JP2006024498A - Electronic equipment - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an electronic equipment in which a cable is hard to come off even if a first electronic equipment and a second electronic equipment move relatively in the case of connecting the first electronic equipment and the second electronic equipment which are coupled relatively movably by the cable having an L-shaped connecting terminal. <P>SOLUTION: This electronic equipment is provided with the cable having the L-shaped connecting terminal at one end part, the first electronic equipment having a connector which the L-shaped connecting terminal is fitted into, the second electronic equipment to which the other end of the cable is connected and which is coupled to the first electronic equipment relatively movably, and a regulating means to regulate a relative rotation of the L-shaped connecting terminal and the connector so that the one end part will be extended in such a direction as to cause twist at the one end by that bending as the first electronic equipment and the second electronic equipment move relatively and the cable is bent in such a direction that fitting of the L-shaped connecting terminal and the connector will come off. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to an electronic device.

  An electronic device in which a first electronic device and a second electronic device are connected so as to be relatively movable is known. Specifically, for example, on a so-called multifunction machine in which an image scanner as a second electronic device is swingably connected on a printer as a first electronic device, or on an image scanner as a first electronic device. There is an image reading apparatus in which an auto document feeder (ADF) as a second electronic device is connected so as to be swingable.

  When connecting a 1st electronic device and a 2nd electronic device so that relative movement is possible, a connector is provided in a 1st electronic device and the L-shape is formed in the end part (one end part) of the cable extended from a 2nd electronic device. There are cases where the first electronic device and the second electronic device are electrically connected by providing a connection terminal and fitting the L-shaped connection terminal to the connector of the first electronic device.

  When connecting a 1st electronic device and a 2nd electronic device with the cable which has an L-shaped connection terminal, the one end part in which the L-shaped connection terminal is provided is connected to the 2nd electronic device In many cases, the relative rotation between the L-shaped connection terminal and the connector is restricted so as to extend toward the end (other end) of the connector. However, when the cable extends toward the other end, the cable is bent along with the relative movement between the first electronic device and the second electronic device, so that the L-shaped connection terminal is fitted to the connector. In some cases, the force in the direction of the detachment acts repeatedly, and the L-shaped connection terminal comes off.

  FIG. 11A is a schematic diagram showing the back surface of a conventional electronic device 70, and is a schematic diagram when the second electronic device 72 is not swinging. FIG. 11B is a schematic view of the electronic device 70 viewed from the Y direction shown in FIG. 11A, and is a schematic view when the second electronic device 72 is swung. An L-shaped connecting terminal 74 is provided at one end 73 a of the cable 73, and the L-shaped connecting terminal 74 is fitted to a connector provided in the first electronic device 71. As shown in FIG. 11A, the other end 73b of the cable 73 is connected to the second electronic device 72, and the one end 73a extends toward the other end 73b. In this case, when the second electronic device 72 is swung, the cable 73 may be bent in the X direction in the drawing as shown in FIG. Here, the X direction is a direction in which the L-shaped connection terminal 74 and the connector are unfitted. When the cable 73 bends in the X direction, a force in the X direction, that is, a force in the direction of disengagement from the connector, acts on one end due to the bending, and thereby a force in the X direction acts on the L-shaped connection terminal 74. However, the L-shaped connection terminal 74 may come off the connector due to repeated swinging.

  The present invention has been created to solve the above-described problem, and connects a first electronic device and a second electronic device that are connected so as to be relatively movable with a cable having an L-shaped connection terminal. In some cases, it is an object of the present invention to provide an electronic device in which the cable is not easily disconnected even when the first electronic device and the second electronic device are relatively moved.

