view in a plane parallel to the extending direction of the optical waveguide member (optical fiber cable C) of the connector 1 in FIG. 2, and FIG. It is a partial enlarged view of (A) which shows the element 10) vicinity. 4 is a longitudinal sectional view taken along a plane perpendicular to the extending direction of the optical waveguide member of the connector 1 of FIG. 2, wherein (A) shows a section at the position of the signal terminal 41, and (B) A cross section at the position of the ground terminal 42 is shown.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the photoelectric conversion connector 1 according to this embodiment (hereinafter simply referred to as “connector 1”) is an optical fiber cable that is an optical waveguide member extending in the front-rear direction (left-right direction in FIG. 1). A connector to which a front end portion (left end portion in FIG. 1) of C is connected, and is fitted and connected to a mating connector 2 mounted on a circuit board (not shown). The connector 1 is a connector that converts an optical signal into an electrical signal. The optical signal transmitted from the optical fiber cable C while being connected to the mating connector 2 is converted into an electrical signal by the connector 1, and The electrical signal is transmitted to the circuit portion of the circuit board on which the connector 2 is mounted.

  The optical fiber cable C itself connected to the connector 1 is known, and as shown in FIG. 3A, an optical fiber strand C1 (hereinafter referred to as an optical fiber strand C1 made by covering a glass core with a glass cladding). , “Element wire C1”) and a coating C2 made of resin or the like covering the element C1. In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 3A, the optical fiber cable C has the coating C2 removed at the front end, and the bare wire C1 is exposed.

  As shown in FIGS. 3A and 3B, the connector 1 includes a light receiving element 10 as an optical semiconductor element for converting an optical signal into an electric signal, and a drive device 20 for driving the light receiving element 10. , A support member 30 that supports the light receiving element 10 and the driving device 20, a plurality of terminals 40 (see FIGS. 1 and 2) as contact members that contact a mating terminal 90 of the mating connector 2 described later, and the light receiving element 10 Are connected to the drive device 20, and a wire 50 (see FIGS. 4A and 4B) as a conductive material for connecting the drive device 20 to the terminal 40, the light receiving element 10, the drive device 20, It has the 1st resin member 60 which hold | maintains the support member 30, the terminal 40, and the wire 50 by integral molding, and the 2nd resin member 70 integrally molded by the outer surface of this 1st resin member 60. FIG. In the present embodiment, the first resin member 60 and the second resin member 70 form a housing of the connector 1.

  The light receiving element 10 is a surface-receiving type light receiving element (for example, a photodiode (PD)) that converts an optical signal into an electric signal. As seen in FIGS. 3A and 3B, the light receiving element 10 is mounted on a support plate portion 31 of a support member 30 described later with the light receiving surface facing upward. The drive device 20 is a device that drives the light receiving element 10 (for example, a transimpedance amplifier / limiting amplifier (TIA / LA)). The drive device 20 is mounted on a support plate portion 31 of a support member 30 to be described later, is positioned in front of the light receiving element 10, and is connected to the light receiving element 10 with a wire 50 (see FIG. 6). .

  In the present embodiment, the connector 1 is a connector that converts an optical signal into an electrical signal as described above, and has the light receiving element 10 as an optical semiconductor element. A connector that converts a signal into an optical signal is also possible. In this case, instead of the light receiving element 10, the connector 1 is provided with, for example, a surface emitting light emitting element as an optical semiconductor element (for example, a vertical cavity surface emitting (VCSEL) laser type light emitting element). In this case, a device (for example, a VCSEL driver) for driving the light emitting element is provided as the driving device.

  The support member 30 is made by punching a metal plate, and is provided to extend in the front-rear direction (left-right direction in FIG. 3A). The front half of the support member 30 (the part shown in FIG. 3A) is formed as a belt-like support plate portion 31 having a plate surface perpendicular to the vertical direction. As described above, the light receiving element 10 and the drive device 20 are mounted on the plate surface (the upper surface in FIG. 3A) of the support plate portion 31, and the light receiving element 10 and the drive device 20 are mounted. I support it.

  The rear half of the support member 30 (not shown in FIG. 3A) is formed larger in the width direction of the connector 1 than the support plate 31 as seen in FIG. At both end positions, a locked portion 32 having a plate surface bent at right angles to the width direction is provided. The locked portion 32 has a hole penetrating in the connector width direction. As seen in FIG. 1, the lower edge of the hole (upper edge in FIG. 2) is a mating connector 2 described later. Functions as a locked edge 32A that engages with the lock piece 101A.

  The terminals 40 are made by bending strips made of a metal plate in the thickness direction, and are arranged in the front-rear direction on both sides of the connector 1 as seen in FIGS. As will be described later, the support member 30 and the terminal 40 are made as a single member by a lead frame F (see FIGS. 5 and 6) with a metal carrier F1 before manufacturing the connector. The terminal 40 is separated from the carrier F1 after the first resin member 60 is molded, and the support member 30 is separated from the carrier F1 after the second resin member 70 is molded.

  The plurality of terminals 40 have a signal terminal 41 and a ground terminal 42. As shown in FIGS. 4A and 4B, the signal terminal 41 and the ground terminal 42 are doubled by integral molding with the first resin member 60 and the second resin member 70 covering the first resin member 60. Each terminal 40 is connected to the drive device 20 by a wire 50. As shown in FIG. 4A, the signal terminal 41 is separate from the support member 30, and as shown in FIG. 4B, the ground terminal 42 is connected to the support member 30. (See also FIGS. 5 and 6).

