US 6,478,625 B2 · Electrical-optical hybrid connector

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.

Claims14

Dependent claims

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.

1 more element

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Electrical-optical hybrid connector

Life of this patent

Electrical-optical hybrid connector

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims14