JP2004336512A - Infrared interface - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an infrared interface which can be sufficiently miniaturized by making a USB port cordless. <P>SOLUTION: The infrared interface is provided with; a connector part 3 detachably attached to a data port 15 including a power supply terminal 16 provided in a computer; a light emitting part 5 which receives supply of a driving power from the power supply terminal 16 and converts a signal outputted from the data port 15 to infrared light and outputs the infrared light; and a light receiving part which receives supply of the driving power from the power supply terminal 16 and converts received infrared light to an electric signal and inputs the electric signal to the data port 15. For example, a USB connector is used as the connector part 3, and a distance allowed for transmission and reception between the light emitting part 5 and the light receiving part which receives an infrared signal outputted from the light emitting part is set to about 15 to 150 mm. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

[0001]
TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a high-speed, cordless infrared light interface using an interface such as a USB (Universal Serial Bus) interface.
[0002]
[Prior art]
2. Description of the Related Art Personal computers and workstations are provided with various interfaces for connecting to various external devices and transmitting and receiving data. Conventionally, a parallel interface, an RS234 interface, and the like have been widely used, but a high-speed, highly versatile USB interface has been used frequently. In addition to this, Bluetooth and other wireless LAN interfaces are also used, but a USB interface is most widely used as an inexpensive data transmission / reception interface. (Patent Document 1)
[0003]
[Patent Document 1]
JP-A-2002-244779
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
By the way, the conventional techniques as described above have the following problems to be solved.
The USB interface is guaranteed to have a transmission speed of about 12 Mbps to 400 Mbps, and its use range has been widened for transmitting and receiving large amounts of data and high-speed communication. However, there is a problem that a transmission / reception error is likely to occur due to a connection failure. In addition, since cables are used, there are inconveniences in carrying and handling. Further, it is difficult to provide a space for connecting a standard-size USB connector in a digital camera, a mobile phone, or various mobile computers. Therefore, a special USB connection cable using a connector having a special structure is required. The wireless LAN solves these problems, but has a problem that the interface becomes expensive.
The present invention has been made in view of the above points, and an object of the present invention is to provide an infrared light interface capable of making a USB port cordless and sufficiently miniaturizing.
[0005]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
The present invention solves the above problem by the following configuration.
<Configuration 1>
A connector portion detachably attached to a data port including a power terminal provided in the computer, and receiving supply of drive power from the power terminal, converting a signal output from the data port into infrared light An infrared light, comprising: a light emitting unit that outputs the light; and a light receiving unit that receives the supply of driving power from the power supply terminal, converts the received infrared light into an electric signal, and inputs the electric signal to the data port. interface.
[0006]
The computer may be a so-called desktop or notebook personal computer, but may be a portable and smaller mobile computer than the notebook. The light emitting unit and the light receiving unit obtain driving power through the data port including the power supply terminal. The data port may be a serial port or a parallel port. This infrared light interface is connected to an interface having an infrared light transmitting / receiving function of exactly the same structure to enable high-speed data communication between computers or between a computer and digital equipment.
[0007]
<Configuration 2>
2. The infrared light interface according to configuration 1, wherein the connector is a USB connector.
[0008]
The USB connector has a power supply function and has a sufficiently high-speed data communication capability. The interface using the USB connector, the infrared light emitting unit, and the light receiving unit can increase the communication speed more than the interface constituted by the USB connector and the cable.
[0009]
<Configuration 3>
The infrared light interface according to Configuration 1, wherein a distance that can be transmitted and received between the light emitting unit and a light receiving unit that receives an infrared light signal output from the light emitting unit is 15 mm to 150 mm. External light interface.
[0010]
By limiting the distance that can be transmitted and received to the above range, it is possible to suppress power consumption and prevent generation of various noises outside or pickup of noise from outside.
[0011]
<Configuration 4>
In the infrared light interface according to the configuration 1, the light emitting unit and the light receiving unit are embedded in an interface for data connection of a digital device, and the interface between the digital device and the infrared light interface mounted on the computer is provided. An infrared light interface characterized by being capable of transmitting and receiving data.
