CN115548728A

CN115548728A - Composite module, composite cable assembly and communication system

Info

Publication number: CN115548728A
Application number: CN202110729601.6A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 杨传枫; 熊锋; 王成军; 邱子辉
Original assignee: Huawei Technologies Co Ltd
Current assignee: Huawei Technologies Co Ltd
Priority date: 2021-06-29
Filing date: 2021-06-29
Publication date: 2022-12-30

Abstract

The application discloses compound module, compound cable subassembly, communication system belongs to communication technical field. The composite module includes: a housing, an optical device, a power supply device, a composite connector; the two ends of the shell are respectively provided with a first socket and a second socket; the composite connector includes: the second optical connector is positioned in the containing hole; the optical device includes: the photoelectric conversion device comprises a photoelectric conversion device and a first optical connector, wherein a first end of the photoelectric conversion device is connected with the first optical connector, and a second end of the photoelectric conversion device is connected with a second optical connector; the power supply device includes: the power supply circuit comprises a power supply circuit and a first electric connector, wherein the first end of the power supply circuit is connected with the first electric connector, and the second end of the power supply circuit is connected with a second electric connector; photoelectric conversion device and power supply line all are located the casing inside, and first optical connector and first electricity connect all to be located first socket department, and composite connector is located second socket department. The scheme is beneficial to the miniaturization development of communication equipment.

Description

Composite module, composite cable assembly and communication system

Technical Field

The present application relates to the field of communications technologies, and in particular, to a composite module, a composite cable assembly, and a communications system.

Background

Power over ethernet (poe) Power supply is a technology that enables not only data signal transmission but also Power signal transmission between different communication devices, where a Power Sourcing Equipment (PSE) is a communication Device to which Power is supplied, a Powered Device is a Powered Device (Powered Device), and the Power Sourcing Equipment and the Powered Device are connected by an optical/electrical composite cable.

In the related art, the panels of the power supply device and the power receiving device are respectively provided with an optical interface and an electrical interface which are independent of each other, the optical interface is used for being connected with the optical fiber connector on the optical-electrical composite cable, and the electrical interface is used for being connected with the power connector on the optical-electrical composite cable.

However, the above solution is not suitable for the miniaturization development of the communication device.

Disclosure of Invention

The application provides a composite module, a composite cable assembly and a communication system, which can solve the problems, and the technical scheme is as follows:

in one aspect, a composite module is provided, the composite module comprising: the device comprises a shell, an optical device, a power supply device and a composite connector;

the first end of the housing has a first socket and the second end of the housing has a second socket;

the composite connector includes: a second optical connector and a second electrical connector, the second electrical connector having a receiving hole therein, the second optical connector being positioned within the receiving hole;

the optical device includes: the first end of the photoelectric conversion device is connected with the first optical connector, and the second end of the photoelectric conversion device is connected with the second optical connector;

the power supply device includes: the power supply circuit comprises a power supply circuit and a first electric connector, wherein a first end of the power supply circuit is connected with the first electric connector, and a second end of the power supply circuit is connected with the second electric connector;

the photoelectric conversion device and the power supply circuit are both positioned in the shell, the first optical connector and the first electric connector are both positioned at the first jack, and the composite connector is positioned at the second jack.

The composite module provided by the embodiment of the disclosure is a photoelectric composite module, which comprises an optical device and a power supply device, wherein a photoelectric conversion device of the optical device and a power supply line of the power supply device are both positioned in a shell, and the shell is provided with a first socket and a second socket so as to be respectively inserted into a photoelectric composite cable and a communication device. Two ends of the photoelectric conversion device are connected with the first optical connector and the second optical connector respectively, and two ends of the power supply circuit are connected with the first electric connector and the second electric connector respectively. The first optical connector and the first electrical connector are both located at a first socket, and the composite connector integrated with the second optical connector and the second electrical connector is located at a second socket. For example, the first jack can be used as a jack for inserting the composite module into a communication device, and the second jack can be used as a jack for inserting the composite module into an optical-electrical composite cable.

In the composite module provided by the embodiment of the disclosure, the optical device can realize a photoelectric conversion function, and the poe power supply function and the photoelectric conversion function are integrated together, so that the technical problems that a single optical module does not support power supply and a single electric module does not support transmission evolution with higher data transmission rate and more capacity in the related art are solved. For the inserted equipment, for example, the panel of the switch and the ap only needs to be provided with a jack for inserting the composite module, and the composite module is mechanically inserted into the corresponding jack on the communication equipment, so that an optical-electrical composite interface can be formed on the communication equipment, which is not only beneficial to saving the panel size of the communication equipment such as the switch, the ap and the like, but also beneficial to the miniaturization development of the communication equipment, and is also beneficial to increasing the density of the optical-electrical composite interface on the panel of the communication equipment.

In particular, the composite module provided by the embodiment of the present disclosure uses the composite connector which integrates the second optical connector and the second electrical connector, and provides a composite module of a novel structure which satisfies the miniaturization development of communication devices such as switches and aps. For the composite connector, the optical connector and the electric connector are integrated, so that the composite connector is obtained by defining the electric interface on the existing optical interface, the preparation process of the composite module is simplified, and the compatibility of the composite module is improved.

The composite module provided by the embodiment of the disclosure can be used for converting optical signals and electrical signals on one hand, and can be used for realizing power over ethernet on the other hand. The composite module provided by the embodiment of the disclosure can be a module for converting an optical signal into an electrical signal, can also be a module for converting an electrical signal into an optical signal, and can also be a module for converting an optical signal into an electrical signal and also converting an electrical signal into an optical signal.

In the composite connector provided by the embodiment of the disclosure, the second electrical connector has a receiving hole, the second optical connector is located inside the receiving hole, and for some conventional optical interfaces at present, the ferrule with the optical fiber therein may be designed to be made of a metal material, that is, the used ferrule is a metal ferrule and is electrically conductive. In this case, the metal ferrule can be used as the second electrical connector, that is, the metal ferrule is defined as the second electrical connector, and the composite connector is obtained by defining an electrical interface on the conventional optical interface, so that the composite connector can be easily obtained without changing the physical structure of the conventional optical interface, and at the same time, the compatibility of the composite connector with the conventional optical interface can be ensured to be consistent.

For example, the optical interface with the metal ferrule includes, but is not limited to, an LC type optical fiber interface, an FC type optical fiber interface, an ST type optical fiber interface, or an SC type optical fiber interface, and the ferrules of the above types of optical fiber interfaces may be designed to be made of metal, so that the optical fiber is located inside the optical fiber hole on the metal ferrule. Referring to the figures, the optical fiber interface a of the above type includes: the optical fiber is positioned in an optical fiber hole on the metal ferrule; the optical fiber interfaces of the above types can be used as a composite connector, wherein the optical fiber is used as a second optical connector, and the metal ferrule is used as a second electrical connector.

When the metal plug is used as a composite connector, the end surface or the outer wall of the metal plug core serving as the second electric connector can be connected with a power supply line to realize power transmission. And simultaneously fixing the metal ferrule of the composite connector at the second socket of the shell in a fixing mode including but not limited to the following modes: bonding, screw connection, clamping, etc.

Therefore, the composite module provided by the embodiment of the disclosure makes full use of the structure of the optical interface itself, such as an LC type optical fiber interface, and defines the metal ferrule therein as an electrical connector, so that the power supply line and the metal ferrule are electrically connected, that is, an electrical signal can be transmitted. Therefore, on the premise of not changing the physical structure of the traditional optical interface, the optical fiber on the optical fiber can be used as a second optical connector, and the metal ferrule on the optical fiber can be used as a second electrical connector, so that the preparation processes of the second optical connector and the second electrical connector are simplified (the optical interfaces of the above types are directly adopted), the composite module provided by the embodiment of the disclosure can meet the miniaturization development of switches and aps, and can be compatible with standard optical fiber connectors (for example, LC type optical fiber connectors, FC type optical fiber connectors, ST type optical fiber connectors or SC type optical fiber connectors), thereby improving the applicability of the composite module.

In some possible implementations, the number of the composite connectors is two, that is, the composite module is a dual-fiber bidirectional composite module, in which the second optical connector of one composite connector serves as a transmitting end, and the second optical connector of the other composite connector serves as a receiving end. The second electric connector of one composite connector is used as a positive connector, and the second electric connector of the other composite connector is used as a negative connector;

the composite connector adopts an optical fiber interface, and the optical fiber interface comprises: the optical fiber is positioned in an optical fiber hole on the metal ferrule;

the optical fiber is used as the second optical connector, and the metal insertion core is used as the second electric connector.

