JP2003203473A - Information storage device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an information storage device which can be easily attached and detached to and from a main body and in which damage by a user is prevented and connection is performed surely without exposing a connection terminal. <P>SOLUTION: The removable information storage device has a package 10 enabled to be inserted and removed by either of manual operation or automatic operation to and from a chassis 20 provided in a main body 1 of electronic equipment and incorporates a recording medium 11 storing the prescribed information. The device is connected to a connection terminal 13 being easily attachable and detachable to the main body 1 by providing a substrate 12 in the package 10, connecting the recording medium 11, and converting it electrically, while a shutter 14 opened and closed in the direction of insertion when it is inserted and removed to and from a chassis 20 in the main body 1 is arranged at the outer surface of this package 10, the shutter is provided so that when a shutter 14 is opened in the main body 1, a connection terminal 13 is exposed, it is connected electrically to the main body 1, and the prescribed information is recorded on the recording medium 11. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2003,JPO

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an information storage device.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, an information storage device has been built in an electronic device body such as a personal computer, a portable device, an in-vehicle device, a household device or the like so as to record predetermined information. Attention has been focused on a removable hard disk device which is detachably formed using a connection terminal of enhanced IDE which is an interface standard as a recording medium. This conventional information storage device has the advantage that it can be easily attached to and detached from the body of the electronic device. Figure 10
FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an embodiment of a conventional information storage device that is detachable from the main body in this way.

As shown in FIG. 10, an embodiment of a conventional information storage device is adopted in a hard disk device that can be inserted into and removed from an on-vehicle electronic device, and a chassis 60 is provided in a main body 1 of the on-vehicle electronic device. A package 50 that is arranged and inserted into and removed from the chassis 60, connection terminals 53 that are housed in the package 50 and exposed to the outside on one end side to electrically connect to the main body 1, and housed in the package 50. In addition, a hard disk recording medium 51 for recording predetermined information from the main body 1 via the connection terminal 53 is provided.

In the chassis 60, the package 50 inserted in the main body 1 is either automatically or manually operated (see FIG. 1).
When it is stored automatically, the connection portion 62 for fitting and connecting the connection terminal 53 of the package 50 is provided at the rear end of the storage. Further, the chassis 60 is provided with a transporting means 70 for holding the package 50 inserted in the main body 1 and automatically pulling in (storing) the package 50. The carrying means 70 includes a slider 72 slidably supported in the chassis 60, a motor 73 for giving a driving force, a gear train 74 for reducing the rotation of the motor 73, and a rotating force of the gear train 74. And a transfer arm 75 that slides a slider 72 that receives and holds the package 50.

A substrate 52 is provided in the package 50, and a recording medium 51 is connected to the substrate 52 to electrically convert the recording medium 51 so that the substrate 52 can be connected to a connection terminal 53 which can be easily attached to and detached from the main body 1. ing. Here, as the recording medium 51, a hard disk device built in an electronic device body such as a notebook computer is used. The connection terminal 62 is an enhanced IDE which is an interface standard for connecting to the main body 1.
The connector is provided as a unit. Therefore, this package 50 is used for the recording medium 5 housed inside.
By electrically converting 1 on the substrate 52 and connecting it to the connection terminal 53, it is formed as a removable hard disk device that can be easily inserted into and removed from the main body 1.

An embodiment of the conventional information storage device having such a structure is inserted by the user holding the package 50 shown in FIG. 10 and inserting it into the main body 1 in the vehicle compartment. The package 50 is held (retracted) in the main body 1 (chassis 60) by being held by the slider 72 of the carrying means 70. At this time, when the package 72 is held by the slider 72 in the chassis 60, the motor 73 is driven by sensing this, and the rotational force of the motor 73 is transmitted to the transfer arm 75 via the gear train 74. As a result, the transfer arm 75 rotates by receiving the rotational force from the gear train 74, and the slider 7 that holds the package 50.
2 is slid and stored in the main body 1 (chassis 60).
Then, in the package 50, the connection terminal 53 is fitted into the connection portion 62 at the rear end of the chassis 60, and the information from the main body 1 can be recorded in the recording medium 51.