[0012]
For example, by embedding a light emitting unit and a light receiving unit in a digital device such as a mobile phone or a digital camera, a connector unit for detachably connecting to a USB interface of the digital device becomes unnecessary, and there is no cable. Therefore, the size of the digital device can be sufficiently reduced.
[0013]
BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described using specific examples.
FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram showing a specific example of the infrared light interface of the present invention.
FIG. 1A is a perspective view of an infrared light interface, and FIG. 1B is a perspective view as viewed from the right side. As shown in FIGS. 1A and 1B, the infrared light interface 1 includes a resin mold part 2 and a connector part 3. All necessary functions are accommodated in the resin mold part 2. FIG. 1C is a block diagram illustrating an internal circuit of the infrared light interface 1.
[0014]
The infrared interface 1 includes a light emitting unit 5, a light receiving unit 6, and a power supply 7 connected to the connector unit 3. The light emitting section 5 includes a light emitting element 11 and a driver 12. The light receiving section 6 includes a light receiving element 13 and a buffer 14. The connector unit 3 includes, for example, a USB port. Terminals 31 and 32 are connected to data port 15 of the personal computer. The terminals 33 and 34 are connected to the power terminal 16 of the personal computer. The terminal 31 receives a digital signal output from the data port 15 and supplies the digital signal to the driver 12. The driver 12 drives the light emitting element 11 using the signal, and emits infrared light.
[0015]
The light receiving element 13 receives the infrared light emitted from the infrared light interface of the other party, converts the infrared light into an electric signal, and outputs the electric signal to the terminal 32 through the buffer 14. This signal is input to the data port 15 from the terminal 32. Thus, bidirectional data transmission / reception becomes possible. When power from the computer is received from the power terminal 16, the power is supplied to the power source 7 through the terminal 33. The power supply 7 drives the driver 12, the light emitting element 11, the buffer 14, the light receiving element 13 and the like with the power.
[0016]
The infrared light interface as described above is used to connect a personal computer to various digital devices. The distance that can be transmitted and received can be selected, for example, from a distance of about 15 mm to about 150 mm. Further, the range in which transmission and reception can be performed is sufficiently limited, power consumption is suppressed, and various noises can be generated outside or noise can be prevented from being picked up from outside. Transmission / reception using infrared light enables transmission / reception at a maximum capability of a USB interface, such as a data transmission speed of 400 Mbps.
[0017]
FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing a usage example of the infrared light interface as described above.
FIG. 2A uses the infrared light interfaces 1A and 1B as described above. The personal computer includes a display 20, a main body control unit 21, and a keyboard 22. The main body control unit 21 is provided with a USB interface 23. Here, the infrared light interface 1A is mounted. On the other hand, the digital camera 25 is also provided with a similar USB interface 26. Here, the infrared light interface 1B is connected. In this state, if the light emitting elements and the light receiving elements of the infrared light interfaces 1A and 1B are arranged so as to face each other, transmission and reception can be performed.
[0018]
When the digital camera 25 is downsized, the connector shape of the USB interface 26 may be downsized. In this case, the shape of the connector of the infrared light interface 1B may be dedicated to the digital camera 25. When the infrared light interface 1B is packed as an accessory of the digital camera 25, since there is no cable, the size can be extremely reduced. In addition, there is an effect that accessories can be miniaturized without changing the design of a digital camera conventionally manufactured. Since the infrared light emitted from the light emitting element 11 has a beam spread to some extent, there is no possibility that transmission and reception cannot be performed unless the infrared light interfaces 1A and 1B are accurately faced and arranged. Since it can be set roughly to some extent, there is also an effect that the degree of freedom is large. In addition, since infrared light is required, there is no problem that unnecessary noise is generated outside the device, which causes an adverse effect.
[0019]
FIG. 2B is an example in which the present invention is applied to a mobile phone. The mobile phone 30 is also provided with an interface 31 for data connection. Here, the infrared light interface 1 as described above may be connected.