  As is often seen in FIG. 4A, the signal terminal 41 has an upper arm portion 41A extending in the connector width direction (left-right direction in FIG. 4A) at the same position as the support member 30 in the vertical direction, Bending from the upper arm portion 41A and extending downward, contacting the corresponding contact portion 91A-1 of the mating signal terminal 91 of the mating connector 2, and bending from the contacting arm portion 41B along the lower surface of the connector 1 The lower arm portion 41 </ b> C extending inward in the width direction has a substantially horizontal U shape.

  41 A of said upper arms are hold | maintained at the 1st resin member 60 and the 2nd resin member 70, and the inner side edge part in the said width direction, ie, the edge part near the support member 30, is a drive device 20 and a wire. 50 is formed as a connection portion 41A-1 connected at 50. Further, the contact arm portion 41B is held by the second resin member 70 so that the plate surface facing outward in the width direction is exposed and contacts the corresponding contact portion 91A-1 of the mating connector 2. It has become.

  Since the ground terminal 42 has the same shape as the signal terminal 41 except that it is connected to the support member 30, the configuration of the ground terminal 42 is as shown in FIG. The reference numerals obtained by adding “1” to the reference numerals of the respective parts of FIG.

  The first resin member 60 is made of a translucent resin, and an optical signal from the optical fiber cable C can travel inside the first resin member 60. As seen in FIGS. 3A and 3B and FIGS. 4A and 4B, the first resin member 60 is integrally formed with the light receiving element 10, the drive device 20, the wire 50, and the support member 30. The light receiving element 10 and the driving device 20 are sealed.

  The first resin member 60 has a substantially rectangular parallelepiped outer shape with the front-rear direction as the longitudinal direction, and as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3A, on the upper surface of the substantially rear half part in the front-rear direction, A groove portion 61 is formed which sunk at the center position in the connector width direction and extends in the front-rear direction. As shown in FIG. 3 (A), the groove 61 has a V-shaped groove having a V-shaped cross section in a plane perpendicular to the front-rear direction in a range extending from the front position to the rear end. It is formed as a part 62. The element wire support portion 62 is arranged with the element wire C1 exposed at the front end of the optical fiber cable C, and supports the element wire C1.

  As shown in FIGS. 3 (A) and 3 (B), in the groove portion 61, a raised portion that protrudes in front of the strand support portion 62 and above the lowermost portion of the strand support portion 62. 63 is formed. The rear end surface of the raised portion 63 is a surface perpendicular to the front-rear direction, and the front end surface of the strand C1 disposed on the strand support portion 62 is in contact with it.

  Further, the front end portion of the raised portion 63 is formed to be convexly curved in a range extending forward and upward, and the inner surface of this convex curve, that is, the concavely curved inner surface reflects the optical signal from the optical fiber cable C. It functions as a reflecting surface 63A for changing the optical path. As seen in FIGS. 3A and 3B, the reflecting surface 63A is located above the light receiving element 10, and the optical path is shown by a broken line in FIG. 3B. The optical signal traveling forward in the raised portion 63 from the front end surface of the strand C1 of the cable C is reflected by the reflecting surface 63A and its optical path is changed downward, and is reflected on the light receiving surface (upper surface) of the light receiving element 10. Focused.

  As seen in FIGS. 1 and 2, the second resin member 70 is made of a non-translucent resin, has a substantially rectangular parallelepiped outer shape, and as seen in FIG. One resin member 60 extends rearward. In a substantially front half portion of the second resin member 70, a side surface that is perpendicular to the connector width direction and extends in the front-rear direction is submerged at a position corresponding to the terminal 40, and a terminal groove 71 extending in the vertical direction is formed. Yes. In the terminal groove 71, the contact arm portions 41B and 42B of the signal terminal 41 and the ground terminal 42 are accommodated, and the plate surfaces of the contact arm portions 41B and 42B are exposed. 4A and 4B, the terminal groove 71 allows the corresponding contact portions 91A-1 and 92A-1 of the mating terminal 90 to enter in the connector fitting state.

  As seen in FIGS. 1 and 2, the substantially second half of the second resin member 70 is formed narrower than the substantially first half in the connector width direction. The side surface of the substantially rear half is in the same position as the outer surface of the locked portion 32 of the support member 30 in the connector width direction (see FIG. 8 for the locked portion 32), and forms the same surface together with the outer surface. Yes. The side surface is formed with a recess that is recessed by the thickness of the locked portion 32 at a position corresponding to the hole of the locked portion 32. In the connector fitting state, the lock piece 101A of the mating connector 2 enters the recess and can be locked with the locked edge portion 32A of the connector 1 in the connector fitting direction (vertical direction).

  As seen in FIGS. 2 and 3A, the second resin member 70 is located at the center position in the connector width direction on the upper surface of the substantially second half portion, that is, the wire support portion 62 of the first resin member 60. A groove portion that is submerged at a corresponding position and extends in the front-rear direction is formed as a covering support portion 72. The covering support portion 72 has a V-shaped groove having a V-shaped cross section in a plane perpendicular to the front-rear direction. As can be seen in FIG. 2 and FIG. It is located on the extension of the support part 62 and forms one groove part together with the strand support part 62. The covering support portion 72 supports a portion covered with the covering C2 at the front end portion of the optical fiber cable C. In the present embodiment, one groove formed by the strand support 62 and the covering support 72 functions as a waveguide support that supports the front end of the optical fiber cable C.

[Manufacturing process of connector]
Hereinafter, the manufacturing process of the connector 1 will be described with reference to FIGS. First, as shown in FIG. 5, a lead frame F with a carrier F1 is prepared by punching a metal plate so that the support member 30 and the plurality of terminals 40 form one plate-like member. . In the present embodiment, the lead frame F corresponds to a connector group including a plurality of connectors 1, and support members 30 and terminals 40 corresponding to the connectors 1 are arranged in the extending direction of the terminals 40. In this state, it is connected to one carrier F1.