As described above, the conventional information storage device has the package 50 containing the recording medium (hard disk) 51.
Since a connection terminal 53 is provided at one end of the main body 1 and is electrically connected by inserting the main body 1 into the main body 1, the user can easily attach / detach it either automatically or manually. The recording medium is replaced so that the main body 1 can freely record information.

[0008]

However, in the conventional information storage device, as shown in FIG. 10, the connection terminal 53 is exposed at one end of the package 50, so that the user can easily touch it. Therefore, there is a possibility that the connection terminal 53 may be soiled or that the circuit formed on the internal substrate 52 may be damaged by static electricity. Further, in the conventional information storage device, as shown in FIG.
The connecting terminal 53 extends widely to one end side of the chassis 0 and the chassis 6
Since the connection portion 62 provided in 0 is fitted with a certain terminal pressure, a predetermined load is applied to the connection terminal 53 and the connection portion 62, which lacks in durability, and in particular, is automatically pulled in as shown in FIG. In the mechanism (structure), the connection terminal 53
There is a problem that the drive system is likely to be damaged and sufficient durability cannot be ensured unless the terminal pressure between the connection portion 62 and the connection portion 62 is suppressed. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to solve such a problem, and to provide an information storage device which can be easily attached to and detached from a main body, can prevent damage to a user before the connection terminal is exposed, and can be surely connected.

[0009]

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the present invention provides a chassis provided in the body of an electronic device with a package that can be inserted or removed either manually or automatically. An information storage device for a removable medium having a built-in recording medium for storing therein, which is provided with a substrate in a package to connect the recording medium and electrically convert it to connect to a connection terminal that is easily removable from the main body. A shutter that opens and closes in the insertion direction along with the operation of inserting and removing the chassis in the main body is provided on the outer surface of this package, and when the shutter is opened in the main body, the connection terminals are exposed and electrically connected to the main body. The recording medium is provided so that the recording medium can record predetermined information.

Here, in the package, the connection terminal and the recording medium are arranged and mounted on the upper surface of the substrate provided inside, or the connection terminal and the recording medium are arranged and mounted on the upper surface of the substrate, respectively. It is preferably formed by
Further, the chassis in the main body is provided with a connecting portion for electrically connecting the package to the main body by urging an elastic body from above to contact the connection terminal exposed by opening the shutter by inserting the package. It is preferable. Further, it is preferable that the package is provided with guide rails projecting to both sides in the chassis, and is provided with a groove that fits on the guide rails and slidably supports both sides in the insertion direction and conveys in a certain direction. In addition, the package is locked so that the shutter does not open when it is pulled out from the main body.
It is preferable to further provide a lock member that releases the lock by being inserted into the main body. Further, it is preferable that the shutter is provided so as to be opened and closed within a range from the front end in the insertion direction of the package to ½ of the total length. Further, it is preferable that the connection terminal is provided as a unit of a connector using enhanced IDE which is a standard of an interface for connecting to the main body. Further, it is preferable that the main body of the electronic device is an electronic device main body such as a personal computer, a portable device, a vehicle-mounted device, and a household device.

[0011]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Next, an embodiment of an information storage device according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an embodiment of an information storage device according to the present invention. Further, FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a structure inside the chassis 20 shown in FIG. In addition, FIG. 3 shows A- shown in FIG.
It is a figure which shows the cross section of the A line. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing another embodiment of the package 10 shown in FIG. Further, FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a cross section taken along the line C-C shown in FIG. 4. Further, FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an external appearance of the package 10 shown in FIG. Further, FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a state viewed from the arrow B shown in FIG. Further, FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an opening / closing operation of the shutter 14 shown in FIG.
Shows a state before being inserted into the chassis 20, and FIG. 8B shows a state after being inserted into the chassis 20. 9 shows the package 10 shown in FIG.
9A and 9B are diagrams showing the operation of inserting into 0, FIG. 9A shows a state before insertion, FIG. 9B shows a state during insertion, and FIG. 9C shows a state after insertion. Shows.

