Abstract:
A plug-in module ( 100 ) includes opposite sidewalls ( 11, 21 ) parallel to each other and extending along a longitudinal direction and a latch mechanism ( 8 ). The latch mechanism includes an actuating member ( 4 ) rotatably assembled to the sidewalls and a pair of ejectors ( 5 ). The actuating member includes a pair of actuating arms ( 42 ) each formed with an actuating end ( 43 ) at one distal end thereof, and an operating portion ( 41 ) across the sidewalls along a lateral direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction and connecting the other distal ends of the pair of actuating arms. The pair of ejectors are rotatably assembled to the sidewalls to cooperate with the actuating ends of the actuating member. The actuating member is configured and arranged such that movement of the operating portion thereof in up-to-down direction results in down-to-upward movement of the actuating arms and the actuating ends to thereby actuate the ejectors outwardly rotate relative to the sidewalls adapted for deflecting the latch tab of the module receptacle to separate the plug-in module from the module receptacle. The actuating member includes a pair of elastic spring arms ( 4210 ) integrally formed with the actuating arms and being capable of being compressed with the movement of the actuating member in up-to-down direction and capable of providing elastic restore force to the actuating member to actuate the actuating member and the ejectors to their original positions.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
   This application is related to and is a Continuation-In-Part (CIP) of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/897,904 filed on Aug. 31, 2007 and entitled “PLUG-IN MODULE WITH LATCH MECHANISM”, both of which have the same applicant and assignee as the present invention. 

   BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
   1. Field of the Invention 
   The present invention generally relates to a plug-in module, and more particularly to a plug-in module used for high-speed transmission. 
   2. Description of Related Art 
   SFP (Small Form-factor Pluggable), X-SFP and QSFP are all modules for fiber optic transmission or signal transmission. All of the modules are of small size or form factor which is important. The smaller the form factor of the module, the less space taken on a printed circuit board to which it couples. A smaller form factor allows a greater number of modules to be coupled onto a printed circuit board to support additional communication channels. However, the smaller form factor makes it more difficult for a user to handle. 
   When such a module embedded in a system fails, it is desirable to replace it, particularly when other communication channels are supported by other modules. To replace a failed module, it needs to be pluggable into a module receptacle. While, plugging in a new module is usually easy, it is more difficult to remove the failed module because of other components surrounding it. Additionally, a user should not attempt to pull on cables of the module in order to try and remove a failed module or else the user might cause damage thereto. 
   A typical release method for a pluggable module is to push in on the module itself and then pull out on the module to release it from a cage assembly or module receptacle. It has been determined than this method is not very reliable with users complaining of the difficulty in removing pluggable modules in such manner. Users often complain that traditional methods offer little leverage in getting a sufficient grip on the module when attempting to pull it out of a module receptacle. Another complaint is that traditional actuators used to remove modules are inaccessible or invisible. Other users complain than once released by the traditional method, it is difficult to withdraw the module out of its cage or module receptacle. 
   Therefore, designers developed different solutions to solve above problems accounted by the users, such as disclosed by U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,851,867, 6,749,448, 6,884,097, 6,908,323, 7,052,306, 6,824,416 and 7,090,523. The theories of theses patents are substantially the same, that is each module is received in corresponding cage or module receptacle and comprises a pair of sliders with forward ends engaging with tabs of the cage, and a bail or lever capable of rotating to actuate the sliders linearly to separate forward ends of the sliders from the tabs. The action theory of theses patents successfully solve the problems mentioned above. However, the latch mechanisms disclosed above all need springs to serve as spring back means to actuate the latch mechanisms to return to original positions. Further, the plug-in modules are arranged side by side to mate with module receptacles. There is little space left for operator to pull bail or levers to separate the plug-in modules from the module receptacles. The present invention provides a plug-in module with an improved latch mechanism operating in a theory different from that of these patents while still successfully solving the problems and with self spring back function and an additional pull tape. 
   BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
   Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a plug-in module with a latch mechanism having enough elasticity for unplugging the plug-in module conveniently. 
   Another object of the present invention is to provide a plug-in module having an improved latch mechanism with an additional pull tape for unplugging the plug-in module conveniently. 