  The carrier F1 has a front-rear direction at a position between two longitudinal carrier portions F2 connected to the front end and the rear end of the support member 30 and extending in the extending direction of the terminal 40, and the supporting members 30 adjacent to each other in the extending direction. A plurality of horizontal carrier portions F3 extending in the direction perpendicular to the extending direction and connecting the vertical carrier portions F2 to each other are provided. As seen in FIG. 5, the terminal 40 and the locked portion 32 are directly connected to the lateral carrier portion F3. Of the plurality of terminals 40, the ground terminal 42 is directly connected to the support plate portion 31 of the support member 30, but the signal terminal 41 is directly connected to the support plate portion 31. It is not connected via the carrier F1. The vertical carrier portion F2 has a reference hole F2A formed at a position corresponding to the support member 30 in the vertical direction in which the vertical carrier portion F2 extends.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 6, the light receiving element 10 and the driving device 20 are positioned and mounted on the support plate portion 31 of the support member 30 with respect to the support plate portion 31 with reference to the reference hole F2A. . The light receiving element 10 and the driving device 20 are positioned by, for example, determining the position of the reference hole F2A based on an image taken by a camera (not shown) installed above the lead frame F (see FIG. (Not shown).

  Further, the light receiving element 10 and the driving device 20 are connected by the wire 50, and the driving device 20 and each terminal 40 are connected. The wire 50 is connected by known wire bonding.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 7, the light receiving element 10, the driving device 20, the support member 30, the terminal 40, and the wire 50 are integrally formed with a light-transmitting resin to form the first resin member 60. The molding of the first resin member 60 is performed in a state where the first resin member 60 is positioned with respect to the support member 30 with reference to the reference hole F2A of the carrier F1. Specifically, for example, a positioning pin provided in a mold (not shown) for molding the first resin member 60 is inserted into the reference hole F2A, and the mold is attached to the support member 30. Then, the mold is filled with translucent resin. As a result of molding the first resin member 60, the light receiving element 10, the driving device 20, and the wire 50 are sealed by the first resin member 60, and the strand support portion 62 and the reflecting surface 63A of the first resin member 60 are sealed. Is formed.

  As the translucent resin constituting the first resin member 60, it is preferable to use a resin having a high transmittance with respect to the wavelength of the optical signal to be transmitted. The first resin member 60 is preferably formed by transfer molding. By forming by transfer molding, adverse effects such as breakage of the wire 50 during molding can be avoided.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 8, after the terminal 40 and the locked part 32 are separated from the lateral carrier part F3 of the carrier F1 at the portion extending from the first resin member 60, the terminal 40 and the locked part are separated. The portions 32 are bent to form respective shapes. Specifically, the terminal 40 and the locked portion 32 are bent upward at a position near the first resin member 60 of the extended portion from the first resin member 60, and further near the free end of the extended portion. It is bent at the position inward in the connector width direction.

  Next, as seen in FIG. 9, the second resin member 70 is integrally formed on the outer surface of the first resin member 60. The molding of the second resin member 70 is performed by using a mold (not shown) for molding the second resin member 70 on the basis of the reference hole F2A of the carrier F1 as in the case of the first resin member 60. This is performed by filling the mold with resin while being positioned with respect to the support member 30. As a result of molding the second resin member 70, the first resin member 60 is covered with the second resin member 70, and the terminal grooves 71 and the covering support portions 72 of the second resin member 70 are formed. The second resin member 70 can be easily molded by, for example, injection molding. After molding the second resin member 70, the connector 1 is completed by separating the support member 30 from the vertical carrier portion F2 of the carrier F1. Thereafter, the front end portion of the optical fiber cable C is fixed to the front end portion of the optical fiber cable C by fixing the front end portion of the optical fiber cable C to the front end portion of the optical fiber cable C by fixing the front end portion of the optical fiber cable C with an adhesive. To do.

  In the present embodiment, at the time of molding the first resin member 60, the first resin member 60 is integrally molded with the light receiving element 10, and at the same time, the wire support portion 62 and the reflecting surface 63A of the first resin member 60 are used. Is formed. Further, the positioning of the light receiving element 10 and the positioning of the mold for molding the first resin member 60 are performed with reference to the position of the same reference hole F2A. Therefore, by molding the first resin member 60, it is possible to accurately align the light receiving element 10 with the strand support 62 and the reflection surface 63A.

  Further, at the time of molding the second resin member 70, the second resin member 70 is integrally molded on the outer surface of the first resin member 60, and at the same time, the covering support portion 72 of the second resin member 70 is formed. . In addition, the positioning of the mold for molding the second resin member 70 is performed using the position of the reference hole F2A as a reference, similarly to the positioning of the light receiving element 10 and the positioning of the mold for molding the first resin member 60. As done. Therefore, by molding the second resin member 70, the light receiving element 10, the strand support 62 and the reflection surface 63A, and the covering support 72 can be accurately aligned. As a result, the optical alignment between the optical fiber cable C and the light receiving element 10 is automatically performed only by arranging the optical fiber cable C on the waveguide support portion including the strand support portion 62 and the covering support portion 72. Done.

  Further, when the first resin member 60 is molded, the light receiving element 10 and the strand support 62 are aligned at the same time as the light receiving element 10 is sealed. The relative position between the aligned light receiving element and the optical fiber cable does not shift due to the resin filling. Furthermore, in this embodiment, parts and devices used for the above alignment are not necessary, and a process for performing only alignment is not necessary, and accordingly, an increase in cost can be suppressed.

