U.S. patent application number 12/195883 was filed with the patent office on 2008-12-18 for optical transceiving module.
Invention is credited to Lung-Hua HUANG.
Application Number | 20080310136 12/195883 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 34919162 |
Filed Date | 2008-12-18 |
United States Patent
Application |
20080310136 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
HUANG; Lung-Hua |
December 18, 2008 |
OPTICAL TRANSCEIVING MODULE
Abstract
A pulling structure for an optical transceiving module is
disclosed. The pulling structure includes a latch base, a latch, a
linking member, and a pulling rod. The latch base is mounted on the
optical transceiving module. The latch is mounted in the latch
base. The linking member is coupled to the latch to enable the
latch to move along a particular direction. The pulling rod is
pivotably driving the linking member.
Inventors: |
HUANG; Lung-Hua; (Taoyuan
Hsien, TW) |
Correspondence
Address: |
Muncy, Geissler, Olds & Lowe, PLLC
P.O. BOX 1364
FAIRFAX
VA
22038-1364
US
|
Family ID: |
34919162 |
Appl. No.: |
12/195883 |
Filed: |
August 21, 2008 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
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11073696 |
Mar 8, 2005 |
7433569 |
|
|
12195883 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
361/801 |
Current CPC
Class: |
G02B 6/4292 20130101;
G02B 6/4246 20130101; G02B 6/4277 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
361/801 |
International
Class: |
H05K 7/18 20060101
H05K007/18; H04B 10/00 20060101 H04B010/00; H05K 7/14 20060101
H05K007/14 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
Mar 10, 2004 |
TW |
93106390 |
Claims
1. An optical transceiving module comprising: a module body; a
latch base mounted on the module body; a latch mounted in the latch
base; a linking member coupled to the latch to enable the latch to
move along a particular direction; and a pulling rod pivotably
driving the linking member.
2. The module as described in claim 1, wherein the linking member
has a shape of polygon, circle, or ellipse.
3. The module as described in claim 1, wherein the linking member
comprises two end portions for connecting with through holes formed
on two sides of the pulling rod.
4. The module as described in claim 1, wherein the linking member
is a cross bar having an active plate extending from a center
thereof.
5. The module as described in claim 4, wherein the active plate has
a curved surface or a plane.
6. The module as described in claim 4, wherein the active plate is
located inside the groove.
7. The module as described in claim 1, wherein the latch base is
provided with two recesses aligned with each other for allowing the
linking member to penetrate therethrough.
8. The module as described in claim 1, wherein the latch comprises
a groove for allowing the linking member to be mounted therein.
9. The module as described in claim 1, further comprising a bump
mounted on the module body or the latch base.
10. The module as described in claim 9, further comprising a
housing having a cover with a fastening hole for enabling the bump
to be engaged with the fastening hole.
11. The module as described in claim 10, wherein the latch
comprises a slanted terminal surface to push up the cover so that
the bump can be released from the fastening hole.
12. The module as described in claim 1, wherein the latch base
comprises a through hole for enabling the latch to penetrate
therethrough.
13. The module as described in claim 1, further comprising an
elastomer encircled the latch.
14. The module as described in claim 1, wherein the latch comprises
a joint disposed at one terminal thereof, and the joint is coupled
to the linking member by a fastener.
15. The module as described in claim 1, wherein the latch base
comprises a pair of guide pins, a pair of pivots, and a pair of
catches separately mounted on two sides thereof.
16. The module as described in claim 15, wherein the linking member
comprises first sidewalls movable along the guide pin and second
sidewalls extending from the first sidewalls.
17. The module as described in claim 16, wherein the pulling rod
comprises two through holes for enabling the pair of pivots to join
therewith, and two lugs for enabling the pair of catches to contact
thereto.
18. The module as described in claim 17, wherein the catches
contact against the lugs and the lugs are partially in contact with
the second sidewalls of the linking member when the pulling rod is
located at a first angle, and the lugs of the pulling rod force the
second sidewalls to move in a vertical direction which cause the
protrusion to submerge under the latch base when the pulling rod is
located at a second angle.
