WO2001073491A1

WO2001073491A1 - Coupling arrangement

Info

Publication number: WO2001073491A1
Application number: PCT/DE2001/001233
Authority: WO
Inventors: Karl SCHRÖDINGER; Andreas Steffensen
Original assignee: Infineon Technologies Ag
Priority date: 2000-03-29
Filing date: 2001-03-28
Publication date: 2001-10-04
Also published as: DE10016443A1

Abstract

The invention relates to a coupling arrangement for connecting a light guide (9) to an optoelectronic element (11). According to the invention, the coupling housing (1) is connected to a sleeve-type fixing device (3) in which a bearing body (4) for the plug pin is located, said bearing body having guiding surfaces which are located at an angle to each other and between which the plug pin (8) is resiliently fixed. This configuration enables the light guide (9) that is held by its end in the cylindrical plug pin (8) to be positioned centrally in relation to an optoelectronic element (11) located in the coupling housing (1). The bearing body (4) is rigid and the guiding surfaces of the bearing body (4) form a V-shaped groove (6) in which the plug pin (8) is fixed in place by a radially effective spring element (16).

Description

description

coupling arrangement

The present invention is in the field of connecting light conductors to optoelectronic components and is to be used in the structural design of an arrangement in which a coupling housing, which accommodates the optoelectronic element, with the optoelectronic element for the central assignment of the light conductor, which is enclosed in a cylindrical plug pin at the end to the optoelectronic element a sleeve-like posture is connected, in which a bearing body for the plug pin is arranged.

For the purposes of the invention, an optoelectronic is intended

Element can be understood as a transmitter or a receiver. When electrically controlled, an optoelectronic element designed as a transmitter converts the electrical signals into optical signals which are emitted in the form of light signals from its optically active zone. An optoelectronic element designed as a receiver converts the light signals into its optically active zone when it is acted upon into corresponding electrical signals that can be tapped on the output side. Furthermore, a light guide should be understood to mean any device for the spatially limited routing of an optical signal, in particular assembled light waveguides or so-called "wave guides".

To avoid fluctuations in the transmitted light output, it is necessary that the coupling face of the

Optical fiber core and the optically active zone of the assigned optoelectronic element are aligned optically centrally to one another during the transmission. In view of this it is necessary to prevent radial play of the connector pin in the bearing body.

In a known coupling arrangement, the bearing body arranged in the sleeve-like holder consists of a rubber-elastic material and is provided with three guide surfaces arranged at an angle to one another for the central reception of the plug pin. The guide surfaces are pressed radially apart by the plug pin during the plug-in process and resiliently rest against the outer surface of the plug pin when it is inserted. With this arrangement, there is the risk that the connector pin will not assume the desired central position due to pressure forces of the guide surfaces acting radially to different extents - for example, due to inhomogeneities in the rubber-elastic material (US Pat. No. 5,661,834).

Starting from a coupling arrangement with the features of the preamble of claim 1 (US 5,661,834), the object of the invention is to design the coupling arrangement in such a way that the plug pin is radially uniquely positioned in the sleeve-like receptacle connected to the coupling housing.

According to the invention, this object is achieved in that the bearing body is rigid and the guide surfaces of the bearing body form a groove in which the plug pin is fixed by a radially acting spring element.

In such a configuration it is ensured that the plug pin is clearly positioned in the sleeve-like holder by being in contact with two guide surfaces assigned to a rigid bearing body and is fixed in this position by a spring element. Such an accurate positioning tion of the connector pin leads in particular when coupling single-mode optical fibers with a core diameter of

Light guide of approx. 9μm for a significant reduction in the fluctuation range of the transmitted light output.

With a view to simple handling when inserting the plug pin into the groove of the bearing body and when removing the plug pin from the bearing body, it is advantageous if the spring element has an active region which narrows in the plugging direction. Here, the plug pin only has to be moved in the corresponding axial direction. This has particular advantages in arrangements in which numerous connector pins are placed in a confined space.

A preferred embodiment of the new coupling arrangement, in order to ensure a sufficiently high compressive force of the field element on the plug pin, so that the plug pin is not pressed out of the groove in the case of radially acting forces, provides that the bearing body is tubular and that the spring element is ring-like is formed and placed on the bearing body and engages with the effective area through a window-like opening of the bearing body.

An embodiment of the new coupling arrangement that is particularly simple with regard to the structural design of the bearing body and the spring element can be realized in that the bearing body has the shape of an open channel and that the spring element is formed by at least one inwardly curved wing-like section of the jacket surface of the sleeve-like holder is.

The groove is advantageously designed as a V-groove, so that the fixation of the connector pin is guaranteed. Several embodiments of the invention are shown in Figures 1 to 10 of the drawing. Show

1 shows a first coupling arrangement with a tubular, metal bearing body pressed into the sleeve-like holder, the wall of which has a window-like opening for the effective area of an annular spring, FIG. 2 shows a sectional illustration of the coupling arrangement according to FIG. 1 along the line A-A,

FIG. 3 shows a sectional illustration of the coupling arrangement according to FIG. 1 along the line B-B,

4 shows a variant of the first embodiment with a radially mountable spring element, FIG. 5 shows a second embodiment of a coupling arrangement with a plastic bearing body molded onto the sleeve-like holder,

6 shows a third exemplary embodiment of a coupling arrangement with a two-part bearing body, FIG. 7 shows a fourth exemplary embodiment of a coupling arrangement in which the bearing body has the shape of an open channel and the spring element is an integral part of the sleeve-like holder, and FIGS. 8 to 10 show a side view in FIG Plug direction C and two sectional views along lines DD and EE of the coupling arrangement according to FIG. 7.

