Housing structure with latching mechanism and fiber optic transceiver having the same

Abstract

The present application discloses a housing structure with a latch mechanism, which is applied to a housing device of an optical fiber transceiver, and which comprises a base, a cover, a receiving member, a connecting member, a handle, and a latch unit. The cover is combined with the base to form a housing with a front opening and a rear opening. The receiving member is arranged at the rear opening, and the latch unit is accommodated in the receiving member. The latch unit has a latch exposed outside the receiving member and the cover, so as to latch the connecting member on the cover. According to the design of the present application, when the latch is exposed outside the cover, force applied to the handle cannot drag the connecting member to move, so as to achieve the latching effect of the connecting member and the handle. On the contrary, when the latch is depressed to be submerged in the receiving member, dragging the handle can make the connecting member move in a direction away from the rear opening.

Description

[0001] Technical Field: This invention relates to the technical field of fiber optic transceivers, and more particularly to a housing structure with a locking mechanism for use as a device housing for fiber optic transceivers. Background technology:

[0002] As is known, a fiber optic transceiver, also called an optoelectronic converter, functions to convert between optical and electrical signals. Typically, a fiber optic transceiver has an electrical connection side and an optical connection side. The electrical connection side is used to connect to an Ethernet connector of a network device (such as a PoE device or network switch), and the optical connection side is used to connect to a fiber optic cable. With this configuration, the fiber optic transceiver can convert electrical signals into optical signals and transmit them through the fiber optic cable. Simultaneously, the fiber optic transceiver can also convert optical signals into electrical signals and transmit them to the network device.

[0003] Network engineers are well aware that the maximum transmission distance of a typical network cable is 100 meters. Therefore, when deploying large networks (such as large-scale network monitoring systems), multiple PoE devices and fiber optic cables must be used in conjunction. Unlike network cables, single-mode fiber optic cables have a transmission distance of over 10 kilometers, while multimode fiber optic cables can reach a maximum transmission distance of 2 kilometers. When using PoE devices and fiber optic cables, fiber optic transceivers become indispensable and crucial electronic components.

[0004] For example, Taiwan Utility Model Patent No. M618563 discloses an optical fiber transceiver. According to the disclosure of Taiwan Utility Model Patent No. M618563, the optical fiber transceiver includes: a housing, a circuit board disposed within the housing, an electronic chip and necessary electronic components disposed on the circuit board, an electrical connection unit disposed on one side of the circuit board, an optical connection unit disposed on the other side of the circuit board, and a pull tab.

[0005] Figure 1 This shows a 3D diagram of a known fiber optic transceiver. For example... Figure 1As shown, the conventional fiber transceiver 1a comprises a base 11a, a cover 12a, and a pull handle unit, wherein the cover 12a and the base 11a combine to form a housing having a front opening and a rear opening. Notably, the pull handle unit comprises a connecting member 14a and a pull handle 15a, wherein the connecting member 14a has two first segments 141a for connecting to the side of the cover 12a respectively, a second segment 142a connected to the two first segments 141a, and two third segments 143a connected to the second segment 142a. In more detail, the second segment 142a is attached to the upper surface of the cover 12a, and the pull handle 15 has a pull handle tongue 151a and two fourth segments 152a connected to the two third segments 143a respectively. Moreover, the conventional technology usually forms a buckle 1411a at the end of the first segment 141a.

[0006] Figure 2 A perspective view of a conventional PCI-E fiber QSFP (Quad Small Form-factor Pluggable) network card is shown, and Figure 3 A perspective view of a PCI-E fiber QSFP network card connected with a fiber transceiver is shown. As Figure 2 shown, the PCI-E fiber QSFP network card 2a has two QSFP connectors 21a, and each of the two side edges of the outer cage of each QSFP connector 21a is designed with a stopper 211a. Further, as Figure 3 shown, after the fiber transceiver 1a is inserted into the QSFP connector 21a, the stopper 211a of the QSFP connector 21a will abut against the buckle 1411a of the connecting member 14a, thereby fixing the fiber transceiver 1a in the QSFP connector 21a.

