JP2002002393A - On-vehicle electronic equipment - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To use on-vehicle electronic equipment as independent and portable equipment by installing media even in a state of separating a front panel 3 from a body 2 in the on-vehicle electronic equipment 1 for detachably installing the front panel 3 on the equipment body 2. SOLUTION: The attachable front panel 3 is provided with a memory card installing part 10, electronic circuits 40, 44 and 45 for reading out or writing in data to a memory card 11 installed in the memory card installing part 10 and a gummy secondary battery 8 for supplying source voltage to respective parts, and in a state of separating the front panel 3 from the body 2, a signal read out of the memory card 11 installed in the memory card installing part 10 can be reproduced or the signal can be written in the memory card 11 by the electronic circuits 40, 44 and 45.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a vehicle-mounted electronic device having a front panel provided with a control operation switch and a display, which is detachably attached to a main body.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, in-vehicle audio equipment (commonly referred to as "car audio") has a front panel (a part having a control operation switch and a display) detachable from a main body of the equipment in order to prevent theft. Have been. By doing so, when a person leaves the car (my car), the front panel can be removed from the main body of the device and carried to prevent theft. That is, since the in-vehicle audio device has an operation unit or the like on its front panel, removing the front panel does not use it as an audio device, and is therefore difficult to be stolen. It is detachable from the main body.

[0003]

By the way, conventionally, the front panel taken away from the main body when the user leaves the car is separated from the main body of the vehicle-mounted audio equipment, so that the front panel is not used at all. It was just a thing. However, it was a luggage that had to be carried only to prevent theft.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made to solve such a problem. In a vehicle-mounted electronic device in which a front panel having an operation switch and a display is detachably attached to a device body, It is an object of the present invention to be able to use it as an independent portable device capable of loading media and reproducing or recording information read from the media even when the front panel is separated from the device body.

[0005]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided an on-vehicle electronic device having a memory card mounting portion for mounting a memory card on a front panel detachable from the device main body, and a memory card mounting portion mounted on the memory card mounting portion. An electronic circuit for reading and reproducing data or writing and recording data to and from the memory card, and a power supply for supplying a power supply voltage to various parts in the front panel such as the electronic circuit, and in a state where the front panel is separated from the device main body, The memory card can be read or written.

Therefore, according to the first aspect of the present invention, the front panel is provided with a memory card mounting portion, an electronic circuit for reading or writing to the memory card mounted on the memory card mounting portion, and a power supply. Therefore, a memory card can be mounted on the memory card mounting portion to reproduce or record. Moreover, since the media mounted on the front panel is a memory card, the MD (mini disk),
Unlike a CD (compact disk) and a cassette tape, the drive does not require a complicated drive mechanism involving movements such as a disk rotation mechanism, a head movement mechanism, and a tape movement mechanism.

Therefore, the front panel separated from the in-vehicle electronic device body is not a piece of luggage that must be carried around simply to prevent theft, but is lightweight and portable, and enjoys music and the like when away from the car. For example, it can be an audio device or the like for recording or recording.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, the memory card mounting portion is formed such that the memory card is removably mounted in a direction in which the thickness direction of the memory card coincides with the thickness direction of the front panel. .

Therefore, according to the second aspect of the present invention, the memory card having a small thickness is mounted on the memory card mounting portion in a direction in which the thickness direction coincides with the thickness direction of the front panel. As a result, the thickness of the front panel can be considerably reduced. Accordingly, the front panel can be made thinner, and thus the weight can be further reduced, and the portability can be further improved.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, in a state where the front panel is attached to and integrated with the main body of the on-vehicle electronic device, signals and information from the main body are transmitted to the memory card mounting portion of the front panel. The electronic circuit can be stored in the mounted memory card by the electronic circuit, and / or the signals and information stored in the memory card can be transmitted to the main body through the electronic circuit.

Therefore, according to the third aspect of the present invention, when the front panel is mounted on the main body, for example, media on the main body side, for example, CD, MD, broadcast information and signals are transmitted to the front panel side. Since it can be transmitted and stored on a memory card attached to the front panel,
When the front panel is separated from the main body, information received from the main body side can be reproduced from the memory card by an electronic circuit.

