U.S. patent application number 11/259291 was filed with the patent office on 2006-06-08 for vertically offset emi projections.
This patent application is currently assigned to JDS Uniphase Corporation. Invention is credited to David Peter Gaio, Michael Francis Hanley, Bruce P. Kruger, James Robert Moon.
Application Number | 20060121794 11/259291 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 36568833 |
Filed Date | 2006-06-08 |
United States Patent
Application |
20060121794 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Hanley; Michael Francis ; et
al. |
June 8, 2006 |
VERTICALLY OFFSET EMI PROJECTIONS
Abstract
The present invention relates to an electronic module, such as
an opto-electronic transceiver or a copper transceiver, for
plugging into a host receptacle. In an effort to eliminate the use
of costly and inefficient sheet metal spring fingers for reducing
EMI emissions, the present invention proposes to use solid
conductive projections extending outwardly from the sides and top
of the module housing. However, in highly populated host
receptacles, adjacent cages often share a common sheet metal wall,
which will deform when a module with a solid projection extending
therefrom is inserted, thereby making insertion of an adjacent
module very difficult. The present invention eliminates this
problem by vertically offsetting projections on the opposite sides
of the housing so no two projections are in the same horizontal
plane.
Inventors: |
Hanley; Michael Francis;
(Rochester, MN) ; Moon; James Robert; (Oronoco,
MN) ; Kruger; Bruce P.; (Oronoco, MN) ; Gaio;
David Peter; (Rochester, MN) |
Correspondence
Address: |
ALLEN, DYER, DOPPELT, MILBRATH & GILCHRIST P.A.
1401 CITRUS CENTER 255 SOUTH ORANGE AVENUE
P.O. BOX 3791
ORLANDO
FL
32802-3791
US
|
Assignee: |
JDS Uniphase Corporation
San Jose
CA
95131
|
Family ID: |
36568833 |
Appl. No.: |
11/259291 |
Filed: |
October 26, 2005 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
|
60633643 |
Dec 6, 2004 |
|
|
|
Current U.S.
Class: |
439/677 |
Current CPC
Class: |
H01R 13/6596 20130101;
G02B 6/4292 20130101; H01R 13/659 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
439/677 |
International
Class: |
H01R 13/64 20060101
H01R013/64 |
Claims
1. An electronic module for plugging into a host receptacle
comprising: a housing for at least partially enclosing the
electronic module, being at least partially electrically
conductive; a printed circuit board mounted within the housing
having an electrical connector at one end thereof for electrically
connecting the module to a mating connector in the host receptacle;
a latch extending from the housing for releasably holding the
module in the host receptacle; first and second conductive
projections extending from opposite sides of the housing for
contacting side walls of the host receptacle; wherein the first and
second conductive projections are vertically offset, whereby no two
conductive projections are in the same horizontal plane.
2. The module according to claim 1, wherein each of the first and
second projection includes a ramp at a leading edge thereof to
facilitate insertion of the housing into the host receptacle.
3. The module according to claim 1, wherein the housing comprises a
top section mounted on a bottom section; and wherein the first
projection is on the top section, and the second projection is on
the bottom section.
4. The module according to claim 3, wherein the top section
includes a first connector, and the bottom section includes a
second connector, which interlocks with the first connector;
wherein a first pin, defining a first axis, extends through the
bottom section, and the first and second connectors for holding the
top and bottom sections together.
5. The module according to claim 4, wherein the first pin also
extends through the latch for pivotally connecting the latch to the
housing about the first axis.
6. The module according to claim 1, wherein the housing comprises a
top section with a first connector, and a bottom section with a
second connector, which interlocks with the first connector;
wherein a first pin, defining a first axis, extends through the
bottom section, and the first and second connectors, for holding
the top and bottom sections together.
7. The module according to claim 6, wherein the first pin also
extends through the latch for pivotally connecting the latch to the
housing about the first axis.
8. The module according to claim 6, wherein the first pin has an
oblong end forming a press fit connection with the bottom
section.
9. The module according to claim 6, further comprising a lever
pivotally connected to the housing engaged with a first end of the
latch for rotating the latch to disengage the housing from the host
receptacle.
10. The module according to claim 9, further comprising a hook
extending from a second end of the latch for engaging a mating
latching member on the host receptacle.
