JP2000174466A - External device storage bay - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To simplify the structure of an external device storage bay and an external device which is installed in an external device storage bay. SOLUTION: A bay (a external device storage bay) 1 is provided to a computer device 2, and a battery power supply pack 3 for power supply of the computer device 2 is installed in the bay 1. The battery power supply pack 3 is formed into an almost rectangular solid, and a bar code 4 which is proper to the battery power supply pack 3 is formed in a side surface 3A facing the direction perpendicular to an insertion direction, when it is installed in the bay 1. A bar code 4 is formed along the inserting direction of the battery power supply pack 3, a tip part 4a of the bar code 4 is positioned in the front side of an insertion direction of the tip part 4a of the bar code 4, and a rear end part 4b of the bar code 4 is positioned in a rear side of an insertion direction. The bay 1 is provided with a bar code read part 5 facing the bar code 4 of the battery power supply pack 3. The bar code read part 5 is fixed to be positioned further behind the insertion direction than at least the bar code 4 with the battery power supply pack 3 installed in the bay 1.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

[0001] 1. Field of the Invention [0002] The present invention relates to an external device storage bay for storing accessory devices such as a battery power supply and a CD drive in a computer device.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, in some models such as a portable notebook computer, for example, a battery power supply or an F
2. Description of the Related Art There is known a device having a housing, that is, a bay (external device storage bay) for detachably mounting an attached device such as a D (Floppy Disk) drive or a CD drive. In these computer devices, since it is desired to reduce the size of the device body, the number of bays provided is limited to one, and a battery power supply, an FD drive, or a CD drive may be provided for this single bay as necessary. A method of replacing and attaching an attached device such as is adopted. Therefore, battery power, FD drive or CD installed in this only bay
Each of the attached devices such as the drive is a pack (external device) having the same outer shape including the number and arrangement of contact pins, for example, a battery power pack and an FD.
After being housed in a drive pack or a CD drive pack, it is mounted in the bay.

As described above, since the outer shapes of the packs are formed in the same shape, a method for identifying whether each pack mounted in the bay is, for example, a battery power pack, an FD drive pack, or a CD drive pack. As
The following two methods are known. In the first method, for example, a plurality of identification signals exchanged between each pack and the bay are prepared, and each pack mounted in the bay is identified by the type of the identification signal. In the second method, one identification signal exchanged between each pack and the bay is prepared, and an ID number or the like for identifying each pack is directed from each pack side to the bay by, for example, a serial line. Transfer.

[0004]

In the first method as described above, a large number of identification signals are required to identify each pack. For example, a connector pin or the like for transmitting each of these identification signals is required. Is increased. In the second method, for example, serial data including, for example, an ID number for identifying each pack is transferred to a circuit for storing the serial data in each pack and the ID number, etc., from each pack to the bay. For that, a circuit or the like is required on each pack side, and the structure of each pack becomes complicated, resulting in a problem that the manufacturing cost of each pack increases. The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and it is an object of the present invention to provide a bay capable of identifying each pack without complicating the structure of the bay and each pack attached to the bay.

[0005]

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems and achieve the object, an external device storage bay according to the present invention is provided with an external device for detachably mounting an external device to a computer device. A device storage bay, wherein a barcode is provided on an outer surface of the external device, and the external device storage bay is provided with a barcode reading unit that reads the barcode facing the barcode. It is characterized by:

In the external device storage bay having the above-described structure, each external device mounted in the external device storage bay is merely provided with a unique barcode different from each other. A connector pin for transmitting an identification signal and the like, a circuit for processing the identification signal, and the like are not required for each external device, so that the structure of each external device can be simplified. For this reason, it is possible to reduce the size of each external device and the external device storage bay, and it is possible to contribute to a reduction in the manufacturing cost of each external device and the external device storage bay.

Further, in the external device storage bay according to claim 2, the bar code is provided along a direction in which the external device is inserted into the external device storage bay, and the external device storage bay is provided in the external device storage bay. The apparatus is characterized in that the bar code passes through the bar code reading section as the device is inserted.

In the external device storage bay as described above, when each external device is inserted into the external device storage bay, the external device is formed, for example, by reading a barcode passing through a barcode reading unit. The sensitive area of the barcode reading unit can be reduced as compared with the method of reading the barcode at one time. That is, since the barcode reading section itself can be formed small, it can contribute to miniaturization of a computer device having an external device storage bay.