However, for example, when sufficient miniaturization is required, the infrared light interface as described above may be embedded in the bottom surface 31 of the mobile phone as shown in FIG. In this case, a connector for detachably connecting to the USB interface becomes unnecessary. That is, the light emitting element 32 and the light receiving element 33 are embedded in the bottom surface 31 of the mobile phone so that data can be transmitted and received to and from the infrared light interface 1A mounted on the personal computer shown in FIG. Just fine.
[0020]
Conventionally, a cordless interface using infrared light has been provided in a personal computer, especially a mobile computer. However, this interface is not easy to set and the data transmission / reception speed is limited. If an infrared light interface that can be externally attached as described above is used as a general-purpose USB interface, a cordless data link using infrared light can be easily performed without modifying the personal computer.
In consideration of the fact that a sufficient power supply cannot be obtained from the power supply terminal of the connection destination, a backup battery or a capacitor is connected to the power supply 7 shown in FIG. It can also be prevented.
[0021]
Further, for example, as shown in FIG. 2D, an infrared light emitting element 42 and an infrared light receiving element 43 are attached to a charger 40 of the mobile phone. The charger 40 is connected to a personal computer via a USB connector 41. This makes it possible to charge the mobile phone from the power terminal of the personal computer. This is a conventionally well-known technique. If the light emitting element 42 and the light receiving element 43 are provided at the same time, data can be transmitted and received between the mobile phone and the personal computer while charging the mobile phone.
[0022]
The charging terminal is a contact type, but the data transmission and reception is a non-contact type using infrared light. This secures the connection and reduces the possibility of data communication errors. That is, it is possible to stably transmit and receive data between the mobile phone and the personal computer while continuing charging. Further, the light emitting element 42 and the light receiving element 43 may be attached to the side surface 44 of the charger 40. In this case, the mobile phone is removed from the charger, and cordless data transmission / reception between the charger 40 and the mobile phone becomes possible.
[0023]
The above-described computer programs may be configured by combining independent program modules, or may be configured by an integrated program as a whole. All or some of the processes controlled by the computer program may be configured by hardware having equivalent functions. Further, the above-described computer program may be used by being incorporated into an existing application program. The computer program for realizing the present invention as described above can be recorded on a computer-readable recording medium such as a CD-ROM, and installed and used in an arbitrary information processing apparatus. In addition, it can be downloaded and used in the memory of any computer through a network.
[Brief description of the drawings]
1A and 1B are diagrams showing a specific example of an infrared light interface according to the present invention, wherein FIG. 1A is a perspective view, FIG. 1B is a perspective view seen from the right side, and FIG. It is a block diagram showing a circuit.
FIGS. 2A and 2B are views showing an example of use of an infrared light interface according to the present invention, wherein FIG. 2A is a perspective view showing an example of use in a personal computer and a digital camera, and FIG. FIG. 3C is a bottom view of FIG. 2B, and FIG. 2D is a perspective view of an example in which an infrared light emitting element and a light receiving element are attached to a charger of a mobile phone.
[Explanation of symbols]
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Infrared light interface 2 Resin mold part 3 Connector part 5 Light emitting part 6 Light receiving part 7 Power supply 11 Light emitting element 12 Driver 13 Light receiving element 14 Buffer 15 Data port 16 Power supply terminal

Claims (4)

A connector portion detachably attached to a data port including a power terminal provided in the computer,
A light-emitting unit that receives a supply of drive power from the power supply terminal, converts a signal output from the data port into infrared light, and outputs the infrared light.
An infrared light interface, comprising: a light receiving unit that receives supply of drive power from the power supply terminal, converts received infrared light into an electric signal, and inputs the electric signal to the data port. The infrared light interface according to claim 1,
The infrared light interface, wherein the connector is a USB connector. The infrared light interface according to claim 1,
An infrared light interface, wherein a distance that can be transmitted and received between the light emitting unit and a light receiving unit that receives an infrared light signal output from the light emitting unit is 15 mm to 150 mm. The infrared light interface according to claim 1,
The light emitting unit and the light receiving unit are embedded in a data connection interface of a digital device so that data can be transmitted and received between the digital device and an infrared light interface mounted on the computer. An infrared light interface, characterized in that:

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