Also, the signal and the information stored in the memory card can be transmitted to the main body through the electronic circuit. Therefore, when the front panel is detached from the in-vehicle electronic equipment main body, the memory can be transmitted. The information and signals stored in the card can be reproduced by the vehicle-mounted electronic device when the front panel is mounted on the vehicle-mounted electronic device body.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, the power supply in the front panel comprises a secondary battery, and the secondary battery forming the power supply when the front panel is attached to and integrated with the vehicle-mounted electronic device main body is the above-mentioned secondary battery. It is configured to be connected to a power supply circuit in the main body.

Therefore, according to the in-vehicle electronic device of the present invention, when the front panel is mounted on the in-vehicle electronic device main body, the secondary battery automatically forming a power source in the front panel is automatically mounted in the in-vehicle electronic device main body. Since the secondary battery is connected to the power supply circuit, it is naturally charged when the secondary battery is exhausted, so that no operation particularly necessary for charging is required. Therefore, when the user forgets to charge the battery and uses the front panel away from the in-vehicle electronic device main body, it is possible to eliminate the risk of the battery being dead and being unusable due to forgetting to charge.

[0015]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The vehicle-mounted electronic device of the present invention basically has a front panel detachable from the main body of the device, a memory card mounting portion and information and signals for the memory card mounted on the memory card mounting portion. And a power supply for supplying a power supply voltage to the circuit and the like. The memory card mounting portion is opened, for example, on the side surface of the front panel, and the front panel is opened through the opening. It is better to configure the memory card so that its thickness direction coincides with the thickness direction of the front panel, for example, the memory card can be removably mounted in the plane direction of the front panel. The reason for this is that the front panel can be made thinner, and thus the weight and portability can be improved.

Further, when the front panel is mounted on the vehicle-mounted electronic device main body, signals and information can be exchanged between a memory card, which is a medium mounted on the front panel, and a medium on the device main body side. It is better to do. This is because the signals and information from the media on the in-vehicle electronic device side are recorded on a memory card, which is the media on the front panel side, and the recorded information is played back when the front panel is removed. When detached, the information etc. is stored in the memory card by the electronic circuit in the front panel, and then, when the front panel is attached to the in-vehicle electronic device, the information etc. stored in the memory card is reproduced in the in-vehicle electronic device Alternatively, it is possible to record on the media in the vehicle-mounted electronic device main body.

A secondary battery is used as a power source in the front panel. The secondary battery, which forms a power source when the front panel is attached to and integrated with the vehicle-mounted electronic device main body, is connected to a power supply circuit in the device main body. It is good to be connected. This is because when the front panel is attached to and integrated with the vehicle-mounted electronic device main body, the secondary battery in the front panel can be naturally connected to the power supply circuit of the vehicle-mounted electronic device main body and charged. Note that typical examples of media on the in-vehicle electronic device main body include a tuner (radio) for receiving a broadcast, an MD recorder / player, a CD player, an audio cassette recorder / player, and the like. By the way, in the embodiment described below, a tuner, an MD recorder / player and a CD player are provided as media on the main body side, but it is not always necessary to do so, and the present invention has various aspects. obtain.

[0018]

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of a vehicle electronic device according to the present invention. FIGS. 1A and 1B show an embodiment of an in-vehicle electronic device according to the present invention. FIG. 1A shows an in-vehicle electronic device in which a front panel is integrated with an in-vehicle electronic device body. FIG. 2B is an exploded perspective view showing the vehicle-mounted electronic device in a state where the front panel is separated from the vehicle-mounted electronic device main body. In the drawings, reference numeral 1 denotes an in-vehicle electronic device, and 2 denotes a main body of the in-vehicle electronic device 1, for example, in which a tuner, a CD player, an MD record player, and the like are incorporated. 3 is a front panel of the in-vehicle electronic device,
It is detachably attached to the front of the main body 2 and includes a display 4, an operation control switch 5, and the like. 6
A terminal portion (connector) attached to the front of the vehicle-mounted electronic device main body 2 is fitted to a terminal portion on the back surface of the front panel 3 that does not appear in FIG. The circuit in the device main body 2 is electrically connected.

