JP2000348811A - Connector protection structure - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To prevent coming off of a cable connector connected to a PC card by forming a first member covering a connector part of the cable connector and a second member giving nipping force to the end part of an electronic apparatus in one structure, and installing a connector part and a ventilating hole for passing through a cable in the specified position of the first member. SOLUTION: Connectors are inserted into a connector passing hole 15 of a connector protection structure 21 of a PC card, and connected so that the tip of a connector 3a is faced upward and the tip of a connector 3b is faced downward. An opening part of the connector protection mechanism 21 is widened larger than the thickness of a personal computer 1 to interpose the end part of the personal computer 1, and the opening part of the connector protection mechanism 21 is made free from outside force. Only cables 4a, 4b of the connectors 3a, 3b are drawn out from notch parts of the opening part, and the connectors 3a, 3b are covered with the connector protection mechanism 21 to prevent coming off.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a connector protection structure for protecting an external connection cable connector for a PC card used in electronic equipment such as a portable personal computer.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, portable personal computers (hereinafter referred to as "PCs") have been rapidly spread as portable information processing apparatuses. The capacity is increasing. At the same time, most portable personal computers have a configuration in which a PC card can be connected to the personal computer in order to use a communication function represented by a modem communication for an external additional memory or a modem communication.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing the external appearance of a conventional portable personal computer as a whole. The personal computer shown in FIG. 2 has a structure in which two PC cards 102a and 102b can be inserted into slots provided in the main body of the portable personal computer 101. These PC cards are connected to external cables 104a, 104a via external cable connectors 103a, 103b.
104b is connected.

Further, a portable telephone can be connected to the portable personal computer shown in FIG. 7 through, for example, a dedicated connector or using the above-mentioned PC card, and the user can carry the personal computer anywhere. Information can be exchanged with the communication partner.

[0005]

However, even if the above-mentioned conventional portable personal computer has a slot for a PC card, a part of the PC card, an external cable connector and the like are limited due to design restrictions and ease of use. It has a structure that protrudes from the PC body. Therefore, when carrying a personal computer, the cable is frequently hooked or bumped, and in the worst case, the connector falls off the personal computer and communication becomes impossible, or the connector itself is damaged. There's a problem.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned problems, and has as its object to prevent a cable connector connected to a PC card from easily falling off and to prevent a poor electrical contact at a connector portion. The object of the present invention is to provide a connector protection structure for preventing the above.

[0007]

To achieve the above object, the present invention relates to a connector protection structure for use in an electronic device to which one or more cable connectors for connecting external devices can be connected. A first member that covers the connector portion of the electronic device, a second member that exerts a clamping force on an end of the electronic device, and a through hole through which the connector portion and a cable can pass. And a second member are provided as an integral structure, and the first member is provided with the through hole at a predetermined position.

Preferably, in the connector protection structure according to the present invention, the integrated structure has a structure in which one end of a flexible flat plate member is rounded into a half-open cylindrical shape, and the above-described passage is formed at the center of the side surface of the cylindrical portion. A hole is provided. Preferably, a leaf spring shape formed by the cylindrical portion exerts the pinching force.

Preferably, the integrated structure has a structure in which a stepped member having the passage hole at a predetermined position and a flat plate member coupled to the stepped member are combined. Also,
Preferably, the step-like member and the flat plate member are mutually screwed and connected.

Further, preferably, in the connector protection structure according to the present invention, the clamping force can be adjusted by the tightening torque of the screwing.

Further, preferably, the integrated structure includes a first plate-shaped member having the through-hole at a predetermined position, and a second plate-shaped member paired with the first plate-shaped member. It has a structure in which the same axis is shared so as to intersect with each other.

[0012] Preferably, a coil spring is wound around the shaft, and the return force of the spring acts on the first and second plate-like members to exert the clamping force.

[0013]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. Embodiment 1 FIG. First, Embodiment 1 of the present invention will be described. FIG. 1 is an external view showing an application example of the connector protection mechanism according to the first embodiment. FIG. 2 is similar to FIG.
3 is an enlarged view of the attached state of the connector protection mechanism 21. FIG. 3 is a sectional view of the attached connector protection mechanism 21, and FIG. 4 is an external perspective view of the connector protection mechanism 21 alone.

The connector protection mechanism 21 according to the present embodiment shown in FIG. 1 and the like is a protection mechanism made of, for example, a metal plate or a reinforced plastic plate having high flexibility. It is attached so as to cover the slot part of. For this reason, the connector protection mechanism 21 has a structure in which the end of the portable personal computer 1 is sandwiched and the entire mechanism can be fixed to the personal computer.

