KR20000054980A - Optical Connector Module and Signal Transmitting Apparatus by adopting it and using Light - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: An optical connector module and a signal transmitting apparatus using the module are provided to enable the detection of signals of regular level in response to changes in a length of an optical cable. CONSTITUTION: An optical connector module(50) includes an optical cable(51) having at least one channel with a predetermined length, a pair of connectors(53) respectively supporting both ends of the optical cable(51), and a display unit(55) provided for at least one connector(53) to indicate a length information of the optical cable(51). In addition, the signal transmitting apparatus includes a transmitting unit(40) sending an optical signal, a receiving unit(60) converting the optical signal transmitted from the transmitting unit(40) into an electrical signal and further having an optical detector array(63) receiving the optical signal transmitted from the transmitting unit(40) via the optical connector module(50), and processors(100,100') compensating the optical signal in consideration of a transmission loss in the optical cable(51) according to the length information indicated on the display unit(55).

Description

Optical Connector Module and Signal Transmitting Apparatus by adopting it and using Light}

The present invention relates to an optical connector module in which optical cable length information is displayed, and a signal transmission apparatus using optical light that can compensate optical signals by automatically recognizing optical cable length information.

In general, a signal transmission apparatus using light includes a transmitter 10 for converting an electrical signal into an optical signal as shown in FIG. 1, and a receiver 30 for receiving an optical signal from the transmitter 10 and restoring the signal into an electrical signal. And an optical connector module 20 installed between the transmitter 10 and the receiver 30 to transmit an optical signal. Here, the optical connector module 20 has a structure consisting of an optical cable 21 and a pair of connector portions 23 and 25 supporting both ends of the optical cable 21. At this time, the connector units 23 and 25 are coupled to the connector coupling units 11 and 31 provided in the transmitter 10 and the receiver 30, respectively, and the transmitter and receiver 10 and 30 and the optical cable ( 21 is optically optically coupled.

On the other hand, the electrical signal input to the transmitter 10 side ( That is, the driving current signal ( ) Is provided with an optical signal generator including a driving unit 13 for generating a light emitting element and a light emitting element array 15 for generating and outputting an optical signal according to the driving current signal. In addition, the receiving unit 30 receives an optical signal transmitted from the transmitting unit 10 through the optical cable 21 to receive an electrical signal, that is, a current signal ( A photodetector array 33 for converting the photodetector array 33 and a current signal output from the photodetector array 33 into a voltage signal ( Amplification section 35 for converting the signal into a?

In the signal transmission apparatus using the conventional light as described above, in the light emitting element array 15 of the transmitter 10, an electric signal ( An optical signal having an output according to the < RTI ID = 0.0 >)< / RTI > At this time, the detection signal of each photodetector is proportional to the output of the optical signal generated in each corresponding light emitting element. On the other hand, since the optical cable 21 usually has a transmission loss, when the length of the optical cable 21 is changed, the amount of light transmitted is changed.

Therefore, even when the optical output generated from the light emitting element array 15 does not change due to the transmission loss characteristic of the optical cable 21, the amount of light detected by the photodetector array 33 changes when the length of the optical cable 21 is changed.

When the length of the optical cable 21 is changed as described above, that is, when the optical connector module 20 having the optical cable 21 of different length is installed between the transmitter 10 and the receiver 30, the photodetector array 33 Is different from the signal sent by the transmitter 10 in the receiving unit 30, in particular, in the case of digital signal transmission it is difficult to determine the criteria of the digital values "0" and "1" .

Accordingly, in connecting the transmitter 10 and the receiver 30, the optical cable 21 in the photodetector array 33 is controlled by actively controlling the light output of the light emitting element array 15 in response to the change in the length of the optical cable 21. There is a need for an apparatus capable of detecting a signal of a predetermined level regardless of length.

The present invention has been made in view of the above, and the optical connector module in which the optical cable length information is displayed and employs the light to actively detect the signal of a certain level in the optical detector in response to the optical cable length change Its purpose is to provide a signal transmission apparatus used.