In some possible implementations, the number of the composite connector is one, that is, the composite module is a single-fiber bidirectional composite module, and the second optical joint of the composite connector serves as both a transmitting end and a receiving end. Furthermore, an additional second electrical connection is arranged on the composite connector, so that two second electrical connections are simultaneously provided on one composite connector, one second electrical connection being a positive connection and the second electrical connection of the other composite connector being a negative connection;

the composite connector includes: the optical fiber interface, the insulating layer and the metal layer;

the insulating layer is positioned outside the optical fiber interface, and the metal layer is positioned on the insulating layer;

the optical fiber interface includes: the optical fiber is positioned in an optical fiber hole on the metal ferrule;

said optical fiber being said second optical connector, said metal ferrule being one of said second electrical connectors, said metal layer being the other of said second electrical connectors.

In some possible implementations, the fiber optic interface is an LC-type fiber optic interface, an FC-type fiber optic interface, an ST-type fiber optic interface, or an SC-type fiber optic interface.

In some possible implementations, the photoelectric conversion device and the power supply line are each provided independently.

In some possible implementations, at least a part of the power supply line and the photoelectric conversion device are integrally provided. This includes: (1) Integrating part of the power supply lines with the photoelectric conversion device, and (2) integrating all the power supply lines with the photoelectric conversion device. For example, the power supply line and the photoelectric conversion device are integrated, the first bus bar portion a in the processing board of the photoelectric conversion device is electrically connected to the first optical connector and the second optical connector, respectively, for forming the photoelectric path, and the second bus bar portion b in the processing board is electrically connected to the first electrical connector and the second electrical connector, respectively, for forming the power path.

In some possible implementations, the first optical connector and the first electrical connector are each independently disposed.

In some possible implementations, the first optical joint is integrally disposed with the first electrical joint to form an opto-electronic composite joint;

the photoelectric composite joint includes: the photoelectric composite connector comprises a photoelectric composite connector carrier and a golden finger, wherein the golden finger is fixed on the surface of the photoelectric composite carrier, and the surface of the photoelectric composite carrier is parallel to the plugging direction of the composite module;

the gold finger includes: the first metal pins are used as the first optical connectors, and the second metal pins are used as the first electrical connectors.

The mode of integrating the first optical connector and the first electric connector can save the installation space of the composite module and is beneficial to the miniaturization development of the composite module.

In some possible implementations, the spacing between the first metal pin and the second metal pin is greater than 40 mils. Through designing as above, can realize ann rule signal isolation, avoid signal interference to bring signal anomaly scheduling problem effectively, still do benefit to effectively to evade the impact of thunderbolt surge simultaneously.

In some possible implementations, the impedance of both the first metal pin and the second metal pin is less than 1 milliohm. Through the design, the impedance at the golden finger is controlled to be as small as possible, so that the heat consumption is reduced, and the influence on the reliable work of an optical system circuit in the composite module is avoided. In particular, when the composite module is in a large current transmission state, for example, the current can reach about 2A when the composite module is supplied with power for a long distance of 90W, the impedance design of the metal pins can ensure that the heat exhaustion possibility is reduced.

In some possible implementations, the composite module further includes: and the surge protection circuit is connected in series or in parallel between the power supply line and the photoelectric conversion device.

The surge protection circuit can be a piezoresistor, and can effectively prevent the composite module from being burnt out due to sudden increase of current and improve the protection function of the composite module.

In another aspect, a composite cable assembly is provided, the composite cable assembly being adapted to be connected to the composite module;

the composite cable assembly includes: composite cables, composite joints;

the composite cable includes: the optical cable comprises a sheath layer, an optical cable and an electric cable, wherein the optical cable and the electric cable are positioned in the sheath layer;

the composite joint includes: the optical connector comprises a third optical connector, a third electric connector and an insulating protective layer, wherein the third electric connector is positioned on the outer surface of the third optical connector, and the insulating protective layer covers the outside of the whole formed by the third optical connector and the third electric connector;

one end of the third optical joint is connected with one end of the optical cable, and the other end of the third optical joint is used for being connected with a second optical joint of the composite module;

one end of the third electrical connector is connected with one end of the cable, and the other end of the third electrical connector is used for being connected with the second electrical connector of the composite module.

The composite connector is adaptively plugged with the composite module, the optical connectors of the composite connector and the composite module are adaptively connected, and the structure of the composite connector is adaptively designed according to the structure of the composite module. In the composite connector provided by the embodiment of the disclosure, the third electrical connector is located on the outer surface of the third optical connector, and the insulating protective layer covers the outside of the whole body formed by the third optical connector and the third electrical connector. This includes, but is not limited to, the following implementations: the third electric connector is in a sleeve shape and covers the outer surface of the third optical connector, and the insulating protective layer is in a sleeve shape and covers the outer surface of the third electric connector. Alternatively, the third electrical connector is in a bar shape, such as an arc bar shape, and covers a part of the outer surface of the third optical connector, and the insulating protective layer is in a sleeve shape and covers the outer surface of the whole formed by the third optical connector and the third electrical connector.

In some possible implementations, the number of the composite joints is two, and accordingly, the composite cable assembly is adapted to be connected with the composite module in a two-fiber bidirectional manner. The third optical joint of one composite joint is used as a sending end, and the third optical joint of the other composite joint is used as a receiving end. The third electrical connector of one of the composite connectors serves as a positive connector and the third electrical connector of the other composite connector serves as a negative connector.

The composite connector is prepared by additionally arranging a first metal conducting layer on an optical fiber connector;

the optical fiber splice includes: the optical fiber connector comprises an optical fiber connector body and an insulating shell;

the first metal conducting layer is additionally arranged between the optical fiber connector body and the insulating shell;

wherein the optical fiber connector body is used as the third optical connector, the first metal conductive layer is used as the third electrical connector, and the insulating shell is used as the first insulating protection layer.

In some possible implementations, the optical fiber connector is an LC type optical fiber connector, an FC type optical fiber connector, an ST type optical fiber connector, or an SC type optical fiber connector.

In some possible implementations, the number of the composite joints is one, and accordingly, the composite cable assembly is adapted to be connected with the composite module in a single-fiber bidirectional manner. The third optical joint of the composite joint can be used as a sending end and a receiving end. Furthermore, an additional third electrical connection is arranged on the composite terminal, so that two third electrical connections are simultaneously provided on one composite terminal, one of the third electrical connections being a positive connection and the third electrical connection on the other composite terminal being a negative connection.

The composite connector is prepared by additionally arranging a first metal conducting layer, a second metal conducting layer and a second insulating protection layer on the optical fiber connector;

the optical fiber connector includes: the optical fiber connector comprises an optical fiber connector body and an insulating shell;

the first metal conducting layer is positioned between the optical fiber connector body and the insulating shell;

the second metal conducting layer is positioned outside the insulating shell, and the second insulating protection layer covers the outside of the second metal conducting layer;

wherein the optical fiber connector body serves as the third optical connector, the first metal conductive layer and the second metal conductive layer each serve as one of the third electrical connectors, and the insulating housing serves as the first insulating protective layer.

In some possible implementations, the composite joint is connected to both ends of the composite cable.

Embodiments of the present disclosure provide such a composite cable assembly, which includes: a composite cable, two composite joints; the composite cable comprises: sheath layer, be located the inside optical cable and the cable of sheath layer.

The composite joint includes: the third optical connector, the third electric connector and the insulating protective layer are arranged on the outer surface of the third optical connector, and the insulating protective layer covers the outside of the whole formed by the third optical connector and the third electric connector;

one end of the optical cable is connected with one end of the third optical joint of one of the composite joints, and the other end of the optical cable is connected with one end of the third optical joint of the other composite joint;

one end of the cable is connected with one end of the third electric connector of one of the composite connectors, and the other end of the cable is connected with one end of the third electric connector of the other composite connector.

In still another aspect, a communication system is provided, the communication system including: the composite module described above, and the composite cable assembly described above.

By way of example, the communication system comprises: the power supply equipment is provided with a first socket, the first socket is plugged with the composite module, the powered equipment is provided with a second socket, and the second socket is plugged with another composite module. The composite module on the power supply equipment and the composite module on the powered equipment are connected through the composite cable assembly, and therefore the powered equipment and the power supply equipment are connected.