That is, the connector protection mechanism 21 is configured as shown in FIG.
As shown in the figure, round one end of the metal plate into a half-open cylindrical shape,
The structure is such that a connector through hole 15 is opened at the center of the side surface of the cylindrical portion 31. The cylindrical shape is used in order to facilitate processing and obtain a repulsive force for holding, which will be described later, due to the leaf spring shape.

One end 32 of the cylindrical portion 31 is formed in a flat plate shape so that the mechanism main body can be fixed by directly contacting the personal computer main body, and the other end 33 is larger than the end 32. A flat plate having a sufficiently long dimension (length) is formed. The end 33 is in close contact with the bottom of the personal computer main body and the connector protection mechanism 21 is fixed in a stable state.
It has a larger area than the end 32.

As shown in FIG. 4, the end 32 and the end 33 constitute an opening 35 for inserting the end of the portable personal computer 1, and the opening has a cylindrical connector protection. The entire connector protection mechanism 21 is fixed to the end of the portable personal computer 1 by obtaining the holding force due to the leaf spring shape of the mechanism 21. Therefore, the height (gap) T of the opening 35 shown in FIG. 4 is such that the end of the personal computer can be easily inserted therein, and when the end of the personal computer is sandwiched, the connector protection mechanism 21 ensures that the end of the personal computer can be inserted. Is high enough to obtain a repulsive force from the cylindrical portion 31 enough to be fixed to the cylindrical portion 31.

The width W and the height H of the connector through hole 15 are set so that the connectors 3a and 3b (see FIG. 2) can easily pass through and connect them to the PC card. It is designed to be bigger than that. Further, the connector through hole 15 is provided in the connector 3a, 3b.
Cutouts 36 and 37 for pulling out the above cable, and have a cross shape as a whole.

FIG. 3 is a view taken in the direction of arrow 10-10 'shown in FIG.
FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view showing a state in which the connector protection mechanism 21 has pinched an end of the portable personal computer 1 when viewed from above. As shown in the figure, a PC located in a predetermined slot of the personal computer 1
When the connectors 3a and 3b are connected to the card and the protection mechanism 21 is in a state of holding the end of the personal computer 1, the ends 61 and 62 of the connector through-hole 15 are located at positions covering the connectors 3a and 3b, respectively.

That is, when the connector protection mechanism 21 is mounted on the personal computer 1, the rear ends of the connectors 3a and 3b (the side from which the cables 4a and 4b are pulled out).
Comes to a position almost in contact with the inner surface of the protection mechanism 21.
For this reason, the connectors 3a and 3b are held at fixed positions, and even if, for example, the cables 4a and 4b are accidentally hooked, the connectors do not fall off the personal computer.

Hereinafter, a connector is connected to a PC card or the like,
A method of attaching the connector protection mechanism 21 to the portable personal computer 1 will be described.

First, a connector is inserted into the connector through hole 15 of the connector protection mechanism 21, with the tip of the connector 3a facing upward and the tip of the connector 3b facing downward, and a target PC card (not shown). Connect the connector to. Then, the opening 35 of the connector protection mechanism 21 is
Pushing the end of the personal computer into the opening 35 while the opening 35 is widened, the connector protection mechanism 21 is kept in the original state, that is, an external force is applied to the opening 35. Do not add. with this,
The attachment of the connector protection mechanism 21 to the personal computer is completed.

When the attachment of the connector protection mechanism 21 is completed in this way, as shown in FIG.
Connectors 3a, 3b from notches 36, 37, respectively.
And only the cables 4a and 4b are pulled out,
The connectors 3a and 3b are completely connected to the connector protection mechanism 2.
Covered with 1. This indicates that the connector does not come off even if the cable is accidentally hooked, as described above.

As described above, according to this embodiment, one end is rounded into a cylindrical shape, a cross-shaped through hole is provided on the side surface of the cylindrical shape, and a connector protection mechanism having an opening with a constant height. When the PC is carried, the PC card slot of the portable personal computer is inserted so as to cover the PC card slot, and only the cable of the connector connected to the PC card is pulled out through the through hole. In addition, the fear or inconvenience of hooking or hitting the cable is eliminated, the connector itself is not damaged, the PC card function cannot be used due to the detachment of the connector, and the occurrence of poor contact at the connector portion can be avoided.

Further, since the connector protection mechanism itself has a shape obtained by simply rounding one end of a sheet metal or the like into a cylindrical shape, the connector is not only easy to work, but also low in cost and has a desired repulsive force for holding. A protection mechanism can be realized.