[0009]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, an embodiment of an external device storage bay according to the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.
FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view showing a computer device having a bay (external device storage bay) according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the computer device shown in FIG. The bay 1 in the present embodiment is provided in, for example, a computer device 2, and has a battery power pack (external device) 3 for supplying power to the computer device 2, for example. The battery power pack 3 is formed, for example, in a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape, and an appropriate bar code 4 unique to the battery power pack 3 is provided on a side surface 3A facing a direction intersecting the insertion direction when the battery power pack 3 is installed in the bay 1. Is provided. Here, the barcode 4 is formed along the insertion direction of the battery power supply pack 3. For example, the front end 4 a of the barcode 4 is located on the front side in the insertion direction, and the rear end 4 b of the barcode 4 is inserted. It is located on the rear side of the direction. As shown in FIG. 2, a bay code reading unit 5 for reading the bar code 4 of the battery power pack 3 is provided in the bay 1 so that the bar code 4 is desired when the battery power pack 3 is mounted in the bay 1. It is installed in. When the battery power pack 3 is mounted in the bay 1, the bar code reading unit 5
It is installed so as to be located rearward in the insertion direction than b. Note that the sensitive area of the barcode reading unit 5 in the insertion direction, that is, the area that can be read at a time, is shorter than the barcode 4, for example.

The bay 1 according to the present embodiment has the above-described configuration. Next, an operation when the battery pack 3 is mounted in the bay 1 will be described with reference to FIG. When the battery power pack 3 is inserted into the bay 1 of the computer device 2, the front end 4 a to the rear end 4 b of the barcode 4 provided on the side surface 3 </ b> A of the battery power pack 3 sequentially operate the barcode reading unit 5. Cross. At this time, the barcode reading section 5 reads the barcode 4 of the battery pack 3 in order from the front end 4a, and when the battery pack 3 is completely mounted in the bay 1, the barcode reading section 5 reads the rear end 4b of the barcode 4. Completed. Based on the signal from the barcode reading unit 5, the computer device 2 identifies that the battery power pack 3 is mounted in the bay 1.

According to the bay 1 according to the present embodiment, the battery power pack 3 mounted in the bay 1 is provided only with the bar code 4 unique to the battery power pack 3. Since the bar code 4 is read by the read bar code reading unit 5, a connector pin for transmitting, for example, an identification signal for recognizing the battery power pack 3, a circuit for processing the identification signal, and the like are included in the battery power pack. 3 is unnecessary, and the structure of the battery power pack 3 can be simplified. As a result, the battery power pack 3 and the bay 1 can be reduced in size, which can contribute to a reduction in manufacturing costs.
Further, as the battery power pack 3 is inserted into the bay 1, the rear end 4b of the bar code 4 starts from the front end 4a.
For example, when the battery power pack 3 is completely installed in the bay 1, there is no need to read the entire barcode 4 at once or to make the barcode reader 5 movable. In addition, the barcode reading section 5 can be fixed at an appropriate position in the insertion direction, and the sensitive area of the barcode reading section 5, that is, the barcode reading section 5 itself can be formed small. Accordingly, the structure of the bay 1 can be simplified, and the size of the computer device 2 including the bay 1 can be reduced.

In the present embodiment, the battery power pack 3 is installed in the bay 1, but the present invention is not limited to this, and the FD drive pack, the CD drive pack, and other attached devices may be installed. Good. In short, it suffices that each bar has a unique barcode 4. Further, in the present embodiment, the barcode 4 is provided on the side surface 3A of the battery power pack 3, but is not limited to this, and may be provided on the upper surface or the lower surface of the battery power pack 3. In short, it is sufficient that the barcode 4 is provided along the insertion direction of the battery power pack 3.

[0013]

As described above, according to the external device storage bay according to the first aspect of the present invention, the external device mounted on the external device storage bay has only a unique bar code. Therefore, the structure of each external device can be simplified, which can contribute to a reduction in manufacturing costs. Furthermore, according to the external device storage bay according to claim 2, when each external device is inserted into the external device storage bay, by reading a barcode that passes through the barcode reading unit, The sensitive area of the barcode reading unit can be reduced as compared with a method of reading the formed barcode at one time. That is, since the barcode reading section itself can be formed small, it can contribute to miniaturization of a computer device having an external device storage bay.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view showing a computer device having a bay according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the computer device shown in FIG.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 bay 2 computer device 3 battery power pack 4 bar code 5 bar code reading section

Claims (2)

[Claims] An external device storage bay for detachably mounting an external device in a computer device, wherein a bar code is provided on an outer surface of the external device, and the bar code is provided in the external device storage bay. An external device storage bay, comprising: a barcode reading unit that reads the barcode while facing the device. 2. The bar code is provided along a direction in which the external device is inserted into the external device storage bay, and the bar code is inserted along with the external device being inserted into the external device storage bay. The external device storage bay according to claim 1, wherein the barcode passes through the barcode reading unit.