11. The module according to claim 9, wherein the lever comprises a
bail, which includes first and second side arms pivotally connected
to the latch via a second pin, which extends through the latch and
the first and second side arms.
12. The module according to claim 11, wherein the second pin has an
oblong end forming a press fit connection with the second side
arm.
13. The module according to claim 1, further comprising a lever
pivotally connected to the housing engaged with a first end of the
latch for rotating the latch to disengaging the housing from the
host receptacle.
14. The module according to claim 13, further comprising a hook
extending from a second end of the latch for engaging a mating
latching member on the host receptacle.
15. The module according to claim 13, wherein the lever comprises a
bail, which includes first and second side arms pivotally connected
to the latch via a pivoting pin, which extends through the latch
and the first and second side arms.
16. The module according to claim 15, wherein the pivoting pin has
an oblong end forming a press fit connection with the second side
arm.
17. The module according to claim 13, further comprising a cable
fixed to the printed circuit board extending outwardly from the
housing preventing the lever from reaching a horizontal
position.
18. A patch cable for electrically connecting first and second host
devices comprising: a first electronic module as defined in claim 1
for plugging into the first host device; a second electronic module
as defined in claim 1 for plugging into the second host device; and
a multi-conductor cable having a first end fixed to the printed
circuit board of the first electronic module, and a second end
fixed to the printed circuit board of the second electronic
module.
19. The patch cable according to claim 18, wherein each of the
first and second projections of the first and second modules
includes a ramp at a leading edge thereof to facilitate insertion
of the housings into the first and second host receptacles.
20. The patch cable according to claim 18, wherein each housing
comprises a top section mounted on a bottom section; and wherein
each first projection is on each top section, and each second
projection is on each bottom section.
Description
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] The present invention claims priority from U.S. patent
application Ser. No. 60/633,643 filed Dec. 6, 2004, which is
incorporated herein by reference for all purposes.
TECHNICAL FIELD
[0002] The present invention relates to electromagnetic
interference (EMI) projections for an electronic module, and in
particular to vertically offset EMI projections positioned on
opposite sides of the electronic module for use in highly populated
electronic module receptacles.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0003] Most computers and other high speed electronic equipment,
which produce significant amounts of electromagnetic radiation, are
enclosed within housings designed to contain the EMI emissions.
Openings in the housings designed to receive electronic modules,
e.g. electro-optic transceivers, provide leakage points for EMI,
which must be plugged. Moreover, EMI is also generated by the
modules that are plugged into the openings. Accordingly,
considerable care must be taken to reduce EMI levels generated at
the interfaces between the equipment housing, the electronic
modules, and the transmission cables connected thereto.
[0004] Various prior art solutions have been proposed to reduce EMI
emissions including providing a ring of spring fingers surrounding
the openings in the housing for contacting the modules during use,
such as those disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,767,999 issued Jun. 16,
1998 to Kayner, and U.S. Pat. No. 6,206,730 issued Mar. 27, 2001 to
Avery et al. Alternatively, a module receptacle in the device
housing can be provided with spring fingers for contacting the
modules when inserted therein, such as the module receptacle
disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,416,361 issued Jul. 9, 2002 to Hwang.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,766,041 issued Jun. 16, 1998 to Morin et al, U.S.
Pat. No. 6,201,704 issued Mar. 13, 2001 to Poplawski et al, U.S.
Pat. No. 6,220,878 issued Apr. 24, 2001 issued to Poplawski et al,
and U.S. Pat. No. 6,607,308 issued Aug. 19, 2003 to Dair et al
disclose optical transceivers including spring clips extending
therefrom for contacting module receptacles to reduce EMI
emissions.
[0005] "Copper" transceiver's are used as short distance patch
cables, typically in datacom or telcom equipment rooms, to
establish a link between ports in the same room or even in the same
cabinet without having to convert to an optical signal and back
again to an electrical signal. A multi-conductor electrical cable
extends between a pair of copper transceivers, and is soldered at
each end thereof directly to the printed circuit board within each
of the copper transceivers. Each copper transceiver housing has the
size and features of a typical SFP transceiver housing; however,
since the electrical cable is permanently fixed within each
housing, the typical bail latching mechanism, requiring
approximately 90.degree. of rotation is not suitable.