  In the present embodiment, since the support member 30 and the terminal 40 are made as one member by the lead frame F, it is only necessary to separate the support member 30 and the terminal 40 after the molding of the first resin member 60. The operation | work which attaches the terminal as another member after the shaping | molding of the one resin member 60 is unnecessary. Therefore, the process is simplified and the positional accuracy of the terminal 40 is improved.

[Configuration of mating connector]
Next, the configuration of the mating connector 2 will be described. As shown in FIG. 1, the mating connector 2 includes a synthetic resin housing 80 having a substantially rectangular parallelepiped outer shape, and a plurality of metal terminals 90 arranged and held in the housing 80 (hereinafter referred to as “mating terminals 90”). And a locking member 100 that is held by the housing 80 and engages with the locked portion 32 of the connector 1.

  The housing 80 includes a bottom wall 81 that faces a circuit board (not shown), two side walls 82 that stand up from the bottom wall 81 and extend in the front-rear direction, and a connector width direction (two It has a front wall 83 that extends in the opposite direction of the side walls 82 and connects the front ends of the side walls 82 to each other. A recess surrounded by the two side walls 82 and the front wall 83 and opening upward and rearward is formed as a receiving recess 84 for receiving the connector 1 from above.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the substantially first half of the side wall 82 has a terminal holding for holding the mating terminal 90 with the inner surface, the upper surface and the outer surface of the side wall 82 submerged at a position corresponding to the mating terminal 90. A groove 82A is formed (see also FIGS. 4A and 4B). In other words, as seen in FIGS. 4A and 4B, the opposing inner wall surfaces of the terminal holding grooves 82A that oppose in the front-rear direction (the direction perpendicular to the paper surface of FIGS. 4A and 4B). The two are connected by a connecting wall portion 82B extending in the vertical direction in the terminal holding groove 82A. As shown in FIG. 1, the side wall 82 has a lock member holding groove for holding the lock member 100, with the inner surface, the upper surface, and the outer surface of the side wall 82 submerged at a position near the rear end. 82C is formed.

  As can be seen in FIGS. 4A and 4B, the mating terminal 90 is made by bending a strip of metal plate in the thickness direction, and has a substantially horizontal S shape. The plurality of mating terminals 90 include a mating signal terminal 91 that contacts the signal terminal 41 of the connector 1 (see FIG. 4A), and a mating ground terminal 92 that contacts the ground terminal 42 of the connector 1 (see FIG. 4B). Reference).

  The mating signal terminal 91 includes a substantially U-shaped portion 91A positioned on the receiving recess 84 side of the connecting wall portion 82B in the connector width direction (left and right direction in FIGS. 4A and 4B), and the substantially U-shaped portion 91A. A held portion 91B that is folded back at the upper end of one of the two leg portions of the character-shaped portion 91A and located near the connecting wall portion 82B and extends downward along the outer surface of the connecting wall portion 82B; And a connecting portion 91C that is bent at a right angle from the lower end of the held portion 91B and extends out of the terminal holding groove 82A.

  Of the two legs of the substantially U-shaped portion 91A, the other leg located near the receiving recess 84 is bent so that the upper end as a free end is convexly curved toward the receiving recess 84. It is formed as a corresponding contact portion 91A-1 that comes into contact with the contact arm portion 41B of one signal terminal 41. As can be seen in FIGS. 4A and 4B, the corresponding contact portion 91 </ b> A- 1 protrudes toward the receiving recess 84. When the substantially U-shaped portion 91A is engaged with the connector 1, the corresponding contact portion 91A-1 is pressed toward the connecting wall portion 82B in the connector width direction by the contact arm portion 41B of the signal terminal 41. Thus, the elastic displacement is achieved in the connector width direction.

  The held portion 91B is press-fitted from above into the terminal holding groove 82A at both side edges extending in the vertical direction. As a result, the counterpart signal terminal 91 is held in the terminal holding groove 82A. The lower surface of the connection portion 91C is located slightly below the lower surface of the bottom wall 81 of the housing 80, and is connected to the corresponding circuit portion of the circuit board by soldering.

  Since the counterpart ground terminal 92 has the same shape as that of the counterpart signal terminal 91, the configuration of the counterpart ground terminal 92 is indicated by the reference numerals of the parts of the counterpart signal terminal 91 as shown in FIG. Reference numerals with “1” added are attached, and description thereof is omitted.

  The lock member 100 is formed by bending a metal plate in the plate thickness direction so as to form a substantially inverted U shape when viewed in the front-rear direction, and has two plate-like portions facing each other in the connector width direction. Yes. As shown in FIG. 1, of the two plate-like portions, the inner plate portion 101 located on the inner surface side of the side wall 82 in the connector width direction is cut and raised so that the lower end thereof extends to the receiving recess 84 side. The lock piece 101A is formed and can be locked to the locked portion 32 in the connector fitting direction.

  Of the two plate-like parts, the outer plate part 102 located on the outer surface side of the side wall 82 in the connector width direction functions as a held part that is press-fitted from above into the lock member holding groove 82C at both side edges. have. A fixing portion 102A extending outward from the lock member holding groove 82C is formed at the lower end of the outer plate portion 102, and the lower surface of the fixing portion 102A is soldered to a corresponding portion of the circuit board. The connector 1 is fixed on the circuit board. Here, a ground circuit (not shown) may be formed as a corresponding portion of the circuit board to which the fixing portion 102A is solder-connected, thereby providing a ground structure.