The coupling arrangement according to FIGS. 1 to 3 has a coupling housing 1, to which a sleeve-like holder 3 provided with a welding lip 2 is fastened. A as

Steel turned part formed with a cylindrical outer surface bearing body 4 has a portion 5 with a reduced outer diameter at a first end. This first end of the bearing body 4 is in the sleeve-like holder pressed. The bearing body 4 is of tubular design such that on the inside it has a guide region 7, provided with a V-groove 6, for a plug pin 8. A single-mode optical waveguide 9 is contained in the plug pin 8.

According to FIG. 1, the coupling housing 1 has a cylindrical receiving area 10 opposite the sleeve-like holder 3, in which an optoelectronic element 11 is adjusted and fastened in such a way that its optically active zone 12 and the coupling end face 13 of the optical waveguide core are optically aligned with one another when the plug pin 8 is inserted are.

According to FIGS. 2 and 3, the section 5 of the bearing body 4 is so long that a part of the section 5 running outside the sleeve-like holder 3 forms an outer annular groove 14 together with the end edge of the sleeve-like holder. In the area of this annular groove 14, the bearing body 4 has a window-like opening 15 diametrically opposite the V-groove 6. A spring element 16, which is arranged in the annular groove 14 and is designed as a closed annular spring, is equipped with an active region 17 which narrows in the plugging direction C and, with this active region 17, extends through the window-like opening 15 of the bearing body 4. When the plug pin 8 is inserted, there is a surface section of the active region 17 of the annular spring 16 resiliently on the outer surface of the connector pin 8 and presses it into the V-groove 6. A bearing body made of steel has the advantage that the guide surfaces have a high surface accuracy.

In the variant according to FIG. 4, the spring element 18 is designed as an open ring spring. This does not have to be axially blown onto the bearing body 19, but it can be radial be inserted into the ring groove. In the area of the casing of the bearing body 19 opposite the window-like opening 20, two outer longitudinal grooves 21 are formed, in which the ends of the open annular spring are hooked.

In the coupling arrangement according to FIG. 5, the bearing body 22 is made of plastic and is molded onto the sleeve-like holder 23. The bearing body 22 has an outer annular groove 24. - A plastic bearing body improves the electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) of the

Coupling arrangement, since it considerably reduces the radiation of electromagnetic waves, especially in the range above 1 GHz.

In the coupling arrangement according to Figure 6, the bearing body is formed in two parts. A first, short part 25 made of steel is pressed into the sleeve-like holder 3. This first part 25 of the bearing body is provided with a flange 26 at its end opposite the sleeve-like holder 3. A second, longer-shaped part 27 of the bearing body made of plastic is molded onto the end of the first part 25 provided with the flange 26. With such an embodiment, the advantages of maintaining low manufacturing tolerances and the low surface roughness of a precision part made of steel are combined with the cost advantage of a part made of plastic.

In the coupling arrangement according to FIGS. 7 to 10, a bearing body 28 is completely pressed into a sleeve-like holder 29, which is consequently longer than in the exemplary embodiments according to FIGS. 1 to 6. The bearing body 28 can also be welded in. According to FIG. 7, the wall of the sleeve-like holder 29 is cut in an H-shape with a laser beam in such a way that two wing-like sections 30 of the wall, which are subsequently bent inwards, resiliently rest along a longitudinal line 31 of the lateral surface of the plug pin (cf. also Figures 9 and 10).

According to FIG. 8, the wing-like sections 30 are bent in such a way that an active region 32 narrowing in the plugging direction ensures easy insertion of the plug pin 8. The

Bearing body 28 is designed as a steel turned part, which has a cylindrical outer surface and into which an open channel 34 provided with a V-groove 33 is milled.

Claims

claims

1. Coupling arrangement for connecting a light guide (9) to an optoelectronic element (11), - in which the end of the light guide to be coupled is contained in a cylindrical plug pin (8) and

- In the case of the central assignment of the light guide (9) to the optoelectronic element (11), a sleeve-like holder (3) is connected to a coupling housing (1) accommodating the optoelectronic element (11), the sleeve-like holder (3) in the a bearing body (4) for the plug pin (8) is arranged, which has guide surfaces arranged at an angle to one another, and the plug pin is resiliently fixed between these guide surfaces, characterized in that

- That the bearing body (4) is rigid and that the guide surfaces of the bearing body form a groove (6) in which the plug pin (8) is fixed by a radially acting spring element (16).

2. Coupling arrangement according to claim 1, so that the spring element (16) has an active region (17) narrowing in the plugging direction (C).

3. Coupling arrangement according to one of claims 1 or 2, d a d u r c h g e k e n n z e i c h n e t, - that the bearing body (4) is tubular and

- That the spring element (16) is ring-shaped and is placed on the bearing body (4) and with the active rich (17) passes through a window-like opening (15) of the bearing body.

4. Coupling arrangement according to one of claims 1 or 2, characterized in that the bearing body (28) has the shape of an open channel (34) and that the spring element of at least one inwardly curved wing-like section (30) of the outer surface of the sleeve-like holder (29 ) is formed.

5. Coupling arrangement according to one of the preceding claims, d a d u r c h g e k e n n z e i c h n e t that the groove (6) is designed as a V-groove.