[0006] Highly populated module receptacles, such as those disclosed
in U.S. Pat. No. 6,878,872 issued Apr. 12, 2005 to Lloyd et al, and
U.S. Pat. No. 6,943,287 issued Sep. 13, 2005 to Lloyd et al,
include adjacent cage structures which share a common wall. Such
tightly packed cage structures make the use of cage mounted spring
fingers difficult to mount and align. Moreover,
symmetrically-positioned module-mounted spring fingers usually
apply equal and opposite forces to a common wall, which can end up
deforming one side or the other making one opening too large and
the adjacent opening too small. Furthermore, spring fingers, which
are made of thin sheet metal, can become bent out of position
making them ineffective or an obstruction during insertion.
[0007] An object of the present invention is to overcome the
shortcomings of the prior art by providing an electronic module
with solid EMI shielding projections, including one extending from
each side of the module, which are vertically offset from one
another.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0008] Accordingly, the present invention relates to an electronic
module for plugging into a host receptacle comprising:
[0009] a housing for at least partially enclosing the electronic
module, and being at least partially electrically conductive;
[0010] a printed circuit board mounted within the housing having an
electrical connector at one end thereof for electrically connecting
the module to a mating connector in the host receptacle;
[0011] a latch extending from the housing for releasably holding
the module in the host receptacle;
[0012] first and second conductive projections extending from
opposite sides of the housing for contacting side walls of the host
receptacle;
[0013] wherein the first and second conductive projections are
vertically offset, whereby no two conductive projections are in the
same horizontal plane.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0014] The invention will be described in greater detail with
reference to the accompanying drawings which represent preferred
embodiments thereof, wherein:
[0015] FIG. 1 is an isometric view of an electronic module with a
delatching mechanism in accordance with the present invention;
[0016] FIG. 2 is an isometric view of the electronic module of FIG.
1 with the delatching mechanism in a release position;
[0017] FIG. 3 is a rear view of a pair of the electronic modules of
FIGS. 1 and 2 adjacent one another sharing a common receptacle cage
wall;
[0018] FIG. 4 is an exploded view of components of the electronic
module of FIGS. 1 and 2 illustrating a first step in an assembly
process;
[0019] FIG. 5 is as exploded view of components of the electronic
module of FIGS. 1 to 2 illustrating a second step in the assembly
process;
[0020] FIG. 6 is as exploded view of components of the electronic
module of FIGS. 1 to 2 illustrating a third step in the assembly
process;
[0021] FIG. 7 is as exploded view of components of the electronic
module of FIGS. 1 to 2 illustrating a fourth step in the assembly
process;
[0022] FIG. 8 is as exploded view of components of the electronic
module of FIGS. 1 to 2 illustrating a fifth step in the assembly
process; and
[0023] FIG. 9 is a perspective view of a copper transceiver patch
cable including the electronic module of FIGS. 1 and 2 on either
end thereof.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0024] With reference to FIGS. 1 and 2, a pluggable electronic
module 1 according to the present invention includes a generally
rectangular housing 2, a printed circuit board 3 longitudinally
extending in the housing 2, a hot-pluggable electrical connector 4
extending from the rear of the housing 2, and a cable connector 5
mounted on the front of the housing 2. The rear electrical
connector 4 can take any suitable form depending upon the type of
mating electrical connector on a host printed circuit board;
however, the illustrated card edge connector is preferred. The
illustrated front cable connector 5 is in the form of a block for
receiving a multi-conductor cable 10 soldered to the printed
circuit board 3; however, other front cable connectors can be
provided depending upon the function of the module 1, e.g. a
bidirectional opto-electronic transceiver requires a duplex optical
connector (LC or SC), a uni-directional opto-electronic module
requires a single (LC or SC) connector. Conventional transceivers
would also include some form of electro-optical converter, e.g. a
photo-detector and/or a laser; however, copper transceivers do not.
The electronic module I is slid into a host receptacle, e.g. a cage
or guide rail, system with an electrical connector corresponding to
the electrical connector 4, which are mounted on the host printed
circuit board in a host device.