[0007] It should be understood that when the maintenance personnel perform maintenance / replacement of the fiber transceiver 1a, they can pull the pull handle 15a rearward to drive the connecting member 14a to move rearward, so that the buckle 1411a is disengaged from the abutment of the stopper 211a. Then, the maintenance personnel can continue to pull the pull handle 15a rearward, or directly hold the entire housing of the fiber transceiver 1a and pull it rearward, so as to remove the fiber transceiver 1a from the POE device or the network switching device. Unfortunately, practical experience shows that since the connecting member 14a is not provided with a latching mechanism, anyone can remove the fiber transceiver 1a from the QSFP connector 21a by pulling the pull handle 15a rearward with force. Therefore, it can be seen that the design of the conventional fiber transceiver 1a is still not perfect.

[0008] From the foregoing description, it is known that the conventional fiber transceiver 1a still needs to be further improved due to the lack of a locking mechanism. In view of this, the inventor of the present case has made great efforts to research and invent, and finally developed a shell structure with a latch mechanism and a fiber transceiver with the shell structure. SUMMARY

[0009] The main purpose of the present application is to provide a shell structure with a latch mechanism, which is applied as a shell device of a fiber transceiver, and its structure includes: a base, a cover, a containing member, a connecting member, a handle, and a latch unit, wherein the cover is combined with the base to form a shell with a front opening and a rear opening, the containing member is provided at the rear opening, and the latch unit is contained in the containing member. In particular, the latch unit has a latch exposed outside the containing member and the cover, thereby latching the connecting member of the handle unit on the cover. According to the design of the present application, when the latch is exposed outside the cover, the force applied to the handle cannot drag the connecting member to move, achieving the latching effect of the connecting member and the handle. On the contrary, when the latch is depressed to sink into the containing member, dragging the handle can make the connecting member move away from the rear opening.

[0010] To achieve the above purpose, the present application proposes an embodiment of the shell structure with a latch mechanism, which includes:

[0011] a base;

[0012] a cover combined with the base to form a shell with a front opening and a rear opening, wherein the cover has a first through hole adjacent to the rear opening;

[0013] a containing member provided in the shell to be located at the rear opening, and having a containing space, an upper opening communicating between the containing space and the first through hole, and a lower opening communicating the containing space;

[0014] a connecting member having two first combination sections respectively connected to the side surfaces of the cover, a second combination section connected to the two first combination sections, wherein the second combination section is attached to the upper surface of the cover and has a second through hole communicating with the first through hole;

[0015] a handle connected to the connecting member; and

[0016] a latch unit contained in the containing space, and having a latch passing through the first through hole and the second through hole to expose the second combination section;

[0017] wherein, in a case that the peg is submerged into the receiving space, pulling the pull handle can move the connecting member in a direction away from the rear opening;

[0018] wherein, in a case that the peg exposes the second engaging section, applying force to the pull handle cannot move the connecting member.

[0019] In an embodiment, the connecting member further comprises two third engaging sections connected to the second engaging section, and the pull handle has a pull handle tab and two fourth engaging sections connected to the two third engaging sections, respectively.

[0020] In an embodiment, the first engaging section is an elastic arm, and each side surface of the cover body is provided with a recessed area for accommodating the elastic arm.

[0021] In an embodiment, the elastic arm has a buckling part, and the recessed area has a buckling groove for buckling the buckling part.

[0022] In an embodiment, the second engaging section is an M-shaped strap comprising a middle part, a first side part and a second side part, and the second through hole is formed in the middle part.

[0023] In an embodiment, the surface of the pull handle tab is provided with a slip stop structure.

[0024] In an embodiment, the latching unit further comprises:

[0025] a locking member having a locking part and a head part, wherein the locking part is locked into the receiving space from the lower opening, and the head part abuts against the bottom of the receiving member to cover the lower opening;

[0026] a resilient member accommodated in the receiving space and arranged above the locking part; and

[0027] a cushioning member accommodated in the receiving space and located between the peg and the resilient member.

[0028] Also disclosed is an optical fiber transceiver comprising a housing device, a circuit board accommodated in the housing device, and a plurality of electronic components arranged on the circuit board; wherein the housing device has the housing structure with the latching mechanism of any one of the present application as described above.