1 is a schematic configuration diagram of a signal transmission apparatus using a conventional light;

2 is a perspective view schematically showing an optical connector module according to an embodiment of the present invention;

3 is a perspective view schematically showing an optical connector module according to another embodiment of the present invention;

4 is a schematic structural diagram of a signal transmission apparatus using light according to an embodiment of the present invention;

5 is a schematic configuration diagram of a signal transmission apparatus using light according to another embodiment of the present invention.

<Description of the code | symbol about the principal part of drawing>

40 Transmitter 41,61 Connector connector

43.Driver 45 ... Light emitting element array

50 ... optical connector module 51 ... optical cable

53 Connector ... 55 Length indicator

60 ... receiver 63 ... photodetector array

65 ... amplification part 100,100 '... processing part

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention is an optical cable of at least one channel having a predetermined length; A pair of connector portions supporting both ends of the optical cable so that the optical cable is optically coupled with a predetermined device, the optical connector module comprising: at least one connector portion provided with length information of the optical cable connected between the connector portions; It is characterized in that it comprises a;

According to a feature of the invention, it is preferable that the length display portion is provided with a plurality of metal members arranged in a matrix on one side of the connector portion to indicate length information of the optical cable according to whether or not there is an electrical connection therebetween.

According to another feature of the present invention, the length display unit is formed by arranging a detection area in which a signal input from a device is reflected on one side of the connector part and a non-detection area opposite to the detection area in a predetermined arrangement, According to the arrangement, it is preferable to indicate the length information of the optical cable.

In addition, the present invention in order to achieve the above object and a transmission unit for outputting an optical signal; A receiver for converting an optical signal from the transmitter into an electrical signal, including a photodetector array for receiving an optical signal transmitted from the transmitter; An optical connector module provided between the transmitter and the receiver to transmit an optical signal, the optical connector module comprising: an optical cable of at least one channel having a predetermined length; A pair of connector portions which support both ends of the optical cable, and are detachably coupled to the transmitting and receiving portions to optically couple the transmitting and receiving portions with the optical cable; A length display part provided on the at least one connector part to indicate length information of an optical cable installed between the connector parts; and at least one side of the transmission and reception part according to the optical cable length information of the length display part to reduce transmission loss according to the optical cable length. In consideration of this, a processing unit for compensating for the optical signal is provided.

Here, the processing unit may be provided on the transmitter side to read the optical cable length information of the length display unit, and may be provided to adjust the optical output from the transmitter corresponding to the read optical cable length.

The processing unit may be provided on the receiving unit side to read the optical cable length information of the length display unit and to compensate for the signal detected by the photodetector array in correspondence with the read optical cable length.

Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

2 is a perspective view schematically showing an optical connector module according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to the drawings, the optical connector module 50 according to the present invention is an optical cable 51 composed of at least one channel, that is, at least one optical fiber having a predetermined length, and the optical cable 51 is a predetermined device, that is, a signal which will be described later. A pair of connector parts 53 supporting both ends of the optical cable 51 so as to optically couple with the transmitting and receiving parts (40, 60 of FIG. 4) of the transmission device, and the optical cable 51 connected between the connector part 53 The length display part 55 which shows length information of ()) is comprised.

The length display part 55 is provided in at least one connector part 53 so as to indicate length information of the optical cable 51 connected between the pair of connector parts 53. Preferably, the length display part 55 is provided in all of the pair of connector parts 53 constituting the optical connector module 50. This is a signal as described below regardless of the connection direction of the optical connector module 50, that is, whether one connector is connected to the transmitter (40 in FIG. 4) side or the receiver (60 in FIG. 4) side described later. This is to automatically recognize the optical cable 51 length by the transmission device. In addition, the length display part 55 may be provided only in one connector part.

