Electrical-optical hybrid connector
First Claim
1. A hybrid electrical-optical connector apparatus, comprising:
- a metallic extruded housing having a plurality of channels formed therein during extrusion and having an insulating coating formed on the inside of the channels;
an intermediate printed circuit board having an upper planar surface with a plurality of solder tails formed thereon, and a corresponding plurality of electrical contact pins connected to respective solder tails and spaced apart so as to be capable of mating with said plurality of channels;
one or more vertical cavity surface emitting lasers (VCSELs) mounted to the upper planar surface so as to be in electrical communication with corresponding solder tails;
one or more optical fibers connected to the intermediate printed circuit board and arranged so that each optical fiber cable is in optical communication with a corresponding one of the one or more VCSELs.
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Accused Products
Abstract
This invention relates generally to an extruded metal rectangular electrical connector housing making a novel electrical connector module configuration having a plurality of contacts. The rectangular connector has a plurality of contacts, with each contact being enclosed in a metal shield along the contact length. The assembly has a rectangular metallic housing that contains a plurality of contact channels through which the contacts are inserted. The contacts are insulated by a coating positioned on the inside of the housing. The contacts are connected to an intermediate printed circuit board. The housing assemblies are stackable because of their shape. The invention also includes a hybrid electrical-optical connector that employs VCSEL technology, so that both electrical and optical connections can be accommodated in the same connector.
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Citations
14 Claims
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1. A hybrid electrical-optical connector apparatus, comprising:
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a metallic extruded housing having a plurality of channels formed therein during extrusion and having an insulating coating formed on the inside of the channels;
an intermediate printed circuit board having an upper planar surface with a plurality of solder tails formed thereon, and a corresponding plurality of electrical contact pins connected to respective solder tails and spaced apart so as to be capable of mating with said plurality of channels;
one or more vertical cavity surface emitting lasers (VCSELs) mounted to the upper planar surface so as to be in electrical communication with corresponding solder tails;
one or more optical fibers connected to the intermediate printed circuit board and arranged so that each optical fiber cable is in optical communication with a corresponding one of the one or more VCSELs. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13)
the hybrid electrical-optical connector of claim 1; a first remote circuit electrically connected to the hybrid electrical-optical connector;
a second remote circuit electrically and optically connected to the hybrid electrical-optical connector.
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7. A system according to claim 6, wherein the first and second remote circuits are at least one of a back plane, a mother boards, and a distribution panel.
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8. A method of connecting remote circuits, comprising:
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proving the hybrid electrical-optical assembly of claim 1;
electrically connecting a first remote circuit to one or more of the contact pins of the hybrid electrical-optical assembly; and
optically connecting a second remote circuit to one or more of the one or more VCSELs.
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9. A method according to claim 8, wherein the step of electrically connecting the first remote circuit includes transmitting a high-speed digital electrical signal.
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10. A method according to claim 8, wherein electrically connecting the first remote circuit involves providing an electrical wire between the first remote circuit and to the one or more contact pins.
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11. A method according to claim 10, wherein the electrical wire is part of an electrical cable.
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12. A method according to claim 8, wherein the step of optically connecting involves providing an optical fiber optically coupled to the second remote circuit and to the one or more VCSELs.
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13. A method according to claim 12, wherein the optical fiber is part of an optical fiber cable.
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14. A hybrid electrical-optical connector apparatus, comprising:
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a metallic extruded housing having a plurality of channels formed therein during extrusion, with each channel having a shared wall with another of the channels, and having an insulating coating formed on the inside of the channels;
an intermediate printed circuit board having an upper planar surface with a plurality of solder tails formed thereon, and a corresponding plurality of electrical contact pins connected to respective solder tails and spaced apart so as to be capable of mating with said plurality of channels;
one or more vertical cavity surface emitting lasers (VCSELs) mounted to the upper planar surface so as to be in electrical communication with corresponding solder tails;
one or more optical fibers connected to the intermediate printed circuit board and arranged so that each optical fiber cable is in optical communication with a corresponding one of the one or more VCSELs.
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Specification