   In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, a plug-in module configured for latching engagement with a module receptacle adapted for mounting to a printed circuit board comprises opposite sidewalls parallel to each other and extending along a longitudinal direction parallel to a mating direction of the plug-in module and a latch mechanism. The latch mechanism comprises an actuating member rotatably assembled to the sidewalls and a pair of ejectors. The actuating member comprises a pair of actuating arms each formed with an actuating end at one distal end thereof, and an operating portion across the sidewalls along a lateral direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction and connecting the other distal ends of the pair of actuating arms. The pair of ejectors are rotatably assembled to the sidewalls to cooperate with the actuating ends of the actuating member. The actuating member is configured and arranged such that movement of the operating portion thereof in up-to-down direction results in down-to-upward movement of the actuating arms and the actuating ends to thereby actuate the ejectors outwardly rotate relative to the sidewalls adapted for deflecting the latch tab of the module receptacle to separate the plug-in module from the module receptacle. The actuating member comprises a pair of elastic spring arms integrally formed with the actuating arms and being capable of being compressed with the movement of the actuating member in up-to-down direction and capable of providing elastic restore force to the actuating member to actuate the actuating member and the ejectors to their original positions. 
   Other objects, advantages and novel features of the invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description of the present embodiment when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. 

   
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       FIGS. 1-3  are exploded, perspective views of a plug-in module in accordance with the present invention and viewed from different aspects; 
       FIGS. 4-5  are assembled views of the plug-in module, viewed from different aspects and with latch mechanism in release state; 
       FIGS. 6-8  are cross-section views taken along lines  6 - 6  to  8 - 8  of  FIG. 4 ; 
       FIGS. 9-10  are assembled views of the plug-in module, viewed from different aspects and with the latch mechanism in use state; and 
       FIGS. 11-13  are cross-section views taken along lines  11 - 11  to  13 - 13  of  FIG. 9 . 
   

   DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
   Reference will now be made to the drawing figures to describe the present invention in detail. 
   Referring to  FIGS. 1-3 , a plug-in module  100  in accordance with the present invention comprises a base  2 , a cover  1  assembled with the base  2  to form a die cast housing  7 , a self-springback latch mechanism  8  assembled to the base  2  and the cover  1  for unplugging the plug-in module  100  from a module receptacle (not shown) conveniently, and a pull tape  6  assembled to the latch mechanism  8  and the cover  1  for separating the plug-in module  100  from a module receptacle. The latch mechanism  8  comprises a metal actuating member  4  assembled to the base  2  and the cover  1 , and a pair of die-cast ejectors  5  assembled to the base  2  and the cover  1  and capable of being actuated by the actuating member  4 . In the preferred embodiment, the plug-in module  100  is a QSFP (Quad Small Form-factor Pluggable) module in accordance with Revision 1.0 of the QSFP Transceiver specification released on Dec. 1, 2006. However, the plug-in module  100  also can be other types of modules without betray the spirit of the present invention. 
   The cover  1  comprises a step-shape main upper wall  10 , a pair of first sidewalls  11  extending downwardly from opposite side edges of the upper wall  10 , opposite first front and rear walls  13 ,  12  with different heights downwardly extending from front and rear edges of the upper wall  10  and connecting with the pair of first sidewalls  11 . The upper wall  10  extends forwardly beyond the first front wall  13  to form a first front flange  14  with a pair of elliptical holes  140  laterally arranged. An L-shape cutout  141  recesses downwardly from upper surface of the upper wall  10  and locates at a left corner of the upper wall  10 . A first flange  101  is formed on the upper wall  10  to divide the cover  1  into a front first mating section  102  and a rear first installation section  103  which is higher and shorter than the first mating section  102  but lower than the first flange  101 . The first flange  101  indicates the final insertion position of the plug-in module  100 . 
