JP2000010664A - Electronic equipment system and extending device for extending function of electronic equipment - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an electronic equipment system ensuring the cooling performance of an electronic equipment, and preventing any trouble accompanied with the intrusion of any foreign-matter. SOLUTION: This electronic equipment system is provided with a portable computer and an extending device used at the time of extending the function of the portable computer. The extending device is provided with a base 30 having a platen part 31 on which the portable computer is placed so as to be attachable and detachable, an exhaust port 52 opened to the platen part of this base, and fan unit 61 housed inside the base for sending cooling air to the exhaust port. The base is provided with a bottom part faced to the exhaust port, and plural projecting parts 71 extended upward toward the exhaust port and arranged with intervals in the peripheral direction of the exhaust port are formed on the bottom part of this base. Those projecting parts cooperatively constitute a foreign matter capturing domain 72 inside the base.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an electronic device system including a portable electronic device such as a portable computer, and an extension device for expanding the function of the electronic device. The present invention relates to a structure of an extension device used when connecting peripheral devices.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A portable electronic device represented by a portable computer and a mobile communication terminal device is a major factor in enhancing its commercial value due to its excellent portability. For this reason, recent electronic devices have been enhanced in thickness and weight of the housing, and can be easily carried in a bag or the like.

[0003] By the way, as the housing becomes thinner and more compact, the space for installing connectors for connecting external peripheral devices and the space for accommodating a floppy disk drive or a CD-ROM drive are lost from the housing. Would. For this reason, recent compact portable computers are equipped with a dedicated expansion connector, which is connected to a docking station.
By connecting an expansion device referred to as n), it is possible to ensure expandability that is not inferior to a stationary computer.

[0004] This type of expansion device has a flat box-shaped base. The upper surface of the base forms a flat mounting surface, and the housing of the portable computer is removably mounted on the mounting surface.

A circuit board on which various circuit components are mounted, a floppy disk drive, and a CD-ROM drive are housed inside the base, and the base has a side wall or a rear wall on which external parts are mounted. A plurality of connectors for connecting various external peripheral devices such as a keyboard, an external display or a printer are arranged. These floppy disk drive, CD-ROM drive, circuit board and connector are electrically connected to a portable computer via the expansion connector when the housing is mounted on the mounting surface of the base. ing.

On the other hand, recent portable computers are
MPU: mi for processing a lot of multimedia information
The processing speed of the croprocessing unit has been increased and its function has been increased. In this type of MPU, power consumption is steadily increasing with higher integration and higher performance, and the amount of heat generated during operation tends to increase rapidly in proportion thereto. Therefore, when accommodating an MPU having a large amount of heat in a housing of a portable computer, it is necessary to enhance the heat radiation performance of the housing and efficiently discharge the heat of the MPU to the outside.

For this reason, conventionally, a fan unit for blowing cooling air is housed inside the base, and an exhaust port for the cooling air is formed on the mounting surface of the base. A cooling system has been developed in which cooling air is directly blown onto a mounted housing to enhance the heat dissipation performance of the housing.

[0008]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Since the casing is directly cooled by forced convection using air as a medium, the cooling capacity of the cooling system is determined by the blowing capacity of the fan unit and the diameter of the exhaust port.
For this reason, in order to increase the cooling capacity of the housing, the size of the fan unit is inevitably increased, and the diameter of the exhaust port is increased in proportion to the size of the fan unit.

However, according to this configuration, when the portable computer is removed from the base,
The large exhaust port remains exposed on the mounting surface of the base. Therefore, if foreign matter such as a clip or a staple is mistakenly dropped on the mounting surface, the foreign matter may fall into the base through the exhaust port and enter a space for storing electric components such as a circuit board. possible.

[0010] In particular, when a conductive foreign substance such as a clip enters a space for accommodating an electric component, there is a risk of short-circuiting or smoking, which causes a failure or trouble of the expansion device.

As measures for preventing foreign substances from entering the exhaust port, it is conceivable to reduce the diameter of the exhaust port or to install a grid-like guard at the exhaust port to prevent foreign substances from entering.

However, according to this configuration, since the opening area of the exhaust port is reduced, the flow of the cooling air is restricted, and the flow resistance of the cooling air becomes extremely large. As a result, the air volume of the cooling air exhausted from the exhaust port decreases, and a problem arises in that the cooling performance of the housing cannot be sufficiently secured.