Reference numeral 8 denotes a power supply detachably attached to the front panel 3, and is composed of, for example, a gum-like secondary battery. 9
Is a power supply closing lid provided on the back side of the front panel 3 so as to be openable and closable. When a secondary battery which is a power supply is mounted on a power supply mounting portion which does not appear in the drawing of the front panel 3, the power supply closing cover is closed. It covers the secondary battery. As the secondary battery, for example, a nickel hydrogen battery or a lithium battery is suitable. The reason why a gum-like material is used is that the thickness of the front panel 3 need not be increased. Therefore, the gum-like secondary battery 8 is mounted on the power supply mounting portion in a direction in which the plate thickness direction coincides with the plate thickness direction of the front panel 3.

Reference numeral 10 denotes a memory card mounting portion of the front panel 3, which is opened on one side surface.
In a direction in which the thickness direction of the front panel 3 coincides with the thickness direction of the front panel 3. Reference numeral 12 denotes an earphone connection hole, in which an earphone 13 is detachably mounted. Reference numeral 14 denotes a microphone connection hole, in which a microphone 15 is detachably mounted.

FIG. 2 is a circuit block diagram schematically showing the circuit configuration of the above embodiment. First, the circuit configuration of the vehicle-mounted electronic device body 2 will be described. Reference numeral 2O denotes a control circuit, which includes a CPU (central processing circuit), a ROM (read only memory) for storing a program for controlling the CPU, a RAM (random access memory) for temporarily storing information, signals, and the like. The electronic device body 2 is controlled. An antenna 21 receives a radio broadcast or the like, and a tuner 22 demodulates a signal received by the antenna, and is controlled by the control circuit 20. The output of the tuner 22 is an audio output circuit 2
3 is transmitted. The output of the audio output circuit 23 is sent to speakers 24R and 24L,
Sound is output from 24L.

Reference numeral 25 denotes an MD record / player, which records audio on a mounted MD (mini-disc) and reproduces audio recorded on the MD. Reference numeral 26 denotes an MD record / player interface, and the control circuit 2
0 and the MD record / player 25. Reference numeral 27 denotes a CD player for playing back audio stored in a mounted CD (compact disk).
Reference numeral 28 denotes a CD player interface interposed between the CD player 27 and the control circuit 20. Reference numeral 29 denotes a power supply circuit which generates a power supply voltage to each circuit in the main body 2 and a power supply voltage to each circuit in the front panel 3 in response to a voltage from the automobile. 6 is a terminal (connector),
It is connected to the control circuit 20 and the power supply circuit 29.

The in-vehicle electronic device body 2 receives a control signal generated by operating a switch 5 on the front panel 3 at a terminal section 6 and processes the signal to control each section in the body 2. For example, the tuner 22 tunes to the radio wave of the broadcast station designated by the above operation to receive the broadcast and output sound from the speakers 24R and 24L, or a CD mounted on the CD player 27. To reproduce the recorded audio from the speakers 24R and 24L, and similarly, to reproduce the MD audio by the MD recorder / player 25 and generate the audio from the speakers 24R and 24L. can do.

Further, the MD record / player 25 can record the recorded sound of the CD reproduced by the CD player 27 or the broadcast received by the tuner 22 on the MD. In addition, tuner 2
2 or a signal reproduced by the CD player 27 or the MD recorder / player 25 can be sent to the front panel 3 through the terminal unit 6. Conversely, it receives an audio signal from the front panel 3 side, sends it to the speakers 24R, 24L through the audio output circuit 23, and
It is also possible to output a sound from the 24L or to record (record) on the MD in the MD recorder / player 25. The power supply circuit 29 receives a power supply voltage from an automobile to which the on-vehicle electronic device 1 is attached, processes the power supply voltage, and sends a necessary power supply voltage to each part in the main body 2. It is also sent to the next battery 8 so that it can be charged.

