Patent Publication Number: US-2023161121-A1

Title: Optical electrical connector with improved heat dissipation performance

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION 
     This patent application claims a priority of a Chinese Patent Application No. 202122854160.0, filed on Nov. 19, 2021 and titled “OPTICAL ELECTRICAL CONNECTOR”, the entire content of which is incorporated herein by reference. 
     TECHNICAL FIELD 
     The present disclosure relates to an optical electrical connector, belonging to the technical field of electronic equipment field. 
     BACKGROUND 
     In the field of optical electrical connectors, with the rapid development of communication technology, the market demand for high-speed optical modules is increasing day by day. In response to the market&#39;s demand for high-bandwidth and high-speed data transmission, the optical module design of optical electrical connectors is developing in the direction of miniaturization and high density. With the development of high-speed and high-bandwidth module technology, the high thermal power consumption of miniaturized high-density optical modules also become a problem that must be faced. If a good heat dissipation effect cannot be guaranteed, the performance of temperature-sensitive photoelectric conversion components and electronic chips in the optical module will be greatly reduced, and even the entire optical module will not work normally or fail. Therefore, a more efficient and stable heat dissipation structure needs to be adopted to ensure stable operation of the electronic device. 
     SUMMARY 
     An object of the present disclosure is to provide an optical electrical connector, which have a more efficient and stable heat dissipation structure. 
     In order to achieve the above object, the present disclosure discloses an optical electrical connector comprising a casing, a printed circuit board, at least one electronic chip, at least one photoelectric conversion component, and a heat sink device. The casing comprises an electrical port and an optical port. The electrical port has a plurality of gold fingers disposed thereon. The optical port is disposed opposite to the electrical port along a first direction. A receiving space is defined by the casing between the electrical port and the optical port. The printed circuit board extends longitudinally along the first direction. The printed circuit board comprises a main body portion located in the receiving space and a front end portion exposed in the electrical port. The electronic chip and The photoelectric conversion component are accommodated in the receiving space. The electronic chip and the photoelectric conversion component are not only disposed on the printed circuit board but also electrically connected to the printed circuit board. The heat sink device is accommodated in the receiving space and disposed on the casing. The heat sink device faces the electronic chip for conducting the heat accumulated on the electronic chip to the outside of the optical electrical connector through the casing. 
     In order to achieve the above object, the present disclosure further discloses an optical electrical connector a printed circuit board, a heat sink device, an electronic chip, a photoelectric conversion component and a casing. The printed circuit board extends longitudinally which is defined as a first direction. The casing comprises a receiving space accommodating all of the heat sink device, the electronic chip and the photoelectric conversion component. Both the electronic chip and the photoelectric conversion component are not only disposed on the printed circuit board but also electrically connected to the printed circuit board. The heat sink device is disposed on the casing and faces the electronic chip in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction. The heat sink device absorbs the heat accumulated on the electronic chip and disperses the heat to the outside of the optical electrical connector via the casing. 
     Compared with the prior art, because the heat sink device is disposed on the casing and faces the electronic chip, the heat sink device absorbs the heat accumulated on the electronic chip and disperses the heat to the outside of the optical electrical connector. The present disclosure has more efficiently dissipation of heat into air. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS 
         FIG.  1    is a first perspective, assembled view of an optical electrical connector in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure; 
         FIG.  2    is a first perspective, exploded view of the optical electrical connector; 
         FIG.  3    is a second perspective, assembled view of the optical electrical connector; 
         FIG.  4    is a second perspective, exploded view of the optical electrical connector; 
         FIG.  5    is a top view of the a top view of the optical electrical connector of  FIG.  1   ; 
         FIG.  6    is a schematic cross-sectional view of the optical electrical connector when taken along line A-A in  FIG.  5   ; 
         FIG.  7    is a perspective, further exploded view of a portion C in  FIG.  6    when the portion C has been rotated for 90 degrees along a clockwise direction; 
         FIG.  8    is a schematic cross-sectional view of the optical electrical connector when taken along line B-B in  FIG.  5   ; 
         FIG.  9    is a perspective, further exploded view of a portion D in  FIG.  6    when the portion D has been rotated for 90 degrees along a clockwise direction; 
         FIG.  10    is a perspective, assembled view of the optical electrical connector and a cable assembly of the present disclosure; and 
         FIG.  11    is another perspective, assembled view of the optical electrical connector and the cable assembly of the present disclosure. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     At least one exemplary embodiment will be described in detail here, examples of which are shown in drawings. When referring to the drawings below, unless otherwise indicated, same numerals in different drawings represent the same or similar elements. The examples described in the following exemplary embodiment do not represent all embodiments consistent with this application. Rather, they are merely examples of devices and methods consistent with some aspects of the application as detailed in the appended claims. 
     The terminology used in this application is only for the purpose of describing particular embodiments, and is not intended to limit this application. The singular forms “a”, “said”, and “the” used in this application and the appended claims are also intended to include plural forms unless the context clearly indicates other meanings. 