In the present embodiment, the length display unit 55 is formed of a plurality of metal members arranged in a matrix on one side of the connector unit 53 to indicate the length information of the optical fiber depending on whether they are connected therebetween. For example, the length display part 55 is formed of four metal members, for example, metal pins a1, a2, b1, and b2, arranged in a 1 × 4 matrix as shown in FIG. 2, and two metal pins a1, a2) (b1, b2) may be provided to form a pair. The pair of metal pins (a1, a2) (b1, b2) is 1 if they are connected to each other, and 0 if they are not connected, and the number according to whether the metal pins are connected is (0,0) (0,1) (1,0) (1,1). Accordingly, the optical connector module 50 is not coupled to the device in connection with the transmitter (40 in FIG. 4) and / or the receiver (60 in FIG. 4) of the signal transmission apparatus according to the present invention described later (0, Excluding 0), three pieces of information that the length display unit 55 can represent are (0,1) (1,0) (1,1). Therefore, the arrangement of the metal pins a1, a2, b1, b2 as described above represents the length information of the optical cable 51 in three cases. That is, for example, the length of the optical cable 51 may be represented by standardizing that the length of the optical cable 51 is 50 cm if it is 30 cm (1,0) and 100 cm if it is (1,1).

Here, a plurality of metal members are arranged in an m × n matrix (an integer of m≥1, n≥2), and an optical cable (for example, by an arrangement according to the connection between adjacent odd and even rows of metal members on the same column) 51), the length information can be shown. On the other hand, it is also possible to indicate the optical fiber length information depending on the presence or absence of the metal member on the matrix arrangement.

At this time, the metal pins (a1, a2) (b1, b2) is preferably provided on the side of the connector portion 53 where the exit pupil (or incident pupil) 51a of the optical cable 51 is located. This is to ensure that the length of the optical cable 51 is automatically recognized when the optical connector module 50 is coupled to a predetermined device, for example, a signal transmission apparatus as described below.

Here, the metal member may be provided with a metal hole member (not shown). On the other hand, it is more preferable that at least a part of the connector portion 53 on which the length display portion 55 is installed is provided with a transparent member (not shown) so that the length information of the optical cable 51 can be visually identified.

On the other hand, the length display part 55 is formed on a side of the connector part 53 in which a detection area in which a signal input from a device is reflected and a non-detection area opposite to the detection area are arranged in a matrix in a predetermined arrangement. Depending on the arrangement, it may be provided to indicate the length information of the optical fiber. In this case, the detection area and the non-detection area according to the present invention are concepts that are physically, electrically and optically relative to each other.

For example, as shown in FIG. 3, the length display unit 55 may be formed of the uneven parts 55a and 55b arranged in a matrix in a predetermined arrangement. At this time, at least one connector coupling part (41, 61 of FIG. 4) of a predetermined device to which the connector part 53 is coupled, that is, a signal transmission device to be described later, receives an electrical signal according to a physical contact with a limit switch or the convex part. It is preferable that the generating element is provided in an array or means for electrically connecting by physical contact is provided. In this case, the length information signal of the optical cable 51 can be automatically known by the arrangements 55a and 55b. Here, the convex portion 55b is a detection region, and the recessed portion 55a is a non-detection region.

In another embodiment, the detection area is made of a metal (not shown), which is an electrical conductor, and the non-detection area is made of a non-conductor (not shown), for example, a plastic forming a body of the connector part 53, and the connector part 53 The pair of metal pins (not shown) is arranged in an array in the connector coupling portion (41, 61 of FIG. 4) to be coupled to each other) may be provided so that the pair of metal pins are electrically connected only when contacting the detection area. In this case, the signal transmission device outputs a signal toward the metal pin through a conductive wire and detects whether the signal is returned to automatically recognize the optical cable 51 length information.

In another embodiment, the detection area is a reflection surface (not shown), and the non-detection area is a non-reflection surface (not shown) so that the connector coupling portion to which the connector is coupled corresponds to a light source array (not shown). And a photodetector array (not shown), in which case the array of the detection area and the non-detection area are sensed to recognize the optical cable 51 length information.