Therefore, the communication system integrates the poe power supply function and the photoelectric conversion function, and solves the technical problems that a single optical module does not support power supply and the single optical module does not support transmission evolution with higher data transmission rate and more capacity in the related art. For the power supply equipment and the powered equipment, only the sockets for inserting the composite module need to be arranged on the panels, which is beneficial to saving the panel size of the power supply equipment and the powered equipment and is beneficial to the miniaturization development of the power supply equipment and the powered equipment.

Drawings

FIG. 1 is an exploded view of an exemplary composite module provided by embodiments of the present application;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged partial view of an exemplary composite module provided by embodiments of the present application;

FIG. 3 is a partial enlarged view of another exemplary composite module provided by embodiments of the present application;

FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram illustrating the connection of components in an exemplary composite module provided by embodiments of the present application;

FIG. 5 is an enlarged view of a portion of a circuit board in a composite module according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

fig. 6 is a schematic diagram illustrating an arrangement relationship between a power supply device and an optical device in a composite module provided in an embodiment of the present application;

FIG. 7 is a schematic structural view of an exemplary composite cable assembly provided by embodiments of the present application;

FIG. 8 is a schematic illustration of a process for making an exemplary composite joint provided by an embodiment of the present application;

FIG. 9 is a schematic illustration of a process for making another exemplary composite joint provided in embodiments herein.

The reference numerals denote:

1-a housing, 11-a first socket, 12-a second socket,

2-an optical device, 21-a photoelectric conversion device, 22-a first optical junction,

211-a processing plate, 212-an optoelectronic device, 211 a-a first bus bar section, 211 b-a second bus bar section,

3-supply means, 31-supply line, 32-first electrical connection,

4-composite connector, 41-second optical connector, 42-second electrical connector,

4 a-fiber interface, 401-fiber, 402-metal ferrule,

4 b-an insulating layer, 4 c-a metal layer,

20-a photoelectric composite joint, wherein the photoelectric composite joint is composed of a base,

201-photoelectric composite joint carrier, 202-golden finger,

202 a-first metal pin, 202 b-second metal pin,

5-a surge protection circuit for protecting the power supply from surge,

6-composite cable, 61-sheath layer, 62-optical cable, 63-cable,

7-composite joint, 71-third optical joint, 72-third electrical joint, 73-insulating protective layer,

7 a-optical fiber connector, 701-optical fiber connector body, 702-insulating shell,

704-second metallic conductive layer, 705-second insulating protective layer.

Detailed Description

In order to make the principle and technical solution of the present application clearer, embodiments of the present application will be described in further detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

The ethernet Power supply is also called poe (Power over ethernet ), and is a technology that enables different communication devices to perform not only data signal transmission but also Power signal transmission, where a communication Device for supplying Power is called a Power Sourcing Equipment (PSE), a communication Device for supplying Power is called a Powered Device (Powered Device), and the Power Sourcing Equipment and the Powered Device are connected through an optical-electrical composite cable.

For example, the power supply device is a switch, the power receiving device is an ap (access point) device, and at least two ports are required to be arranged on the switch and the panel of the ap, one port is used for inserting a fiber connector of the optical module to form an optical interface, the optical interface is used for connecting with the fiber connector on the optical-electrical composite cable, and the other port is used for inserting a power connector of the electrical module to form an electrical interface, and the electrical interface is used for connecting with a power connector on the optical-electrical composite cable.

However, such solutions have at least the following drawbacks: (1) The panel occupies more panel size, which is not beneficial to the miniaturization development of the switch and the ap; (2) a single optical module does not support power supply; (3) A single electrical module does not support the transmission evolution of higher data transmission rates and more capacity.

The disclosed embodiments provide a composite module, as shown in fig. 1, comprising: the device comprises a shell 1, an optical device 2, a power supply device 3 and a composite connector 4; wherein, the first end of the shell 1 is provided with a first socket 11, and the second end of the shell 1 is provided with a second socket 12;

the composite connector 4 includes: a second optical connector 41 and a second electrical connector 42, wherein the second electrical connector 42 has a receiving hole, and the second optical connector 41 is located inside the receiving hole;

the optical device 2 includes: a photoelectric conversion device 21 and a first optical connector 22, a first end of the photoelectric conversion device 21 being connected to the first optical connector 22; a second end of the photoelectric conversion device 21 is connected to the second optical connector 41;

the power supply device 3 includes: a power supply line 31 and a first electrical connector 32, a first end of the power supply line 31 being connected to the first electrical connector 32, and a second end of the power supply line 31 being connected to a second electrical connector 42.

The photoelectric conversion device 21 and the power supply line 31 are both located inside the housing 1, the first optical connector 22 and the first electrical connector 32 are both located at the first jack 11, and the composite connector 4 is located at the second jack 12.

The composite module provided by the embodiment of the present disclosure is an optical electrical composite module, which includes an optical device 2 and a power supply device 3, where the optical electrical conversion device 21 of the optical device 2 and the power supply line 31 of the power supply device 3 are both located in a housing 1, and the housing 1 has a first jack 11 and a second jack 12, so as to be respectively inserted into an optical electrical composite cable and a communication device. Both ends of the photoelectric conversion device 21 are connected to the first optical connector 22 and the second optical connector 41, respectively, and both ends of the power supply line 31 are connected to the first electrical connector 32 and the second electrical connector 42, respectively. The first optical connector 21 and the first electrical connector 32 are both located at the first socket 11, and the composite connector 4, which integrates the second optical connector 41 and the second electrical connector 42, is located at the second socket 12. For example, the first jack 11 may be used as a jack for inserting the composite module into a communication device, and the second jack 12 may be used as a jack for inserting the composite module into an optical/electrical composite cable.

In the composite module provided by the embodiment of the present disclosure, the optical device 2 can implement a photoelectric conversion function, and integrates a poe power supply function and a photoelectric conversion function together, thereby solving the technical problems that a single optical module does not support power supply and a single electrical module does not support transmission evolution with higher data transmission rate and more capacity in the related art. For the plugged equipment, for example, the panel of the switch and the ap only needs to be provided with a jack for plugging the composite module, and the composite module is mechanically plugged into the corresponding jack on the communication equipment, so that the photoelectric composite interface can be formed on the communication equipment, which is not only beneficial to saving the panel size of the communication equipment such as the switch and the ap and the like, but also beneficial to the miniaturization development of the communication equipment and increasing the density of the photoelectric composite interface on the panel of the communication equipment.

In particular, the composite module provided by the embodiment of the present disclosure uses the composite connector 4, and the composite connector 4 integrates the second optical connector 41 and the second electrical connector 42, and provides a composite module with a novel structure, which satisfies the miniaturization development of communication devices such as switches and aps. For the composite connector 4, since the optical connector and the electrical connector are integrated together, the composite connector 4 is obtained by defining the electrical interface on the existing optical interface, which is not only beneficial to simplifying the preparation process of the composite module, but also beneficial to improving the compatibility of the composite module.

As can be seen from the above, the composite module provided in the embodiment of the present disclosure can be used for converting optical signals and electrical signals, and can be used for implementing power over ethernet. The composite module provided by the embodiment of the present disclosure may be a module for converting an optical signal into an electrical signal, may also be a module for converting an electrical signal into an optical signal, and may also be a module for converting an optical signal into an electrical signal and also converting an electrical signal into an optical signal.

The composite module provided by the embodiment of the disclosure can be applied to the connection between a switch and an ap, the composite module is respectively inserted into the sockets on the panels of the switch and the ap, and the composite module inserted into the switch and the composite module inserted into the ap are connected by a photoelectric composite cable, so as to realize the connection between the switch and the ap.

The optical/electrical composite cable described herein is adapted according to the composite module, and has a composite connector adapted to be connected to the composite module, and also has an optical fiber and a cable connected to the composite connector, where the optical fiber is used for transmitting optical signals, and the cable may be, for example, a copper wire, and the copper wire is used for transmitting electrical energy.