  In order to achieve the above object, an electronic device according to the present invention includes a cable having an L-shaped connection terminal at one end, a first electronic device having a connector into which the L-shaped connection terminal is fitted, A second electronic device connected to the other end of the cable and connected to the first electronic device so as to be relatively movable, and the first electronic device and the second electronic device are relatively moved to move the second electronic device. The L-shaped connection terminal and the connector such that when the cable is bent in a direction in which the L-shaped connection terminal and the connector are disengaged, the one end extends in a direction in which the one end is twisted due to the bending. And a restricting means for restricting relative rotation with respect to. According to this electronic device, even if the cable bends in a direction in which the L-shaped connection terminal and the connector are unfitted, the bending acts as a force for twisting one end, and the L-shaped connection terminal is fitted to the connector. It is difficult for the force in the direction to come off. Therefore, even if the first electronic device and the second electronic device move relative to each other, the cable is unlikely to come off.

  Furthermore, in the electronic device according to the present invention, when the first electronic device and the second electronic device move relative to each other when viewed from a direction perpendicular to the surface on which the connector is provided, the other end is vertical. The one end extends in a horizontal direction from the connector. When the other end moves on the vertical line when viewed from the direction perpendicular to the surface on which the connector is provided, if one end extends in the horizontal direction from the connector, the bending of the cable acts as a twisting force on the one end. Therefore, the cable is difficult to disconnect.

Furthermore, in the electronic device according to the present invention, the second electronic device is swingably connected to the first electronic device.
Furthermore, in the electronic device according to the present invention, the restricting means protrudes from the first electronic device, and when the L-shaped connection terminal is fitted into the connector, the restricting means comes into contact with the L-shaped connection terminal or the cable. The relative rotation between the L-shaped connection terminal and the connector is restricted. According to this electronic apparatus, even if the L-shaped connection terminal and the connector are relatively rotatable, the relative rotation between the L-shaped connection terminal and the connector can be prevented.

Furthermore, in the electronic device according to the present invention, the restricting means is a rib surrounding the periphery of the L-shaped connection terminal. According to this electronic device, even if the second electronic device moves relatively and a twisting force acts on one end of the cable, the L-shaped connection terminal can be prevented from being swung in the circumferential direction of the cable. It becomes harder to come off.
Further, in the electronic device according to the present invention, the first electronic device is an image reading device that reads a document and outputs a digital image, and the second electronic device sequentially supplies a plurality of documents to the image reading device. Auto document feeder.

Hereinafter, the best mode for carrying out the present invention will be described based on examples.
FIG. 2 is a front view of the multifunction device 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 3 is a side view of the multifunction device 1. The multifunction device 1 includes an image reading device 10 as a first electronic device and a laser printer 11, and the image reading device 10 is connected to the laser printer 11 by a support 12 so as to be swingable. An auto document feeder (ADF) 13 as a second electronic device is connected to the image reading apparatus 10 so as to be relatively movable. Specifically, the ADF 13 is swingably connected to the image reading apparatus 10 by a hinge. The image reading device 10 and the ADF 13 constitute an electronic device described in the claims.

  The ADF 13 transports a document cover 14, a first document table 15 for placing a plurality of documents to be read at once, and a document placed on the first document table 15 one by one. It has a mechanism. The document cover 14 is connected to the image reading apparatus 10 so as to be swingable from a posture in which the surface of the second document table 45 (see FIG. 4) is opened by a hinge to a posture in which the surface of the second document table 45 is covered. The document cover 14 holds the document placed on the second document table 45 and covers the second document table 45 so that light other than the light emitted from the light source 33 (see FIG. 4) does not illuminate the document. It is. The transport mechanism includes a roller 46 (see FIG. 4) for transporting a document, a motor that rotates the roller 46, and the like, and is electrically connected to the image reading apparatus 10 by a cable described later.

  FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram of the image reading apparatus 10, and FIG. 5 is a block diagram illustrating a hardware configuration of the image reading apparatus 10. The image reading apparatus 10 includes a linear image sensor 30, an optical system 32 (see FIG. 5), a main scanning drive unit 36 (see FIG. 5), a sub-scanning drive unit 37 (see FIG. 5), and an AFE (Analog Front End) unit 41. (See FIG. 5), a digital image processing unit 42 (see FIG. 5), a control unit 56 (see FIG. 5), and the like.