The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and expands the functions of an electronic device system and an electronic device that can prevent a trouble due to the invasion of a foreign substance while securing the cooling performance of the electronic device. The purpose of the present invention is to provide an extension device for performing the operation.

[0014]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided an electronic apparatus system comprising: an electronic apparatus; and a mounting portion on which the electronic apparatus is removably mounted. And an extension device used to extend the function of the electronic device. And the expansion device is a fan unit for cooling, an opening formed in the mounting portion, a bottom portion facing the opening portion, and formed in the bottom portion, and protrudes toward the opening portion, And a large number of projections arranged at intervals in the circumferential direction of the opening.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, there is provided an expansion device according to a fifth aspect of the present invention, comprising: a base having a mounting portion on which an electronic device is removably mounted; An expansion unit for expanding the function of the electronic device mounted on the mounting unit; and a cooling fan unit housed inside the base. The base has an opening formed in the mounting portion, a bottom facing the opening, and a base formed in the bottom and protruding toward the opening, and having a gap in a circumferential direction of the opening. And a large number of convex portions arranged in the presence of

In such a configuration, when the electronic device is removed from the mounting portion of the extension device, the opening on the mounting portion is exposed outside the expansion device. Therefore, if a foreign substance such as a clip is accidentally dropped on the mounting portion, the foreign substance may fall into the inside of the expansion device through the opening.

However, according to the above configuration, since a large number of projections extending toward the opening are arranged at intervals in the circumferential direction of the opening at the bottom facing the opening, the opening is formed at the bottom. When a foreign object enters, the foreign object falls into a region surrounded by the convex portions, and is caught by these convex portions and stops in the region. Therefore, even if a foreign object falls into the expansion device, the foreign object does not enter into the interior of the expansion device, and a short circuit and a malfunction of the expansion device due to the entry of the foreign object can be prevented.

Further, since the plurality of projections are separated from each other, the flow of cooling air accompanying the operation of the fan unit is not hindered by the projections. In addition, according to the above configuration, the diameter of the opening does not need to be made small so that foreign matter does not enter, and the flow resistance of the cooling air passing through the opening can be reduced accordingly.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided an electronic apparatus system comprising: an electronic apparatus having a bottom wall; and a mounting portion on which the electronic apparatus is removably mounted. A base having an exhaust port facing the bottom wall of the electronic device in the mounting portion, and a means for expanding the function of the electronic device mounted on the mounting portion, which is accommodated inside the base and A fan unit that is installed at the exhaust port and blows cooling air toward a bottom wall of the electronic device;
And an expansion device comprising: The base has a bottom facing the exhaust port with the fan unit interposed therebetween, extends toward the fan unit at the bottom of the base, and is arranged at intervals so as to surround the fan unit. A large number of pillars are formed, and these pillars cooperate with each other to form a foreign matter capturing area below the fan unit.

In such a configuration, when the electronic device is removed from the mounting portion of the base, the exhaust port opened on the mounting portion is exposed to the outside of the base. Therefore, if a foreign substance such as a clip is accidentally dropped on the mounting portion, the foreign substance may pass through the fan unit from the exhaust port and fall into the inside of the base.

However, according to the above structure, since a large number of pillars are formed at the bottom of the base facing the exhaust port so as to surround the fan unit, foreign matters from the exhaust port are surrounded by the pillars. As it falls into the foreign matter capturing area, it is caught by these pillars and stops in the foreign matter capturing area.
Therefore, even if a foreign object falls into the base from the exhaust port, the foreign object does not enter the back of the base or come into contact with the expansion means, preventing short-circuiting due to the foreign object and malfunction of the expansion device. can do.

Further, since a large number of pillars are separated from each other, cooling air flowing toward the exhaust port passes between the pillars, and the flow of cooling air in the base is obstructed by the pillars. It will not be done.

In addition, according to the above configuration, it is not necessary to reduce the diameter of the exhaust port so as to prevent foreign matter from entering, and accordingly, the flow resistance of the cooling air is suppressed to be small, and the exhaust port is mounted on the mounting section. It is possible to ensure a sufficient amount of air to be blown to the electronic device.