In the composite connector 4 provided by the embodiment of the present disclosure, the second electrical connector 42 has a receiving hole, and the second optical connector 41 is located inside the receiving hole, for some conventional optical interfaces, the ferrule with the optical fiber therein may be designed to be made of metal, that is, the ferrule used is a metal ferrule and is electrically conductive. In this case, the metal ferrule can be used as the second electrical connector 42, that is, the metal ferrule is defined as the second electrical connector 42, so that the composite connector 4 can be obtained by defining an electrical interface on the conventional optical interface, and thus the composite connector 4 can be easily obtained without changing the physical structure of the conventional optical interface, and at the same time, the compatibility of the composite connector 4 with the conventional optical interface can be ensured.

For example, the optical interface with the metal ferrule includes, but is not limited to, an LC type optical fiber interface, an FC type optical fiber interface, an ST type optical fiber interface, or an SC type optical fiber interface, and the ferrules of the above types of optical fiber interfaces may be designed to be made of metal, so that the optical fiber is located inside the optical fiber hole on the metal ferrule. Referring to fig. 2, the above type of fiber optic interface 4a includes: the optical fiber 401 is positioned in an optical fiber hole on the metal ferrule 402; the above types of optical fiber interfaces can be used as the composite connector 4, in which the optical fiber 401 is used as the second optical connector 41, and the metal ferrule 402 is used as the second electrical connector 42.

When used as the composite connector 4, the end surface or the outer wall of the metal ferrule 402 as the second electrical contact 42 may be connected to the power supply wire 31 to achieve power transmission. The metal ferrule 402 of the composite connector 4 is simultaneously fixed at the second socket 12 of the housing 1 by the following methods: bonding, screw connection, clamping, etc.

It can be seen that, the composite module provided in the embodiment of the present disclosure fully utilizes the structure of the optical interface itself, such as the LC type optical fiber interface, and defines the metal ferrule 402 therein as an electrical connector, so that the power supply line 31 is electrically connected to the metal ferrule 402, that is, an electrical signal can be transmitted. It can be seen that, on the premise of not changing the physical structure of the conventional optical interface, the optical fiber 401 thereon can be used as the second optical connector 41, and the metal ferrule 402 thereon can be used as the second electrical connector 42, so that the optical interface can be used as the composite connector 4, which not only simplifies the manufacturing processes of the second optical connector 41 and the second electrical connector 42 (by directly adopting the above various types of optical interfaces), but also enables the composite module provided by the embodiment of the present disclosure to meet the miniaturization development of switches and aps, and to be compatible with standard optical fiber connectors (for example, LC type optical fiber connectors, FC type optical fiber connectors, ST type optical fiber connectors, or SC type optical fiber connectors), thereby improving the applicability of the composite module.

In some possible implementations, the composite module provided in the embodiment of the present disclosure may be a dual-fiber bidirectional composite module, and accordingly, the number of the composite connectors 4 is two, where the second optical connector 41 of one composite connector 4 serves as a transmitting end, and the second optical connector 41 of the other composite connector 4 serves as a receiving end. The second electrical connector 42 of one of the composite connectors 4 serves as a positive connector and the second electrical connector 42 of the other composite connector 4 serves as a negative connector.

For the case that the composite module is a dual-fiber bidirectional composite module, the composite connector 4 may directly adopt the optical fiber interface 4a, and the optical fiber interface 4a includes: the optical fiber 401 is positioned in an optical fiber hole on the metal ferrule 402; the optical fiber 401 is used as the second optical connector 41, and the metal ferrule 402 is used as the second electrical connector 42.

In this case, the applicable fiber optic interface 4a includes but is not limited to: an LC type fiber optic interface, an FC type fiber optic interface, an ST type fiber optic interface, or an SC type fiber optic interface.

In some possible implementation manners, the composite module provided in the embodiment of the present disclosure may be a single-fiber bidirectional composite module, and accordingly, the number of the composite connectors 4 is one, and the second optical connector 41 of the composite connector 4 serves as both a transmitting end and a receiving end. Furthermore, an additional second electrical terminal 42 is arranged on the composite connector 4, so that two second electrical terminals 42 are simultaneously provided on one composite connector 4, one second electrical terminal 42 being a positive terminal and the second electrical terminal 42 of the other composite connector 4 being a negative terminal.

In the case where the composite module is a single-fiber bidirectional composite module, the composite connector 4 needs to be obtained by modifying the conventional optical fiber interface 4 a. As shown in fig. 3, the composite connector 4 includes: an optical fiber interface 4a, an insulating layer 4b and a metal layer 4c; the insulating layer 4b is located outside the optical fiber interface 4a, and the metal layer 4c is located on the insulating layer 4 b.

The optical fiber interface 4a includes: the optical fiber 401 is positioned in an optical fiber hole on the metal ferrule 402; the optical fiber 401 serves as a second optical connector 41, the metal ferrule 402 serves as one second electrical connector 42, and the metal layer 4c serves as the other second electrical connector 42.

In some examples, the insulating layer 4b and the metal layer 4c may be sleeve-shaped, such that the insulating layer 4b covers the entire outer wall of the metal ferrule 402 of the optical fiber interface 4a, and the metal layer 4c covers the entire outer wall of the insulating layer 4 b.

In other examples, the insulating layer 4b and the metal layer 4c may be both in the shape of a bar, for example, an arc bar, and the insulating layer 4b may be coated on a part of the outer wall of the metal ferrule 402 of the optical fiber interface 4a, and the metal layer 4c may be embedded in the insulating layer 4b, or the metal layer 4c may be attached to the insulating layer 4b, as long as the insulating layer 4b is ensured to separate the metal layer 4c from the metal ferrule 402.

For the composite connector 4 having the insulating layer 4b and the metal layer 4c, the material of the metal layer 4c may be the same as that of the metal ferrule 402, for example, both are made of copper or stainless steel.

For such composite connectors 4, the use of the fiber optic interfaces 4a involved include, but are not limited to, the following: an LC type fiber interface (Lucent Connector), an FC type fiber interface (ferro Connector), an ST type fiber interface (Straight Tip Connector), or an SC type fiber interface (Square Connector).

It can be seen that the composite connector 4 of this type utilizes the conventional optical fiber interface 4a, and can be completed by simply improving the optical fiber interface 4a on the basis of the optical fiber interface 4a, and since the improvement does not involve any requirement on high-precision dimension, the modification process of the optical fiber interface 4a is simple and easy to operate.

The structure of the composite connector 4 is described above, and on this basis, other components in the composite module are respectively exemplarily described:

the shell 1 serves as a protective shell of the composite module, is used for protecting components inside the composite module, and plays roles in protecting, preventing dust and preventing water.

As for the optical device 2, it may also be referred to as an optoelectronic device, which is a device for realizing conversion of optical signals and electrical signals. As shown in fig. 1, the optical device 2 includes a photoelectric conversion device 21 and a first optical connector 22, one end of the photoelectric conversion device 21 is connected to the first optical connector 22, and the other end is connected to a second optical connector 41, and the connection of each optical connector and the photoelectric conversion device 21 includes both physical connection and electrical connection.

The photoelectric conversion device 21 is a component required for realizing a photoelectric conversion function, and the photoelectric conversion device 21 is divided into a Transmitting Optical Sub-Assembly (TOSA) and a Receiving Optical Sub-Assembly (ROSA), and performs a light emitting function by the light emitting module and a light Receiving function by the light Receiving module. Wherein, the light emitting component and the light receiving component include but are not limited to the following: lasers, detectors, amplifiers, clock data recovery and driving chips, etc.

In some possible implementations, as shown in fig. 5, the photoelectric conversion device 21 includes: a processing board 211, an optoelectronic device 212. The second optical connector 41, the optoelectronic device 212, the processing board 211, and the first optical connector 22 are connected in sequence to implement an optical signal path and perform photoelectric conversion.

The processing board 211 can receive and process the optical signal, so that the second optical connector 41, the optoelectronic device 212, the processing board 211, and the first optical connector 22 are connected in sequence to form a complete optical signal path.

In order to simplify the internal structure of the composite module, the processing board 211 may be further configured to receive and process the electrical signal (that is, the processing board 211 substantially also functions as the power supply line 31), and the second electrical connector 42, the processing board 211 and the first electrical connector 32 are connected in sequence to realize the optical signal path and perform the photoelectric conversion.