  The optical system 32 (see FIG. 5) includes a light source 33, a mirror 34, a lens 35, and the like, and is mounted on the carriage 31. The light source 33 includes a tube illumination device such as a fluorescent tube lamp, and irradiates the vicinity of the scanning line of the original M. The mirror 34 and the lens 35 cause the linear image sensor 30 to form a reflected light image on the scanning line of the original M irradiated to the light source 33. Note that the position of the light source 33 may be changed so that a transmitted light image of the document is formed on the linear image sensor 30.

The linear image sensor 30 is mounted on the carriage 31 in such a manner that the light receiving elements of RGB colors are arranged in a straight line in the direction perpendicular to the paper surface in FIG. The linear image sensor 30 scans the optical image on the scanning line formed by the optical system 32 and outputs an electrical signal correlated with the density of the optical image.
The main scanning drive unit 36 (see FIG. 5) is a drive circuit that outputs drive pulses necessary for driving the linear image sensor 30 to the linear image sensor 30. The main scanning drive unit 36 includes, for example, a synchronization signal generator, a driving timing generator, and the like.

  The sub-scanning drive unit 37 (see FIG. 5) includes a sliding shaft 38 that is installed perpendicularly to the longitudinal axis of the scanning line and slidably holds the carriage 31, a carriage motor 39, a driving belt 40, a driving circuit, and the like. ing. When reading a document placed on the second document table 45, the carriage motor 39 pulls the carriage 31 with the drive belt 40, so that the linear image sensor 30 and the document M are in a direction W (sub-scanning) perpendicular to the scanning line. 2D image can be scanned. When reading a document placed on the first document table 15, the sub-scanning drive unit 37 moves the carriage 31 to a position indicated by a broken line in FIG. 4. Since the linear image sensor 30 and the document N move relative to each other when the control unit 56 controls the transport mechanism to transport the document N, a two-dimensional image can be scanned.

  The AFE unit 41 (see FIG. 5) includes an analog signal processing unit, an A / D converter, and the like. The analog signal processing unit subjects the electric signal output from the linear image sensor 30 to analog signal processing such as amplification and noise reduction processing, and outputs the result. The A / D converter quantizes the electrical signal output from the analog signal processing unit into an output signal in a digital representation having a predetermined bit length, and outputs the quantized output signal.

  The digital image processing unit 42 (see FIG. 5) performs processes such as gamma correction, interpolation of defective pixels by the pixel interpolation method, shading correction, and sharpening of the image signal on the output signal output from the AFE unit 41. Create a digital image. The various processes performed by the digital image processing unit 42 may be replaced with processes by a computer program executed by the control unit 56.

  The control unit 56 (see FIG. 5) includes a CPU 57, a ROM 58, and a RAM 59. The CPU 57 executes computer programs stored in the ROM 58 and controls each unit of the multifunction machine 1. The ROM 58 is a memory that stores a program for causing the CPU 57 to execute processing for controlling each unit, various data, and the like, and the RAM 59 is a memory that temporarily stores a program, various data, and the like. The control unit 56 functions as both the image reading device 10 and the laser printer 11.

Next, the L-shaped connection terminal and the connector will be described.
FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the vicinity of one end of the L-shaped connection terminal. A plug 61 as an L-shaped connection terminal is provided at one end 60 a of the cable 60. The plug 61 has a base portion 61a connected to the main body of the cable 60 and a connection portion 61b that protrudes vertically from the base portion 61a in a cylindrical shape.

  FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing the periphery of the connector 62 provided in the image reading apparatus 10. The connector 62 is formed in a shape capable of fitting the connection portion 61b. Around the connector 62, a rib 63 is formed as a restricting means. The rib 63 protrudes in a curved wall shape as shown. The inner peripheral shape of the rib 63 is formed in a shape that substantially matches the outer peripheral shape of the base portion 61 a of the plug 61. The rib 63 of this embodiment is not closed in an annular shape so as not to obstruct the extension of the cable 60, but is opened at a position corresponding to the direction in which the cable 60 is extended. In this embodiment, the rib 63 is open so that the cable 60 can be extended in the horizontal direction.