To achieve the above object, an expansion device according to a ninth aspect of the present invention includes a bottom wall, a mounting portion facing the bottom wall, and on which an electronic device is removably mounted.
A base having; and expansion means for expanding the function of the electronic device when the electronic device is mounted on the mounting portion. The base includes a first opening formed in the mounting portion, a second opening formed in the bottom wall, facing the first opening, and a first opening. A cooling fan unit disposed between the first opening and the second opening.

In such a configuration, when the extension device is removed from the mounting portion of the base, the first opening on the mounting portion is exposed to the outside of the base. Therefore, if a foreign substance such as a clip is accidentally dropped onto the mounting portion, the foreign substance may fall into the inside of the base through the first opening.

However, according to the above configuration, when the base is lifted, the inside of the base is opened downward through the second opening, so that the foreign matter falling into the base can be removed from the outside of the base through the second opening. Can be taken out. Therefore, the work of discharging foreign matter can be easily performed without disassembling the base, and the foreign matter does not enter into the back of the base, so that a short circuit due to the foreign matter and malfunction of the expansion device can be prevented beforehand. .

[0027]

FIG. 1 to FIG. 7 in which a first embodiment of the present invention is applied to a portable computer.
It will be described based on the following. FIG. 1 and FIG. 3 disclose a portable computer 1 as an electronic device and an extension device 2 used to extend the functions of the portable computer 1.

The portable computer 1 includes a computer main body 3 and a display unit 4 supported by the computer main body 3. The computer main body 3 has a housing 5 made of a magnesium alloy. The housing 5 includes a bottom wall 5a, an upper wall 5b, a front wall 5c, left and right side walls 5d.
And a rear wall 5e. The housing 5 has a flat box shape with a thickness dimension of about 20 mm, and is thinner than a conventional general portable computer.

On the lower surface of the bottom wall 5a of the housing 5, a plurality of seats 6 are formed as shown in FIG. The seats 6 protrude downward from the bottom wall 5a at four corners of the bottom wall 5a.

The upper wall 5b of the housing 5 has a palm rest 7 and a keyboard mounting opening 8. Palm rest 7
At the front of the upper wall 5b, it extends in the width direction of the housing 5.
The keyboard mounting opening 8 is located behind the palm rest 7. The keyboard mounting port 8 is formed of a recess that is recessed toward the inside of the housing 5, and a keyboard 9 is attached to the keyboard mounting port 8.

As shown in FIG. 2, a circuit board 10 is housed inside the housing 5. The circuit board 10 is arranged in parallel with the bottom wall 5 a of the housing 5. Various circuit components 11 such as a semiconductor package are mounted on the upper and lower surfaces of the circuit board 10. A first expansion connector 12 is mounted on the lower surface of the rear end of the circuit board 10. The first expansion connector 12 faces a connector outlet (not shown) opened in the bottom wall 5 a of the housing 5 at the rear of the housing 5.

As shown in FIG. 4, an MPU: microprocessing unit 13 is housed inside the housing 5. The MPU 13 has a bottom wall 5 a
It is arranged at a position adjacent to. This MPU 13
In order to process a large amount of multimedia information such as characters, voices and images, power consumption during operation is large, and accordingly, the heat generation of the MPU 13 is large enough to require cooling. .

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 4, an engaging portion 15 is formed at the rear end of the side wall 5d of the housing 5. The engagement portion 15 is used when connecting the portable computer 1 to the extension device 2, and is provided on the side of the housing 5.
It is configured with a recess that opens downward and backward.

The rear end of the upper wall 5b of the housing 5 has a pair of display support portions 16a, 16 projecting upward.
b is formed. Display support parts 16a, 16
b are spaced apart from each other in the width direction of the housing 5.

The display unit 4 includes a flat box-shaped display housing 17 and a liquid crystal display 18 accommodated in the display housing 17. The display housing 17 has a front surface on which a display opening 19 is formed. Liquid crystal display 18
Has a display screen 18a on which characters and images are displayed,
The display screen 18 a is exposed to the outside of the display housing 17 through the display opening 19.