It can be seen that, by using the processing board 211 to process the optical signal and the electrical signal, processing and transmission of the optical signal and the electrical signal are achieved. By way of example, enabling the processing board 211 to receive and process both optical and electrical signals may be achieved by: as shown in fig. 5, the processing board 211 includes: a first bus bar portion 211a and a second bus bar portion 211b, both ends of the first bus bar portion 211a are respectively connected with the optoelectronic device 212 and the first optical connector 22, and both ends of the second bus bar portion 211b are respectively electrically connected with the first electrical connector 32 and the second electrical connector 42 for electrical signal and power transmission.

As for the power supply device 3, which is a device for realizing power supply of poe, the power supply device 3 includes: the power supply line 31 and the first electric connector 32, the power supply line 31 can realize poe power supply function, and the first electric connector 32 can be used for being connected with the inserted equipment. In one example, the power supply wire 31 is selected from at least one of a copper wire coated cable, a flexible wiring board, and a rigid wiring board.

In some possible implementations, as shown in fig. 6, the photoelectric conversion device 21 and the power supply line 31 are disposed independently, for example, the photoelectric conversion device 21 is disposed on one layer, the power supply line 31 is disposed on the other layer, and the two layers may be spaced apart from each other or disposed on top of each other.

Illustratively, with reference to fig. 5, the photoelectric conversion device 21 includes: the processing board 211 and the optoelectronic device 212, the processing board 211 and the optoelectronic device 212 being in the same layer.

In the embodiment of the present disclosure, the power supply line 31 may be not only a flexible circuit board, but also a rigid circuit board, a cable coated with a copper wire, or a combination of any two or three of the above.

For example, the power feeding wire 31 includes a flexible wiring board or a rigid wiring board, and the power feeding wire 31 is located below the processing board 211 and the optoelectronic device 212. For example, the photoelectric conversion device 21 is close to the top inner wall of the housing 1, the power supply line 31 is close to the bottom inner wall of the housing 1, and the photoelectric conversion device 21 and the power supply line 31 are superposed in the housing 1, which is favorable for saving the inner space of the composite module. The photoelectric conversion device 21 and the power supply wire 31 may also be located in the case 1 at an interval of up and down.

As an example (1), the power supply line 31 includes: the power supply cable and the power supply circuit board are connected with each other; one end of the power supply cable is connected to the second electrical connector 42, the other end of the power supply cable is connected to one end of the power supply circuit board, and the other end of the power supply circuit board is connected to the first electrical connector 32.

As another example (2), it is different from the above example (1) in that: the power supply cable is replaced by the flexible circuit board, and the rest parts are unchanged.

As still another example (3), it is different from the above example (1) in that: the power supply cable is replaced with a flexible wiring board, and at the same time, the power supply wiring board 31b is also replaced with a cable.

In some possible implementations, at least part of the power supply line 31 and the photoelectric conversion device 21 are integrally provided, which includes: (1) A part of the power supply lines 31 is integrated with the photoelectric conversion device 21, and (2) all the power supply lines 31 are integrated with the photoelectric conversion device 21.

For the case of (1) (not shown in the figure), the power supply line 31 includes, for example: the flexible section and the rigid section, which are connected to each other, integrate the rigid section of the power supply wire 31 with the photoelectric conversion device 21. For example, the flexible section of the power supply wire 31 may be a flexible wiring board or a cable, and the rigid section of the power supply wire 31 may be a rigid wiring board.

Accordingly, the processing board 211 of the photoelectric conversion device 21 is configured to be simultaneously capable of receiving and processing optical signals and electrical signals, which may be implemented by:

for example, as shown in fig. 5, the processing board 211 of the photoelectric conversion device 21 includes a first flat cable portion 211a and a second flat cable portion 211b, wherein the first flat cable portion 211a is used for photoelectric conversion, the second flat cable portion 211b is used for electrical signal and power transmission, and the second flat cable portion 211b is a rigid section of the power supply line 31. One end of the second flat cable portion 211b of the processing board 211 of the photoelectric conversion device 21 is connected to one end of the flexible section of the power supply line 31, the other end is connected to the first electric connector 32, and the other end of the flexible section of the power supply line 31 is connected to the second electric connector 42.

In the case of (2), as shown in fig. 5, the power supply line 31 and the photoelectric conversion device 21 are integrated, the first bus bar portion 211a in the processing board 211 of the photoelectric conversion device 21 is electrically connected to the first optical connector 22 and the second optical connector 41, respectively, for forming a photoelectric path, and the second bus bar portion 211b in the processing board 211 is electrically connected to the first electrical connector 32 and the second electrical connector 42, respectively, for forming a power path.

When the power supply line 31 and the photoelectric conversion device 21 are integrated, the first optical connector 22 and the first electrical connector 32 may still be independent of each other, for example, the first optical connector 22 and the first electrical connector 32 are stacked on top of each other in the first jack 11. Alternatively, the first optical connector 22 and the first electrical connector 32 are also integrated.

The above is an explanation of the positional relationship of the photoelectric conversion device 21 and the power supply line 31, and the arrangement relationship of the first optical terminal 22 of the optical device 2 and the first electrical terminal 32 of the power supply device 3 will be explained in detail below.

In some possible implementations, as shown in fig. 2, the first optical connector 22 is integrally disposed with the first electrical connector 32 to form the optoelectrical composite connector 20; the photoelectric composite junction 20 includes: the photoelectric composite connector comprises a photoelectric composite connector carrier 201 and a golden finger 202, wherein the golden finger 202 is fixed on the surface of the photoelectric composite carrier 201, and the surface of the photoelectric composite carrier 201 is parallel to the plugging direction of a composite module; the gold finger 202 includes: first metal pins 202a and second metal pins 202b are spaced apart, the first metal pins 202a serve as the first optical connectors 22, and the second metal pins 202b serve as the first electrical connectors 32.

The gold finger 202 is composed of a plurality of conductive contact pieces, and is laid on two surfaces of the photoelectric composite carrier 201 opposite to each other. A portion of the photoelectric composite carrier 201 near the end is a plate-shaped structure, and the gold finger 202 may be located on a surface of the photoelectric composite carrier 201, for example, may be located on two surfaces of the photoelectric composite carrier 201 opposite to each other.

As can be seen from the above, a part of the metal sheets in the gold finger 202 may be electrically connected to the photoelectric conversion device 21 for forming the first optical connector 22, and another part of the metal sheets in the gold finger 202 may be electrically connected to the power supply line 31 for forming the first electrical connector 32.

This way of integrating the first optical connector 22 and the first electrical connector 32 can save the installation space of the composite module, which is beneficial to the miniaturization development of the composite module.

In some possible implementations, the spacing between first metal pin 202a and second metal pin 202b is greater than 40 mils. That is, the distance between any of the two first metal pins 202a corresponding to the negative electrode and the two first metal pins 202b corresponding to the positive electrode and any second metal pin 202b is greater than 40 mils.

Through designing as above, can realize ann rule signal isolation, avoid signal interference to bring signal anomaly scheduling problem effectively, still do benefit to effectively to evade the impact of thunderbolt surge simultaneously.

In some possible implementations, the impedance of both the first metal pin 202a and the second metal pin 202b is less than 1 milliohm. Through the design, the impedance at the golden finger is controlled to be as small as possible, so that the heat consumption is reduced, and the influence on the reliable work of an optical system circuit in the composite module is avoided. In particular, when the composite module is in a large current transmission state, for example, the current can reach about 2A when the composite module is supplied with power for a long distance of 90W, the impedance design of the metal pins can ensure that the heat exhaustion possibility is reduced.

For example, as shown in fig. 2, the disclosed embodiment provides a two-fiber bidirectional composite module, in which the number of the composite connectors 4 is two, and one of an LC type optical fiber interface, an FC type optical fiber interface, an ST type optical fiber interface, or an SC type optical fiber interface is adopted, the optical fiber 401 is used as the second optical connector 41, and the metal ferrule 402 is used as the second electrical connector 42. The first optical connector 22 is integrally disposed with the first electrical connector 32 to form the optoelectrical composite connector 20; the photoelectric composite junction 20 includes: the photoelectric composite connector comprises a photoelectric composite connector carrier 201 and a golden finger 202, wherein the golden finger 202 is fixed on the surface of the photoelectric composite carrier 201, and the surface of the photoelectric composite carrier 201 is parallel to the plugging direction of a composite module; the gold finger 202 includes: first metal pins 202a and second metal pins 202b are spaced apart, the first metal pins 202a serve as the first optical connectors 22, and the second metal pins 202b serve as the first electrical connectors 32. Wherein, the spacing between the first metal pin 202a and the second metal pin 202b is greater than 40 mils. The impedance of the first metal pin 202a and the second metal pin 202b is less than 1 milliohm.

