Optical Connector Housing Floating Mount with Elastic Counterweight
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing optical connectors face issues with misalignment and biased positioning due to gravitational forces, leading to degraded fitting and design restrictions when configured to float relative to a board or backplane.
Innovation Solution
An optical connector design featuring a housing with a mounting member that allows movable attachment perpendicular to the connector insertion direction, coupled with elastic members between the housing and mounting member, ensuring a space between their surfaces to prevent biased positioning and absorb misalignment.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the backplane housing is configured to float relative to the backplane to absorb misalignment, then the fitting of optical connectors is improved, but the housing becomes biased in respect to the floating range due to gravitational force
Solution Approach 1:
The elastic member acts as a counterbalancing mechanism that applies an upward elastic force to counteract the downward gravitational force on the backplane housing. This prevents the housing from settling to a lower position within the floating range, thereby maintaining the housing in a centrally positioned state that ensures proper alignment during connector fitting.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention changes the physical state of the mounting system from a rigid fixed position to a controlled floating position by introducing an elastic member. This allows the housing to move within a controlled range while maintaining proper positioning, transforming the system from static to dynamically balanced.
2Ease of manufacture
If the backplane housing is arranged biased in respect to the floating range, then the design can proceed, but misalignment of optical connectors needs to be made small which restricts the design
Solution Approach 1:
By introducing the elastic member, the system transitions from requiring tight misalignment tolerances to allowing a controlled floating range. This parameter change enables larger design tolerances while maintaining proper connector alignment, as the elastic member continuously adjusts the housing position within the floating range.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This configuration effectively suppresses biased positioning of the housing, allowing for improved alignment and connection accuracy between optical connectors, reducing design restrictions and enhancing the reliability of the optical connector system.
Implementation Method 1
an elastic member arranged between the mounting member and the housing, wherein the housing is held in the mounting member via the elastic member
Data Source
AI summary
An optical connector includes: a housing that houses a ferrule; a mounting member that movably attaches the housing to a board in a direction perpendicular to connector insertion and removal directions; and a first elastic member arranged between the mounting member and the housing. The housing is held in the mounting member via the elastic member and a space is maintained between a peripheral surface of the housing and the mounting member.