   The first installation section  103  defines a pair of cutouts  110  recessed inwardly from opposite first sidewalls  11  to form a pair of block sections  111  connecting with the first rear wall  12 . A protrusion  104  is formed on the upper surface of the upper wall  10  and locates adjacent to rear edge of the upper wall  10 . A slit  1040  is defined through the protrusion  104  along front-to-back direction, and functions as a restriction and guiding means. A first accommodating slot  112  is defined in each first sidewall  11  and extends along the front-to-back direction. A first pivot recess  115  locates adjacent to the first flange  101  and recesses inwardly from the first sidewall  11  and communicates with the first accommodating slot  112 . A semi-circular first rail recess  1120  is recessed upwardly from the first accommodating slot  112  and aligned with the first pivot recess  115  along transverse direction. A first cooperating recess  113  is recessed inwardly from forward end of the first accommodating slot  112  and opens toward outside. A circular first pivot hole  114  recesses upwardly from the first sidewall  11  and communicates with the first cooperating recess  113 . 
   The first rear wall  12  has a relatively large thickness along mating direction and defines a first semicircular exit opening  120  for the exit of a cable (not shown). A pair of first fastening holes  122  are defined in the ear sections  111  to locate at opposite sides of the exit opening  120 . A pair of tips  130  are formed at two corners of the first front wall  13  and below the first front wall  13  to form a pair of spaces  131  between the bottom surfaces of the first sidewalls  11 . 
   The base  2  comprises a step-shape bottom wall  20 , a pair of second sidewalls  21  extending upwardly from opposite side edges of the bottom wall  20 , opposite second front and rear walls  23 ,  22  upwardly extending from front and rear edges of the bottom wall  20  and connecting with the pair of second sidewalls  21 . 
   The bottom wall  20  comprises a front second mating section  202  and a rear second installation section  203  lower than the second mating section  202  to form a second flange  201  therebetween for indicating the final insertion position of the plug-in module  100  together with the first flange  101 . The second rear wall  22  has a relatively large thickness along the mating direction and partially cut to form a semicircular second exit opening  220  which cooperates with the first exit opening  120  to form an exit channel  70  ( FIG. 4 ) for the exit of the cable (no shown). The second rear wall  22  also defines a pair of circular second fastening holes  222  at opposite sides of the second exit opening  220  corresponding to the first fastening holes  122  for a pair of screws  9  protruding therethrough to fasten the base  2  with the cover  1 . The bottom wall  20  extends beyond the second front wall  23  to form a second front flange  24  parallel spaced from the first front flange  14  with a front end of a printed circuit board (not shown), which is accommodated between the base  2  and the cover  1 , exposed between the front flanges  14 ,  24 . 
   Each second sidewall  21  defines a second accommodating slot  210  which recess downwardly therein corresponding to the first accommodating slot  112  of the cover  1  to corporately form an accommodating channel  71  ( FIG. 6 ) of the plug-in module  100  to receive the actuating member  4 . A deeper receiving slot  216  ( FIG. 6 ) adjacent to the second rear wall  22  recesses downwardly into the second sidewall  21  and communicates with the second accommodating slot  212 . A second pivot recess  215  is recessed inwardly from inner part of second sidewall  22  corresponding to the first pivot recess  115 . Particularly, the first pivot recess  115  is deeper than the second pivot recess  215 , that is to say, the angle of the first pivot recess  115  is larger than that of the second pivot recess  215 . A second rail recess  2120  is recessed downwardly from the second accommodating slot  212  to form a whole circle together with the first rail recess  1120  to receive a spindle  4201  of the actuating member  4 . A front second cooperating recess  213  corresponding to the first cooperating recess  113  is defined in the second sidewall  21  and communicates with the second accommodating slot  212 . A second pivot hole  214  is defined in the second sidewall  21  corresponding to the first pivot hole  114  and communicates with the second cooperating recess  213 . A pair of tips  231  extends forwardly from forward ends of the pair of second sidewalls  21  and locates above the second front wall  23 . Further, a U-shape opening  2130  opens toward outside and is recessed downwardly in the second sidewall  22  and communicates with the second cooperating recess  213 . 