As shown in FIG. 1, one embodiment of the information storage device according to the present invention is adopted in a hard disk device which can be inserted into and removed from an in-vehicle electronic device, as in the prior art shown in FIG. Chassis 2 in the body 1 of the on-vehicle electronic device
A package 10 in which 0 is arranged and is inserted into and removed from the chassis 20 and a recording medium 11 of a hard disk which is housed in the package 10 and stores predetermined information from the main body 1 are provided. Further, in the present embodiment, unlike the conventional technique shown in FIG. 10, a shutter 14 that opens and closes in the insertion direction when the chassis 20 in the main body 1 is inserted and removed is provided on the outer surface of the package 10. The connection terminal 13 exposed from the inside of the package 10 by opening and closing the shutter 14 is provided. The connection terminal 13 is provided on the substrate 1 in the package 10.
2 is provided, and the recording medium 11 is connected and electrically converted, so that the recording medium 11 can be easily attached to and detached from the main body 1. Therefore, an embodiment of the information storage device according to the present invention differs from the prior art in that the shutter 14 is provided on the outer surface of the package 10.
Is arranged and opened at the time of insertion into the main body 1 to expose the connection terminals 13 and connect them.

Here, the chassis 20 accommodates the package 10 inserted into the main body 1 either automatically or manually (automatically in FIG. 1), and contacts the connection terminal 13 of the package 10 at its rear end. A connecting portion 22 is provided for connection. As shown in FIG. 2, the connecting portion 22 is urged by an elastic body 22a from above to come into contact with the connecting terminal 13 (see FIG. 1) in which the package 10 is inserted and the shutter 14 is opened and exposed. The main body 1 (see FIG. 1) and the package 10 are provided so as to be electrically connected.

Further, the chassis 20 is provided with a conveying means 30 for holding the package 10 to be inserted into the main body 1 shown in FIG. 1 and automatically withdrawing (storing) the same as in the prior art. . The transport means 30 includes a chassis 20.
A slider 32 that is slidably supported in the motor 33 that applies a driving force, a gear train 34 that reduces the rotation of the motor 33, and a slider that holds the package 10 by receiving the torque of the gear train 34. And a transfer arm 35 that slides 32. Here, the slider 32 has protrusions 3 protruding inward from both sides in the insertion direction of the package 10.
A pair of 2a is provided, and the convex portion 32a is engaged with the package 10 and pulled (retracted).
In addition, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the chassis 20 is provided with a protrusion 20 a extending from the upper portion of the package 10. When the package 10 is inserted, the protrusion 20 a is provided.
2a is formed in a structure in which the shutter 14 shown in FIG.

Further, as shown in FIG. 1, the package 10 has concave portions 10b on both side surfaces on which the shutter 14 is provided.
Are provided in a pair, and the protrusion 32 of the slider 32 described above is provided.
It is formed so that it can be engaged and pulled as shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 1, the package 10 mounts the above-described recording medium 11 and the connection terminal 13 on the internal substrate 12 so that the predetermined information in the main body 1 can be recorded via the connection terminal 13. 11 is formed so that it can be recorded. Here, as the recording medium 11, a 2.5-inch hard disk device built in an electronic device body such as a notebook computer can be used. Also, the connection terminal 13 is
A connector using enhanced IDE, which is an interface standard for connecting to the main body 1, is provided as a unit. Therefore, the package 10 is formed as a removable hard disk device that can be easily inserted into and removed from the main body 1 by electrically converting the recording medium 11 housed inside the substrate 12 and connecting it to the connection terminal 13. There is.

As shown in FIG. 3, in the package 10, the recording medium 11 and the connection terminal 13 are arranged and connected on the upper surface of one side of the substrate 12, and in this case, the recording medium 11 and the connection terminal 13 are connected. Circuit part for converting terminals between (not shown)
Is provided, the total length D shown in FIG. 3 becomes long. Therefore, the package is not limited to arranging the recording medium and the connection terminal on the upper surface of one side of the substrate. For example, as shown in FIG.
It is also possible to dispose the recording medium 3 on the lower surface and the recording medium 41 on the lower surface. In such a package 40, the connection terminals 43
5 is mounted on the substrate 42 and arranged on the shutter 44 side, and as shown in FIG. 5, the recording medium 41 is connected to the other end side of the substrate 42 facing the shutter 44 side, and the recording medium 41 is arranged on the back side of the substrate 42. 41 are arranged. In another embodiment of the package thus formed, it is possible to provide the total length E (see FIG. 5) shorter than that of the package shown in FIG. Therefore, when such a package 40 is used, the chassis 20 and the main body 1 shown in FIG. 1 can be sufficiently miniaturized.