The display housing 17 has a pair of legs 21a and 21b. Legs 21a, 21b
Are guided to the display support portions 16a and 16b, and are rotatably connected to the housing 5 via a hinge device 22 shown in FIG. Therefore, the display unit 4 can be selectively rotated between a closed position where the palm rest 7 and the keyboard 9 are covered from above and an open position where the palm rest 7, the keyboard 9 and the display screen 18a are exposed. Has become.

The expansion device 2 used for expanding the functions of the portable computer 1 has a synthetic resin base 30 as shown in FIGS. Base 30
Is a bottom wall 30a and an upper wall 3 facing the bottom wall 30a.
0b and a front wall 3 connecting these bottom wall 30a and upper wall 30b.
0c, left and right side walls 30d and a rear wall 30e. The base 30 has a flat box shape having a thickness of about 20 mm, and the thickness of the base 30 is enhanced similarly to the case 5 of the portable computer 1.

The base 30 has a mounting portion 31. The mounting portion 31 is a housing 5 of the portable computer 1.
Is removably mounted, and is constituted by the upper wall 30b of the base 30. The upper surface of the upper wall 30b is a flat mounting surface 32 facing the bottom wall 5a of the housing 5, and the mounting surface 32 has a size corresponding to the bottom wall 5a of the housing 5. Have. And the mounting surface 32
When the housing 5 is placed on the mounting surface 32,
The seat 6 of the bottom wall 5a of the housing 5 comes into contact with the mounting surface 32 and the housing 5
A gap 33 as shown in FIG. 4 is formed with the bottom wall 5a.

Inside the base 30, a CD-ROM drive 3
5. Floppy disk drive 36 and circuit board 3
7 are accommodated. The CD-ROM drive 35 and the floppy disk drive 36 constitute means for expanding the functions of the portable computer 1, and are arranged in the front half of the base 30 in the width direction of the base 30. The CD-ROM drive 35 has a tray 38 for supporting an optical disk, and this tray 38 is exposed on the right side wall 30 d of the base 30. The floppy disk drive 36 has a slot (not shown) for inserting and removing the floppy disk, and this slot is opened in the left side wall 30 d of the base 30.

The circuit board 37 is arranged in the rear half of the base 30 in parallel with the bottom wall 30a and the top wall 30b. The circuit board 37 is electrically connected to a CD-ROM drive 35 and a floppy disk drive 36 via a flexible wiring board (not shown). Circuit components (not shown) such as semiconductor packages are mounted on the upper and lower surfaces of the circuit board 37, respectively. Also,
On the upper surface of the circuit board 37, a second extension connector 40 is mounted. The second expansion connector 40 corresponds to the first expansion connector 12 of the portable computer 1, and protrudes upward from the mounting surface 32 described above.

Therefore, when the housing 5 of the portable computer 1 is placed at a predetermined position on the placement surface 32, the first extension connector 12 fits into the second extension connector 40, and these extension connectors 12, 40 The portable computer 1 and the extension device 2 are electrically connected via the.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 5, the base 30
The portable computer 1 includes a pair of rear hook levers 42 a and 42 b for locking the housing 5 to the mounting surface 32 and a front hook 43.

A pair of rear hook levers 42a, 42b
Are arranged apart from each other in the width direction of the base 30 at the rear end of the base 30. Each of the rear hook levers 42 and 43 has a lever main body 44. The lever body 44 is rotatably supported at the rear end of the base 30 via a pivot shaft 45. Lever body 44
Is overlapped on the side wall 30 d of the base 30, and the upper portion of the lever body 44 projects above the mounting surface 32. Therefore, when the housing 5 of the portable computer 1 is mounted on the mounting surface 32, the upper portion of the lever body 44 faces the side wall 5 d of the housing 5.

A lock pin 46 is fixed to the upper side surface of the lever body 44. The lock pin 46 is
And removably engaged with the engaging portion 15 of the base 30, and horizontally protrudes on the mounting surface 32 of the base 30. Therefore, the lever main body 44 is rotatable between an engagement position where the lock pin 46 fits into the engagement portion 15 and a release position where the lock pin 46 separates behind the engagement portion 15. The lever body 44 is constantly urged to rotate toward the engagement position via a torsion coil spring (not shown).

The front hook 43 is located at the front end of the mounting surface 32 at the center of the mounting surface 32 along the width direction. The front hook 43 has an axial shape extending in the vertical direction.
A claw portion 48 is formed at the upper end of 3. The front hook 43 is capable of moving up and down in a vertical direction and rotatable around an axis over an angle range of about 90 °.
It is supported by.