[0029] In an embodiment, the optical fiber transceiver is any one selected from the group consisting of QSFP optical fiber transceiver, QSFP+ optical fiber transceiver, QSFP28 optical fiber transceiver, OSFP optical fiber transceiver and QSFP-DD optical fiber transceiver. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0030] Figure 1 A perspective view of a known fiber transceiver;

[0031] Figure 2 A perspective view of a known PCI-E fiber QSFP network card;

[0032] Figure 3 A perspective view of a PCI-E fiber QSFP network card connected with a fiber transceiver;

[0033] Figure 4 A first perspective view of a fiber transceiver with a shell structure with a latching mechanism of the present application as its shell device;

[0034] Figure 5 A second perspective view of a fiber transceiver with a shell structure with a latching mechanism of the present application as its shell device;

[0035] Figure 6 A first perspective exploded view of a shell structure with a latching mechanism of the present application;

[0036] Figure 7 A second perspective exploded view of a shell structure with a latching mechanism of the present application;

[0037] Figure 8 A perspective view of Figure 6 the cover, the receiving member and the latching unit; and

[0038] Figures 9A to 9F An application animation of a fiber transceiver with a shell structure with a latching mechanism of the present application.

[0039] REFERENCE NUMERALS:

[0040] 1a: fiber transceiver

[0041] 11a: base

[0042] 12a: cover

[0043] 14a: connecting member

[0044] 141a: first coupling section

[0045] 1411a: buckling portion

[0046] 142a: second coupling section

[0047] 143a: third coupling section

[0048] 15a: pull handle

[0049] 151a: pull handle tongue

[0050] 2a:PCI-E fiber QSFP network card

[0051] 21a:QSFP connector

[0052] 211a:abutting piece

[0053] 1:shell structure with latching mechanism

[0054] 11:base

[0055] 12:cover

[0056] 121:first through hole

[0057] 122:recessed area

[0058] 1221:engaging groove

[0059] 13:accommodating member

[0060] 131:accommodating space

[0061] 14:connecting member

[0062] 141:first connecting segment

[0063] 1411:engaging portion

[0064] 142:second connecting segment

[0065] 1421:second through hole

[0066] 143:third connecting segment

[0067] 15:pull handle

[0068] 151:pull handle tongue

[0069] 152:fourth connecting segment

[0070] 16:latching unit

[0071] 161:latch

[0072] 162:locking member

[0073] 1621:locking portion

[0074] 1622:head portion

[0075] 163:elastic member

[0076] 164:pad member

[0077] 2:PCI-E fiber QSFP network card

[0078] 21:QSFP connector

[0079] 211: abutment DETAILED DESCRIPTION:

[0080] In order to describe the housing structure with a latch mechanism and the optical fiber transceiver having the same according to the present application more clearly, preferred embodiments of the present application will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0081] Figure 4 、 Figure 5 FIGS. 1 and 2 are first and second perspective views of an optical fiber transceiver having a housing structure with a latch mechanism according to the present application as a housing device thereof. Also, Figure 6 、 Figure 7 FIGS. 3 and 4 are first and second perspective exploded views of the housing structure with a latch mechanism according to the present application. As shown in Figures 4 to 7 , the housing structure with a latch mechanism 1 according to the present application is applied as a housing device of an optical fiber transceiver, and includes a base 11, a cover 12, a receiving member 13, a connecting member 14, a pull handle 15, and a latch unit 16. In more detail, the cover 12 is combined with the base 11 to form a housing having a front opening and a rear opening, and the cover 12 has a first through-hole 121 adjacent to the rear opening.

[0082] Figure 8 FIGS. 5 and 6 are perspective views of the cover 12, the receiving member 13, and the latch unit 16 shown in Figure 6 . In particular, the present application provides a receiving member 13 in the housing and at the rear opening. As shown in Figure 6 and Figure 8 , the receiving member 13 has a receiving space 131, an upper opening communicating between the receiving space 131 and the first through-hole 121, and a lower opening communicating the receiving space 131. On the other hand, the connecting member 14 has two first combining segments 141 to be connected to side surfaces of the cover 12, respectively, a second combining segment 142 connected to the two first combining segments 141, and two third combining segments 143 connected to the second combining segment 142. Among them, the second combining segment 142 is fitted to an upper surface of the cover 12, and has a second through-hole 1421 communicating the first through-hole 121.

