Apparatus for an electro-optical device connection

• US 20060067631A1
• Filed: 09/30/2004
• Published: 03/30/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 09/30/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sumitomo Electric Device Innovations, U.S.A., Inc. (Sumitomo Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Emcore Corporation
• Inventors: Wang, William H., Crews, Darren S.
• Granted Patent: US 7,373,031 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 385/92
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/3855 characterised by the method of anchoring or fixing the fibre within the ferrule G02B6/3854 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/3887 Anchoring optical cables to connector housings, e.g. strain relief features
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/3893 Push-pull type, e.g. snap-in, push-on
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/4292 the light guide being disconnectable from the opto-electronic element, e.g. mutually self aligning arrangements

Abstract

An optical fiber connector for releasably coupling an optical fiber to an electro-optical module is disclosed. The optical fiber connector includes a housing, a strain relief, a fiber retention clip, and a pair of latching arms. The housing includes a housing bore defined through at least a portion of the housing and adapted to accommodate the exterior diameter of a typical optical fiber. The optical fiber extending through the strain relief and into the housing bore, terminating at an end of the housing. The optical fiber is retained by the housing by the utilization of the fiber retention clip. The latching arms are arranged to releasable attach the connector to an electro-optical device such that the optical fiber and an optical lens disposed in the electro-optical device are aligned.

Claims

1. An optical fiber connector for releasably coupling an optical fiber to an electro-optical module comprising:

a housing having a bore sized to receive the optical fiber, the bore extending through at least a portion of the housing and terminating at a first end portion of the housing;

a fiber retaining clip mounted to the housing, the fiber retaining clip constructed and arranged to secure the optical fiber to the housing; and

a pair of biased latching arms, each including a first end attached to a side of the housing adjacent the first end portion of the housing, each extending toward the second end portion of the housing and being resiliently deflectable to permit movement of the second end between an inward release position and an outward lock position.

2. The connector of claim 1, further comprising a strain relief mounted to the housing at a second end portion of the housing and having a through bore extending through the strain relief and sized to receive the optical fiber.

3. The connector of claim 1, wherein the housing includes a top side, a bottom side, and a surrounding edge including a first edge, a second edge opposite the first edge, and a pair of side edges between the first and second edge, the housing further comprising an aperture disposed in the first edge of the housing, and a slot defined in the housing adjacent the aperture, wherein the strain relief is adapted to mount to the housing by insertion into the slot and the aperture.

4. The connector of claim 1, wherein the housing includes a top side having a depression formed in at least a portion of the top side and sized to accommodate the fiber retaining clip such that the fiber retaining clip is substantially flush with the top side of the depression when mounted to the housing.

5. The connector of claim 4, wherein the housing further includes a channel formed within the depression, extending between the first end portion of the housing and the second end portion of the housing, and sized to accommodate the optical fiber.

6. The connector of claim 5, wherein the channel includes at least two different diameter portions.

7. The connector of claim 5, wherein the optical fiber is adapted to be inserted through the bore of the strain relief, through the channel, and into the bore of the housing.

8. The connector of claim 7, wherein the bore of the strain relief and the bore of the housing are axially offset.

9. The connector of claim 1, wherein the housing includes a slot formed within the housing, and wherein the fiber retaining clip is generally “

L-shaped” and

includes a portion extending into the slot.

10. The connector of claim 9, wherein the housing includes a retention tab extending outwardly from the housing and into the slot, and wherein the fiber retaining clip further includes a cutout sized to accommodate the retention tab, such that the fiber retaining clip is mounted to the housing at least by the engagement of the cutout over the retention tab.

11. The connector of claim 1, wherein the fiber retention clip includes a generally planar clip surface having a cutout disposed within at least a portion of the clip surface, and wherein the cutout is sized to accommodate the passage of at least a portion of the optical fiber there through.

12. The connector of claim 1, wherein each of the latching arms is integrally attached at the first end of the latching arm to the housing forming a first pivot, each of the latching arms including a first arm portion and a second arm portion integrally attached to the first arm portion at a central interface forming a second pivot, the first arm portion extending between the first pivot and the second pivot, and the second arm portion extending between the second pivot and the second end of the housing.

13. The connector of claim 12, wherein each of the latching arms is shiftable between the releasing position and the locking position by pivoting about the first and second pivots.

