JP2007058542A - Case connecting mechanism - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To obtain a setting system for increasing the degree of freedom of setting regardless of the size or setting place of a case. <P>SOLUTION: A plurality of bar-shaped bodies 1 and a piece to be connected are used as a mechanism for connecting a plurality of cases set in parallel. The bar-shaped body is provided with connectors formed so as to be attachable/detachable to/from the piece to be connected at the both ends. The piece to be connected bodies is installed in the neighborhoods of the side face upper ends and lower ends of the cases of a device to be connected. The bar-shaped bodies are obliquely constructed between the upper end side piece to be connected of the two cases and the opposite lower end side piece to be connected of the cases. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a connection mechanism that can be stably installed and reduces an installation area when a plurality of casings are installed side by side.

  In offices and university information terminal rooms, personal computers are often installed at each office desk. FIG. 1 illustrates the difference in installation method. Compared to normal installation (a), (b) has a better outlook in offices and more, and feels more spacious. In grid computing, many personal computers are connected and used. In this case, as shown in (c), arrange them on a suitable table or install them on a shelf.

On the other hand, personal computers have become smaller and particularly thinner. A stand called a stand or a foot is usually attached because it tends to fall when placed vertically to reduce the installation area. However, in the applications as described above, it is required to further reduce the installation area.
Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2004-126706 discloses a stand for installing a plurality of casings in parallel with a reduced occupation area.

  The above-mentioned known stand must be adapted to the size of the housing. Also, the installation location is limited.

  Compared to the normal installation (a) in Fig. 1, (b) has a better outlook in offices and the like, and it feels more spacious. In this case, a known stand may be used, but the size of the apparatus must be the same and a dedicated stand must be used. Furthermore, since the end of the stand comes out on both side ends, the use range of the desk is narrowed.

  It is an object of the present invention to obtain an installation method that increases the degree of freedom of installation regardless of the size of the housing and the installation location.

  FIG. 2 shows the basic principle. 3 and 4 are configuration diagrams of the embodiment.

  As a mechanism for connecting a plurality of housings 4 installed in parallel, a plurality of rod-like bodies 1 and a member to be coupled 2 are used.

  The rod-shaped body 1 includes a connector 11 that can be attached to and detached from the member to be coupled 2 at both ends.

  The coupled members 2 are provided near the upper and lower ends of the side surfaces of the casings of the devices to be coupled.

  As shown in FIG. 2 (a), the first rod-like body is installed between the upper end side connector of the first casing and the lower end side connector of the second casing facing the second casing. The rod-shaped body is constructed between the upper end side connector of the second casing and the lower end side connector of the first casing.

  As shown in FIG. 2B, when the right housing is about to fall outside, the right housing is pressed by the weight of the left housing via the rod-shaped body. Similarly, when trying to fall inside, it is prevented by the weight of the rod-shaped body and the left housing as shown in FIG.

  Here, the to-be-coupled element 2 may be prepared in advance near the upper end and the lower end of the casing 4 of the device to be connected, or can be fixed by screwing, bonding, fitting, or the like. It may be.

  Furthermore, the rod-shaped body 1 is easily installed by including the expansion / contraction adjusting mechanism 12 that adjusts the length. Moreover, the rod-shaped body 1 is easily installed by including the bending adjusting mechanism 13 that holds the connector 11 so as to be bendable.

  According to the present invention, a large number (usually two) of housings can be connected and installed stably with a small occupation area. For example, in an office, two personal computers placed on each person's desk can be joined together so that they do not fall down, and the desk can be used widely because there are no feet protruding outside the conventional stand. In addition, the rod-shaped body has an expansion / contraction adjustment mechanism that adjusts the length, and has a bending adjustment mechanism that holds the connector so that it can be bent. The same effect can be achieved even when the body size is different.

Example 1
FIG. 3 shows the configuration of the first embodiment. This is to clearly show the function of each part. (1A) shows a front view of the rod-like body 1, (1B) shows a side view, and (1C) shows a member 2 to be coupled. The rod-like body 1 has a connector 11 at both ends, and is coupled to a member to be coupled 2 of the apparatus housing. A to-be-coupled member 2 shown in (1C) is a hole opened in the housing, and is inserted and fixed when the connector 11 is inserted.