19. The module as described in claim 1, further comprising a shell
covering the linking member, wherein the shell has hooks secured to
a bottom of the body.
Description
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application is a Divisional of co-pending application
Ser. No. 11/073,696, filed on Mar. 8, 2005, and for which priority
is claimed under 35 U.S.C. .sctn. 120; and this application claims
priority of Application No. 093106390 filed in Taiwan, R.O.C. on
Mar. 10, 2004 under 35 U.S.C. .sctn. 119; the entire contents of
all of which are hereby incorporated by reference.
BACKGROUND OF INVENTION
[0002] a) Field of the Invention
[0003] The present invention relates to an optical transceiving
module and, more particularly, to a pulling structure for optical
transceiving modules.
[0004] b) Description of the Related Art
[0005] Communication set such as hubs often has an optical
transceiving module for transforming optical signals to electrical
signals. The optical transceiving module is composed of a
photoelectric transducer and a case and is usually hot-plugged into
the communication set for the purpose of easy inspection.
[0006] As illustrated in FIG. 4A, a conventional optical
transceiving module 4 consists of a module body 41 and a
photoelectric transducer 42 mounted therein. Moreover, a bump 411
and a slider 412 are mounted on the front of the bottom of the
module body 41. As illustrated in FIG. 4B, when the optical
transceiving module 4 is coupled to a communication set 7, the bump
411 on the bottom of the module body 41 is joined to a fastening
hole 711 of a fastener 71 mounted on the bottom of the
communication set 7. In order to pull out the optical transceiving
module 4 from the communication set 7, user must push the slider
412 towards the fastener 71 to lift the fastener 71 and therefore
to release the bump 411 from the fastening hole 711 of the fastener
71.
[0007] However, the disclosed slider 412 does not automatically
return to its' position on the optical transceiving module 4 after
the optical transceiving module 4 is released from the
communication set 7. As a result, when the optical transceiving
module 4 is again coupled to the communication set 7, the joint
between the bump 411 and the fastening hole 711 becomes very
inconvenient.
[0008] Moreover, since the slider 412 mounted on the front of the
bottom of the module body 41 does not extend outside of the frontal
edge of the module body 41, it is hard for the user to pull out the
optical transceiving module 4 from a communication set 7 that is
arranged vertically as illustrated in FIG. 4C.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0009] In view of the foregoing problems, an object of the
invention is to provide an optical transceiving module with a
pulling structure that is convenient to operate.
[0010] Another object of the invention is to provide an optical
transceiving module with a pulling structure that is easy to
operate when communication set are in a vertically side-by-side
arrangement.
[0011] The pulling structure of the invention includes a latch
base, a latch, a linking member, and a pulling rod. The latch base
is mounted on the optical transceiving module. The latch is mounted
in the latch base. The linking member is coupled to the latch to
enable the latch to move along a particular direction. The pulling
rod is pivotably driving the linking member.
[0012] In one embodiment, the linking member is a cross bar which
turns together with the pulling rod so that an active plate of the
pulling rod pushes the latch to move horizontally.
[0013] In another embodiment, the pulling rod turns about the
particular pivot on the latch base and makes the linking member,
which is a cross bar, and the latch to move horizontally.
[0014] Yet another embodiment, the turning of the pulling rod
forces the linking member and the latch to move vertically.
[0015] The latch of the pulling structure according to the
invention is capable of returning to its' initial position, which
solves the preexisted problem in the conventional technology.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0016] FIG. 1A is a perspective illustration showing the elements
of a pulling structure for an optical transceiving module according
to the first embodiment of the invention.
[0017] FIG. 1B.about.FIG. 1C is a perspective view of a pulling
structure in operation according to the first embodiment of the
invention.
[0018] FIG. 2A is a perspective diagram illustrating the elements
of a pulling structure for an optical transceiving module according
to the second embodiment of the invention.
[0019] FIG. 2B.about.FIG. 2E is a perspective diagram illustrating
a pulling structure in operation according to the second embodiment
of the invention.
[0020] FIG. 3A is a perspective diagram illustrating the elements
of a pulling structure for an optical transceiving module according
to the third embodiment of the invention.