Embodiment 2 FIG. Hereinafter, a connector protection mechanism according to Embodiment 2 of the present invention will be described. FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the entire connector protection mechanism according to the present embodiment. The connector protection mechanism 40 shown in FIG.
The chassis V23 consists of two components, and these chassis are connected to each other by a set screw 24,
Functions as a connector protection mechanism. Here, for the sake of simplicity, the illustration of the connector and the personal computer protected by the connector protection mechanism is omitted.

Therefore, a method of using the connector protection mechanism according to the present embodiment and its function will be described. The chassis L22 is a flat plate placed on the bottom of the personal computer main body, and has screw holes 42 for receiving the setscrew 24 at two locations near the tip. The chassis V23 is located at the top and the end of the personal computer. A through hole 44 for the set screw 24 is provided in a part of the horizontal part, and a connector through hole 4 is provided in the center of the vertical part.
3 is empty. The width and height of the connector through-hole and the overall shape are the same as those of the connector through-hole of the protection mechanism according to the first embodiment shown in FIG.

That is, the dimensions of the connector through hole 43 are as follows:
The connector is designed to be larger than the connector width and thickness so that the connector connected to the PC card can easily pass therethrough, and further has a cutout for drawing out a cable of the connector.

When using this connector protection mechanism 40,
First, insert the connector into the connector through hole 43,
The connector is connected to a target PC card (not shown). Then, the chassis L22 and the chassis V23 are brought close to each other, and the end of the portable personal computer is inserted into the opening 41 formed therebetween. After that, the two chassis are connected using the set screw 24, and the connector protection mechanism 40 is attached so as to cover the PC card slot of the personal computer.

That is, the connector protection mechanism according to the present embodiment connects the chassis L22 and the chassis V23,
When it is mounted on the end of the personal computer, it has a structure in which the clamping force of the mechanism on the end of the portable personal computer 1 can be adjusted by adjusting the tightening of the set screw 24.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, the two chassis are brought close to each other, and the end of the portable personal computer is sandwiched between the openings formed therebetween.
By connecting these chassis to each other with set screws,
The connector protection mechanism can be easily attached so as to cover the PC card slot portion of the personal computer, and it is possible to prevent the connector from being damaged or the PC card function from being disabled due to the falling off of the connector.

The force by which the connector protection mechanism clamps the end of the portable personal computer and the height of the opening formed by the two chassis can be adjusted by adjusting the tightening of the set screw used. A usable and versatile connector protection mechanism can be provided.

Embodiment 3 Hereinafter, a connector protection mechanism according to Embodiment 3 of the present invention will be described. FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the entire connector protection mechanism according to the present embodiment. The connector protection mechanism 50 shown in the figure has a mechanism for holding the end of the personal computer by using a coil spring. That is, the connector protection mechanism 50 according to the present embodiment
The chassis Z25 and the chassis X26 are connected by a shaft 27 so as to intersect each other. Here, for the sake of simplicity, the illustration of the connectors and personal computers protected by the connector protection mechanism is omitted.

A coil spring 28 is wound around the shaft 27. One end of the spring presses the chassis Z25 in a predetermined direction, and the other end presses the chassis X26 in the opposite direction. As a result, in a normal state (a state in which no external force is applied), the chassis Z and the chassis X operate to exert a force in the directions indicated by arrows A and A ′ in FIG.

Then, when the user applies a force to the ends of the chassis Z25 and the chassis X26 in the directions of arrows B and B 'in FIG. 6, an opening 51 is formed between the ends of the chassis. Is done. When the end of the portable personal computer is inserted into the opening 51 and the force in the directions of arrows B and B 'is removed, both chassis Z and X are moved by arrows A and A' due to the repulsive force of the coil spring 28 described above. Move in the direction. As a result, the end of the personal computer located at the opening 51 is sandwiched between the chassis Z and X.

In this embodiment, as described above, the chassis Z25 and the chassis X26 are weighted in the directions of arrows A and A 'to clamp the end of the portable personal computer. The connector protection mechanism 50 is attached so as to cover. The width and height dimensions of the connector through hole 53 and the overall shape are shown in FIG.
This is the same as the connector through hole of the protection mechanism according to the first embodiment.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, the two chassis connected to intersect with each other via the same shaft are moved in a predetermined direction by the repulsive force of the coil spring provided on the shaft. Since the end of the personal computer is clamped by using the connector protection mechanism that is configured to be weighted, the attachment and detachment of the connector protection mechanism is easy, and the external cables and connectors connected to the PC card are protected from external force. The connector can be prevented from easily falling off.