For this reason, the front hook 43 is
8 can be moved between a release position where most of the hooks protrude from the mounting surface 32 and an engagement position where only the claw portion 48 is positioned on the mounting surface 32.
3 is constantly pushed up toward the release position by a spring (not shown).

As shown in FIG. 3, when the housing 5 of the portable computer 1 is placed at a predetermined position on the mounting surface 32, the engaging portion 15 of the housing 5 comes into contact with the lock pins 46 of the rear hook levers 42a and 42b. And the bottom wall 5a of the housing 5
Contact the upper ends of the front hooks 43, respectively. Due to this contact, the rear hook levers 42a and 42b return from the engaged position to the released position so that the lever body 44 avoids the engaging portion 15, and then return to the engaged position by the urging force of the spring. The lock pin 46 is hooked on the engaging portion 15 of the housing 5. Similarly, the front hook 43 is pushed from the release position to the engagement position by contact with the bottom wall 5a of the housing 5, and the claw portion 48 at the upper end of the front hook 43 is provided.
Is hooked on the bottom wall 5 a of the housing 5.

As a result, the housing 5 of the portable computer 1 is locked on the mounting surface 32 at two positions at the rear end and one position at the front end, so that the first expansion connector 12 and the second expansion connector 12 are locked. The fitted state with the expansion connector 40 is maintained.

The lever body 44 of the rear hook levers 42a and 42b has an eject roller 49. The eject roller 49 faces the bottom wall 5a of the housing 5 as long as the lever body 44 is rotated to the engagement position. Therefore, when the lever body 44 is moved from the engagement position to the release position, after the lock pin 46 is disengaged from the engagement portion 15, the eject roller 49 is moved to the bottom wall 5 a of the housing 5.
, And push up the housing 5 in a direction away from the mounting surface 32. As a result, the lock of the housing 5 by the lock pin 46 is released, and the first expansion connector 12
The connection between the portable computer 1 and the second expansion connector 40 is released, and the portable computer 1 can be taken out from the mounting surface 32.

As shown in FIG. 5 to FIG.
The mounting surface 32 is formed with a circular concave portion 51.
The concave portion 51 is located at the rear of the mounting surface 32, and when the housing 5 is mounted on the mounting surface 32, the M accommodated in the housing 5
It is located below the PU 13.

The bottom of the recess 51 is inclined downward as it goes to the right side of the base 30. A circular exhaust port 52 as an opening (first opening) is provided at the bottom of the recess 51.
Are formed. The exhaust port 52 is provided on the mounting surface 32 on the housing 5.
Is placed facing the bottom wall 5 a of the housing 5 and connected to the inside of the base 30. In the recess 51, a guard 53 for preventing foreign matter from entering the exhaust port 52 is formed. The guard 53 has a plurality of bars 54 extending along the radial direction of the exhaust port 52. These bars 54
Are arranged in parallel at an interval from each other, and a gap 58 for blowing air is formed between adjacent bars 54.

On the mounting surface 32 of the base 30, a groove-shaped exhaust passage 55 as an air passage is formed. The exhaust passage 55 extends along the width direction of the mounting surface 32. One end of the exhaust passage 55 is connected to the bottom of the concave portion 51, and the other end of the exhaust passage 55 is opened at an upper portion of the right side wall 30d of the base 30. And the mounting surface 32
An upwardly extending rib-shaped wall portion 56 is formed continuously at the edge of the exhaust passage 55 and the edge of the recess 51 connected to the recess. The tip of the wall portion 56 comes into contact with the bottom wall 5 a of the housing 5 when the housing 5 is placed on the mounting surface 32, and by this contact, the gap 33 on the mounting surface 32 The communication with the exhaust passage 55 is shut off.

At a substantially central portion of the mounting surface 32, a large number of intake holes 57 as shown in FIG. 4 are arranged in a matrix. These intake holes 57 are open to the gaps 33 on the mounting surface 32 and are connected to the inside of the base 30.

As shown in FIG. 6 and FIG.
, An electric fan unit 61 is disposed. The fan unit 61 includes a fan casing 62
And a fan 63 supported at the center of the fan casing 62. The fan casing 62 has a flat rectangular frame shape having four corners. The fan casing 62 has a suction port 64 and a discharge port 65 that face each other across the fan 63.