Next, the front panel 3 will be described. Reference numeral 40 denotes a control circuit in the front panel 3 which has a CPU
(Central processing circuit), ROM (read only memory), RAM (random access memory) and the like, and controls the inside of the front panel 3. Reference numeral 41 denotes a memory card interface that is interposed between the memory card 11 and the control circuit 40 and stores, for example, an audio signal from the control circuit 40 in the memory card 11, The audio signal is read and sent to the control circuit 40. Reference numeral 42 is interposed between the switch group 5 and the control circuit 20, and sends a control signal by operating the switch 5 to the control circuit 40. The control signal by operating the switch 5 includes, of course, a control signal for controlling the main body 2, but in the present example, a control signal for controlling the inside of the front panel 3. This is because it is necessary to control the front panel 3 itself in order to provide independence to the front panel 3 itself.

Reference numeral 43 denotes a display interface, which is interposed between the display 4 and the control circuit 40 and controlled by the control circuit 40 to cause the display 4 to display. A recording circuit 44 processes (amplifies, A / D converts, etc.) an audio signal from the microphone 15 connected to the microphone connection hole 12 and sends it to the control circuit 40. A reproduction circuit 45 reproduces a signal from the control circuit 40 (D / A).
(E.g., conversion, amplification, etc.), and make the earphone 13 connected to the earphone connection hole 10 emit sound. 46 is a terminal part,
When the front panel 3 is mounted on the main body 2, it is electrically connected to the terminal 6 of the main body 2, and is connected to the control circuit 40 and the battery 8. As described above, the battery 8 is formed of a secondary battery, and supplies a power supply voltage to each part in the front panel 3. Is charged by the power supply circuit 29.

The front panel 3 is a vehicle electronic device main body 2.
When the switch 5 is operated by a user, a control signal indicating the content of the operation is transmitted to the vehicle-mounted electronic device main body 2 or the inside of the front panel 3 when the switch 5 is operated by the user. In response to the control signal from 40, the necessary display is displayed on the display 4. Also, an audio signal from the main body 2 side, for example, an audio signal received by the tuner 22, the MD recorder / player 25 or C
The audio signal from the MD or CD reproduced by the D player 27 is recorded on the memory card 11, or the audio signal stored on the memory card 11 is sent to the main unit 2 to output the audio to the speakers 24 </ b> R and 24 </ b> L. Or you can.

Next, when the front panel 3 is separated from the main body 2, the audio signal stored in the memory card 11 is read out, and the reproduced signal is output to the reproducing circuit 45, and the earphone 13 outputs the audio. The sound collected by the microphone 15 is amplified by the recording circuit 44, and A
The data can be stored in the memory card 11 by performing / D conversion or the like.

Therefore, according to the on-vehicle electronic device 1, when the front panel 3 is integrated with the on-vehicle electronic device main body 2, the memory card 11 is added as a medium to a normal on-vehicle electronic device. Can increase the functions. That is, the audio signal stored in the memory card 11 is reproduced by the speakers 24R and 24L, stored in the MD by the MD recorder / player 25, or the audio signal from the main body 2 side, for example, the broadcast audio signal or the MD recorder / M from the player 25 or the CD player 27
D or the audio signal stored on the CD
1 can be recorded.

When the front panel 3 is separated from the in-vehicle electronic device main body 2, the audio signal stored in the memory card 11 is reproduced by using the secondary battery 8 as a power source and listened by the earphone 13, or the microphone is used. Fifteen
Can be recorded on the memory card 11. Therefore, the front panel 3 is not merely a piece of luggage that is carried around to prevent theft when leaving the vehicle. Instead, it is possible to enjoy music and the like as an independent electronic device, or to record a spoken idea orally. It can be used for various recordings such as recording a meeting.

A gum-like secondary battery 8 is used as a power source.
Can be mounted on the front panel 3 so that the thickness direction of each of the memory cards 11 matches the thickness direction of the front panel 3 as a medium, so that the front panel 3 can be thinned. Thus, the weight of the front panel 3 can be reduced, and portability can be improved.

