At&t Bell Laboratories

At&t Laboratories, Limited

Kaushik S Akkapeddi

Michael Gregory German

William Joseph Parzygnat

Rocco Bonanni

William R Lambert

Constance R Pallas

Robert J Gashler

Eugene C Schramm

David A Snyder

Disclosed is a device for electrically coupling stocked circuit boards using conductive polymer interconnect material and a spacer element. In one embodiment, coaxial connection is provided by means of an array of wires within undulating metal envelopes. In another embodiment, pins are provided within holes in a plastic spacer. In a third embodiment, wires are laid on a substrate and successive laminations are built up to form the spacer element. In a fourth embodiment, wire arrays are extrusion molded within thermoplastic sheets which are laminated to form the spacer element.

High density connector for stacked circuit boards

A plurality of optical fibers (14-14E) are interconnected by using connectors each comprising an optoelectronic device (13-13E) adapted to be connected to an end of each optical fiber for converting optical signals to electrical signals and for converting electrical signals to optical signals. Each connector has a first contact (12-12E) having a cylindrical plug end and a cylindrical socket end located on a common axis and a transverse conductor (21) extending transversely to the axis (20) from the first contact and connected to the optoelectronic device of the connector. The plug end of each contact is adapted to fit snugly within the socket end of another first contact, whereby all of the contacts may be connected and arranged along the common axis. Each of the contacts is free to rotate with respect to other contacts to which it is connected; this permits the various optical fibers to extend in different radial directions from the axis. In a preferred embodiment, each connector further comprises second (23) and third (24) hollow cylindrical contacts surrounding the first contact (22). Hollow cylindrical insulators ( 26, 27) separate and insulate the first, second and third contacts, and appropriate slots permit transverse conductors (29, 31, 32) of the contacts to be connected to the optoelectronic devices (41). In this manner, each connector interconnects electrical ground and power lines, as well as the optical signal lines of the various optical fiber cables (40).

Optoelectronic cable connector

Growing community of inventors

Hanover Township, NJ, United States of America

Kaushik S Akkapeddi