Organizer tray, fiber-routing assembly, and electro-optical module

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9405086-B2
Application number	US-201414496421-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 25, 2014
Priority date	Sep 25, 2014
Publication date	Aug 2, 2016
Grant date	Aug 2, 2016

Abstract

Organizer tray including a base wall and a receiving wall that is coupled to the base wall. The base and receiving walls extend parallel to each other along a lateral axis. The receiving wall extends away from the base wall along an elevation axis that is perpendicular to the lateral axis such that the base and receiving walls define a circuit channel. The receiving wall has a curved shape. The base and receiving walls are shaped to hold a flex circuit assembly within the circuit channel, in which the flex circuit assembly includes a fiber-routing substrate and corresponding segments of optical fibers that extend within the fiber-routing substrate. The base and receiving walls are configured to hold the fiber-routing substrate such that the fiber-routing substrate satisfies a bend radius of the optical fibers.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An organizer tray comprising:
a base wall; and
a receiving wall coupled to the base wall, the base and receiving walls extending parallel to each other along a lateral axis, the receiving wall extending away from the base wall along an elevation axis that is perpendicular to the lateral axis such that the base and receiving walls define a circuit channel, the base wall extending away from the receiving wall along a mating axis that is perpendicular to the elevation and lateral axes;
wherein the base and receiving walls are shaped to hold a flex circuit assembly within the circuit channel, in which the flex circuit assembly includes a fiber-routing substrate and corresponding segments of optical fibers that extend within the fiber-routing substrate, the receiving wall having a bend surface that curves from a first direction along the mating axis to a second direction as the receiving wall extends away from the base wall, the first and second directions having directional components that are in opposite directions along the mating axis, the bend surface curving from the first direction to the second direction such that the fiber-routing substrate satisfies a bend radius of the optical fibers when held by the bend surface.

2. The organizer tray of claim 1 , wherein the receiving wall is a first receiving wall and the organizer tray includes a second receiving wall that opposes the first receiving wall with the circuit channel therebetween, the second receiving wall having a curved shape that is also configured to hold the fiber-routing substrate such that the fiber-routing substrate satisfies the bend radius of the optical fibers.

3. The organizer tray of claim 1 , wherein the base and receiving walls form a tray body, the organizer tray further comprising a protective cover coupled to the tray body and extending over the circuit channel, the protective cover configured to protect the flex circuit assembly within the circuit channel.

4. The organizer tray of claim 3 , wherein the receiving wall is a first receiving wall and the organizer tray includes a second receiving wall that opposes the first receiving wall with the circuit channel therebetween, the second receiving wall having a curved shape, the protective cover coupling to each of the first and second receiving walls.

5. The organizer tray of claim 3 , wherein at least one of the protective cover or the receiving wall define apertures configured to receive corresponding optical fibers of the flex circuit assembly.

6. The organizer tray of claim 3 , wherein the protective cover includes a cover wall, the cover wall having a convex shape to enlarge the circuit channel defined between the cover wall and the tray body.

7. The organizer tray of claim 1 , wherein the organizer tray is configured to be secured to a support frame or circuit board, the base and receiving walls being portions of a single unitary piece that is discrete with respect to the support frame or circuit board.

8. A fiber-routing assembly comprising:
a flex circuit assembly including a fiber-routing substrate and optical fibers that are coupled to the fiber-routing substrate along corresponding fiber segments, the corresponding fiber segments having predetermined paths along the fiber-routing substrate and being held in fixed positions with respect to one another by the fiber-routing substrate, the optical fibers having corresponding fiber tails that extend away from the fiber-routing substrate; and
an organizer tray comprising a base wall and a receiving wall coupled to each other, the base and receiving walls extending parallel to each other along a lateral axis, the receiving wall extending away from the base wall along an elevation axis that is perpendicular to the lateral axis such that the base and receiving walls define a circuit channel, wherein the fiber-routing substrate is positioned within the circuit channel and is held by the base and receiving walls, the fiber-routing substrate having a curved contour that satisfies a bend radius of the optical fibers, wherein the fiber tails are positioned over the fiber-routing substrate within the circuit channel.

9. The fiber-routing assembly of claim 8 , wherein the receiving wall is a first receiving wall and the organizer tray includes a second receiving wall that opposes the first receiving wall with the base wall extending therebetween, the curved contour being a first curved contour, the second receiving wall holding the fiber-routing substrate such that the fiber-routing substrate has a second curved contour that satisfies a bend radius of the optical fibers.

10. The fiber-routing assembly of claim 8 , wherein the receiving wall has a bend surface, the fiber-routing substrate extending along the bend surface, wherein the bend surface is substantially C-shaped when viewed along the lateral axis.

11. The fiber-routing assembly of claim 8 , wherein the fiber-routing substrate includes a center portion that extends along the base wall and a curved portion that extends along the receiving wall, the center portion extending generally along a mating axis that is perpendicular to the elevation and lateral axes, wherein the curved portion extends in different first and second directions, the first and second directions having directional components that are in opposite directions along the mating axis.

12. The fiber-routing assembly of claim 8 , wherein at least one of the fiber tails forms a loop segment that is positioned within the circuit channel, the loop segment including an inflection point.

13. The fiber-routing assembly of claim 8 , wherein the organizer tray further comprises a protective cover extending over the circuit channel, the protective cover configured to protect the flex circuit assembly within the circuit channel.

14. The fiber-routing assembly of claim 8 , wherein the base and receiving walls are portions of a single unitary piece that is discrete with respect to the support frame or circuit board to which the organizer tray is configured to be mounted.

15. An electro-optical (EO) module comprising:
a circuit board;
a plurality of active devices mounted to the circuit board and configured to process data signals; and
a fiber-routing assembly comprising:
a flex circuit assembly including a fiber-routing substrate and optical fibers that are coupled to the fiber-routing substrate along corresponding fiber segments, the optical fibers having first fiber tails and second fiber tails that extend in generally opposite directions away from the fiber-routing substrate, the optical fibers configured to transmit the data signals therethrough; and
an organizer tray having a fixed position with respect to the circuit board and defining a circuit channel, the organizer tray holding the fiber-routing substrate within the circuit channel such that the fiber-routing substrate has a curved contour that satisfies a bend radius of the optical fibers; and
wherein at least one of the first fiber tails or the second fiber tails is positioned over the fiber-routing substrate within the circuit channel.

16. The EO module of claim 15 , wherein the organizer tray includes a base wall and a receiving wall coupled to each other, the base and receiving walls extending parallel to each other along a lateral axis, the receiving wall extending away from the base wall along an elevation axis that is perpendicular to the lateral axis such that the base and receiving walls define the circuit channel, wherein the fiber-routing substrate is positioned within the circuit channel and held by the base and receiving walls.

Assignees

• Tyco Electronics Corp

Inventors

• Erdman David Donald
• Buchter Shelly Ann
• Tryson Michael

Classifications

• G02B6/43

  Arrangements comprising a plurality of opto-electronic elements and associated optical interconnections · CPC title

• G02B6/428

  containing printed circuit boards [PCB] · CPC title

• G02B6/4453 Primary

  Cassettes · CPC title

• G02B6/4281

  the printed circuit boards being flexible (in general H05K1/147) · CPC title

• G02B6/4249

  comprising arrays of active devices and fibres · CPC title