According to the length display section 55 as described above, since the detection area is, for example, one non-detection area is, for example, 0, the optical fiber length information can be represented by the arrangement.

Here, the length display unit 55 according to the present invention can be various embodiments in addition to the above embodiments.

The optical connector module 50 having the length display unit 55 according to the present invention as described above is employed in the signal transmission device to convert the optical signal output from the transmitter (40 in FIG. 4) to the receiver (60 in FIG. 4). send.

4 is a view schematically showing a signal transmission apparatus using light according to an embodiment of the present invention. The signal transmission apparatus using the light according to the present invention employs the optical connector module 50 according to the present invention described with reference to FIGS. 2 and 3.

Referring to the drawings, a signal transmission apparatus using light according to the present invention includes a transmitter 40 for outputting an optical signal, a receiver 60 for converting an optical signal transmitted from the transmitter 40 into an electrical signal; A processor is provided between the transmitter 40 and the receiver 60 to compensate for the optical signal in consideration of the transmission loss according to the optical connector module 50 and the optical cable 51 to transmit the optical signal. 100 and 100 '.

Here, the transmitter 40 is installed in one device, the receiver 60 is installed in another device, the devices are different devices, such as a computer body and a display device, in particular a liquid crystal display device, a different circuit board in one device, or It can be different parts of a circuit board.

The transmitter 40 is an electrical signal input ( Drive current signal ( ) And a light emitting element array 45 for generating an optical signal according to the driving of the driving unit 43. ) Is converted into an optical signal and output. The receiver 60 converts an optical signal transmitted from the transmitter 40 through the optical connector module 50 into an electrical signal. To this end, the receiver 60 includes a photodetector array 63 for receiving an optical signal. In addition, the receiver 60 is an electrical signal output from the photodetector array 63, that is, a current signal ( ) Is preferably further provided with an amplifier 65 for converting the signal into a voltage signal and amplifying the signal into a proper level signal.

One connector portion 53 of the optical connector module 50 is detachably coupled to the connector coupling portion 41 provided on the transmitter 40 side, and the other connector portion 53 is connected to the receiver 60 side. It is detachably coupled to the connector coupling part 61 provided. In this case, the one connector 53 and the connector coupling portion 41 are coupled to each other so that the light emitted from the light emitting element array 45 is coupled to a corresponding channel of the optical cable 51. In addition, the other connector 53 and the connector coupling portion 61 are provided so that the optical signal transmitted through the optical cable 51 can be received by the photodetector of the corresponding channel of the photodetector array 63 by being coupled to each other. .

On the other hand, when the length display unit 55 representing the optical fiber length information includes the optical connector module 50 made of a plurality of metal members, for example, metal pins a1, a2, b1, b2, as shown in FIG. Each of the connector coupling parts 41 and 61 is provided with a plurality of hole members made of metal material to which the metal pins a1, a2, b1, and b2 are inserted and electrically connected. The hole members are electrically connected to the processing units 100 and 100 'by conductive wires 101 and 101', respectively. On the other hand, when the length display unit 55 is provided with a metal hole member (not shown), the connector coupling portion 41, 61 is provided with a corresponding metal pin (not shown).

The processing unit 100, 100 ′ is provided on at least one side of the transmission / reception unit 40, 60 and the optical cable 51 according to the length information of the optical cable 51 of the length display unit 55 of the optical connector module 50. The optical signal is compensated for in consideration of the transmission loss along the length. To this end, the processing unit 100, 100 'is electrically connected to the metal pins a1, a2, b1, b2, and sends an electrical signal D1, D2 to one metal pin a1, b1. By detecting the electrical signal D1 '(D2' = 0) returned via the pair of other metal pins a2 and b2, the length information of the optical cable 51 is read by detecting the connection of the metal pins. Then, the optical signal is compensated to correspond to the read optical cable 51 length. That is, when the optical cable 51 is relatively long, the light output from the light emitting element array 45 increases, and when the optical cable 51 is relatively short, the driving unit 43 is controlled to reduce the light output.

