Axis translation installation mechanism for optoelectronic modules

A method of controlling coupling of a module connector of an optoelectronic module to a substrate connector such that connector pins reside within connector sockets, said optoelectronic module having circuitry for converting between optical and electrical signals, said method comprising:

• sliding said optoelectronic module on a slide along an insertion direction that is generally parallel to a substrate surface to which said substrate module is fixed and perpendicular to a mating direction of said connector pins, including maintaining said module connector at a distance from said substrate surface such that said module connector and said substrate connector remain in a non-coplanar relationship during said sliding along said plane;
• applying a coupling force to push said optoelectronic module toward said substrate in a controlled alignment to securely couple said module and substrate connectors with said connector pins seated within said connector sockets, applying a coupling force comprising pushing a pivoting cam so:
• a cam pin of said pivoting cam travels to the end of a first portion of a first rail slot defined by a rail, thereby causing a rail pin of said rail to travel to the end of an arcuate cam slot of said pivoting cam and pivoting said pivoting cam:
• said cam pin further travels to the end of an arcuate second portion of said first rail slot, thereby causing said pivoting cam to further pivot about said rail pin and to push a slide pin of said slide in a second rail slot defined by said rail along said mounting direction, thereby seating said optoelectronic module onto said connector;
• decoupling said module and substrate connectors by applying a decoupling force that is a reverse of said coupling force;
• and
• removing said optoelectronic module by sliding said optoelectronic module along said plane.

A device for seating an optoelectronic module along a mating direction onto a connector on a substrate comprising:

• a slide that the optoelectronic module slidably engages along an insertion direction substantially perpendicular to the mating direction, the slide comprising a sliding pin;
• a rail comprising a rail pin, the rail defining a first rail slot along the mating direction for receiving the sliding pin of the slide, and the rail further defining a second rail slot comprising a first portion along the insertion direction and a second portion along an arcuate direction;
• a pivoting cam comprising a cam pin inserted in the second rail slot, the cam defining a cam slot along another arcuate direction for receiving the rail pin;
• wherein the cam pin travels to the end of the first portion of the second rail slot to cause the rail pin to travel to the end of the cam slot and the pivoting pin to pivot about the rail pin, and the cam pin travels to the end of the second portion of the second rail slot to cause the pivoting cam to further pivot about the rail pin and push the slide pin in the mating direction, thereby seating the optoelectronic module to the connector.