Referring again to FIG. 1, the package 10 is
Different from the prior art, the guide rails 24 protruding to both sides in the chassis 20 are provided, and the guide rails 24 are fitted with the guide rails 24 so as to slidably support both sides in the insertion direction and to form the groove 10a for safe conveyance in a certain direction. It is provided. Here, the groove 10a
As shown in FIG. 6, is formed closer to either the lower side or the upper side (closer to the lower side in FIG. 6) of the side face center of the package 10. Therefore, the package 10 is shown in FIG.
As shown in FIG. 10, the groove 10a and the guide rail 24 can prevent the upper and lower surfaces from being inserted upside down, and the chassis 20
It is possible to guide the connection terminal 13 and the connection portion 22 (see FIG. 1) to be surely connected by suppressing the rattling inside and the positional deviation of the terminal.

As described above, the package 10 is provided with the shutter 14 at the front end to be inserted into the chassis 20, and the shutter 14 is formed so as to be opened only when the shutter 14 is inserted into the chassis 20. ing. More specifically, as shown in FIG. 8, the urging member 1 for urging the shutter 14 in the closing direction is provided in the package 10.
5 and a lock member 16 that locks the shutter 14 biased by the biasing member 15 in the closed state. The lock member 16 is rotatably supported in the package 10, and one end of the lock member 16 is provided in the groove 1 of the package 10.
0a, and the other end is urged to engage and lock the shutter 14. This shutter 1
As shown in FIG. 8A, No. 4 has a protrusion 14 a that engages with the lock member 16, and when not inserted into the chassis 20, the protrusion 14 a engages with the lock member 16. It is locked so that it cannot be opened. Also, the lock member 1
6, when the package 10 is inserted into the chassis 20,
One end of the guide rail 2 is formed in the groove 10a shown in FIG.
When the shutter 14 is rotated, the shutter 14 is released from the locked state. As a result, the package 10 has the protrusions 2 in the chassis 20 shown in FIG.
0a can open the shutter 14 to expose the connection terminal 13 as shown in FIG. 8 (b). Here, when the shutter 14 is provided in the package 10, as shown in FIG. 6, the shutter 14 does not protrude rearward, that is, within the range F from the front end in the insertion direction to ½ of the total length D. The shutter 14 can be freely provided by setting the arrangement position of the connection terminal 13 within this range F.

In one embodiment of the information storage device according to the present invention thus formed, the carrier 10 is carried by the user gripping the package 10 shown in FIG. 1 in the passenger compartment and inserting it into the main body 1. The package 10 is driven to be housed in the chassis 20. At this time, in the chassis 20, the slider 3
The two convex portions 32a are engaged and held in the concave portions 10b on both sides of the package 10, and the motor 33 is driven by detecting this and the rotational force of the motor 33 is transmitted to the transfer arm 35 via the gear train 34. To be done. As a result, the transfer arm 35 is rotated by receiving the rotational force from the gear train 34, and the slider 32 holding the package 10 is slid and accommodated in the main body 1 (chassis 20). And package 1
As shown in FIG. 9A, 0 is inserted into the chassis 20 with the shutter 14 closed, and the lock member 16 that locks the shutter 14 in the closed state is unlocked by the guide rail 24 (see FIG. 8). afterwards,
As shown in FIG. 9B, the package 10 slides so that the shutter 14 abuts on the protrusion 20 a in the chassis 20 and opens so that the connection terminal 13 mounted on the substrate 12 is exposed. Further, the package 10 is stored up to the rear end of the chassis 20 by the transporting means 30 (see FIG. 1), and
As shown in (c), the connection terminal 13 is electrically connected by the elastic body 22a of the connection portion 22 provided on the upper rear end of the chassis 20. As a result, the package 10 can connect the recording medium 11 incorporated therein to the main body 1 (see FIG. 1), and the predetermined information can be recorded on the recording medium 11 from the main body 1.