     It should be understood that the terms “first”, “second” and similar words used in the specification and claims of this application do not represent any order, quantity or importance, but are only used to distinguish different components. Similarly, “an” or “a” and other similar words do not mean a quantity limit, but mean that there is at least one; “multiple” or “a plurality of” means two or more than two. Unless otherwise noted, “front”, “rear”, “bottom” and/or “top” and similar words are for ease of description only and are not limited to one location or one spatial orientation. Similar words such as “include” or “comprise” mean that elements or objects appear before “include” or “comprise” cover elements or objects listed after “include” or “comprise” and their equivalents, and do not exclude other elements or objects. The term “a plurality of” mentioned in the present disclosure includes two or more. 
     Referring to  FIGS.  1  to  11   , the present disclosure discloses an optical electrical connector  100  includes a casing  1 , a heat sink device  2 , a printed circuit board  3 , at least one electronic chip  4  and at least one photoelectric conversion component  5 . 
     The printed circuit board  3  extends longitudinally which is defined as a first direction (i.e., a front-rear direction) in  FIG.  1   . The casing  1  has an electrical port  101  and an optical port  102  oppositely disposed along the first direction. The casing  1  forms a receiving space (not numbered) between the electrical port  101  and the optical port  102 . The heat sink device  2 , the electronic chip  4  and the photoelectric conversion component  5  are all accommodated in the receiving space. 
     The printed circuit board  3  includes a main body portion  31  located in the receiving space and a front end portion  32  exposed in the electrical port  101 . A plurality of gold fingers are disposed on the electrical port  101 . The electronic chip  4  and the photoelectric conversion component  5  are not only disposed on the printed circuit board  3  but also electrically connected to the printed circuit board  3 . The heat sink device  2  is disposed on the casing  1  and faces the electronic chip  4 . The heat sink device  2  conducts the heat accumulated on the electronic chip  4  to the outside of the optical electrical connector  100  through the casing  1 . 
     The heat sink device  2  is made of metal material, and the heat sink device  2  made of metal material has good thermal conductivity. In a preferred embodiment, the heat sink device  2  is made of alloy in order to achieve better heat conduction. 
     Referring to  FIG.  7    , in a first embodiment of the present disclosure, the casing  1  is a metal casing  1 . The metal heat sink device  2  and the metal casing  1  are fixed together by welding. In a second embodiment of the present disclosure, the casing  1  is an injection-molded plastic casing  1 . The metal heat sink device  2  is integrated with the plastic casing  1  by insert molding. In conclusion, the heat sink device  2  of the present disclosure is disposed on the casing  1 . 
     Referring to  FIGS.  2 ,  4  and  7   , the optical electrical connector  100  of the present disclosure further includes an electromagnetic wave absorbing element  103 . The casing  1  includes a first casing  11  and a second casing  12  which are separately formed. The first casing  11  and the second casing  12  are fastened together in a second direction (i.e., the vertical direction in  FIG.  1   ) perpendicular to the first direction to form the receiving space. The first casing  11  and the second casing  12  are fixed by screws  105  after being fastened together. The first casing  11  includes a first extension portion  111  protruding toward the second casing  12 . The second casing  12  includes a second extension portion  121  protruding toward the first casing  11 . The first extension portion  111  and the second extension portion  121  are aligned in the second direction. The electromagnetic wave absorbing element  103  is not only disposed between the first extension portion  111  and the printed circuit board  3  but also between the second extension portion  121  and the printed circuit board  3 . The gold fingers are located on the first side of the electromagnetic wave absorbing element  103  in the first direction. The heat sink device  2 , the electronic chip  4  and the photoelectric conversion component  5  are all located on the second side of the electromagnetic wave absorbing element  103  in the first direction. It is known that, the first side and the second side are opposite sides of the electromagnetic wave absorbing element  103  in the first direction. The role of the electromagnetic wave absorbing element  103  is to fill the gap existing between the first casing  11  and the second casing  12  when they are fastened together, so as to prevent electromagnetic interference. 
     The printed circuit board  3  includes a first surface  301  facing the first casing  11  and a second surface  302  facing the second casing  12 . The heat sink device  2  is disposed on the first casing  11  and faces the electronic chip  4  disposed on the first surface  301  of the printed circuit board  3 . 
     Referring to  FIGS.  2  and  4   , the optical electrical connector  100  of the present disclosure includes thermal conductive material (not shown). The thermal conductive material is filled between the heat sink device  2  and the electronic chip  4 . The electronic chip  4  is mounted on the first surface  301  of the main body portion  31 . The thermal conductive material may be thermal conductive colloid. The function of the thermal conductive material is to make the heat generated by the electronic chip  4  transfer to the casing  1  through the heat sink device  2  more quickly and then dissipate into the air. 
     Referring to  FIGS.  2 ,  4 ,  6 , and  7   , the optical electrical connector  100  of the present disclosure includes a plurality of thermal conductive pads  6 . The thermal conductive pads  6  are sandwiched between the printed circuit board  3  and the second casing  12 . The thermal conductive pad  6  is mounted on the second surface  302  of the main body portion  31 . The function of the thermal conductive pad  6  is to fill the gap between the printed circuit board  3  and the second casing  12 . In this way, heat conduction becomes solid conduction, which can be quickly exported. 