When the processing unit 100 is provided on the transmitter 40 side, the processing unit 100, 100 ′ controls the driving unit to adjust the light output from the light emitting element array 45 so that the photodetector array ( In Fig. 63, an optical signal of approximately a constant level is detected. For example, if the length of the read optical cable 51 is relatively long, the light output from the light emitting element array 45 is increased correspondingly, and if the length is relatively short, the light output is reduced.

On the other hand, when the processing unit 100 ′ is provided on the receiving unit 60 side, as shown in FIG. 5, the processing unit 100 ′ of the amplifying unit 65 according to the read length information of the optical cable 51. By adjusting the gain, a certain level of electrical signal ( ) Is printed. That is, when the length of the optical cable 51 is relatively long, the amplification factor of the amplification unit 65 is large in consideration of the transmission loss ratio, and when the length is relatively short, the amplification ratio of the amplification is adjusted in consideration of the transmission loss ratio.

However, when the processing unit 100 'is provided only at the receiving unit 60 side and the optical cable 51 is longer than a predetermined length, the optical signal level detected by the photodetector array 63 is noisy due to the transmission loss rate of the optical cable 51. Since it can be buried in the amplification, the noise is also amplified at the time of amplification, so accurate signal detection is impossible.

Therefore, the processing unit is more preferably provided on the transmitter 40 side, it may be further provided on the receiver 60 side can be used auxiliary.

5 is a view schematically showing a signal transmission apparatus using light according to another embodiment of the present invention. The present embodiment employs the optical connector module 50 in which the length display section 55 representing the optical fiber length information is made up of the uneven portions 55a and 55b as shown in FIG. It is characterized by having a switch array 142 disposed correspondingly to 41 and 61. The switches 142a and 142b are electrically connected to the processing units 100 and 100 'by a pair of wires, respectively.

In this case, the switch 142b is disposed to face the convex portion 55b and is in contact with the convex portion 55b to be pressed. The switch 142a is disposed to face the concave portion 55a. It is a case where it is not in contact with the recessed part 55a and remains off as shown.

The electrical signal D1 sent to the one switch 142b pressed by the convex portion 55b in the processing units 100 and 100 'is fed back via the switch 142b to provide the processing unit 100 and 100'. Detects the electrical signal D1 '. The electrical signal D2 sent from the processing unit 100, 100' to the switch 142a facing the recess 55a is turned off. Therefore, it is not fed back to the processing unit 100 or 100 '(D2' = 0).

Accordingly, the processor 100 (100 ') detects whether the electrical signals D1 and D2 feed back (D1') (D2 '= 0), thereby detecting an arrangement of the uneven parts 55a and 55b to detect the optical cable. The length information of 51 is read. Then, the optical signal is compensated to correspond to the read optical cable 51 length.

Here, the length display unit 55 may be variously modified in addition to the above-mentioned concave-convex portions 55a and 55b, and the connector coupling portions 41 and 61 may be variously corresponding thereto. That is, as described with reference to FIG. 3, the length display unit 55 is formed by arranging the detection area and the non-detection area that are physically, electrically or optically relative to each other in a predetermined arrangement, and the length of the optical cable 51 according to the arrangement. It can be arranged to present information. In addition, the connector coupling parts 41 and 61 and the processing parts 100 and / or 100 'are provided correspondingly. In this case, the detection area is provided on one side of the connector 53 so that a signal input from the processing unit 100 or 100 'is reflected, and the non-detection area is opposite to the detection area. The processing unit 100 or 100 ′ controls the driving unit 43 according to the optical cable length information obtained by reading the arrangement of the detection area and the non-detection area to compensate for the optical output of the light emitting element array 45 or the amplification unit ( The amplification factor of 65 is adjusted to compensate for the detection signal of the photodetector array 63.