   The actuating member  4  is assembled to the base  2  and the cover  1  to actuate the ejectors  5  outwardly move. The actuating member  4  comprises a flat operating portion  41 , a pair of vertical connecting portions  44  extending downwardly from opposite sides of the operating portion  41 , a pair of actuating arms  42  extending forwardly from opposite lower ends of the connecting portions  44 . The operating portion  41  comprises an extrusion section  410  extending rearwardly therefrom and formed a plurality of ribs  4101  thereon for facilitating the operation of the user. A through slot  411  is defined in the extrusion section  410  adjacent to rear edge of the extrusion section  410 . Each actuating arm  42  is of spindly shape, that is to say, the actuating arm  42  comprises a wider middle section  420  and a pair of narrower opposite front and rear ends  421 ,  422 . A pair of arc-shape protuberances  4202  protrude outwardly from upper and lower edges of the middle section  420  to cause the middle section  420  a column shape. The column-shape spindle  4201  protrudes from inner surface of one middle section  420  of the actuating arm  42  toward the other middle section  420  of the actuating arm  42 . An elastic spring arm  4210  downwardly and slantly extends from front and lower end of the front end  421  to form a sharp angle between the spring arm  4210  and the lower edge of the front end  421 . An actuating end  43  is formed at distal end of the rear end  422  of each actuating arm  42 . The actuating end  43  comprises a curved connecting section  431  curved inwardly from corresponding rear end  422 , and an elastic spring section  432  connecting with the connecting section  431 . Each spring section  432  comprises an upper section  4320  connecting with the connecting section  431  and a curved lower actuating section  4321  curved outwardly from the upper section  4320 . In addition, the actuating member  4  in the preferred embodiment of the present invention is stamped from metal material which is more elastic in operation than an actuating member die casted from metal material and has lower cost compared with die cast process. 
   The pair of ejectors  5  are assembled to the base  2  and the cover  1  to be actuated by the actuating member  4  for releasing the plug-in module  100  from the module receptacle. Each ejector  5  is die casted from metal material and comprises a front pivot  51  vertically arranged for being received in the first and second pivot holes  114 ,  214 , a main portion  52  extending rearwardly from the pivot  51 , and a tapered cooperating end  53  formed with upper end of the main portion  52 . Outer and lower surfaces of the cooperating end  53  are tapered. The main portion  52  comprises an inner surface and an opposite outer surface. The inner surface of the main portion  52  is partially cutout to form a bridge  521  and a pair of wedge-shape cutouts  522  above and below the bridge  521 . 
   The pull tape  6  is a belt and made from insulative material. 
   In assembly, referring to  FIGS. 4-5  in conjunction with  FIGS. 1-2  and  6 - 9 , the pull tape  6  is firstly assembled to the actuating member  4 . The pull tape  6  protrudes through the through slot  411  of the operating portion  41  of the actuating member  4  with opposite ends are sticked to each other to form a rear pulling portion  61  and a front surrounding portion  60 . Then the actuating member  4  with the pull tape  6  and the ejectors  5  are assembled to the cover  1 . 
   The actuating member  4  is assembled to the cover  1  along down-to-up direction with the pulling portion  61  of the pull tape  6  protruding through the slit  1040  of the cover  1 . The operating portion  41  locates above the cover  1  and upper portions of the pair of actuating arms  42  occupy the first accommodating slots  112 . The pair of upper protuberances  4202  are respectively rotatably received in the pair of first pivot recesses  115  and upper sections of the pair of spindles  4201  are rotatably received in the pair of first rail recesses  1120  of the pair of first sidewalls  11 . The upper sections of the actuating ends  43  are received in the first cooperating recesses  113 . The ejectors  5  are assembled to the cover  1  with the pivots  51  inserted into the first pivot holes  114  and the main portions  52  and the cooperating ends  53  occupying the left spaces of the first cooperating recesses  113 . In such circumstances, the actuating section  4321  of the spring section  432  of the actuating end  43  is located below the cooperating end  53  with flat inner surface of the actuating end  43  attaching to an outer surface of the upper section  4320  of the spring section  432 . An L-shape second step  1132  occupies the wedge-shape cutout  522  to abut against the bridge  521 . 