  FIG. 8 is a perspective view showing the plug 61 fitted to the connector 62. When the plug 61 is fitted to the connector 62, the periphery thereof is surrounded by the rib 63, so that the relative rotation with the connector 62 is restricted by contacting the rib 63. As a result, the one end 60a always extends in the horizontal direction.

Next, connection of the cable 60 will be described.
FIG. 1A is a rear view of the electronic apparatus when the ADF 13 is not swinging with respect to the image reading apparatus 10, and FIG. 1B is a side view seen from the Y direction shown in FIG. It is. The other end 60b is connected to the transport mechanism inside the ADF 13. The other end 60b may be provided with a plug, and the other end 60b may be detachably connected to the ADF 13 by fitting the plug to a connector provided on the ADF 13. As shown in FIG. 1A, in the present embodiment, the other end 60b is connected at a position shifted to the left side of the page, not directly above the connector 62. When the image reading apparatus 10 is not swinging with respect to the laser printer 11, the cable 60 is hardly bent in the X direction as shown in FIG. Here, the X direction is a direction perpendicular to the wall where the connector 62 is provided, and is a direction in which the plug 61 and the connector 62 are disengaged.

Next, the force that acts on the one end 60a when the cable 60 is bent will be described.
FIG. 9 is a rear view of the electronic apparatus when the ADF 13 is swung with respect to the image reading apparatus 10, and FIG. 10 is a side view as seen from the Y direction shown in FIG. When the user swings the ADF 13 from the posture shown in FIG. 1 (A) to the posture shown in FIG. 9 in order to place the original on the second platen 45, a connector 62 is provided as shown in FIG. When viewed from the direction perpendicular to the surface, the other end 60 b of the cable 60 moves on the vertical line 48. At this time, the cable 60 bends in the X direction as shown in FIG. When the other end portion 60b moves on the vertical line 48 and the cable 60 bends in the X direction, if the one end portion 60a extends in the horizontal direction along the wall surface, the bending is X with respect to the one end portion 60a. It does not act as a force in the direction, that is, it does not act as a force in a direction in which the connector 62 is disengaged, but acts as a force for twisting the one end 60a. As a result, the one end 60a is twisted. Here, the Z direction shown in FIGS. 9 and 10 indicates the direction of the force for twisting the one end portion 60a.

  According to the electronic apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention described above, even if the cable 60 bends in the direction in which the plug 61 and the connector 62 are disengaged, the bending acts as a force for twisting the one end 60a. The twisting force is unlikely to act as a force in the direction in which the plug 62 is disengaged from the connector 62. Therefore, even if the ADF 13 is repeatedly swung with respect to the image reading device 10, the cable 60 is not easily disconnected.

  Although the force to twist the cable 60 does not easily act as a force to disengage the connector 62, the plug 61 is difficult to come off. However, if the twisting force is repeatedly applied, the plug 61 may be detached from the connector 62. Specifically, the twisting force acts as a force that swings the plug 61 in the circumferential direction of the cable 60. If there is no rib 63, when the image reader 10 is repeatedly swung, a force in the Z direction and a force in the anti-Z direction act alternately on the plug 61, so that the plug 61 swings in the circumferential direction of the cable 60. As a result, the plug 61 is gradually detached from the connector 62. When the rib 63 is provided, even if a twisting force is applied, the plug 61 is brought into contact with the rib 63 so that the swinging is restricted. Therefore, when the rib 63 is provided, the plug 61 is more difficult to be detached from the connector 62.