In addition, the optical connector module 50 according to the present invention can be applied to various devices.

According to the optical connector module 50 and the signal transmission apparatus using the light according to the present invention as described above, the length information of the optical cable 51 is displayed on the optical connector module 50 itself, the signal transmission Since the device can automatically recognize the length information of the optical cable 51, the transmission distance between the transmission and reception unit 40, 60 by correcting the level of the optical output and / or optical detection signal according to the length of the optical cable 51 Irrespective of this, a signal of a predetermined level may be received at the receiver 60 side. In addition, the transmission distance between the transmitter 40 and the receiver 60 may be changed only by replacing the optical connector module 50 without additional adjustment.

As described above, the optical connector module according to the present invention is provided with a length display unit for displaying the length information of the optical cable connected between the connector.

Therefore, the signal transmission apparatus using the light employing the optical connector module actively receives the signal of a predetermined level regardless of the optical cable length in response to the change in the length of the optical cable installed between the transmitter and the receiver.

Claims (10)

At least one optical cable having a predetermined length; 1. A optical connector module comprising: a pair of connector portions supporting both ends of the optical cable such that the optical cable is optically coupled with a predetermined device. And a length display part provided on the at least one connector part to indicate length information of the optical cable connected between the connector parts. The method of claim 1, wherein the length display unit, And a plurality of metal members arranged in a matrix on one side of the connector to indicate length information of the optical cable according to whether or not there is an electrical connection therebetween. The method of claim 1, wherein the length display unit, On one side of the connector part, a detection area in which a signal input from a predetermined device is reflected and a non-detection area opposite to the detection area are arranged in a matrix, and the length information of the optical cable is represented according to the arrangement. An optical connector module. The optical connector module according to claim 3, wherein the detection region is a convex portion and the non-detection region is a recessed portion. A transmitter for outputting an optical signal; A receiver for converting an optical signal from the transmitter into an electrical signal, including a photodetector array for receiving an optical signal transmitted from the transmitter; In the signal transmission apparatus using the light comprising: an optical connector module installed between the transmitter and the receiver for transmitting an optical signal, The optical connector module, At least one optical cable having a predetermined length; A pair of connector portions which support both ends of the optical cable, and are detachably coupled to the transmitting and receiving portions to optically couple the transmitting and receiving portions with the optical cable; And a length display part provided on the at least one connector part to indicate length information of the optical cable installed between the connector parts. And a processor configured to compensate for the optical signal on at least one side of the transmitter and receiver in consideration of the transmission loss according to the optical cable length according to the optical cable length information of the length display unit. The method of claim 5, wherein the processing unit, And transmitting the optical cable length information of the length display unit to adjust the optical output of the transmission unit in response to the read optical cable length. The method of claim 5, wherein the processing unit, And an optical cable length information of the length display unit, and compensating for a signal detected by the photodetector array corresponding to the read optical cable length. The length display part according to any one of claims 5 to 7, A plurality of metal members arranged in a matrix on one side of the connector part to indicate length information of the optical cable according to whether the metal members are connected; And the processor is configured to compensate for the optical signal according to the optical cable length information read by detecting the connection of the metal members. The length display part according to any one of claims 5 to 7, On one side of the connector part, a detection area in which a signal input from the processing unit is reflected and a non-detection area opposite to the detection area are arranged in a matrix, and arranged to display length information of an optical cable according to the arrangement. , And the processing unit is configured to compensate an optical signal according to the optical cable length information obtained by reading the arrangement of the detection area and the non-detection area. The method of claim 9, wherein the detection area is a convex portion, the non-detection area is a recessed portion, Switch arrays which are turned on and off by the convex portion and the recessed portion are provided in a predetermined arrangement on the transmitter and / or receiver side, The processor inputs an electrical signal to each switch, reads an arrangement of the convex portion and the recessed portion according to whether the electrical signal is fed back, and compensates the optical signal according to the obtained optical cable length information. Signal transmitter.