COMMUNICATIONS MODULE EDGE CONNECTOR HAVING MULTIPLE COMMUNICATION INTERFACE PADS

Abstract

An edge connector design for use with a printed circuit board included in a communications module is disclosed. In one embodiment, the edge connector comprises a planar surface defining a terminal end of the printed circuit board, and a plurality of conductive contact pads arranged on the planar surface. The contact pads include first and second ground contact pads disposed adjacent opposite side portions of the planar surface and first and second power contact pads disposed proximate a central portion of the planar surface. First and second pairs of differential transmit data signal contact pads, as well as first and second pairs of differential receive data signal contact pads are also included, the pairs being disposed between one of the ground contact pads and one of the power contact pads. The edge connector is received by a female connector of a host device to connect the module to the host.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

To further clarify the above and other advantages and features of the present invention, a more particular description of the invention will be rendered by reference to specific embodiments thereof that are illustrated in the appended drawings. It is appreciated that these drawings depict only typical embodiments of the invention and are therefore not to be considered limiting of its scope. The invention will be described and explained with additional specificity and detail through the use of the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an optical transceiver module that is configured in accordance with embodiments of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a simplified bottom view of an edge connector included with the optical transceiver module of FIG. 1, including a plurality of data signal contact pads configured in accordance with one embodiment;

FIG. 3 is a simplified bottom view of an edge connector configured in accordance with another embodiment;

FIG. 4 is a simplified bottom view of an edge connector configured in accordance with yet another embodiment;

FIG. 5 is a simplified perspective view of a transceiver/host system illustrating various details thereof;

FIG. 6 is a simplified cross sectional view, taken along the lines 6-6, showing engagement of an edge connector of the transceiver of FIG. 5 with a connector of the host;

FIG. 7 is a simplified bottom view of an edge connector configured in accordance with still another embodiment;

FIG. 8 is a simplified bottom view of an edge connector configured in accordance with one alternative embodiment; and

FIG. 9 is a simplified bottom view of an edge connector configured in accordance with yet another embodiment.

Claims

1. A connector for enabling a communications module to operably connect with a host, the connector comprising: a planar surface including a plurality of conductive features, the conductive features including: at least one ground feature;at least one power supply feature;a plurality of data signal features including: a first pair of differential transmit data signal features;a first pair of differential receive data signal features;a second pair of differential transmit data signal features; anda second pair of differential receive data signal features.

2. The connector as defined in claim 1, wherein the connector is a male connector configured for mating with a female connector of the host.

3. The connector as defined in claim 1, wherein the plurality of conductive features of the connector planar surface are contact pads.

4. The connector as defined in claim 1, wherein the connector is included on an end portion of a printed circuit board included in the communications module.

5. The connector as defined in claim 4, wherein additional conductive features are included on a second planar surface of the printed circuit board end portion.

6. The connector as defined in claim 4, wherein the first pairs of data signal features are disposed proximate a terminal end of the printed circuit board relative to the second pairs of data signal features.

7. The connector as defined in claim 1, further comprising: a third pair of differential transmit data signal features; anda third pair of differential receive data signal features.

8. An optical transceiver module, comprising: a shell partially containing a printed circuit board; andan edge connector included on the printed circuit board, the edge connector including: a plurality of conductive contact pads including: a plurality of ground contact pads;a plurality of power supply contact pads;a first plurality of differential transmit data signal contact pads;a second plurality of differential transmit data signal contact pads, the second plurality being linearly aligned with the first plurality;a first plurality of differential receive data signal contact pads; anda second plurality of differential receive data signal contact pads, the second plurality being linearly aligned with the first plurality.

9. The optical transceiver module as defined in claim 8, further comprising: an additional set of differential transmit and receive signal contact pads, including: a third plurality of differential transmit data signal contact pads, the third plurality being linearly aligned with the power supply contact pads; anda third plurality of differential receive data signal contact pads, the third plurality being linearly aligned with the ground contact pads.

10. The optical transceiver module as defined in claim 9, wherein the data signal contact pads are rectangular in shape.

11. The optical transceiver module as defined in claim 9, wherein the power supply contact pads are linearly aligned with one another so as to provide power cycling when the optical transceiver module is inserted into a corresponding host connector.

12. The optical transceiver module as defined in claim 9, wherein the optical transceiver module is hot swappable.

13. In a communications module and host device system including multiple transmit data paths and multiple receive data paths, a printed circuit board included in the communications module and configured to operably connect with a female connector of the host device, the printed circuit board, comprising: an edge connector, the edge connector comprising: a first planar surface defining a terminal end of the printed circuit board; anda plurality of conductive contact pads arranged on the planar surface for operable connection with a connector of the host device, the contact pads including: first and second ground contact pads disposed adjacent opposite side portions of the planar surface;first and second power contact pads disposed proximate a central portion of the planar surface;a first differential data contact pad set in operable communication with selected paths of the multiple transmit and receive data paths and including: a first pair of differential transmit data signal contact pads and a first pair of differential receive data signal contact pads, each of the first pairs being disposed between one of the ground contact pads and one of the power contact pads; anda second differential data contact pad set in operable communication with selected paths of the multiple transmit and receive data paths and including: a second pair of differential transmit data signal contact pads and a second pair of differential receive data signal contact pads, each of the second pairs being disposed between one of the ground contact pads and one of the power contact pads.

14. The printed circuit board as defined in claim 13, wherein the communications module including the printed circuit board is an optical transceiver module, the optical transceiver module defining portions of the multiple transmit and receive data paths.

15. The printed circuit board as defined in claim 14, wherein the optical transceiver module further includes a transmit optical subassembly and a receiver optical subassembly that are each operably connected with the printed circuit board.

16. The printed circuit board as defined in claim 15, wherein the first pairs of the first differential data contact pad are aligned with the corresponding second pairs of the second differential data contact pad set.

17. The printed circuit board as defined in claim 16, wherein the ground contact pads are disposed proximate the terminal end of the printed circuit board in relation to the power contact pads and data contact pads.

18. The printed circuit board as defined in claim 17, wherein the female connector of the host device includes a plurality of conductive pins arranged to operably connect with the contact pads of the edge connector when the edge connector is received by the female connector.

19. The printed circuit board as defined in claim 18, wherein the first and second power contact pads are arranged parallel with respect to one another.

20. The printed circuit board as defined in claim 19, wherein a length of one of the ground pads is greater than a combined length of the first or second pair of differential transmit data signal contact pads.

21. An optical transceiver module, comprising: a shell partially containing a printed circuit board; andan edge connector included on the printed circuit board, the edge connector including: a plurality of conductive contact pads including: a plurality of ground contact pads;a plurality of power supply contact pads;a first pair of differential data signal contact pads linearly aligned with one another along a longitudinal axis.

22. The optical transceiver module as defined in claim 21, wherein the first pair of differential data signal contact pads are transmit data signal contact pads, and wherein the edge connector further comprises: a first pair of differential receive data signal contact pads linearly aligned with one another along a longitudinal axis.