  In this embodiment, the relative rotation between the plug 61 and the connector 62 is restricted by the rib 63. However, for example, the plug 61 is formed in a prismatic shape and the connector 62 is formed in a square hole shape. The connector 62 may be regulated by forming it in a shape that cannot be relatively rotated. Alternatively, the two protrusions may be protruded in a bar shape, and the relative rotation between the plug 61 and the connector 62 may be restricted by sandwiching the one end portion 60a of the cable 60 with the two protrusions protruding in the bar shape. When regulated by the rib 63, the plug 61 is formed in a columnar shape and the connector 62 is formed in a circular hole shape. Therefore, even if the plug 61 and the connector 62 can be rotated relative to each other, the relative rotation of both can be prevented. The plug 61 can also be prevented from swinging in the circumferential direction of the cable 60.

In the present embodiment, the case where the ADF 13 is connected to the image reading apparatus 10 so as to be swingable has been described as an example. However, for example, the ADF 13 may be connected to the image reading apparatus 10 so as to move vertically.
Further, in this embodiment, the case where the other end 60b moves on the vertical line 48 when viewed from the direction perpendicular to the surface on which the connector 62 is provided has been described as an example, but the direction in which the other end 60b moves. May be set arbitrarily. In the present embodiment, the case where the one end portion 60a extends in the horizontal direction has been described as an example. However, the end portion 60a is not necessarily in the horizontal direction, and the cable is bent in a direction in which the plug 61 and the connector 62 are disengaged. Any direction may be used as long as the twist occurs in the direction.

  In the present embodiment, the ADF 13 and the image reading device 10 are described as examples of the first electronic device and the second electronic device. For example, the first electronic device is the image reading device 10 and the second electronic device is a laser. The printer 11 may be used.

(A) is a rear view of the electronic device which concerns on one Example of this invention, (B) is the side view. 1 is a front view of a multifunction machine including an electronic device according to an embodiment of the present invention. 1 is a side view of a multifunction machine including an electronic device according to an embodiment of the present invention. The schematic diagram of the 1st electronic equipment concerning one example of the present invention. The block diagram of the 1st electronic device which concerns on one Example of this invention. The perspective view of the L-shaped connecting terminal concerning one example of the present invention. The perspective view which shows the connector periphery which concerns on one Example of this invention. The perspective view which shows the L-shaped connection terminal which concerns on one Example of this invention. The rear view of the electronic device which concerns on one Example of this invention. The side view of the electronic device which concerns on one Example of this invention. The schematic diagram which shows disconnection of the L-shaped connection terminal in the conventional electronic device.

Explanation of symbols

10 image reading device (first electronic device), 13 auto document feeder (second electronic device), 61 plug (L-shaped connection terminal), 62 connector, 63 rib (regulating means)

Claims (6)

A cable having an L-shaped connection terminal at one end;
A first electronic device having a connector to which the L-shaped connection terminal is fitted;
A second electronic device connected to the other end of the cable and connected to the first electronic device so as to be relatively movable;
When the first electronic device and the second electronic device are moved relative to each other and the cable is bent in a direction in which the L-shaped connection terminal and the connector are disengaged, the one end is twisted due to the bending. A restricting means for restricting relative rotation between the L-shaped connection terminal and the connector so that the one end extends in the direction in which it occurs,
An electronic device comprising: When viewed from a direction perpendicular to the surface on which the connector is provided, when the first electronic device and the second electronic device move relative to each other, the other end moves on a vertical line,
The electronic apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the one end portion extends in a horizontal direction from the connector.   The electronic device according to claim 1, wherein the second electronic device is swingably connected to the first electronic device.   The restricting means protrudes from the first electronic device, and when the L-shaped connection terminal is fitted into the connector, the L-shaped connection terminal and the connector come into contact with the L-shaped connection terminal or the cable. The electronic device according to claim 1, wherein relative rotation with the electronic device is restricted.   The electronic device according to claim 4, wherein the restricting unit is a rib surrounding the periphery of the L-shaped connection terminal. The first electronic device is an image reading device that reads a document and outputs a digital image;
The electronic apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the second electronic apparatus is an auto document feeder that sequentially supplies a plurality of documents to the image reading apparatus.

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