Mid-board pluggable optical devices, assemblies, and methods

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10012811-B2
Application number	US-201615364451-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 30, 2016
Priority date	Nov 30, 2016
Publication date	Jul 3, 2018
Grant date	Jul 3, 2018

Abstract

A pluggable optical module, including: a pluggable module unit including an optical connector disposed at a front end portion thereof and an electrical connector disposed at a rear bottom portion thereof, wherein the optical connector is configured to be optically coupled to an optical fiber, and wherein the electrical connector is configured to be electrically coupled to an electrical connector disposed on an electrical board. Optionally, the pluggable module unit includes a pluggable module adapter secured to a pluggable module body. The electrical connector is then disposed at a rear bottom portion of the pluggable module adapter. A pluggable optical module aggregator, including: a housing; an electrical board; a plurality of electrical connectors and a bulk electrical connector consolidating and terminating the plurality of electrical connectors and accessible from the exterior of the housing; and a plurality of optical connectors and a bulk optical connector consolidating and terminating the plurality of optical connectors and accessible from the exterior of the housing.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A pluggable optical module, comprising:
a pluggable module unit comprising an optical connector disposed at a front end portion thereof and an electrical connector disposed at a rear bottom portion thereof, wherein the pluggable module unit comprises a pluggable transceiver,
wherein the optical connector is configured to be optically coupled to an optical fiber,
wherein the electrical connector is configured to be electrically coupled to an electrical connector disposed on an electrical board,
wherein the pluggable module unit comprises a pluggable module adapter secured to a pluggable module body and comprising one or more protruding flanges along a bottom edge thereof that are selectively disposed beneath one or more raised rails coupled to the electrical board, wherein the pluggable module body comprises the pluggable transceiver.

2. The pluggable optical module of claim 1 , wherein the electrical connector is disposed at a rear bottom portion of the pluggable module adapter.

3. The pluggable optical module of claim 2 , wherein the pluggable module adapter comprises electrical connectivity between the electrical connector and the pluggable module body.

4. The pluggable optical module of claim 1 , wherein the pluggable module adapter and pluggable module body are selectively secured to the electrical board by sliding the pluggable module adapter and pluggable module body horizontally along the electrical board.

5. A pluggable optical module adapter, comprising:
a pluggable module adapter body configured to be selectively secured to an end of a pluggable module, wherein the pluggable module comprises a pluggable transceiver;
an electrical connector disposed at an end of the pluggable module adapter body configured to make electrical contact with an electrical connector disposed at an adjacent end of the pluggable module;
an electrical connector disposed at a bottom of the pluggable module adapter body configured to make electrical contact with an electrical connector disposed on an electrical board;
electrical connections disposed between the electrical connector disposed at the end of the pluggable module adapter body and the electrical connector disposed at the bottom of the pluggable module adapter body; and
one or more protruding flanges disposed along a bottom edge of the pluggable module adapter body.

6. The pluggable optical module adapter of claim 5 , wherein the pluggable module comprises an optical connector disposed at an end thereof opposite the electrical connector.

7. The pluggable optical module adapter of claim 5 , wherein the one or more protruding flanges are selectively disposed beneath one or more raised rails coupled to the electrical board, thereby selectively securing the pluggable module adapter to the electrical board.

8. The pluggable optical module adapter of claim 7 , wherein the pluggable module adapter body is selectively secured to the electrical board by sliding the pluggable module adapter horizontally along the electrical board.

9. A pluggable optical module aggregator, comprising:
a housing;
an electrical board disposed in the housing;
a plurality of electrical connectors coupled to the electrical board and a bulk electrical connector consolidating and terminating the plurality of electrical connectors and accessible from the exterior of the housing; and
a plurality of optical connectors coupled to the electrical board and a bulk optical connector consolidating and terminating the plurality of optical connectors and accessible from the exterior of the housing,
wherein the plurality of optical connectors and the bulk optical connector are optically coupled via a plurality of optical fibers within the housing; and
wherein the plurality of electrical connectors and the plurality of optical connectors are configured to collectively receive and retain a plurality of pluggable optical modules within the housing.

10. The pluggable optical module aggregator of claim 9 , wherein the plurality of pluggable optical modules are secured to the electrical board via a plurality of pluggable optical module adapters selectively secured to the plurality of pluggable optical modules.

11. The pluggable optical module aggregator of claim 9 , further comprising one or more power supplies and one or more cooling fans disposed within the housing.

12. The pluggable optical module aggregator of claim 9 , wherein the plurality of pluggable optical modules are disposed within the housing in a substantially horizontal configuration.

13. The pluggable optical module aggregator of claim 9 , wherein the plurality of pluggable optical modules are pivoted into the housing via a plurality of pivoting, spring loaded electrical connectors.

14. The pluggable optical module aggregator of claim 9 , the bulk electrical connector and the bulk optical connector are accessible through a side of the housing.

15. The pluggable optical module aggregator of claim 9 , wherein the housing is configured to be disposed at the top or bottom of a rack system.

Assignees

• Ciena Corp

Inventors

• Rivaud Daniel
• Estabrooks Kevin
• Vanderydt Gregory

Classifications

• G02B6/4278

  related to pluggable or demountable opto-electronic or electronic elements · CPC title

• G02B6/4292 Primary

  the light guide being disconnectable from the opto-electronic element, e.g. mutually self aligning arrangements · CPC title

• G02B6/3817

  containing optical and electrical conductors (cables including electrical and optical conductors H01B11/22; G02B6/3816 takes precedence) · CPC title

• G02B6/3814

  with cooling or heat dissipation means · CPC title

• H01R31/06

  Intermediate parts for linking two coupling parts, e.g. adapter (with a holder adapted for supporting apparatus to which its counterpart is attached H01R33/94) · CPC title