  (2A) (2B), (3A) (3B), (4A) and (4B) show examples of detailed structures for connecting / releasing the connector 11.

The rod-like body 1 is provided with an expansion / contraction adjustment mechanism 12 and a bending adjustment mechanism 13 so as to be easily installed on a casing.
(Example 2)
Another embodiment is shown in FIG. This is a simplified and practical structure.

  (A) shows the rod-like body 1, (b) shows the bond 2, and (c) shows the connection between the connector 11 and the bond 2. Both ends of the rod-like body 1 are provided with a connector 11 made of elastic plastic or the like. The to-be-coupled member 2 on the housing side includes a round bar / pipe portion 21. The connector 11 can be connected by being pushed into the round bar / pipe portion 21.

  If the casings are the same, the expansion / contraction adjustment mechanism 12 is not necessarily required. However, the expansion / contraction adjustment mechanism 12 facilitates the installation process and increases the degree of freedom of installation.

  The expansion / contraction adjustment mechanism 12 may be a known mechanism known from a camera tripod, stock, clothes rack, or the like. The bend adjusting mechanism 13 can be structured like a tripod head mechanism.

  FIG. 5 shows an example 1 of the installation state. (A) is the case of the same case, (b) is the case where the size of the case is different, and (c) is the case where there is a step at the installation location (desktop). If two housings are connected, it can be made difficult to fall down, but if there are three and four housings, they become stronger if they are connected. (D) shows an example of connecting four.

  Various configurations are possible, such as combining a personal computer with a display, peripheral devices, and different types of personal computers.

FIG. 6 shows an example 2 of the installation state. If the width of the coupling position between the connector 11 and the member to be coupled 2 is long, the housing arrangement can be shifted as shown in FIG. If the rod-like body 1 has the bending adjustment mechanism 13 in the same state, the installation of the housing becomes easy and the degree of freedom of arrangement increases. As shown in (e), the number of rods may be increased.
(Example 3)
FIG. 7 shows another implementation configuration example. This is an example in which the member to be coupled 2 is attached to the housing 4 later. It can also be said that a conventional example of a stand is provided with a member to be joined and the rod-shaped body 1 is coupled.

It is a figure which shows the example of apparatus arrangement | positioning of the personal computer in an office etc. It is a figure explaining a basic principle. 1 is a configuration diagram of Example 1. FIG. FIG. 6 is a configuration diagram of Example 2. It is a figure which shows Example 1 of an installation state. It is a figure which shows Example 2 of an installation state. FIG. 6 is a configuration diagram of Example 3.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Rod-shaped body 11 Connector 12 Expansion-contraction adjustment mechanism 13 Bending adjustment mechanism 2 To-be-coupled
4 Device housing

Claims (4)

A mechanism for connecting a plurality of housings installed in parallel,
Consists of a plurality of rod-shaped bodies and coupled members
The rod-shaped body includes a connector that can be attached to and detached from the coupled member at both ends,
The to-be-connected members are provided near the upper end and the lower end of the side of the casing of the device to be connected,
The first rod-shaped body is installed between the upper end side coupled member of the first housing and the lower end side coupled member of the second housing, and the second rod-shaped body is disposed on the upper end side of the second housing. A coupling mechanism, wherein the coupling mechanism is constructed between the coupled member and the coupled member on the lower end side of the first casing. A mechanism for connecting a plurality of housings installed in parallel,
Consists of a plurality of rod-shaped bodies and coupled members
The rod-shaped body is provided with a connector to be coupled and detachable at both ends,
The coupled member can be fixed to the casing of the device to be coupled,
A plurality of members to be coupled are respectively fixed near the upper end and the lower end of the casing of the device to be connected,
The first rod-shaped body is installed between the upper end side coupled member of the first housing and the lower end side coupled member of the second housing, and the second rod-shaped body is disposed on the upper end side of the second housing. A coupling mechanism, wherein the coupling mechanism is constructed between the coupled member and the coupled member on the lower end side of the first casing. The coupling mechanism according to claim 1 or 2,
The rod-shaped body is provided with an expansion / contraction adjustment mechanism that adjusts the length. The connection mechanism according to claim 1, wherein:
The rod-shaped body includes a bending member that holds the connector in a bendable manner.

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