[0025] A de-latching mechanism 6 is mounted on the bottom of the
housing 2, and includes a latch 7 pivotally connected proximate the
middle thereof to the housing 2 about a first axis defined by a
first pivoting pin 8. A lever, preferably in the form of a bail
handle 9, extends around the front end of the housing 2, and is
pivotally connected to a first end of the latch 7 about a second
axis, parallel to the first axis, defined by a second pivoting pin
11. The bail handle 9 includes a pair of side arms 12 and 13, lower
ends of which are pivotally connected to the second pivoting pin
11, and upper ends of which are connected to a cross bar 14
extending therebetween. The bail handle 9 can be replaced by a
single arm or other form of lever. An eccentric projection 16
extends substantially perpendicularly from each of the lower ends
of the side arms 12 and 13, and includes a lower rounded surface 17
and an upper flat camming surface 18 (see FIG. 7). Each projection
16 extends into a recessed area 19, in the housing 2, which
includes an abutment surface. Preferably, the recessed area 19 is a
rectangular step or indentation formed in the front end of the
housing 2, e.g. in the lower front corners of the cable connector
block 5. The lower rounded surface 17 enables the projection 16,
and therefore the bail handle 9, to act like a first class lever
and rotate about the second axis, i.e. with the second pivoting pin
11 acting like a fulcrum, without contacting the wall of the
housing 2 until the camming surface 18 engages the abutment
surface, as seen in FIG. 2. When the camming surface 18 engages the
abutment surface in the recessed area 19, the bail handle 9 is not
only able to pivot about the second axis; but, further force on the
bail handle 9 causes the bail handle 9 to pivot about a third axis
defined by the intersection of the camming surface 18 and the
abutment surface. Accordingly, the bail handle 9 also becomes a
second class lever with the fulcrum at the intersection of the
camming surface 18 and the abutment surface, whereby any added
force on the bail handle 9 is applied through the pivot pin 11 to
the first end of the latch 7, thereby pivoting the first end of the
latch away from the housing 2. A second end of the latch 7 includes
a release arm 20 with a latching finger 21, which engages a
corresponding latching opening on the host cage or guide rail
system. Pivoting the first end of the latch 7 away from the housing
2 into a release position (FIG. 2) causes the release arm 20 and
the latching finger 21 to detract into an opening in the housing 2,
thereby releasing the latching finger 21 from the latching opening
on the host cage enabling the transceiver 1 to be removed
therefrom. In the latched position, the latch 7 is recessed into
the housing 2 with only the latching finger 21 extending outwardly
therefrom. In the unlatched or release position, the first end of
the latch 7 is pivoted outwardly from the housing 2, while the
latching finger 21 is detracted further into the housing body,
whereby the latching finger 21 no longer extends therefrom.
[0026] Preferably, the housing 2 is formed by a housing bottom 22
and a housing top 23, joined approximately along a midline of the
housing 2. The housing bottom 22 and the housing top 23 are at
least partially formed from a conductive material, and preferably
comprise cast metal. A solid rectangular conductive projection 25a,
extends outwardly from a side of the housing bottom 22 for
contacting the host receptacle and providing electromagnetic
interference (EMI) protection. The projection 25a extends
rearwardly from the cable connector 5 longitudinally along the side
of the housing bottom 22. Preferably, the projection 25a includes a
sloped rear ramp portion at a leading edge thereof, which gradually
decreases in height from the front to the back of the housing 2 to
facilitate insertion of the module into a host receptacle, whereby
the walls of the cage will engage the ramp portion first and
gradually ride up the ramp portion to the main body of the
projections. Similarly, solid rectangular projections 25b and 25c,
similar to projection 25a, extend longitudinally along the top of a
housing top 23 for contacting a top portion of a host receptacle.
Another projection 25d (see FIG. 3) extends along a side of the
housing top 23, i.e. the opposite side to the projection 25a, for
added EMI protection. Projections 25a and 25d make the width to the
housing 2 slightly larger than the width of the host receptacle,
whereby the projections 25a and 25d frictionally engage the sides
of the host receptacle. Typically, no projections are provided on
the bottom of the housing bottom 22, which slides on the host
printed circuit board, parallel thereto, during insertion. The
sides of the housing top 23 and the housing bottom 22 are
substantially perpendicular to the host printed circuit board.