[0021] FIG. 3B.about.FIG. 3F is a perspective diagram illustrating
a pulling structure in operation according to the third embodiment
of the invention.
[0022] FIG. 4A is a plane view of a conventional optical
transceiving module.
[0023] FIG. 4B is a schematic diagram illustrating the coupling
relationship between a conventional optical transceiving module and
a communication set.
[0024] FIG. 4C is a schematic diagram illustrating the coupling
relationship between a conventional optical transceiving module and
a communication set in a vertically side-by-side arrangement.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0025] The invention has a disengagement design based on the moment
equilibrium principles. The disengagement of a bump on an optical
transceiving module and a fastening hole of a communication set is
realized by the action of a turnable pulling rod and a latch.
[0026] Referring to FIGS. 1A & 1B, an optical transceiving
module 1 according to a first embodiment of the invention has a
module body 11, a latch base 12, a latch 13, a cross bar 14, a
pulling rod 15, and a fixed bump 16 formed on the module body 11 or
the latch base 12. The latch base 12, the latch 13, the cross bar
14 and the pulling rod 15 make up the pulling structure of the
optical transceiving module 1, and the cross bar 14 can be seen as
the linking member of the latch 13.
[0027] The latch base 12 is mounted on one end of the optical
transceiving module 1 that is close to the fixed bump 16, and two
supports 121 are placed in parallel on the latch base 12. The two
supports 121 each has a recess 122 and the two recesses 122 are
aligned with each other. The latch 13 has a groove 131 on its'
surface and a slanted terminal face 132. The cross bar 14 has an
active plate 141 extending from the center and two end portions 142
for connecting with through holes 151 formed on two sides of the
pulling rod 15. The fixed bump 16 is for connecting with a
fastening hole 211 of a fixed cover 21 on the communication set (or
housing) 2.
[0028] The first step in assembling the latch 13, cross bar 14, and
pulling rod 15 on the latch base 12 is to place the latch 13 in a
space 123 gapped by the two supports 121 on the latch base 12, and
to align the groove 131 of the latch 13 with the recesses 122 of
the supports 121. The second step is to insert the cross bar 14
into the recesses 122 and the groove 131, and have the active plate
141 located inside the groove 131. Then, the two through holes 151
of the pulling rod 15 and the two end portions 142 of the cross bar
14 are jointed, respectively.
[0029] Referring to FIG. 1B and FIG. 1C, the pulling rod 15 pivots
on the end portions 142 and drives the cross bar 14 in this
embodiment. When the pulling rod 15 is turned to a particular
angle, the active plate 141 comes in contact with the groove 131.
Then, the torque applied on the pulling rod 15 converts into a
force applied on the groove 131 to push the latch 13 towards the
fixed bump 16 horizontally. The terminal face 132 of the latch 13
moves along a terminal face 212 of the fixed cover 21 to push up
the fixed cover 21, and therefore release the fixed bump 16 from
the fastening hole 211. As the turning of the pulling rod 15
continues, the fixed bump 16 can be completely disengaged from the
fastening hole 211.
[0030] In this embodiment, the cross bar 14 has a shape such as
polygon, circle, ellipse, triangle or rectangle. The active plate
141 of the cross bar 14 has a curved surface or a plane. Moreover,
it is preferred that the latch 13 has a large surface area and slim
thickness for that the latch 13 can fit in the space 123 and slide
on the latch base 12. The terminal face 212 of the fixed cover 21
is slanted and faces the fixed bump 16.
[0031] Since the pulling rod 15 leads the movement of the latch 13,
the pulling rod 15 can be used to return the latch 13 back to its'
position after the fixed bump 16 is disengaged from the fastening
hole 211. Thus, when we put the optical transceiving module 1 back
into the communication set 2 in the next time, the joint of the
fixed bump 16 of the optical transceiving module 1 and the
fastening hole 211 of the communication set 2 can be accomplished
without any difficulty. In addition, the latch 13 and therefore the
pulling rod 15 can return to their position due to the action of
the fixed cover 21.
