Patent Application
20160091669
1. Field of the Disclosure
This disclosure pertains in general to connectors for data communications.
2. Description of the Related Art
Electrical connectors are an important component for the compute and networking ecosystem. There is a large installed base and continuing strong demand for electrical connectors. There is also significant price pressure on electrical connectors. Most electrical connectors are specified by standards to insure interoperability. The use of standardized connectors also increases the overall volume for the standardized connector, which results in lower prices. However, electrical connectors use electrical conductors to transmit data and electrical conductors are limited in data rate, particularly in light of the increasing demand for bandwidth driven by video and other data-intensive applications.
Therefore, there is a need for improved connectors.
Embodiments of the present disclosure are related to connectors that are based on existing electrical connectors but which also provide an optical channel for increased data rate. For convenience, these will be referred to as hybridized electrical connectors, because they are versions of electrical connectors which have been modified to become hybrid optical/electrical connectors.
In one aspect, a hybridized electrical connector is intended to mate with a counterpart connector. The hybridized electrical connector includes electrical contacts supported by a mechanical interface, which are compliant with a standard that specifies only electrical data channels. Examples of such standards include USB, FireWire, Ethernet, HDMI, DVI and eSATA. The hybridized electrical connector also includes an optical transport structure. When the hybridized electrical connector is mated with the counterpart connector, the optical transport structure and a counterpart transport structure in the counterpart connector form an optical data pathway through the mated connectors.
The connectors typically connect to optical fibers on the cable-side. In this way, an optical channel is made available while still maintaining compatibility with the standard. The optical channel may (or may not) also be specified in a standard. Since optical fibers typically have much higher bandwidth than electrical conductors, the optical channel can provide a data rate that exceeds the data rate specified by the standard for the electrical data channels.
The optical transport structure preferably is implemented as part of the existing structure of the electrical connector. For example, electrical connectors typically include a mechanical support for the electrical contacts, and the optical channel may be implemented as part of the support structure. Alternately, it may be implemented as part of the connector housing, or as part of other mechanical structures specified by the standard. Alternatively, it may also be implemented as a new structure not specified by the standard, but preferably in a manner that is compatible with the standard. For example, the mechanical alignment tolerances for the optical channel preferably are consistent with the mechanical tolerances specified by the standard.
The optical transport structure can also be implemented in different ways: made from optically transparent material or as a hollow waveguide, for example. The structure preferably is designed so that it does not add significant cost to the connector. Thus, it is preferable to have lower component counts, lower cost components, and lower cost assembly. The optical transport structure can be manufactured by a variety of methods, including molding, deposition and etching, printing, and stamping. The optical transport structure can be an arbitrary shape. The structure with the most suitable characteristics (e.g., performance, cost) for the connector can be chosen.
Another aspect includes a cable using such hybridized electrical connectors. For example, the cable may include two such connectors, one on either end. The cable itself includes electrical conductors to connect corresponding electrical contacts on the two end connectors, but it would also include one or more optical fibers to connect to the corresponding optical transport structures on the two end connectors.
Other aspects include components, devices, systems, improvements, methods, processes, applications and other technologies related to the foregoing.
The teachings of the embodiments disclosed herein can be readily understood by considering the following detailed description in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.
a is a front view and top view section of a hybridized USB Type A plug.
b is a front view and top view section of a hybridized USB Type A receptacle.
c is a perspective view of the hybridized USB Type A plug of
a-c show side view cross sections of examples where two hybridized USB Type A connectors are mated.
a-b show another design for a hybridized USB Type A plug and a corresponding USB Type A receptacle.
a-b show another design for hybridized USB Type A connectors.
The Figures (FIG.) and the following description relate to various embodiments by way of illustration only. It should be noted that from the following discussion, alternative embodiments of the structures and methods disclosed herein will be readily recognized as viable alternatives that may be employed without departing from the principles discussed herein. Reference will now be made in detail to several embodiments, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying figures. It is noted that wherever practicable similar or like reference numbers may be used in the figures and may indicate similar or like functionality.
a-b are diagrams of hybridized USB Type A connectors. USB connectors come in mating pairs, with one connector referred to as a plug and the other as the receptacle. The plug typically connects to a cable (i.e., is cable-facing), and the receptacle typically connects to a device (i.e., is device-facing). Connector pairs may also be referred to as male/female.
In
In this example, the support structure 110 is modified to provide two optical data pathways through the connectors. The support structure 110 includes two optical transport structures 140A,B. These are constructed of optically transparent material and act as optical waveguides. In this example, each structure 140 is rectangular in cross section. In one design, each structure 140 has highest refractive index at the center of the rectangle, with decreasing refractive index towards the edge of the rectangle. The change in refractive index could be implemented by using gradient index materials. Alternatively, it could be implemented by using layers (or rectangular annuli) of decreasing index traveling outwards from the center.
b shows the corresponding transport structures 141A,B on the receptacle. In this example, these structures 141 have the same rectangular construction as structures 140.
a shows a side view cross section when the two connectors are mated.
b shows another example where the faces of the two optical transport structures 140,141 are not flat. Rather, they have beveled facets to actively create pressure between the two structures, thus increasing optical coupling between the two. However, the facets are shallow enough that these hybridized connectors can still be used with conventional Type A connectors.
c shows another example where one optical transport structure 141A has a protrusion (depicted by the dashed line) that fits into a cavity in the other optical transport structure 140A. In this example, the optical transport structures 140,141 maintain symmetry, which can be useful to reduce interference at the transition point. Gradient index or layered refractive index material could also be used in the optical transport structures 140,141. The optical transport structures 140,141 preferably are designed so that the mechanical tolerances specified by the USB standard will provide sufficient optical coupling between the structures 140,141.
a-3b show another design in which optical transport structures 340,341 are implemented as part of support structure 116 of the receptacle and the corresponding mating face in the plug. This example includes three optical data pathways 340,341A,B,C.
The optical data pathway could also be implemented as a hollow waveguide, rather than as a dielectric waveguide as described above, In
The above examples were all for the USB standard, but the invention is not limited to the USB standard. For example, it may also be applied to FireWire, Ethernet, MIDI, HDMI, DVI, MHL, VGA, eSATA, PCIe, Thunderbolt, SCSI or RJx (i.e., RJ11, RJ45, etc.) standards. It may also be applied to VESA, coaxial cable, electrical cables (e.g. IEC), memory cards (e.g. SD Card), and microphone/headphone connectors.
When used with hybridized counterpart connectors, data can be transmitted over both the electrical and optical data channels. The optical data channels can be used as a supplement to the electrical data channels or independently of the electrical data channels. In some applications, only the optical data channels might be used and the electrical data channels may not be used at all. When used with legacy counterpart connectors, the cable preferably should function as a legacy cable, providing full functionality for the electrical data channels.
Upon reading this disclosure, those of skill in the art will appreciate still additional alternative designs. Thus, while particular embodiments and applications of the present disclosure have been illustrated and described, it is to be understood that the embodiments are not limited to the precise construction and components disclosed herein and that various modifications, changes and variations which will be apparent to those skilled in the art may be made in the arrangement, operation and details of the method and apparatus of the present disclosure disclosed herein without departing from the spirit and scope of the disclosure as defined in the appended claims.