[Connector connection operation]
Hereinafter, the fitting and connecting operation between the connector 1 and the mating connector 2 will be described. First, as shown in FIG. 1, the mating connector 2 is mounted on a circuit board (not shown) with the receiving recess 84 opened upward, and the connector 1 connected to the front end of the optical fiber cable C. Is brought to an upper position of the mating connector 2 in a posture in which the wire support portion 62 and the covering support portion 72 face downward.

  Next, the connector 1 is moved downward to fit into the receiving recess 84 of the mating connector 2. As a result, the signal terminal 41 and the ground terminal 42 of the connector 1 are in elastic contact with the corresponding contact portion 91A-1 of the counterpart signal terminal 91 of the counterpart connector 2 and the corresponding contact portion 92A-1 of the counterpart ground terminal 92. Further, the lower end portion of the lock piece 101A of the mating connector 2 enters the hole of the locked portion 32 of the connector 1 and engages with the locked edge portion 32A, thereby preventing the connectors from being accidentally pulled out. The connector fitting connection is completed.

  In the connector fitting state, the optical signal transmitted through the optical fiber cable C is reflected by the reflecting surface 63A of the first resin member 60, the optical path is changed downward, and is condensed on the light receiving surface of the light receiving element 10. . Then, the light signal is converted into an electric signal by the light receiving element 10, and the electric signal is transmitted to the corresponding circuit portion of the circuit board on which the mating connector 2 is mounted via the terminal 40 and the mating terminal 90.

  In the present embodiment, the wire support portion is formed on the first resin member and the covering support portion is formed on the second support member. Instead, for example, the wire support portion is formed on the first resin member. And the covering support part may be formed.

<Second embodiment>
In the present embodiment, the support member is a resin substrate, the contact member is a printed wiring formed integrally with the substrate on the plate surface of the substrate, and the support member is a metal plate member. This is different from the first embodiment in which the member is a terminal formed as a separate member from the support member.

[Connector configuration]
FIG. 10 is a perspective view showing the photoelectric conversion connector 3 according to this embodiment together with the mating connector 4, and shows a state before the connector fitting connection. FIG. 11 is a perspective view showing the connector 3 of FIG. 12 is a longitudinal sectional view of a plane parallel to the extending direction of the optical waveguide member (optical fiber cable C) of the connector of FIG.

  As shown in FIGS. 10 and 11, the photoelectric conversion connector 3 (hereinafter simply referred to as “connector 3”) according to this embodiment is similar to the connector 1 of the first embodiment in the front-rear direction (see FIGS. 10 and 11). 11 is a connector to which a front end portion (left end portion in FIG. 10) of an optical fiber cable C that is an optical waveguide member extending in the left-right direction in FIG. 11 is connected, and is a counterpart mounted on a circuit board (not shown) The connector 4 is fitted and connected. The optical fiber cable C itself of this embodiment has the same configuration as the optical fiber cable C of the first embodiment.

  As shown in FIG. 12, the connector 3 includes a light receiving element 110 as an optical semiconductor element, a driving device 120 that drives the light receiving element 110, and a substrate as a support member that supports the light receiving element 110 and the driving device 120. 130, wiring 140 as a contact member that is formed in a plate shape of the substrate 130 and contacts a mating terminal 190 of the mating connector 4 described later, and the light receiving element 110 are connected to the driving device 120, and the driving device Wire 150 (see FIG. 14) as a conductive material that connects 120 to the wiring 140, and a first resin member 160 that holds the light receiving element 110, the driving device 120, the substrate 130, the wiring 140, and the wire 150 by integral molding; The second resin member 170 is integrally formed on the outer surface of the first resin member 160. As described above, this embodiment is characterized in that the support member is the substrate 130.

  In the present embodiment, the first resin member 160 and the second resin member 170 form the housing of the connector 3 as in the first embodiment. In the present embodiment, the light receiving element 110 is mounted as an optical semiconductor element. However, instead of this, a light emitting element may be mounted as in the first embodiment.

  The light receiving element 110 and the driving device 120 are the same in configuration and mutual positional relationship as the light receiving element 10 and the driving device 20 of the first embodiment, and thus description thereof is omitted. As shown in FIG. 12, the substrate 130 is a resin plate-like member (see also FIG. 13), and the wiring 140 is formed as a printed wiring on the upper surface thereof. That is, in this embodiment, the board | substrate 130 and the wiring 140 are integrally shape | molded as one member, and are not isolate | separated in a connector manufacturing process like 1st embodiment. The wiring 140 extends in the front-rear direction, and the upper surface of the front end portion is formed as a contact 141 for contacting the mating terminal 190 of the mating connector 4. The plurality of contacts 141 include a signal contact and a ground contact. As seen in FIG. 11, the plurality of contacts 141 are arranged at regular intervals in the connector width direction. In the present embodiment, the substrate 130 is made of resin, but the material of the substrate 130 is not limited to this, and may be made of ceramic, for example.

  Since the wire 150 is the same member as the wire 50 of the first embodiment, description thereof is omitted (see FIG. 14). The first resin member 160 is made of a translucent resin, and is formed with a thin, substantially rectangular parallelepiped outer shape on the plate surface of the substrate 130 (see FIG. 15). Further, as shown in FIG. 12, the front end portion of the first resin member 160 is located behind the contact 141 of the wiring 140, and the contact 141 is exposed.

  The said 1st resin member 160 has the groove part 161, the strand support part 162, the protruding part 163, and reflective surface 163A similarly to 1st embodiment. Since these structures are the same as the groove part 61, the strand support part 62, the protruding part 63, and the reflective surface 63A of 1st embodiment, respectively, description is abbreviate | omitted.