[0032] Referring to FIG. 2A and FIG. 2B, an optical transceiving
module 3 according to the second embodiment of the invention
includes a module body 31, a latch base 32, a latch 33, a cross bar
34, a pulling rod 35, a fixed bump 36, and a fastener 37. The latch
base 32, the latch 33, the cross bar 34, the pulling rod 35, and
the fastener 37 make up the pulling structure of the optical
transceiving module 3. The cross bar 34 is employed as a linking
member of the latch 33. The same reference numerals refer to the
same parts through out the following descriptions.
[0033] The latch base 32 is mounted on one end of the optical
transceiving module 3 that is close to the fixed bump 36, and two
supports 321 are placed on two sides of the latch base 32 and
parallel to each other. Each of the two supports 321 has a through
hole 323 for allowing the cross bar 34 to penetrate on side and the
through holes 323 are in alignment. The latch base 32 has pivot 322
formed on two sides for joining with through holes 351 of the
pulling rod 35. The latch 33 has a slanted terminal face 332 and a
through hole 331 penetrating two sides. The cross bar 34 has a head
341 at one end with radius larger than that of the cross bar 34 and
a pivot joint 342 at the other end for joining with the fastener
37. The fixed bump 36 of the optical transceiving module 3 is for
joining with the fastening hole 211 of the fixed cover 21 of the
communication set 2. The pulling rod 35 further includes through
holes 352 for the cross bar 34 to insert.
[0034] The process of assembling the latch 33, the cross bar 34,
the pulling rod 35 and the fastener 37 on the latch base 32 is
described below. The first step is to fasten the two through holes
351 on the sides of the pulling rod 35 with the two pivots 322, and
align the two through holes 352 with the through holes 323.
Secondly, place the latch 33 in a space 324 among the latch base 32
and the two supports 321, and align the through holes 331 with the
through holes 323. Thirdly, insert the pivot joint 342 of the cross
bar 34 into the through holes 352, through holes 323 and through
holes 331. Then, join the pivot joint 342 of the cross bar 34 with
the fastener 37.
[0035] Referring to FIGS. 2B to 2E, the diameter of the through
holes 352 of the pulling rod 35 is larger than that of the cross
bar 34, so the pulling rod 35 rotates about the pivots 322 in this
embodiment. While the pulling rod 35 is turning, the cross bar 34
stays motionless until it comes in contact with the other end of
the through holes 352 as illustrated in FIG. 2C. When the pulling
rod 15 continues to rotate, the cross bar 34 moves within the
through holes 323 because the size of the through holes 323 in the
supports 321 is larger than that of the cross bar 34. Through the
movement, the torque applied on the pulling rod 35 is transformed
into a force to push the latch 33 towards the fixed bump 16. Hence,
the terminal face 332 of the latch 33 slides along the terminal
face 212 of the fixed cover 21 and pushes the fixed cover 21 of the
communication set 2 up to release the fixed bump 16 from the
fastening hole 211. When the pulling rod 35 is turned to a
particular angle, such as 90 degrees, the fixed bump 16 is fully
disengaged from the fastening hole 211.
[0036] In this embodiment, the end face of the cross bar 34 has the
same shape as the through holes 331, such as circular shape, and
the cross bar 34 fits in the through holes 331. The latch 33 is
preferred to have large surface area and slim thickness to make the
latch 33 fit in the space 324 and slide smoothly along the latch
base 32. The fastener 37 can be a nut for joining with the threaded
pivot joint 342 and the terminal face 212 of the fixed cover 21 is
slanted and faces the fixed bump 16.
[0037] Furthermore, since the pulling rod 35 is easily to be adjust
and there is a linking relationship between the pulling rod 35 and
the latch 33, the disassembling of the optical transceiving module
3 from the communication set 2 is easily accomplished.
[0038] Referring to FIG. 3A and FIG. 3B, an optical transceiving
module 5 according to the third embodiment of the invention
includes a module body 51, a latch base 52, a latch 53, a linking
member 54, a pulling rod 55, an elastomer 56 encircled the latch 53
such as springs, and a fastener 57. The latch base 52, the latch
53, the linking member 54, the pulling rod 55, the elastomer 56,
and the fastener 57 make up the pulling structure of the optical
transceiving module 5.