A bracket 67 is fixed to the outer periphery of the fan casing 62. This bracket 67
It has a plurality of support pieces 67a facing the inner surface of the upper wall 30b. A plurality of mounting seats 68 extending downward are formed on the inner surface of the upper wall 30b. The mounting seat 68 is disposed around the exhaust port 52, and the support piece 67 of the bracket 67 is provided on the lower surface of the mounting seat 68.
a is screwed.

Therefore, the fan unit 61 is mounted on the base 3 in a horizontal position with the exhaust port 65 facing the exhaust port 52.
The fan unit 61 is fixed to the upper wall 30b, and the suction port 64 of the fan unit 61 faces the bottom wall 30a of the base 30 with a slight gap. As a result, when the fan 63 is driven to rotate, air inside the base 30 is sucked through the suction port 64, and the air is discharged upward from the discharge port 65 toward the exhaust port 52.

As shown in FIG. 7, the fan unit 61
Has a rotation axis O1 passing through the rotation center of the fan 63. The fan unit 61 is provided with the rotation axis O.
1 is arranged at a predetermined angle α with respect to the vertical line V passing through the exhaust port 52, and the inclination direction of the fan unit 61 matches the inclination direction of the bottom of the concave portion 51.

A large number of columnar projections 71 are formed on the inner surface of the bottom wall 30a of the base 30 facing the fan unit 61. The protrusion 71 extends from the bottom wall 30 a of the base 30 toward the fan casing 62 of the fan unit 61. These protrusions 71 are arranged at intervals in the circumferential direction of the suction port 64 so as to surround the suction port 64 of the fan casing 62, and the protrusion height of the adjacent protrusion 71 is the same as that of the fan casing 62. 62 are different from each other with the inclination of 62.

For this reason, the protrusion 71 cooperates with the fan casing 62 to form the foreign matter trapping region 7 inside the base 30.
2, and the foreign matter capturing area 72 is located immediately below the exhaust port 52. An air passage 73 is formed between the adjacent protrusions 71 to communicate the foreign matter capturing area 72 with the internal space of the base 30.

In such a configuration, when the function of the portable computer 1 is extended, the housing 5 of the portable computer 1 is placed on the mounting surface 32 of the extension device 2 and locked. The bottom wall 5a of the
And the mounting surface 32 via the.

The fan unit 61 of the expansion device 2
Is driven, air inside the base 30 is sucked through the suction port 64, and a negative pressure acts on the suction hole 57 of the mounting surface 32. Therefore, the gap 3 between the mounting surface 32 and the housing 5
The air of No. 3 is sucked into the inside of the base 30 from the intake hole 57.

The cooling air sucked into the base 30 is blown out onto the mounting surface 32 through the outlet 65 and the outlet 52 by the rotation of the fan 63, and is blown directly to the bottom wall 5 a of the housing 5. At this time, since the exhaust port 52 is located below the MPU 13 that generates heat,
The bottom wall 5a of the housing 5 affected by the heat of the PU 13 is intensively cooled by forced convection using air as a medium. Therefore, the heat of the MPU 13 transferred to the bottom wall 5a can be efficiently released to the outside of the housing 5.

Further, the fan unit 61 includes the fan 6
Since the rotation axis O1 is inclined at a predetermined angle with respect to the vertical line V in the direction of the exhaust passage 55, the flow direction of the air blown to the bottom wall 5a of the housing 5 is Become oriented. Therefore, the air blown from the fan unit 61 is smoothly guided toward the exhaust passage 55 without colliding at right angles to the bottom wall 5 a of the housing 5. No swirls.

As a result, the flow resistance of the air blown to the bottom wall 5a of the housing 5 can be reduced, and the air flow can be increased accordingly, and the cooling efficiency of the housing 5 can be improved. By operating the rear hook levers 42a, 42b from the engaged position to the released position, the mounting surface 3
When the portable computer 1 is removed from the base 2, the exhaust port 52 on the mounting surface 32 is directly exposed to the outside of the base 30. Therefore, if foreign matter such as a clip or a staple is dropped on the mounting surface 32 by mistake, the foreign matter will pass through the space between the bars 54 of the guard 53 and the exhaust port 52.
The exhaust port 52 and the fan casing 6
There is a possibility that it may fall through the base 30 through the discharge port 65 and the suction port 64 of the second.