     Referring to  FIGS.  1  to  4   , the optical electrical connector  100  of the present disclosure can be engaged with a mating connector (not shown) to form an electrical connection at the end of the electrical port  101 . Therefore, the present disclosure includes a lock structure  7 . The lock structure  7  includes a pull ring  71  exposed outside of the casing  1  and a pull strap  72  connected with the pull ring  71 . The pull strap  72  includes a snapping portion  720  at the end away from the pull ring  71 . The casing  1  includes an opening  10 . The snapping portion  720  is located in the opening  10  and the snapping portion  720  is restricted by the opening  10 . The snapping portion  720  can be disengaged from the opening  10  under the pulling force of the pull ring  71 . 
     When the snapping portion  720  is located at the position of the opening  10  and partly exposed out of the opening  10 , the snapping portion  720  can be snapped with a concave portion on the inner wall surface of the mating connector, In order to realize the lock statement between the optical electrical connector  100  and the mating connector. When the snapping portion  720  is disengaged away from the opening  10  under the pulling force of the pull ring  71 , the snapping portion  720  is also disengaged away from the concave portion on the inner wall surface of the mating connector, in order to realize the unlock statement between the optical electrical connector  100  and the mating connector. 
     Referring to  FIGS.  2 ,  4 ,  8 , and  9   , the lock structure  7  includes a spring member  73 . The pull strap  72  includes a resisting portion  721  abutting against one end of the spring member  73 . The casing  1  includes a resisting wall  104  abutting against the other end of the spring member  73 . The spring member  73  provides a restoring force to the pull strap  72 , so that the snapping portion  720  can be reset to be accommodated in the opening  10  again when the pulling force of the pull strap  72  disappears. That is, the spring member  73  ensures the repeated locking-unlocking function between the optical electrical connector  100  and the mating connector. 
     Referring to  FIGS.  2  and  4   , in a preferred embodiment, the number of the spring members  73  is two. The two spring members  73  are arranged side by side along a third direction (i.e., the left-right direction in  FIG.  1   ) that is perpendicular to both the first direction and the second direction. Correspondingly, the number of the resisting portions  721  and the number of the resisting walls  104  are both two. Therefore, the two spring members  73  can provide the required restoring force to the lock structure  7  in a left-right balance. 
     Referring to  FIGS.  1  to  11   , the optical electrical connector  100  is used for plugging with the cable  200 . The optical electrical connector  100  includes an insulating body  8  and a conductive terminal  9 . The optical port  102  is formed at the end of the insulating body  8  facing the cable  200 . That is, the cable  200  is inserted into the optical port  102  and transmits an optical signal to the printed circuit board  3  through the conductive terminal  9 . The printed circuit board  3  controls the photoelectric conversion component  5  through the electronic chip  4  to convert the received optical signal into an electrical signal, which is then transmitted from the gold finger exposed in the electrical port  101 . The number of the electronic chips  4 , the number of the photoelectric conversion components  5  and the number of the conductive terminals  9  are all two. The cable  200  includes two wire cores (not shown) corresponding to the conductive terminals  9  one-to-one. The optical electrical connector  100  can not only convert optical signals into electrical signals, but also enable the golden fingers in the electrical port  101  to receive the electrical signals transmitted by the mating connector when the optical electrical connector  100  is mated with the mating connector. The printed circuit board  3  controls the photoelectric conversion component  5  through the electronic chip  4  to convert the received electrical signal into an optical signal, which is then transmitted to the cable  200  through the conductive terminal  9 . Therefore, the photoelectric conversion component  5  may be an electronic component with dual conversion functions of converting optical signals into electrical signals (optical-&gt;electrical) and converting electrical signals into optical signals (electrical-&gt;optical). One of the photoelectric conversion components  5  is responsible for converting optical signals into electrical signals and the other one of the photoelectric conversion components  5  is responsible for converting electrical signals into optical signals. The optical-electrical conversion principle and the optical-electrical conversion principle are techniques well known to those skilled in the art, and will not be described in detail in the present disclosure. 
     In the optical electrical connector  100  of the present disclosure, the heat sink device  2  for heat dissipation is disposed on the casing  1 . The heat sink device  2  is disposed facing the electronic chip  4  and the heat sink device  2  can conduct the heat on the electronic chip  4  to the outside through the casing  1 . The optical electrical connector  100  of the present disclosure has a more efficient and stable heat dissipation structure. 
     The above embodiments are only used to illustrate the present disclosure and not to limit the technical solutions described in the present disclosure. The understanding of this specification should be based on those skilled in the art. Descriptions of directions, such as “front”, “back”, “left”, “right”, “top” and “bottom”, although they have been described in detail in the above-mentioned embodiments of the present disclosure, those skilled in the art should understand that modifications or equivalent substitutions can still be made to the application, and all technical solutions and improvements that do not depart from the spirit and scope of the application should be covered by the claims of the application.