The double-fiber bidirectional composite Module can be obtained by modifying a traditional Optical Module, and Power supply of the Optical Module is realized (Power over Optical Module, poM). When a conventional optical module is modified, a metal ferrule 402 on an optical fiber interface 4a of the conventional optical module is defined as a second electrical connector 42, a new second metal pin 202b is added to a gold finger 202 on the conventional optical module as a first electrical connector 32, then, a power supply line 31 is added inside the conventional optical module, the power supply line 31 is, for example, in the form of a cable or a circuit board, and two ends of the power supply line 31 are respectively connected with the first electrical connector 32 and the second electrical connector 42, so that the conventional optical module is modified to have a power supply function (i.e., power supply of the optical module), that is, a composite module expected by the disclosed embodiment can be formed.

For the composite module provided by the embodiment of the present disclosure, since the connectors for service data transmission and power transmission are located at the same socket, the management manner is completely compatible with the traditional poe (which includes detection, classification, power-on, power management, etc.); due to the design of the composite connector 4, compared with the conventional design, an extra arrangement of an electrical port, such as an RJ45 electrical port, is avoided, and in addition, compared with the conventional design, the existence of the composite module enables the transmission distance between the communication devices to be longer and the data transmission to be more stable.

In other possible implementations, as shown in fig. 6, the first optical connector 22 and the first electrical connector 32 are provided independently of each other. For example, the first optical connector 22 and the first electrical connector 32 are independent of each other and are positioned in the first socket 11 in an overlying relationship, e.g., the first electrical connector 32 may be mounted on a top-located inner wall of the first socket 11 and the side portion of the first optical connector 22 may be mounted on a side-located inner wall of the first socket 11.

When the first optical connector 22 and the first electrical connector 32 are independently disposed, the first electrical connector 32 may be configured in various types, for example, the first electrical connector 32 includes: the mounting portion is made of an insulating material, such as a plastic piece, and the conductive portion is made of a metal material. The structure of the mounting portion may be adaptively designed according to the structure of the first socket 11 as long as it is ensured to be received at the first socket 11. The structure of the conductive portion includes but is not limited to: metal strips, metal rods, metal blocks, metal spring pieces and the like.

Further, as shown in fig. 4, the composite module provided in the embodiment of the present disclosure further includes: and a surge protection circuit 5, the surge protection circuit 5 being connected in series or in parallel between the power supply line 31 and the photoelectric conversion device 21.

For example, the surge protection circuit 5 may be a voltage dependent resistor, and the surge protection circuit 5 can effectively prevent the composite module from being burned out due to sudden increase of current, thereby improving the protection function of the composite module.

The composite module provided by the embodiment of the disclosure changes the conventional power transmission mode of the ethernet port, and transmits the current signal output by the power supply device to the first electrical connector 32, and finally transmits the current signal to the power receiving device through the power supply line 31, the second electrical connector 42 and the photoelectric composite cable on the composite module in sequence.

When poe supplies power, the current capacity can be defined according to the IEEE802.3af/at/bt standard, and the output voltage range is 44V-57V. For example, the current capacity of the composite module is ieee802.3af, which means that the power of the composite module is 15.4W; alternatively, the current capacity of the composite module is ieee802.3at, which means that the power of the composite module is 30W; alternatively, the current capacity of the composite module is ieee802.3bt, which means that the power of the composite module is 60W or 90W.

In some possible implementations, the composite module provided in the embodiments of the present disclosure may be configured to determine a power consumption level of the optical communication device when it is detected that the inserted optical communication device is a powered device, and transmit power to the optical communication device according to the power consumption level of the optical communication device.

For example, in one scenario, the composite module is inserted into a socket of a switch, the composite module is inserted into a socket of an ap, and the composite module on the switch and the composite module on the ap are connected through a photoelectric composite cable. The switch is a power supply device, the ap is a powered device, the switch outputs a very small voltage to the ap through a port, a processor inserted in a composite module on the switch detects that the ap is the powered device, the switch can feed back the ap to the inserted switch as the powered device after supporting poe to supply power, then the switch increases the voltage transmitted to the ap so that the processor of the composite module inserted on the switch detects the power consumption level of the ap, and then the processor of the composite module inserted on the switch determines the power supply voltage corresponding to the power consumption level of the ap according to the corresponding relation between the pre-stored power consumption level and the power supply voltage and feeds back the power supply voltage required by the ap to the inserted switch so that the switch stably transmits power to the ap according to the power supply voltage.

In some possible implementations, the power supply device 3 in the composite module can be used not only to transmit power, but also to transmit data signals, which can include signals for adjusting the optical power of the optical device and signals that an anomaly occurs in the composite module.

For example, the transmitting end of the optical device 2 may send an optical signal to the ap, the ap may send a feedback signal to the optical device 2, the feedback signal carries the power of the received optical signal, and the feedback signal sent by the ap to the optical device 2 may be transmitted to the processor in the power supply device 3 through the cable in the optical-electrical composite cable and the power supply line 31 in the power supply device 3, so that the processor may adjust the power of the optical signal sent by the optical device 2 to the ap next time based on the power of the sent optical signal and the power of the optical signal in the feedback signal, so as to send the optical signal with appropriate power to the ap.

For another example, when the composite module fails, for example, the power of the transmitted optical signal is too low, or when the optical-to-electrical conversion is not possible, an abnormal signal may be transmitted to the inserted device through the power supply device 3, so that a technician may know through the device that the composite module fails and needs to replace the composite module.

Therefore, the composite module is provided with a power supply device for supplying power to poe, the power supply device can realize electric energy transmission and data signal transmission, and the composite module can participate in the management process of poe power supply.

The composite module provided by the embodiment of the disclosure can be prepared by the following preparation method:

a composite connector 4 is provided, wherein the composite connector 4 employs one of an LC type optical fiber interface, an FC type optical fiber interface, an ST type optical fiber interface, or an SC type optical fiber interface, wherein an optical fiber 401 in each type of optical fiber interface 4a is used as the second optical connector 41, and a metal ferrule 402 is used as the second electrical connector 42.

The first optical joint 22 is connected to the first end of the photoelectric conversion device 21, and the second optical joint 41 in the composite connector 4 is connected to the second end of the photoelectric conversion device 21, thereby completing the assembly of the composite connector 4 and the optical device 2. The order of the above-mentioned connecting operations is not limited, and one may be performed before the other, or may be performed simultaneously.

The first electrical connector 32 is connected to the first end of the power supply wire 31, and the second electrical connector 43 in the composite connector 4 is connected to the second end of the power supply wire 31, completing the assembly of the composite connector 4 with the power supply device 3.

The optical device 2, the power supply device 3 and the composite connector 4 are mounted in the housing 1 with the first optical connector 22 and the first electrical connector 32 both located at the first receptacle 11 of the housing 1 and the composite connector 4 located at the second receptacle 12 of the housing 1.

The composite module can be manufactured, for example, on the basis of an optical module. For example, the power supply line 31 of the power supply device 3 may be formed by opening the housing of the optical module, laying a cable on the inner surface of the housing close to the upper cover or the inner surface of the base, laying a flexible wiring board, or laying a flat cable directly on the wiring board of the optical module. Then, a first electrical connector 32 is mounted at a position of the housing of the optical module close to the first optical connector. The first electrical connector 32 may be mounted on the inner surface of the housing near the first optical connector 21, or may be integrated with the first optical connector 22, such as a metal strip usually provided in the gold finger of the first optical connector 22, and the metal strip may be used as the first electrical connector 32.

The embodiment of the present disclosure does not specifically limit the specific manufacturing and installation process of the composite module, and it is sufficient that the photoelectric conversion device 21 of the optical device 2 and the power supply line 31 of the power supply device 3 are both located in the housing 1, the first optical connector 22 of the optical device 2 and the first electrical connector 32 of the power supply device 3 are located at the first socket 11, and the composite connector 4 is located at the second socket 12 of the housing 1.