As described above, according to one embodiment of the information storage device of the present invention, the package 14 is provided with the shutter 14 to prevent the connection terminal 13 from being exposed to the outside of the package 10. Easy contact terminal 13
It is possible to suppress the contact with, and it is possible to surely prevent the connection terminal 13 from being soiled and the circuit formed on the substrate 12 from being damaged by static electricity. In addition, according to an embodiment of the information storage device of the present invention, as shown in FIG.
Since the structure is such that the elastic body 22a of the connecting portion 22 provided in the upper part of 0 connects to the connecting terminal 13, the load and the terminal pressure applied when connecting the connecting terminal 13 and the connecting portion 22 can be reduced, and a high operating force can be obtained. The connection terminal 1 is not necessary, and in particular, even if it is a mechanism (structure) for automatically retracting it by the conveying means 30.
3 and the connecting portion 22 can be securely connected to each other without any damage.

Although the embodiments of the information storage device according to the present invention have been described above in detail, the present invention is not limited to the above-mentioned embodiments and can be modified within the scope of the invention. For example, the embodiment of the information storage device adopted in the hard disk device that is attached to and detached from the vehicle-mounted electronic device has been described, but the embodiment is not limited to this, and the information storage device is attached to and detached from an electronic device such as a personal computer, a portable device, and a household device. A removable hard disk device may be used.

[0022]

As described above, according to the information storage device of the present invention, it can be easily attached to and detached from the main body, the connection terminal is not exposed, and damage by the user can be prevented and the connection can be surely made. .

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an embodiment of an information storage device according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a structure inside the chassis shown in FIG.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a cross section taken along line AA shown in FIG.

FIG. 4 is a view showing another embodiment of the package shown in FIG.

5 is a view showing a cross section taken along the line CC shown in FIG.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an appearance of the package shown in FIG.

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a state viewed from an arrow B shown in FIG.

FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an opening / closing operation of the shutter shown in FIG.

9 is a diagram showing an operation of inserting the package shown in FIG. 1 into a chassis.

FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an embodiment of a conventional information storage device.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 body 10 packages 10a groove 10b recess 11 recording media 12 substrates 13 connection terminals 14 Shutter 14a protrusion 15 Biasing member 16 Lock member 20 chassis 20a protrusion 22 Connection 22a Elastic body 24 Guide rail

Claims (8)

[Claims] 1. A removable information storage device having a recording medium for storing predetermined information, the package having a package that can be manually or automatically inserted into and removed from a chassis provided in a main body of an electronic device, A substrate is provided in the package to connect the recording medium and electrically convert it to connect to a connection terminal that can be easily attached to and detached from the main body. A shutter that opens and closes in the insertion direction according to the operation is provided, and when the shutter is opened in the main body, the connection terminal is exposed and electrically connected to the main body so that the recording medium stores predetermined information. An information storage device, which is provided so as to be recordable. 2. The information storage device according to claim 1, wherein the package has the connection terminal and the recording medium arranged and mounted on an upper surface of the substrate provided inside, or on the upper surface of the substrate. An information storage device, wherein the connection terminal is formed by arranging and mounting each of the recording media on a lower surface. 3. The information storage device according to claim 1, wherein the chassis in the main body is provided with an elastic body from above to the connection terminal exposed when a shutter is opened by inserting the package. An information storage device, comprising: a connection portion for electrically connecting the package to the main body by urging and contacting the main body. 4. The information storage device according to claim 1, wherein the package is provided with guide rails protruding to both sides inside the chassis, and is fitted to the guide rails so that both sides in the insertion direction are fitted. An information storage device, comprising a groove slidably supported and conveyed in a predetermined direction. 5. The information storage device according to claim 1, wherein the package is locked so that the shutter does not open when the package is extracted from the main body, and the package is inserted into the main body. An information storage device, further comprising a lock member for releasing the lock. 6. The information storage device according to claim 1, wherein the shutter is provided so as to be opened and closed within a range from a leading end in the insertion direction of the package to ½ of the entire length. A characteristic information storage device. 7. The information storage device according to claim 1, wherein the connection terminal is provided as a unitized connector using enhanced IDE, which is a standard of an interface for connecting to the main body. A characteristic information storage device. 8. The information storage device according to claim 1, wherein the main body of the electronic device is a main body of an electronic device such as a personal computer, a portable device, an in-vehicle device, and a household device. A characteristic information storage device.