  As shown in FIGS. 11 and 12, the second resin member 170 is integrally formed on the outer surface of the first resin member 160 and has a substantially rectangular parallelepiped outer shape with the contact 141 of the wiring 140 exposed. 11 and 12, the front end portion of the second resin member 170 is cut in the upper half over the entire connector width direction (direction perpendicular to the paper surface of FIG. 12). The lower half portion is formed as a contact arrangement portion 173 in which the contact points 141 are exposed and arranged on the upper surface.

  As shown in FIGS. 11 and 12, the second resin member 170 has a groove portion 171 extending substantially rearward from the intermediate portion in the front-rear direction, with the upper surface of the substantially rear half portion submerged at the center position in the connector width direction. Is formed. The rear half of the first resin member 160 is located in the front half of the groove 171. The rear half of the groove portion 171 forms a V-shaped groove and is formed as a covering support portion 172.

  As shown in FIG. 10, the upper surface (the lower surface in FIG. 12) of the second resin member 170 has a substantially central region in the connector width direction in the range extending from the position near the front end to the rear end to form the pressure-receiving portion 174. Has been. As will be described later, the pressure-receiving portion 174 is pressed from above by an elastic piece 204A provided on the upper plate portion 204 of the rotatable lid portion 203 of the mating connector 4 shown in FIG. Yes.

  Further, as seen in FIG. 10, the side surface of the second resin member 170 has a substantially lower half portion (substantially upper half portion in FIG. 12) cut out at an intermediate position in the front-rear direction, and is opened downward. A rectangular guided recess 175 is formed. The guided recess 175 is guided to the guide protrusion 182A of the mating connector 4 in the connector fitting process, as will be described later.

[Manufacturing process of connector]
Hereinafter, the manufacturing process of the connector 3 will be described with reference to FIGS. First, as shown in FIG. 13, a substrate material P is prepared in which a plurality of substrates 130 corresponding to the plurality of connectors 3 are made as one member. The substrate material P is formed in a shape in which a plurality of substrates 130 are connected in the width direction of the connector, and a reference hole P1 as a positioning hole is formed at a position corresponding to between the substrates 130 adjacent to each other. ing. Moreover, the wiring 140 (refer FIG. 12) corresponding to each connector 3 is formed in the board | substrate material P on the upper surface. In FIG. 13, only the contact 141 is shown in the wiring 140, and the other parts are not shown.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 14, the light receiving element 110 and the driving device 120 are positioned and mounted on the upper surface of the substrate 130 included in the substrate material P with respect to the substrate 130 with reference to the reference hole P1. The positioning is performed using a camera (not shown) and an image processing device (not shown) as in the first embodiment. Further, the light receiving element 110 and the driving device 120 are connected by a wire 150 by well-known wire bonding, and the driving device 120 and the wiring 140 are connected by the wire 150.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 15, the light receiving element 110, the driving device 120, the substrate 130, the wiring 140, and the wire 150 are integrally formed with a translucent resin to form the first resin member 160. The molding of the first resin member 160 is performed in a state where the first resin member 160 is positioned with respect to the substrate 130 with reference to the reference hole P1 of the substrate material P. This positioning is performed, for example, by inserting a positioning pin of a mold (not shown) for molding the first resin member 160 into the reference hole P1 as in the first embodiment. As a result of molding the first resin member 160, the light receiving element 110, the drive device 120, and the wire 150 are sealed by the first resin member 160, and the element of the first resin member 160 is formed, as in the first embodiment. The line support portion 162 and the reflection surface 163A are formed in a positioned state.

  Next, as seen in FIG. 16, the substrate material P is cut at the position of the reference hole P1 in the connector width direction. As a result, an intermediate part before molding the second resin member 170 corresponding to one connector 3 is obtained. Next, for example, the second resin member 170 is integrally formed on the outer surface of the first resin member 160 in a state where the front end of the substrate 130 is positioned with respect to the substrate 130 as seen in FIG. By molding the second resin member 170, the first resin member 160 and the substrate 130 are covered with the second resin member 170, and the groove portion 171, covering support portion 172, contact arrangement portion 173, The pressure part 174 and the guided recessed part 175 are formed, and the connector 3 is completed. Thereafter, the front end portion of the optical fiber cable C is fixed to the front end portion of the optical fiber cable C by fixing the front end portion of the optical fiber cable C to the front end portion of the optical fiber cable C by fixing the front end portion of the optical fiber cable C with an adhesive or the like. To do.

  Also in the present embodiment, at the time of molding the first resin member 160, the first resin member 160 is integrally formed with the light receiving element 110, and at the same time, the wire support portion 162 and the reflecting surface 163A of the first resin member 160 are formed. Is formed. Further, the positioning of the light receiving element 110 and the positioning of the mold for molding the first resin member 160 are performed based on the position of the same reference hole P1. Therefore, also in the present embodiment, as in the first embodiment, the first resin member 160 is molded to accurately align the light receiving element 110 with the strand support portion 162 and the reflecting surface 163A. Can do. Therefore, the optical alignment between the strand C1 of the optical fiber cable C and the light receiving element 10 is automatically performed only by arranging the strand C1 of the optical fiber cable C on the strand support 62.

  Further, unlike the conventional case, the relative position between the light receiving element and the optical fiber cable that have been aligned in the previous stage of molding does not shift due to resin filling, and the parts used for the above alignment Similarly to the first embodiment, it is possible to suppress an increase in cost because no process or device is required and a process for performing only alignment is not required.

[Configuration of mating connector]
The mating connector 4 shown in FIG. 10 is a connector disposed on a circuit board (not shown), and includes a housing 180 that receives the connector 3 and a plurality of terminals 190 (hereinafter, “ And a metal shell member 200 that covers the housing 180.