At this time, in the expansion device 2 having the above configuration, the fan unit 6
A large number of columnar projections 71 are formed on the inner surface of the portion facing 1, and these projections 71 cooperate with the fan casing 62 to form a foreign matter capturing area 72 immediately below the exhaust port 52.

For this reason, even if foreign matter enters the exhaust port 52, the foreign matter falls into the foreign matter capturing region 72 surrounded by the convex portions 71 and is caught by these convex portions 71 and stops at the foreign material capturing region 72. Will be. As a result, even if the expansion device 2 is shaken or tilted, the foreign matter that has fallen into the base 30 does not enter the space in which the circuit board 37 and other electrical components are housed, and a short circuit caused by the fall of the foreign matter Malfunction of the extension device 2 can be prevented beforehand.

Further, since the air passage 73 is formed between the adjacent convex portions 71, the cooling air flowing inside the base 30 toward the suction port 64 of the fan unit 61 is
Since the air flows through the air passage 73, the air flow in the base 30 is not obstructed by the convex portion 71.

At the same time, the foreign matter that has fallen into the exhaust port 52 stops in the foreign matter capturing area 72 immediately below the exhaust port 52. Therefore, the interval between the bars 54 of the guard 53 is narrowed so as to prevent foreign matter from entering the exhaust port 52. It is not necessary to make the diameter of the exhaust port 52 small. For this reason, the substantial opening area of the exhaust port 52 can be sufficiently secured, and the flow resistance of the air blown out from the exhaust port 52 can be reduced.

Accordingly, the cooling air can be blown to the housing 5 mounted on the mounting surface 32 without excess or deficiency.
The cooling performance of the housing 5 can be favorably maintained while preventing the foreign matter from diffusing into the inside.

The present invention is not limited to the first embodiment, and FIG. 8 shows a second embodiment of the present invention. In the second embodiment, a through hole 100 as a second opening is formed in the bottom wall 30a of the base 30. The through hole 100 faces the exhaust port 52 with the fan unit 61 interposed therebetween, and is connected to a foreign matter capturing area 72 surrounded by the convex portion 71. And this through hole 10
Reference numeral 0 denotes a state in which the extension device 2 is placed on a table top of a desk and used, and is closed by the top plate.

In opening the through hole 100 in the bottom wall 30a, it is desirable to form a guard 53 having a bar 54 similar to the exhaust port 52 in the through hole 100. According to such a configuration, since the through hole 100 is formed in the bottom wall 30a of the base 30 so as to be continuous with the foreign matter capturing area 72, the foreign matter capturing area 72 is opened downward through the through hole 100 when the extension device 2 is lifted from the desk. Is done. Therefore, the foreign matter that has fallen into the foreign matter capturing area 72 can be taken out of the base 30 through the hole 100, and the work of discharging the foreign matter can be easily performed without disassembling the base 30.

Even if it is difficult to take out the foreign matter from the through hole 100, the foreign matter stops in the foreign matter catching area 72 due to the presence of the large number of projections 71.
, And other electrical components are not moved to the space, and a short circuit and a malfunction of the expansion device 2 can be prevented.

In the above-described embodiment, the fan unit is installed at the exhaust port. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the fan unit may be arranged inside the base away from the exhaust port or near the intake hole.

Further, in the above-described embodiment, the opening on the mounting surface is used as an exhaust port to exhaust cooling air from the opening. You may make it suck in air for work.

[0075]

According to the present invention described in detail above, a foreign object that has fallen into the expansion device does not enter the interior of the expansion device, and a short circuit or malfunction due to the fall of the foreign object can be prevented. .

Further, the flow of cooling air due to the operation of the fan unit is not obstructed by the projections (posts), and a fine guard for preventing foreign substances from entering the opening (exhaust port) is provided. There is no need to arrange or reduce the caliber. Therefore, the substantial opening area of the opening (exhaust port) can be sufficiently ensured, and the flow resistance of the cooling air passing through the opening (exhaust port) can be sufficiently suppressed, and the cooling of the electronic device can be suppressed. Good performance can be maintained.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is an exemplary perspective view showing a state in which a portable computer is removed from a mounting surface of an extension device according to a first embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a side view of the portable computer.