[0027] In highly populated cage assemblies, see FIG. 3, a plurality
of electronic modules, e.g. transceivers, can be disposed
side-by-side, with the adjacent electronic modules 41 and 42
sharing the same cage wall 43. Unfortunately, when electronic
modules are equipped with projections 25a and 25d at the same
height and position on both sides of the housing 2, i.e. same
horizontal plane, insertion and extraction of the modules I becomes
very difficult as the projections 25a on one side tend to bend the
walls of the cage outwardly into the space designated for the
projection of the adjacent module. Accordingly, the walls of the
host receptacle will squeeze the module therebetween, requiring
excessive force for insertion or extraction. A solution to the
problem is to vertically offset the projections 25a and 25d on
opposite sides of each housing 2, so that the projections 25a and
25d are not in the same horizontal plane. A simple way to provide
this vertical offset is to provide the projection 25a on one side
of the housing bottom 23, and to provide the projection 25d on the
opposite side of the housing top 22. In this way, as illustrated in
FIG. 3, the lower projection 25a of the module 41 is not directly
adjacent the upper projection 25d of the module 42, thereby
enabling the cage side wall 43 to bend in two vertically spaced
apart places.
[0028] With reference to FIGS. 4 to 8, the electronic module 1, in
the form of a copper transceiver, is assembled by first connecting,
e.g. soldering, an end of the multi-conductor cable 10 to the
printed circuit board 3, and mounting the assembly into either the
housing bottom 22 or the housing top 23. The housing top 23
includes a thin tail section 24, and a pair of generally
rectangular tapering ears 26, i.e. tenons, extending therefrom for
mating with the housing bottom 22. The tail section 24 has smaller
dimensions, i.e. length and width, than the remainder of the
housing top 23. A U-shaped bar 27 extends across the back of the
housing bottom 22 providing a bearing surface and a hold-down bar
for the thin tail section 24 of the housing top 23 During assembly,
the tail section 24 is inserted under the bar 27, and the housing
top 23 is rotated down until the ears 26 are received in mating
recesses 28, i.e. mortises, in the housing bottom 22 (see FIG. 5).
With reference to FIG. 6, the first pin 8 is then inserted through
holes 29 in the sides of the housing bottom 22, through holes in
the ears 26, and through a bushing extending across the middle of
the latch 7, thereby securing the housing top 23 to the housing
bottom 22, and pivotally mounting the latch 7 to the housing bottom
22. Some form of spring, e.g. coil spring 31, is positioned between
the release arm 20 and the housing bottom 22 to spring bias the
release arm 20 into a latched position, whereby a sufficient force
must be applied to the bail handle 9 to overcome the spring force
of the spring 31 to pivot the latch 7 into an unlatched or release
position.
[0029] The next step in the assembly, as illustrated in FIG. 7,
includes the insertion of the second pivoting pin 11 through a hole
in the lower end of the side arm 12, through a bushing in the first
end of the latch 7, and through a hole in the lower end of the side
arm 13.
[0030] Preferably, the first and second pivoting pins 8 and 11 are
identical to each other to simplify the supply and the assembly
processes. The first and second pivoting pins 8 and 11 are tapered
at the insertion end to facilitate insertion and part alignment,
and have a flattened head at the other end for engaging a recessed
annular wall in the countersunk hole 29. Moreover, at the head end,
the cross section of the first and second pivoting pins 8 and 11
changes from circular to oblong or oval, so that the major diameter
of the oval is large enough to form a slight press fit with the
holes 29 at the wall of the housing bottom 22 and of the side arm
12. Accordingly, the final assembly step, see FIG. 8, is forcing
the in head end of the first and second pivoting pins 8 and 11 into
engagement with the side of the housing bottom 22 and the side arm
12, respectively. The first and second pivoting pins 8 and 11 can
be pressed out, if necessary, without damaging the housing bottom
22 or the first and second pivoting pins 8 and 11, to facilitate
repair or the recycling of parts.
[0031] With reference to FIG. 9, a patch cable 35 comprises the
multi-conductor electrical cable 10 and copper transceivers 1' and
1'', similar to electronic module 1, on either end thereof. Each of
the copper transceivers 1' and 1'' includes the delatching
mechanism 6, as hereinbefore described with reference to FIGS. 1 to
7. Since the cable 10 is permanently installed inside the copper
transceivers 1' and 1'', it is imperative that each bail lever 9
need only be rotated through a small angle, e.g. 5.degree. to
45.degree., preferably 10.degree. to 30.degree., before unlatching
the latch 7, as the cable 10 prevents the bail lever 9 from
reaching a horizontal position.
* * * * *