[0038]

As described above, according to the present invention,
In a connector protection structure used for an electronic device to which one or more cable connectors for connecting an external device can be connected, a first member for covering a connector portion of the cable connector is held between an end of the electronic device. A second member that exerts a force, and a through-hole through which the connector portion and the cable can pass. The first member and the second member form an integrated structure. By providing the passage hole at the position, the connector can be prevented from being damaged by an external force, the predetermined function cannot be used due to the detachment of the connector, and the occurrence of poor contact at the connector portion can be avoided.

Further, as the integral structure, a flexible plate member is formed by rounding one end of the flexible plate member into a half-open cylindrical shape, and the through hole is provided in the center of the side surface of the cylindrical portion to provide a connector protection structure. Processing and manufacturing become easier.

Furthermore, the desired holding force can be obtained with a simple structure by exerting the holding force by the leaf spring shape of the cylindrical portion.

Further, by adopting a structure in which a step-like member provided with the above-mentioned passage hole at a predetermined position and a flat plate member connected to the step-like member are combined as the integral structure, the connector protection mechanism can be mounted. This makes it easier to use, and at the same time, prevents the use of the predetermined function due to breakage of the connector or dropout of the connector.

Further, the step-like member and the flat plate member are screwed and connected to each other, so that the force for clamping the end of the electronic device and the height of the opening formed by these members are reduced. It is possible to provide a versatile connector protection mechanism that can be adjusted by adjusting the tightening of a set screw to be used and can be used for any type of electronic device.

Further, in the connector protection structure according to the present invention, since the above-mentioned holding force can be adjusted by the tightening torque of the screwing, an appropriate holding force can be adjusted according to a use state and a use environment of the connector protection mechanism in the electronic device. Is obtained.

Further, as the integral structure, a first plate-like member having the above-mentioned passage hole at a predetermined position and a second plate-like member which is paired with the first plate-like member are made of the same material. By adopting a structure in which the shafts are shared so as to intersect with each other, the external cable / connector is protected from external force, and the connector protection mechanism can be easily attached and detached by applying a small external force.

Then, a coil spring is wound around the shaft,
By configuring so that the return force of the spring acts on the first and second plate-shaped members to exert the above-described holding force, the connector can be reliably prevented from falling off using low-cost parts.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is an external view showing an application example of a connector protection mechanism according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an enlarged view showing an attached state of the connector protection mechanism according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the connector protection mechanism as viewed from the direction of arrow 10-10 ′ in FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is an external perspective view of only the connector protection mechanism according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the entire connector protection mechanism according to Embodiment 2 of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the entire connector protection mechanism according to Embodiment 3 of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing the appearance of the entire conventional portable personal computer.

[Explanation of symbols]

1: Portable personal computer, 3a, 3b: Connector, 4a, 4
b: Cable, 15, 43, 53: Connector through hole, 2
1, 40, 50: Connector protection mechanism, 22: Chassis L, 23: Chassis V, 24: Set screw, 25: Chassis Z, 26: Chassis X, 27: Shaft, 28: Coil spring, 31: Cylindrical part, 32, 33, 61, 62 ... end, 3
5, 41, 51: opening, 42: screw hole, 44: through hole

Claims (8)

[Claims] 1. A connector protection structure for use in an electronic device to which one or more cable connectors for connecting an external device can be connected, a first member covering a connector portion of the cable connector, and an end of the electronic device. A second member that exerts a clamping force on the portion; and a through hole through which the connector portion and the cable can pass. The first member and the second member form an integrated structure. A connector protection structure, wherein the passage hole is provided at a predetermined position of one member. 2. The integrated structure according to claim 1, wherein one end of a flexible flat plate member is rounded into a half-open cylindrical shape, and the through hole is provided at a center of a side surface of the cylindrical portion. The connector protection structure according to claim 1, wherein 3. The connector protection structure according to claim 2, wherein a leaf spring shape formed by said cylindrical portion exerts said holding force. 4. The integrated structure according to claim 1, wherein the stepped member having the passage hole at a predetermined position is combined with a flat plate member coupled to the stepped member. Connector protection structure. 5. The connector protection structure according to claim 4, wherein the step-like member and the flat plate member are screwed and connected to each other. 6. The connector protection structure according to claim 5, wherein said holding force can be adjusted by a tightening torque of said screwing. 7. The integrated structure according to claim 1, wherein the first plate member provided with the passage hole at a predetermined position and a second plate member paired with the first plate member are provided on the same shaft. 2. The connector protection structure according to claim 1, wherein the connector protection structure is a structure in which the components are shared so as to cross each other. 8. A coil spring is wound around the shaft, and a return force of the spring acts on the first and second plate-shaped members to exert the holding force. Connector protection structure.