14. An electro-optical connection assembly comprising:

an electro-optical module having an optical component; and

an optical fiber connector mountable to the electro-optical module, the optical fiber connector having,

a housing having a housing bore extending through at least a portion of the housing,

an optical fiber mounted into the housing bore and terminating at a first end of the housing,

a fiber retaining clip mounted to the housing to secure the optical fiber to the housing, and

a pair of latching arms, each of the latching arms attached adjacent a second end of housing and extending toward the first end of the housing, each of the latching arms deflectable between a release position, and a lock position,

each of the latching arms arranged to engage the electro-optical module when in the lock position.

15. The assembly of claim 14, further comprising a strain relief mounted to the housing and having a through bore extending through the strain relief and sized to receive the optical fiber.

16. The assembly of claim 14, wherein the electro-optical module has a height and wherein the optical fiber connector has a height substantially the same as the height of the optical fiber connector.

17. The assembly of claim 14, wherein each of the latching arms includes a locking projection adapted to releasable mount the connector to the electro-optical module.

18. The assembly of claim 14, wherein each of locking projections includes a camming surface disposed on a first side of the locking projection and a locking surface disposed on a second side of the locking projection, the camming surface arranged to deflect the latching arm toward the release position, and the locking surface arranged to mount the connector assembly to the electro-optical module.

19. The assembly of claim 18, wherein the locking surface of one of the locking projections bears against a retention surface of a corresponding optics connectors mounted to the electro-optical module, when the connector is mounted to the electro-optical module.

20. The assembly of claim 14, wherein the optical fiber connector includes at least one female alignment bore disposed within the housing of the optical fiber connector, and wherein the electro-optical module includes at least one corresponding male alignment post extending from the electro-optical module, the male alignment post arranged to be insertable into the female alignment bore to align the optical fiber with the optical component.

21. An electro-optical assembly comprising:

a plurality of active circuits, at least one of the active circuits including an electro-optical module;

an optical fiber having a first end and a second end;

a removable optical fiber connector housing assembled to at least one of the ends and arranged to be operatively coupled to the at least one active circuit;

a fiber retaining clip mounted to the housing and arranged to secure the optical fiber to the housing; and

a connector assembly operatively coupling the housing to the at least one active circuit, the connector assembly including,

a pair of latching arms, each of the latching arms attached adjacent a first end of the housing and extending toward a second end of the housing, each of the latching arms deflectable between a release position and a lock position,

each of the latching arms arranged to engage the at least one active circuit when in the lock position.

22. The assembly of claim 21, further comprising a strain relief mounted to the housing and arranged to further secure the optical fiber to the housing.

23. The assembly of claim 21, wherein the active circuit has a thickness and wherein the housing has thickness substantially the same as the thickness of the active circuit.

24. The assembly of claim 21, wherein each of the latching arms includes a locking projection adapted to releasable mount the connector assembly to the active circuit.

25. The assembly of claim 24, wherein each of the locking projections includes a camming surface disposed on a first side of each of the locking projections toward the active circuit and a locking surface disposed on a second side, the camming surface arranged to deflect the latching arm toward the release position, and the locking surface arranged to mount the connector assembly to the active circuit.

26. A display system comprising:

a display screen;

a display driver operatively coupled to the display screen, the display driver comprising;

a printed circuit board,

an electro-optical device operatively coupled to the printed circuit board; and

an optical interconnect optically coupled to the electro-optical device, the optical interconnect including,

an optical fiber having a first end and a second end,

an optical fiber connector housing assembled to at least one of the ends and arranged to operatively couple to the electro-optical device,

a fiber retaining clip mounted to the housing to secure the optical fiber to the housing, and

a pair of latching arms, each of the latching arms attached adjacent a first end of the housing and extending toward a second end of the housing, each of the latching arms deflectable between a release position and a lock position, each of the latching arms arranged to engage the electro-optical device when in the lock position; and

a display controller operatively coupled to the optical interconnect and communicatively coupled to the display driver.

27. The display system of claim 26, wherein the display controller comprises a second electro-optical device optically coupled to the first optoelectronic device via the optical interconnect.

28. The display system of claim 26, wherein the optical interconnect comprises a plastic optical fiber.

29. The display system of claim 26, wherein at least one of the first and second electro-optical devices comprises one of the following:

a pluggable optical component, an optical receiver, an optical transmitter or an optical transceiver.

30. A laptop computer comprising the display system of claim 26.