FIG. 3 is an exemplary perspective view showing a state where a portable computer is mounted on a mounting surface of the extension device;

FIG. 4 is a side view showing a positional relationship between an exhaust passage of the expansion device and a housing.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of an expansion device.

FIG. 6 is a plan view around the exhaust port of the expansion device.

FIG. 7 is a sectional view taken along the line 7F-7F in FIG. 6;

FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view of an expansion device according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Electronic device (portable computer) 2 ... Expansion device 30 ... Base 30a ... Bottom part (bottom wall) 31 ... Mounting part 35, 36 ... Expansion means (CD-ROM drive, floppy disk drive) 52 ... Opening, 1st opening part (exhaust port) 61 ... Fan unit 71 ... Convex part (pillar part) 72 ... Foreign matter capture area 100 ... Second opening part (through hole)

Claims (10)

[Claims] 1. An electronic device, comprising: a mounting portion on which the electronic device is removably mounted, and an expansion device used to expand the function of the electronic device. A cooling fan unit, an opening formed in the mounting portion, a bottom facing the opening, and a bottom formed in the bottom and projecting toward the opening, and a circumferential direction of the opening. An electronic device system comprising: a large number of convex portions arranged at intervals. 2. The cooling device according to claim 1, wherein the fan unit is disposed inside the opening, and blows cooling air toward an electronic device mounted on the mounting portion. Electronic equipment system. 3. An electronic device having a bottom wall; and a mounting portion on which the electronic device is removably mounted, wherein an exhaust port facing the bottom wall of the electronic device is opened in the mounting portion. A base, means for expanding the function of the electronic device housed inside the base and mounted on the mounting portion, and a cooling device installed at the exhaust port and facing the bottom wall of the electronic device. An electronic device system comprising: a fan unit that blows air; and an expansion device that includes: a fan unit that blows air; wherein the base has a bottom facing the exhaust port with the fan unit interposed therebetween; A plurality of pillars extending toward the fan unit and arranged at intervals so as to surround the fan unit are formed, and the pillars cooperate with each other to form a foreign matter capturing area below the fan unit. Be composed Electronic device system characterized in that it. 4. The fan unit according to claim 3, wherein the fan unit has a motor-driven fan, and the rotation axis of the fan is inclined at a predetermined angle with respect to a vertical line passing through the exhaust port. And a projecting height of the pillar portion is different from each other in accordance with an inclination of the fan unit. 5. A base having a mounting portion on which an electronic device is removably mounted; housed inside the base;
An expansion means for expanding the function of the electronic device mounted on the mounting portion; and a cooling fan unit housed inside the base, wherein the base is mounted on the mounting portion. A formed opening, a bottom facing the opening, and a number of protrusions formed in the bottom, projecting toward the opening, and arranged at intervals in a circumferential direction of the opening. An expansion device comprising: 6. The cooling device according to claim 5, wherein the fan unit is disposed inside the opening, and blows cooling air toward an electronic device mounted on the mounting portion, and the fan unit is configured to blow the cooling air. The expansion device, wherein the units are arranged at an interval from each other so as to surround the fan unit. 7. The fan unit according to claim 6, wherein the fan unit has a motor-driven fan, and the rotation axis of the fan is inclined at a predetermined angle with respect to a vertical line passing through the opening. An expansion device characterized by being supported by. 8. The device according to claim 7, wherein the base has a side wall connected to a peripheral edge of the mounting portion, and the mounting portion has a groove-shaped air passage connected to the opening. The expansion device, wherein the air passage is opened in the side wall. 9. A base having a bottom wall, and a mounting portion facing the bottom wall and on which the electronic device is removably mounted; and when the electronic device is mounted on the mounting portion,
An expansion device for expanding the function of the electronic device, wherein the base is formed in the first opening formed in the mounting portion, the bottom wall, and the first opening. A second opening opposing the first opening; and a cooling fan unit disposed between the first opening and the second opening. Expansion device. 10. The device according to claim 9, wherein the base has a plurality of protrusions arranged at intervals around the second opening, and the protrusions are formed on the first opening. An expansion device protruding in the direction of the opening.