[0083] In more detail, the second combining segment 142 is an M-shaped band including a middle portion, a first side portion, and a second side portion, and the second through-hole 1421 is formed on the middle portion. Also, the first combining segment 141 is an elastic arm, and the two side surfaces of the cover 12 are each provided with a recessed area 122 to receive the elastic arm. Also, as shown in Figure 3 and Figure 4As shown, the elastic arm has a fastening portion 1411, and the recessed area 122 has a fastening groove 1221 for the fastening portion. On the other hand, the pull handle 15 has a pull handle tongue 151 and two fourth coupling segments 152 respectively connected to the two third coupling segments 143. Moreover, the surface of the pull handle tongue 151 is provided with a stop structure.

[0084] According to the design of the present application, the latching unit 16 is accommodated in the accommodating space 131, and has a latch 161, a locking member 162, an elastic member 163, and a pad member 164. Among them, the latch 161 passes through the first through hole 121 and the second through hole 1421 to expose the second coupling segment 142. Moreover, the locking member 162 has a locking portion 1621 and a head portion 1622, wherein the locking portion 1621 is locked into the accommodating space 131 from the lower opening, and the head portion 1622 abuts against the bottom of the accommodating member 13 to cover the lower opening. On the other hand, the elastic member 163 is accommodated in the accommodating space 131 and is arranged above the locking portion 1621. Further, the pad member 164 is accommodated in the accommodating space 131 and is located between the latch 161 and the elastic member 163. Furthermore, the elastic member 163 can be a spring or a spring sheet.

[0085] Figures 9A to 9F The application of the optical transceiver with the latching mechanism shell structure of the present application is shown in the figure. It should be known that the optical transceiver has an electrical connection side and an optical connection side, wherein the electrical connection side is used to connect an Ethernet connector of a network device (such as a POE device or a network switching device), and the optical connection side is used to connect an optical fiber cable. As shown in the figure, Figure 9A and Figure 9B As shown, the optical transceiver with the latching mechanism shell structure 1 of the present application is connected to a QSFP network card connector 21 of a PCI-E optical fiber QSFP network card 2 of a network device. As shown in the figure, Figure 9B As shown, two side edges of the outer shell of the QSFP connector 21 are each designed with an abutting member 211. According to this design, after the optical transceiver with the latching mechanism shell structure 1 containing the present application is inserted into the QSFP connector 21, the abutting member 211 of the QSFP connector 21 will abut against the fastening portion 1411 of the connecting member 14, thereby fixing the optical transceiver in the QSFP connector 21.

[0086] It is worth noting that, Figure 9C and Figure 9D The latching mechanism shell structure 1 of the present application is shown in a sectional view. Please refer to Figure 9B and Figure 9CAs shown, after the fiber transceiver with the latching mechanism of the shell structure 1 of the present application is inserted into the QSFP connector 21, the latch 161 of the latching unit 16 (refer to Figure 6 ) penetrates through the first perforation 121 (refer to Figure 6 ) and the second perforation 1421 (refer to Figure 6 ) so as to expose the second joint segment 142. In this case, force exerted on the pull handle 15 cannot drag the connector 14 to move, achieving the latching effect of the connector 14 and the pull handle 15.

[0087] When it is necessary to remove the fiber transceiver with the latching mechanism of the shell structure 1 of the present application, as shown in Figure 9E and Figure 9F , the user can press the latch 161 into the accommodating space 131 (refer to Figure 8 ) and then drag the pull handle tongue 151 (refer to Figure 9B ) to make the entire pull handle 15 pull the connector 14 to move in the direction away from the rear opening of the shell. At this time, the latching part 1411 of the connector 14 is disengaged from the abutment of the abutment piece 211 due to the rear movement. Then, as shown in Figure 9F , the user can continue to pull the pull handle 15 backward, or directly hold the entire shell of the fiber transceiver and pull it backward, so as to remove the fiber transceiver with the latching mechanism of the shell structure 1 of the present application from the PCI-E fiber QSFP network card 2 of the POE device or network switching device.