  The housing 180 has a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape whose longitudinal direction is the front-rear direction, a bottom wall 181 parallel to the circuit board, two side walls 182 that stand up from the bottom wall 181 and extend in the front-rear direction, and a connector width. It has a front wall 183 that extends in the direction (opposite direction between the two side walls 182) and connects the front ends of the side walls 182 to each other. A recess surrounded by the two side walls 182 and the front wall 183 and opening upward and rearward is formed as a receiving recess 184 for receiving the connector 3 from above.

  The front wall 183 has a substantially lower half projecting rearward, that is, toward the receiving recess 184, and this projecting portion is formed as a projecting wall 183A. Further, the front wall 183 is formed with a plurality of slit-like terminal holding grooves 183B penetrating in the front-rear direction in a substantially lower half portion, and the mating terminal 190 is received and held by the terminal holding groove 183B. Yes. The terminal holding groove 183B is opened upward and rearward at the position of the protruding wall portion 183A. A space (a part of the receiving recess 184) formed above the protruding wall portion 183A receives the contact arrangement portion 173 of the connector 3 in the connector fitting state.

  The two side walls 182 have a guide protrusion 182A that protrudes toward the receiving recess 184 at the lower half of the inner surfaces facing each other at the middle position in the front-rear direction. The guide protrusion 182A is formed in a square shape that matches the guided recess 175 of the connector 3, and the connector 3 is inserted into the guided recess 175 during the connector fitting process. Guide to the position.

  The mating terminal 190 is made by bending a strip made of a metal plate in the thickness direction, and is press-fitted and held in a terminal holding groove 183B of the housing 180. The mating terminal 190 has one end side portion accommodated in the terminal holding groove 183B at the position of the protruding wall portion 183A, and the other end side portion positioned to extend forward at a position below the front wall 183. A corresponding contact portion 191 for contacting the contact 141 of the connector 3 is formed on the one end side portion so as to protrude upward, and as shown in FIG. 10, the top portion of the corresponding contact portion 191 is formed. Protrudes above the protruding wall portion 183A.

  The shell member 200 is attached to the housing 180, the box part 201 covering the outer side surface of the two side walls 182 and the front surface of the front wall 183 of the housing 180, and attached to the box part 201 so as to be rotatable. And a lid 203 that covers the upper surface of the connector 3 in the fitted state. The box portion 201 is connected to the side wall cover portion 202 that covers the outer surface of the side wall 182 of the housing 180 and the front end portion of the front wall 183 of the housing 180 by connecting the front end portions of the two side wall cover portions 202 (see FIG. Not shown).

  A shaft support portion 202A that rotatably supports a shaft portion of a lid portion 203 (to be described later) is formed in the front portion of the side wall cover portion 202 as a hole portion that penetrates in the plate thickness direction. Moreover, the side wall cover part 202 has a locking part 202B formed by cutting and raising a part of the side wall cover part 202 outward in the connector width direction at the rear part. The locking portion 202B has a plate surface that is perpendicular to the front-rear direction, and can be locked to the locked portion 206A of the lid 203 at the lower edge of the locking portion 202B, as will be described later. It has become.

  As shown in FIG. 10, the lid portion 203 has a posture extending in the vertical direction and has an open position enabling the connector 3 to be received in the receiving recess 184, and a posture extending in the front-rear direction. It is possible to rotate between the closed position covering the. The lid portion 203 includes an upper plate portion 204 that covers the upper surface of the connector 3 in the closed position, a front side plate portion 205 that is bent at the front portion (lower portion in FIG. 10) of the side edge portion of the upper plate portion 204, And a rear side plate portion 206 that is bent at the rear portion (upper portion in FIG. 10) of the side edge portion of the upper plate portion 204.

  The front side plate portion 205 has a shaft portion (not shown) formed so as to protrude inward in the connector width direction, for example, by embossing or the like. In the present embodiment, the cover 203 can be rotated between an open position and a closed position by the shaft being supported by the shaft support 202A of the box 201. Further, the rear side plate portion 206 is formed such that an arm-like locked portion 206A that locks with the locking portion 202B of the box portion 201 in the closed position extends forward (downward in FIG. 10). .

  The upper plate portion 204 is formed by extending in the front-rear direction (vertical direction in FIG. 10) two elastic pieces 204A that press the pressed portion 174 of the connector 3 in the closed position. The elastic piece 204A is formed by cutting and raising the upper plate portion 204, and has a cantilever shape with a front end (lower end in FIG. 10) forming a free end. Further, as shown in FIG. 10, the elastic piece 204A is bent at the rear end (upper end in FIG. 10) and is slightly inclined toward the rear in FIG.

[Mating and connecting operation between connectors]
Hereinafter, the fitting and connecting operation between the connector 3 and the mating connector 4 will be described. First, as shown in FIG. 10, the mating connector 2 is mounted on a circuit board (not shown) with the receiving recess 184 opened upward, and the lid 203 of the shell member 200 is brought to the open position. Then, as seen in FIG. 10, the connector 3 connected to the front end of the optical fiber cable C is positioned above the mating connector 4 with the groove 171 facing downward.

  Next, the connector 3 is moved downward and accommodated in the receiving recess 184 of the mating connector 4. In the housing process of the connector 3, when the guide protrusion 182 </ b> A of the mating connector 4 enters the guided recess 175 of the connector 1 from below, the connector 1 is guided to the normal position in the receiving recess 184. Further, the contact arrangement part 173 of the connector 3 is positioned above the protruding wall part 183A of the mating connector 4, and the contacts 141 arranged on the lower surface of the contact arrangement part 173 correspond to the corresponding contact parts of the mating connector 4 respectively. 191 contacts.