[0032]

According to the first aspect of the present invention, the front panel has a memory card mounting portion, an electronic circuit for reproducing or writing the memory card mounted on the memory card, and a power supply. Is provided, a memory card can be mounted on the memory card mounting portion to perform reproduction or recording. Moreover, since the media mounted on the front panel is a memory card, the MD (mini disk),
Unlike a CD (compact disk) and a cassette tape, the drive does not require a complicated drive mechanism involving movement such as a disk rotation mechanism and a head moving mechanism.

Therefore, the front panel separated from the on-vehicle electronic device body is not a luggage that must be carried around simply to prevent theft. It can be used as equipment and the like.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, the memory card originally having a small thickness is mounted on the memory card mounting portion in a direction in which the thickness direction coincides with the thickness direction of the front panel. Therefore, the thickness of the front panel can be considerably reduced. Therefore, the front panel can be made thinner, and thus the weight can be further reduced, and the portability can be further improved.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, when the front panel is mounted on the main body, for example, media on the main body side, for example, CD, MD, broadcast information and signals are transmitted to the front panel side. Since the data can be stored in a memory card mounted on the front panel, when the front panel is separated from the main body of the apparatus, the data received from the main body can be reproduced by reproducing the data from the memory card by an electronic circuit. .

Also, since signals and information stored in the memory card can be sent to the main body through the electronic circuit, the memory can be stored when the front panel is detached from the in-vehicle electronic device main body. The information and signals stored in the card can be reproduced by the vehicle-mounted electronic device when the front panel is mounted on the vehicle-mounted electronic device body.

According to the vehicle electronic device of the present invention, when the front panel is mounted on the vehicle electronic device main body, the secondary battery which automatically forms a power source in the front panel is connected to the power supply circuit in the vehicle electronic device main body. , The battery is naturally charged when the secondary battery is exhausted, and does not require any operation particularly required for charging. Therefore, when the user forgets to charge the battery and uses the front panel away from the in-vehicle electronic device main body, it is possible to eliminate the possibility of the battery being dead and being unusable due to forgetting to charge.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIGS. 1A and 1B show an embodiment of an in-vehicle electronic device according to the present invention, in which FIG. 1A shows an in-vehicle electronic device in which a front panel is integrated with an in-vehicle electronic device body. (B) is an exploded perspective view showing the vehicle-mounted electronic device in a state where the front panel is separated from the vehicle-mounted electronic device main body.

FIG. 2 is a circuit block diagram schematically showing a circuit configuration of the embodiment.

[Explanation of symbols]

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... In-vehicle electronic device, 2 ... In-vehicle electronic device main body, 3 ... Front panel, 4 ... Display, 5 ... Switch, 8 ...
Front panel power supply (rechargeable battery), 10: memory card attachment portion, 11: memory card, 22, 25, 27: vehicle-mounted electronic device body side media, 40, 44, 45 ... electronic circuit.

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. An in-vehicle electronic device in which a front panel having a control operation switch and a display is detachably attached to a main body, wherein the front panel has a memory card mounting portion on which a memory card is mounted. And an electronic circuit for reading and reproducing data from the memory card mounted on the memory card mounting portion or writing and recording data on the memory card, and a power supply for supplying a power supply voltage to the electronic circuit and the like. In a state where the front panel is separated from the main body, the electronic circuit can read and reproduce a signal read from the memory card mounted on the memory card mounting portion or write a signal to the memory card. An in-vehicle electronic device characterized in that it can be used. 2. The memory card mounting portion is formed such that the memory card is removably mounted in a direction in which a thickness direction of the memory card coincides with a thickness direction of the front panel. The vehicle-mounted electronic device according to claim 1. 3. In a state in which the front panel is attached to the main body and integrated, signals and information from the main body are transferred to a memory card mounted on the memory card mounting portion of the front panel by the electronic circuit. The vehicle-mounted vehicle according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the signal and information stored in the memory card can be transmitted to the main body through the electronic circuit. Electronics. 4. The power supply in the front panel is composed of a secondary battery, and when the front panel is attached to and integrated with the main body, the power supply composed of the secondary battery is charged from a power supply circuit in the main body. The in-vehicle electronic device according to claim 1, 2 or 3, wherein the electronic device is provided.