[0088] According to Figures 9A to 9FAs can be seen from the actuation diagram, after the fiber transceiver with the latching mechanism of the present application is connected to the QSFP connector 21a of the network device, the connecting member 14 and the pull handle 15 are latched by the latching unit 16. Therefore, without unlocking the latching unit 16, even if the pull handle 15 is pulled after force, the fiber transceiver with the latching mechanism of the present application cannot be removed from the QSFP connector 21. Conversely, when the fiber transceiver needs to be removed for maintenance, as long as the latching unit 16 is unlocked and the pull handle 15 is pulled after force, the fiber transceiver can then be removed from the QSFP connector 21. It is worth mentioning that the fiber transceiver of the present application is any one selected from the group consisting of QSFP fiber transceiver, QSFP+ fiber transceiver, QSFP28 fiber transceiver, OSFP (Octal Small Form Factor Pluggable) fiber transceiver and QSFP-DD (Quad Small Form Factor Pluggable-Double Density) fiber transceiver.

[0089] Thus, the housing structure with a latching mechanism and the fiber transceiver with the housing structure of the present application have been fully and clearly described above. However, it must be emphasized that the above detailed description is a specific description of the feasible embodiments of the present application, and the embodiments are not intended to limit the scope of the claims of the present application. Any equivalent implementation or modification that does not deviate from the spirit of the present application should be included in the scope of the claims of the present application.

Claims

1. A housing structure with a latching mechanism, characterized by, The application relates to a housing device comprising: a base; a cover combined with the base to form a housing having a front opening and a rear opening, wherein the cover has a first through hole adjacent to the rear opening; a receiving member arranged in the housing to be located at the rear opening and having a receiving space, an upper opening communicated between the receiving space and the first through hole, and a lower opening communicated with the receiving space; a connecting member having two first connecting sections respectively connected to the side surfaces of the cover, a second connecting section connected with the two first connecting sections, wherein the second connecting section is attached to the upper surface of the cover and has a second through hole communicated with the first through hole; a pull handle connected to the connecting member; and a locking unit accommodated in the receiving space and having a bolt passing through the first through hole and the second through hole to expose the second connecting section; wherein, when the bolt is depressed to be submerged in the receiving space, pulling the pull handle can move the connecting member in a direction away from the rear opening; wherein, when the bolt exposes the second connecting section, applying force to the pull handle cannot move the connecting member.

2. The latching mechanism-equipped case structure according to claim 1, characterized by The connecting member further comprises two third connecting sections connected with the second connecting section, and the pull handle has a pull handle tongue and two fourth connecting sections respectively connected to the two third connecting sections.

3. The latching mechanism-equipped case structure according to claim 1, characterized by The first connecting section is an elastic arm, and the two side surfaces of the cover are respectively provided with a recessed area for accommodating the elastic arm.

4. The latching mechanism-equipped case structure according to claim 3, characterized by The elastic arm has a buckling part, and the recessed area has a buckling groove for buckling the buckling part.

5. The latching mechanism-equipped case structure according to claim 1, characterized by The second connecting section is an M-shaped strap comprising a middle part, a first side part and a second side part, and the second through hole is formed on the middle part.

6. The latching mechanism-equipped case structure according to claim 2, characterized by The surface of the pull handle tongue is provided with an anti-slip structure.

7. The latching mechanism-equipped case structure according to claim 1, characterized by The locking unit further comprises: a locking member having a locking part and a head, wherein the locking part is locked into the receiving space from the lower opening, and the head abuts against the bottom of the receiving member to cover the lower opening; a resilient member accommodated in the receiving space and arranged above the locking part; and a pad member accommodated in the receiving space and located between the bolt and the resilient member.

8. The latching mechanism-equipped case structure according to claim 7, characterized by The resilient member is a spring or a spring sheet.

9. An optical fiber transceiver comprising a housing means, a circuit board housed within said housing means, and a plurality of electronic components disposed on said circuit board; wherein, The housing device has the housing structure with the locking mechanism as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 8.

10. The fiber optic transceiver of claim 9, wherein, The optical fiber transceiver is any one selected from the group consisting of a QSFP optical fiber transceiver, a QSFP+ optical fiber transceiver, a QSFP28 optical fiber transceiver, an OSFP optical fiber transceiver and a QSFP-DD optical fiber transceiver.

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