   The base  2  is then assembled to the cover  1 , the actuating member  4  and the ejectors  5  together with the pull tape  6  with the pair of tips  231  inserted into the spaces  131  of the cover  1  then rotating the base  2  a certain angle to combine the base  2  and the cover  1  into the housing  7 . The lower sections of the actuating arms  42 , the actuating ends  43  and the ejectors  5  occupy the second accommodating slots  212 , the second cooperating recess  213  and the second pivot hole  214  in a manner similar to the assembly described above. The lower protuberances  4202  are rotatably received in the second pivot recesses  215  and lower sections of the pair of spindles  4201  are rotatably received in the second rail recesses  2120 . The lower sections of the actuating ends  43  are received in the second cooperating recesses  213 . The lower sections of the pivots  51  are inserted into the second pivot holes  214 . While, the lower sections of the main portions  52  and the cooperating ends  53  occupy the left spaces of the second cooperating recesses  213 . An L-shape second step  2132  occupies the wedge-shape cutout  522  to abut against the bridge  521 . The spring arms  4210  are received in the receiving slots  216  of the base  2 . Further, in  FIGS. 4-8 , the spring arms  4210  are in release state and only distal curved ends  4211  thereof elastically abut against bottom surfaces of the receiving slots  216  and the operating portion  41  of the actuating member  4  locates above top surface of the cover  1 . While, the pull tape  6  thus forms an obtuse angle a between the pulling portion  61  and the surrounding portion  60 . After such assembly, referring to  FIGS. 6-7 , since the spindly shape of the actuating arms  42 , only the wider middle sections  420  of the actuating arms  42  are sandwiched by the first and second sidewalls  11 ,  21 . That is to say, the rear ends  422  of the actuating arms  42  has some distance to the first sidewalls  11  which serves as operating space for the operating portion  41 , and the front ends  421  of the actuating arms  42  and the actuating ends  43  has some distances to the first and second sidewalls  11 ,  21  which serve as operating spaces for the actuating ends  43 . 
   After the above assembly, the plug module  100  is achieved. The first and second accommodating slots  110 ,  210  corporately form the accommodating channel  71  of the housing  7  to receive the actuating member  4 , and the first and second cooperating recesses  113 ,  213  corporately form a cooperating space  72  ( FIG. 6 ) of the housing  7  which is commonly used by the actuating member  4  and the ejectors  5 . When removing the plug-in module  100  from the module receptacle, please refer to  FIGS. 9-13 , operator may exerts a rearward force to the pulling portion  61  of the pull tape  6  or exerts a downward force to the operating portion  41  of the actuating member  4  to actuate the actuating member  4  rotating along counterclockwise direction to actuate the ejectors  5  outwardly move to separate from tabs of the module receptacle, thus, the plug-in module  100  separates from the module receptacle. In one hand, when the operator rearwardly pull the pulling portion  61  of the pull tape  6 , with the rearward movement of the pull tape  6 , the operating portion  41  of the actuating member  4  is pulled toward the upper surface of the cover  1  to compress the elastic spring arm  4210  downwardly move toward the bottom surface of the receiving slot  216 , until rear end of the operating portion  41  abuts against the protrusion  104  of the cover  1  with the pull tape  6  is sandwiched by the protrusion  104  and the operating portion  41 . In such circumstance, the protuberances  4202  and the spindles  4201  respectively rotate along counterclockwise direction in the first and second pivot recesses  115 ,  215  and first and second rail recesses  1120 ,  2120 . Thus, the actuating ends  43  upwardly move with the actuating sections  4320  sliding along slanted lower surfaces of the cooperating ends  53  to cause the outward movement of the cooperating ends  53  with the pivots  51  rotating in the first and second pivot holes  114 ,  214 . In the other hand, the operator directly downwardly press the operating portion  41  of the actuating member  4 , the actuating member  4  operates in the same process as described above. After the plug-in module  100  is separated from the module receptacle, the operator may release the force exerted to the pull tape  6  or the operating portion  41  of the actuating member  4 , the spring arms  4210  in compressed state may upwardly move to actuate the actuating member  4  operate in a process contrary to the process described above. Therefore, the actuating member  4  is actuated to its original release state as shown in  FIGS. 4-8 . 
   It is to be understood, however, that even though numerous characteristics and advantages of the present invention have been set forth in the foregoing description, together with details of the structure and function of the invention, the disclosure is illustrative only, and changes may be made in detail, especially in matters of shape, size, and arrangement of parts within the principles of the invention to the full extent indicated by the broad general meaning of the terms in which the appended claims are expressed.