In another aspect, the present disclosure also provides a composite cable assembly, which is suitable for being connected to the composite module. As shown in fig. 7, the composite cable assembly includes: a composite cable 6, a composite joint 7;

the composite cable 6 includes: a sheath layer 61, an optical cable 62 and an electric cable 63 which are positioned inside the sheath layer 61;

the composite joint 7 is a composite connector, which includes: a third optical connector 71, a third electrical connector 72 and an insulating protective layer 73, wherein the third electrical connector 72 is located on the outer surface of the third optical connector 71, and the insulating protective layer 73 covers the outside of the whole formed by the third optical connector 71 and the third electrical connector 72;

one end of the third optical connector 71 is connected with one end of the optical cable 62, and the other end of the third optical connector 71 is used for being connected with the second optical connector 41 of the composite module 100;

one end of the third electrical connector 72 is connected to one end of the cable 63, and the other end of the third electrical connector 72 is used to connect to the second electrical connector 42 of the composite module 100.

As can be seen, the composite terminal 7 is adapted to be inserted into the composite module 100, the optical terminal of the composite terminal 7 is adapted to be connected to the optical terminal of the composite module 100, and the electrical terminal of the composite module is adapted to be connected to the electrical terminal of the composite module, so that the structure of the composite terminal 7 is adaptively designed according to the structure of the composite module 100.

In the composite contact 7 provided in the embodiment of the present disclosure, the third electrical contact 72 is located on an outer surface of the third optical contact 71, and the insulating protective layer 73 covers an entire exterior of the third optical contact 71 and the third electrical contact 72. This includes, but is not limited to, the following implementations: the third optical connector 72 is in the shape of a sleeve and covers the outer surface of the third optical connector 71, and the insulating protective layer 73 is in the shape of a sleeve and covers the outer surface of the third optical connector 72. Alternatively, the third optical connector 72 is in the form of a bar, such as an arc bar, and covers a portion of the outer surface of the third optical connector 71, and the insulating protective layer 73 is in the form of a sleeve and covers the outer surface of the whole of the third optical connector 71 and the third optical connector 72.

The insulating protective layer 73 is located at the outermost portion of the composite tab 7, so that when a user grasps the composite tab 7 with his/her hand, electric shock or leakage can be prevented.

For some of the fiber optic connectors 7a that are conventional at present, it includes: an optical fiber connector body 701 and an insulating housing 702, and the outer surface of the optical fiber connector body 701 has insulation (for example, ceramic material or hard plastic material), so that the conventional optical fiber connector 7a can be modified to obtain a composite connector 7. That is, as shown in fig. 8, the composite terminal 7 can be prepared by adding the first metal conductive layer 703 to the optical fiber terminal 7 a; the optical fiber connector 7a includes: an optical fiber connector body 701 and an insulating housing 702; the first metal conductive layer 703 is located between, i.e. added to, the optical fiber connector body 701 and the insulating housing 702; the optical fiber connector body 701 serves as the third optical connector 71, the first metal conductive layer 703 serves as the third electrical connector 72, and the insulating housing 702 serves as the first insulating protective layer 73.

For example, a first metal conductive layer 703 is deposited on the outer surface of the optical fiber connector body 701, and then the insulating housing 702 is sleeved outside the optical fiber connector body 701 and covers the first metal conductive layer 703. Alternatively, the first metal conductive layer 703 may be deposited on the inner wall of the insulating housing 702, and then the insulating housing 702 is sleeved outside the optical fiber connector body 701.

It can be seen that the composite contact 7 is obtained by defining electrical contacts on a conventional optical contact, so that the composite contact 7 can be easily obtained without substantially changing the physical structure of the conventional optical contact, and at the same time, the compatibility of the composite contact 7 with the conventional optical contact is ensured.

For example, the optical fiber connector 7a includes, but is not limited to: LC type optical fiber connector, FC type optical fiber connector, ST type optical fiber connector, SC type optical fiber connector, or the like.

It can be seen that the composite cable assembly provided by the embodiment of the present disclosure uses the composite connector 7 to integrate the optical connector and the electrical connector, and makes full use of the structure of the optical connector itself, such as the LC type optical fiber connector, so that the composite connector 7 can be obtained by defining the electrical connector on the existing optical connector, which not only facilitates the volume miniaturization and operation simplification of the composite cable assembly, but also facilitates the compatibility of the composite cable assembly.

In some possible implementations, as shown in fig. 8, the composite cable assembly is adapted to be connected with a two-fiber bidirectional composite module, and accordingly the number of composite splices 7 is two. The third optical connector 71 of one of the composite connectors 7 serves as a transmitting end, and the third optical connector 71 of the other composite connector 7 serves as a receiving end. The third electrical connector 72 of one of the composite connectors 7 serves as a positive connector and the third electrical connector 72 of the other composite connector 7 serves as a negative connector.

For the composite cable assembly in this implementation, as shown in fig. 8, the composite connector 7 can be prepared by adding a first metal conductive layer 703 on the optical fiber connector 7 a; the optical fiber connector 7a includes: an optical fiber connector body 701 and an insulating housing 702; the first metal conductive layer 703 is located between, i.e. additionally arranged between the optical fiber connector body 701 and the insulating housing 702; the optical fiber connector body 701 serves as the third optical connector 71, the first metal conductive layer 703 serves as the third electrical connector 72, and the insulating housing 702 serves as the first insulating protective layer 73.

In this case, the applicable optical fiber connector 7a includes but is not limited to: LC type optical fiber connector, FC type optical fiber connector, ST type optical fiber connector, SC type optical fiber connector, or the like.

In other possible implementations, as shown in fig. 9, the composite cable assembly is adapted to be connected to a single-fiber bidirectional composite module, and accordingly, the number of composite joints 7 is one. The third optical connector 71 of the composite connector 7 serves as both a transmitting end and a receiving end. Furthermore, an additional third electrical connection 72 is arranged on the composite terminal 7, so that two third electrical connections 72 are simultaneously provided on one composite terminal 7, wherein one third electrical connection 72 serves as a positive connection and the third electrical connection 72 on the other composite terminal 7 serves as a negative connection.

In this implementation, as shown in fig. 9, the composite connector 7 is prepared by adding a first metal conductive layer 703, a second metal conductive layer 704 and a second insulating protection layer 705 on the optical fiber connector 7 a; the optical fiber connector 7a includes: a fiber splice body 701 and an insulating housing 702.

The first metal conductive layer 703 is located between, i.e. additionally arranged between the optical fiber connector body 701 and the insulating housing 702;

the second metal conductive layer 704 is disposed on, i.e., is additionally disposed outside the insulating housing 702, and the second insulating protection layer 705 covers the second metal conductive layer 704. The optical fiber connector body 701 serves as a third optical connector 71, the first metal conductive layer 703 and the second metal conductive layer 704 serve as a third electrical connector 72, and the insulating housing 702 serves as a first insulating protection layer 73.

For example, by depositing the second metal conductive layer 704 on the outer surface of the insulating housing 702, the second metal conductive layer 704 may be a sleeve completely covering the outside of the insulating housing 702, or the second metal conductive layer 704 may be a bar embedded in or attached to the surface of the insulating housing 702. Then, a second insulating protection layer 705 is formed to cover the second metal conductive layer 704, where the second insulating protection layer 705 may be directly applied to the sleeve, or may be directly applied to the second metal conductive layer 704 and the outer surface of the optional insulating housing 702.

By continuously adding the second metal conducting layer 704 and the second insulating protection layer 705 outside the insulating shell 702, the operation mode is simple and easy to operate, and the requirement on high-precision size is avoided, so that the composite joint 7 suitable for the single-fiber bidirectional composite module is beneficial to large-scale batch production.

In this implementation, the applicable fiber optic connectors 7a include, but are not limited to: LC type optical fiber connector, FC type optical fiber connector, ST type optical fiber connector, or SC type optical fiber connector.

For the composite cable assembly provided by the embodiment of the present disclosure, two ends of the composite cable 6 are both connected with connectors, at least one of the two connectors at two ends of the composite cable 6 is the composite joint 7 described above, in some examples, two ends of the composite cable 6 are both connected with the composite joint 7 described above, in other examples, one end of the composite cable 6 is connected with the composite joint 7, and the other end is connected with an optical fiber joint or a network cable plug, etc. which are common in the art.

As shown in fig. 7, embodiments of the present disclosure provide a composite cable assembly comprising: a composite cable 6, two composite joints 7; the composite cable 6 includes: jacket layer 61, fiber optic cable 62 and electrical cable 63 located within jacket layer 61.