  After housing the connector 3 in the receiving recess 184 of the mating connector 4, the lid 203 of the shell member 200 is rotated to bring it to the closed position. In the closed position, the elastic piece 204A of the lid portion 203 presses the pressure-receiving portion 174 on the upper surface of the connector 3 downward, whereby the contact 141 of the connector 3 is pressed against the corresponding contact portion 191 of the mating connector 4 from above. Both are in elastic contact. In the closed position, the locked portion 206A of the lid portion 203 is positioned below the locking portion 202B of the box portion 201, and the upper edge of the locked portion 206A is the lower edge of the locking portion 202B. And the lid 203 is maintained in the closed position. As a result, the elastic contact state between the contact 141 and the corresponding contact portion 191 is maintained, and the fitting connection between the connector 3 and the mating connector 4 is completed.

  In a state where the connectors are fitted and connected, the optical signal transmitted through the optical fiber cable C is reflected by the reflecting surface 163A of the first resin member 160 and the optical path is changed downward, and the light receiving surface of the light receiving element 110 It is focused on. Then, the light signal is converted into an electric signal by the light receiving element 110, and the electric signal is transmitted to the corresponding circuit portion of the circuit board on which the mating connector 2 is mounted via the wiring 140 and the mating terminal 190.

1 Connector 120 Drive Device 2 Mating Connector 130 Substrate (Support Member)
3 Connector 140 Wiring (Contact member)
4 mating connector 160 first resin member 10 light receiving element (optical semiconductor element) 162 strand support part (waveguide support part)
20 Drive Device 163A Reflecting Surface 30 Support Member 170 Second Resin Member 40 Terminal (Contact Member) 172 Cover Support Portion (Waveguide Support Portion)
60 First resin member 190 Mating terminal (mating contact)
62 Wire support (waveguide support) C Optical fiber cable (optical waveguide member)
63A Reflective surface F Lead frame 70 Second resin member F1 Carrier 72 Cover support part (waveguide support part) F2A Reference hole 90 Counter terminal (part of contact) P Substrate material 110 Light receiving element (Optical semiconductor element) P1 Reference hole

Claims (8)

An optical semiconductor element for converting an optical signal and an electrical signal; a support member that supports the optical semiconductor element; a contact member that is connected to the optical semiconductor element and contacts a mating contact of the mating connector; In the photoelectric conversion connector that holds the optical semiconductor element, the support member, and the contact member by integral molding, and has at least a first resin member that seals the optical semiconductor element.
The photoelectric conversion connector has a second resin member integrally formed on the outer surface of the first resin member, and the first resin member is made of a light-transmitting resin and transmits an optical signal. And a waveguide support for supporting the optical waveguide member, and a reflecting surface for transmitting the optical signal between the optical waveguide member and the optical semiconductor element by reflecting the optical signal and redirecting the optical path. A photoelectric conversion connector characterized by comprising:   The support member and the contact member are formed as a single member with a metal lead frame, are formed integrally with the first resin member, and are separated from each other. The contact member is formed as a plurality of strips. The photoelectric conversion connector according to claim 1, wherein the photoelectric conversion connector is a formed terminal.   The photoelectric conversion connector according to claim 1, wherein the support member is made of a resin or ceramic substrate, and the contact member is printed on the support member. Photoelectric conversion connector, in addition to the optical semiconductor element, also has a drive device for driving the optical semiconductor element, the drive device, by that it will be connected to the optical semiconductor element and the contact member, the driving device The photoelectric conversion connector according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the optical semiconductor element and the contact member are indirectly connected via each other. Positioning of the optical semiconductor element with respect to the support member based on the position of a reference hole formed in a support member supporting the optical semiconductor element for converting an optical signal and an electric signal or a member connected to the support member And an element arranging step of arranging the optical semiconductor element on the support member;
A conductive material connecting step of connecting a contact member in contact with the mating contact of the mating connector to the optical semiconductor element with a conductive material;
Using the position of the reference hole as a reference, a waveguide support part for supporting an optical waveguide member for transmitting an optical signal, and an optical waveguide member and an optical semiconductor element by reflecting the optical signal and turning the optical path to form a reflecting surface for transmitting the optical signal between the said optical semiconductor element and the contact member and a conductive material in a state of being positioned with respect to the support member, and integrally molded with the support member by translucent resin, at least A first resin molding step of sealing the optical semiconductor element with the translucent resin;
A photoelectric conversion connector comprising: a second resin molding step for integrally molding a resin different from the translucent resin on an outer surface of the translucent resin molded in the first resin molding step. Production method.   The support member and the contact member are made of a metal lead frame with a carrier, and a reference hole is formed in the carrier of the lead frame with the carrier, and the contact member is formed as a plurality of strips. A cutting and separating step of separating the contact member from the carrier at a portion extending from the translucent resin after the first resin molding step; 6. The method of manufacturing a photoelectric conversion connector according to claim 5, further comprising a bending step of forming a terminal shape.   6. The light according to claim 5, wherein the support member is made of a resin or ceramic substrate, a reference hole is formed in the substrate, and the contact member is printed on the support member. Manufacturing method of electrical conversion connector.   Prior to the conductive material connecting step, the device has a device placement step of placing a drive device for driving the optical semiconductor element on the support member or a member connected to the support member. 8. The photoelectric device according to claim 5, wherein the optical semiconductor element and the contact member are indirectly connected via the driving device by being connected to the optical semiconductor element and the contact member. Manufacturing method of conversion connector.

Images