[0039] The latch base 52 has a pair of guide pins 521, a pair of
pivots 522, and a pair of catches 523 separately mounted on two
sides, and a vertical through hole 524 is formed in the latch base
52. The latch 53 is composed of a protrusion 531 and a pin 532 and
penetrates the latch base 52. The protrusion 531 is used to join
with the fastening hole 211 of the fixed cover 21 on the
communication set 2 as shown in FIG. 3D, while a pivot joint 533 is
formed at the end of the pin 532 for joining with the fastener 57.
The linking member 54 has a base 541, two sidewalls 542 that are
protruded from the base 541 and perpendicular to the base 541, two
sidewalls 543 extending from the two sidewalls 542 and are
perpendicular to the base 541, and a through hole 544 formed on the
base 541. The sidewalls 542 are movable along the guide pin 521,
and the sidewalls 543 are coupled to the pulling rod 55. The
pulling rod 55 has two through holes 551 and two lugs 552 formed
separately on the two sides.
[0040] The process of assembling the latch 53, the linking member
54, the pulling rod 55, the elastomer 56, and the fastener 57 on
the latch base 52 is described below. First, place the linking
member 54 on the latch base 52 where the sidewalls 543 are sitting
on the guide pins 521 and the sidewalls 542 are positioned next to
the guide pins 521 while the through hole 544 is aligned with the
through hole 524. Second, insert the pivot joint 533 of the latch
53 into the elastomer 56, the through holes 524 and the through
holes 544, sequentially, and fix the pivot joint 533 on the linking
member 54 with the fastener 57. Third, join the through holes 551
on the two sides of the pulling rod 55 with the pivots 522 on the
latch base 52, and make the lugs 552 contact against the catches
523 of the latch base 52. The protrusion 531 is emerged above the
surface of the latch base 52 and the lugs 552 are partially in
contact with the sidewalls 543 after the completion of assembly. In
addition, the optical transceiving module 5 of this embodiment
further has a protecting shell 58 with hooks 581 provided on two
sides. The protecting shell 58 covers the linking member 54 or the
module body 51, and the hooks 581 are hooked to the bottom of the
module body 51.
[0041] Referring to FIGS. 3B to 3F, the pulling rod 55 rotates
about the pivots 522 in this embodiment. The lugs 552 force the
sidewalls 543 to move in a vertical direction, which causes the
protrusion 531 to submerge under the latch base 52. According to
this mechanism, the joint between the protrusion 531 and the
fastening hole 211 of the fixed cover 21 on the communication set 2
can be disengaged through the rotate of the pulling rod 55. Thus,
the inconvenience of releasing optical transceiving modules from a
communication set in vertically side-by-side arrangement is
solved.
[0042] In this embodiment, the elastomer 56 is pressed at the
moment when the protrusion 531 is disengaging from the fastening
hole 211, thus the protrusion 531 would return to its' position due
to the elasticity thereafter. Therefore, the protrusion 531 will
join smoothly with the fastening hole 211 when the optical
transceiving module 5 is put in the communication set 2 in the next
time. Moreover, although the illustrated protrusion 531 is in a
triangular shape, the pins 532 are circular in a cross-sectional
view, and the fastener 57 is a c-shaped retaining ring, the shape
of the elements are not limited thereof. For example, the surface
of the protrusion 531 can be slanted or not, in shapes such as
polygon, circles, ellipses, any shape which corresponds to the
shape of the fastening hole 211. The pivot joint 533 of the pin 532
which joins with the linking member 54 can be threaded while the
fastener 57 be a nut.
[0043] In addition, the latch 53 and the linking member 54 can be
located on the different side of the latch base 52 or the same side
of the latch base 52.
[0044] While the invention has been described by way of example and
in terms of the preferred embodiment, it is to be understood that
the invention is not limited to the disclosed embodiments. To the
contrary, it is intended to cover various modifications and similar
arrangements as would be apparent to those skilled in the art.
Therefore, the scope of the appended claims should be accorded the
broadest interpretation so as to encompass all such modifications
and similar arrangements.
* * * * *