The composite joint 7 includes: a third optical connector 71, a third electrical connector 72 and an insulating protective layer 73, wherein the third electrical connector 72 is located on the outer surface of the third optical connector 71, and the insulating protective layer 73 covers the outside of the whole formed by the third optical connector 71 and the third electrical connector 72;

one end of the optical cable 62 is connected to one end of the third optical joint 71 of one of the composite joints 7, and the other end of the optical cable 62 is connected to one end of the third optical joint 71 of the other composite joint 7;

one end of the cable 63 is connected to one end of the third electrical connector 72 of one of the composite connectors 7, and the other end of the cable 63 is connected to one end of the third electrical connector 72 of the other composite connector 7.

In another aspect, an embodiment of the present disclosure further provides a communication system, where the communication system includes: any of the above composite modules, and any of the above composite cable assemblies.

Therefore, the communication system integrates the poe power supply function and the photoelectric conversion function together, and solves the technical problems that a single optical module does not support power supply and the single optical module does not support transmission evolution with higher data transmission rate and more capacity in the related technology. For the power supply equipment and the powered equipment, only the sockets for inserting the composite module need to be arranged on the panels, which is beneficial to saving the panel size of the power supply equipment and the powered equipment and is beneficial to the miniaturization development of the power supply equipment and the powered equipment.

The above description is only exemplary of the present application and should not be taken as limiting, as any modification, equivalent replacement, or improvement made within the spirit and principle of the present application should be included in the protection scope of the present application.

Claims

1. A composite module, comprising: the device comprises a shell (1), an optical device (2), a power supply device (3) and a composite connector (4);

the first end of the shell (1) is provided with a first socket (11), and the second end of the shell (1) is provided with a second socket (12);

the composite connector (4) comprises: a second optical connector (41) and a second electrical connector (42), the second electrical connector (42) having a receiving hole therein, the second optical connector (41) being located inside the receiving hole;

the optical device (2) comprises: a photoelectric conversion device (21) and a first optical joint (22), wherein a first end of the photoelectric conversion device (21) is connected with the first optical joint (22), and a second end of the photoelectric conversion device (21) is connected with the second optical joint (41);

the power supply device (3) includes: a power supply line (31) and a first electrical connector (32), wherein a first end of the power supply line (31) is connected with the first electrical connector (32), and a second end of the power supply line (31) is connected with the second electrical connector (42);

the photoelectric conversion device (21) and the power supply line (31) are both located inside the housing (1), the first optical connector (22) and the first electrical connector (32) are both located at the first jack (11), and the composite connector (4) is located at the second jack (12).

2. The composite module according to claim 1, characterized in that the number of composite connectors (4) is two;

the composite connector (4) employs an optical fiber interface (4 a), the optical fiber interface (4 a) including: an optical fiber (401) and a metal ferrule (402), wherein the optical fiber (401) is positioned in an optical fiber hole on the metal ferrule (402);

the optical fiber (401) serves as the second optical connector (41), and the metal ferrule (402) serves as the second electrical connector (42).

3. The composite module according to claim 1, characterized in that the number of composite connectors (4) is one;

the composite connector (4) comprises: an optical fiber interface (4 a), an insulating layer (4 b) and a metal layer (4 c);

the insulating layer (4 b) is positioned outside the optical fiber interface (4 a), and the metal layer (4 c) is positioned on the insulating layer (4 b);

the fiber optic interface (4 a) comprises: an optical fiber (401) and a metal ferrule (402), wherein the optical fiber (401) is positioned in an optical fiber hole on the metal ferrule (402);

the optical fiber (401) serves as the second optical connector (41), the metal ferrule (402) serves as one of the second electrical connectors (42), and the metal layer (4 c) serves as the other of the second electrical connectors (42).

4. The composite module according to claim 2 or 3, characterized in that the optical fiber interface (4 a) is an LC type optical fiber interface, an FC type optical fiber interface, an ST type optical fiber interface, or an SC type optical fiber interface.

5. The composite module according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the power supply line (31) and the photoelectric conversion device (21) are provided independently of each other.

6. The composite module according to any of claims 1 to 4, wherein at least part of the power supply line (31) and the photoelectric conversion device (21) are integrally provided.

7. The composite module according to any of claims 1-4, wherein the first optical connector (22) and the first electrical connector (32) are each provided independently.

8. The composite module according to any one of claims 1-4, wherein the first optical connector (22) is integrally arranged with the first electrical connector (32) to form an opto-electronic composite connector (20);

the optoelectrical composite junction (20) comprises: the photoelectric composite connector comprises a photoelectric composite connector carrier (201) and a gold finger (202), wherein the gold finger (202) is fixed on the surface of the photoelectric composite carrier (201), and the surface of the photoelectric composite carrier (201) is a surface parallel to the plugging direction of the composite module;

the golden finger (202) comprises: first metal pins (202 a) and second metal pins (202 b) are distributed at intervals, the first metal pins (202 a) are used as the first optical connectors (22), and the second metal pins (202 b) are used as the first electrical connectors (32).

9. The composite module of claim 8, wherein a spacing between the first metal pin (202 a) and the second metal pin (202 b) is greater than 40 mils.

10. The composite module of claim 8, wherein the impedance of the first metal pin (202 a) and the second metal pin (202 b) are each less than 1 milliohm.

11. The composite module according to any one of claims 1-10, further comprising: a surge protection circuit (5), the surge protection circuit (5) being connected in series or in parallel between the power supply line (31) and the photoelectric conversion device (21).

12. A composite cable assembly adapted to be connected to a composite module according to any one of claims 1 to 11;

the composite cable assembly includes: a composite cable (6) and a composite joint (7);

the composite cable (6) comprises: a sheath layer (61), and an optical cable (62) and an electric cable (63) which are positioned inside the sheath layer (61);

the composite joint (7) comprises: a third optical connector (71), a third electrical connector (72) and an insulating protective layer (73), wherein the third electrical connector (72) is positioned on the outer surface of the third optical connector (71), and the insulating protective layer (73) covers the outside of the whole formed by the third optical connector (71) and the third electrical connector (72);

one end of the third optical connector (71) is connected with one end of the optical cable (62), and the other end of the third optical connector (71) is used for being connected with the second optical connector (41) of the composite module (100);

one end of the third electrical connector (72) is connected with one end of the cable (63), and the other end of the third electrical connector (72) is used for being connected with the second electrical connector (42) of the composite module (100).

13. Composite cable assembly according to claim 12, wherein the number of composite joints (7) is two;

the composite connector (7) is prepared by additionally arranging a first metal conducting layer (703) on an optical fiber connector (7 a);

the optical fiber connector (7 a) comprises: an optical fiber connector body (701) and an insulating housing (702);

the first metal conductive layer (703) is located between the optical fiber connector body (701) and the insulating housing (702);

wherein the optical fiber connector body (701) serves as the third optical connector (71), the first metal conductive layer (703) serves as the third electrical connector (72), and the insulating housing (702) serves as the first insulating protection layer (73).

14. Composite cable assembly according to claim 13, wherein the optical fibre connector (7 a) is an LC type optical fibre connector, an FC type optical fibre connector, an ST type optical fibre connector or an SC type optical fibre connector.

15. Composite cable assembly according to claim 12, wherein the number of composite joints (7) is one;

the composite connector (7) is prepared by additionally arranging a first metal conducting layer (703), a second metal conducting layer (704) and a second insulating protection layer (705) on an optical fiber connector (7 a);

the first metal conductive layer (703) is located between the fiber optic connector body (701) and the insulating housing (702);

the second metal conducting layer (704) is positioned outside the insulating shell (702), and the second insulating protection layer (705) covers the outside of the second metal conducting layer (704);

wherein the optical fiber connector body (701) serves as the third optical connector (71), the first metal conductive layer (703) and the second metal conductive layer (704) each serve as one of the third electrical connectors (72), and the insulating housing (702) serves as the first insulating protective layer (73).

16. Composite cable assembly according to claim 15, wherein the optical fibre connector (7 a) is an LC type optical fibre connector, an FC type optical fibre connector, an ST type optical fibre connector or an SC type optical fibre connector.

17. Composite cable assembly according to any of claims 12-16, wherein the composite joint (7) is connected to both ends of the composite cable (6).

18. A communication system, characterized in that the communication system comprises: the composite module of any one of claims 1 to 11 and the composite cable assembly of any one of claims 12 to 17.