JP2008015723A - Peripheral equipment server - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a power supply outlet type, power strip type, or power supply outlet insertion type peripheral equipment sever which has a self holding power receiving part and a self holding network communication terminal part for reducing troublesomeness of wiring and has a power supply port and a data connection port for peripheral equipment. <P>SOLUTION: This peripheral equipment server is provided with a power supply dividing means 503 connected to an external lighting circuit 504 for dividing electric power fed from it to one or a plurality of parts, one or more power supply feeding means 402 connected to the power supply dividing means for feeding electric power to the peripheral equipment, a power supply rectifier circuit 502 connected to the power supply dividing means for transforming alternating current power fed from it into predetermined direct current power, a network connection means 506 connected to a network cable 505 for performing data communication with a network, a data conversion means 501 performing conversion mutually between data transmitted/received to/from the peripheral equipment and data transmitted/received to/from the network, and one or more data connection means 403 connected to the data conversion means for performing data communication with the peripheral equipment. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a peripheral device server, and more particularly to a peripheral device server that is connected to a network together with a plurality of computers, for example, connected to a peripheral device such as a printer, and that can be shared by the above-described computer. Peripheral equipment server that has a power supply port for peripheral equipment and a data connection (interface) port, and a power outlet type similar to a power outlet or a table tap in view of the form, a table tap type Or, it relates to a power outlet plug-in type peripheral device server.

  In recent years, with the spread of the Internet, it is common to connect computers via a network to share data and share computer peripherals such as printers, even on a small scale. In addition, with the practical use of the USB (Universal Serial Bus) standard, USB terminals are mounted on many computer peripheral devices (hereinafter referred to as “USB devices”) because they can be easily connected to a computer with a USB cable.

However, the USB device is originally designed on the assumption that it is connected to a computer on a one-to-one basis, and there is no specific means for sharing it over a network.
In order to solve such a problem, an external type peripheral device server that is an independent device without being built in a USB device is used. In the present application, the peripheral device server means an external type unless otherwise specified.

  With this peripheral device server, in some cases, it is possible to share many types of USB devices under a network by installing a driver of a USB device to be connected in advance in a computer. In particular, when the USB device is a printer, it is possible to share the USB printer over the network by using a conventional peripheral server print server. On the other hand, a USB device server is well known as a peripheral device server for sharing various types of USB devices such as scanners and storages as well as printers over the network. Details of the USB device server will be described later.

  However, these peripheral device servers require not only the power cable of the USB device main body but also the power cable of the peripheral device server itself and a cable for connecting the peripheral device server and the USB device, and wiring for connection becomes complicated. Such a problem is not limited to the USB device server described above, but is common to other peripheral device servers such as a print server.

  As means for solving this problem, as shown in FIG. 8, there is disclosed a configuration in which network interfaces 2b and 7b for data communication are added to a power outlet 2 and a plug 1 (see Patent Document 2). A similar one is known from US Pat. According to this known example, the connection from the power outlet 2 to the peripheral device server can realize both the power supply and the network function with a single cable. In FIG. 8, reference numerals 8 and 9 denote shields that prevent noise from being mixed.

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2001-135153 Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2001-237034

  However, the conventional techniques shown in Patent Documents 1 and 2 are still insufficient. This can be understood from FIG. In FIG. 9, a special cable 205 in which a power cable and a network cable are integrated is used, and is extended from an outlet 202 and connected to the peripheral device server 203. For this reason, the wiring is simplified to some extent, but the data connection cable 206 and the power cable 207 for the peripheral device 204 are still required, and a total of three types of wiring must be performed. Such an operation is complicated for the user. Further, since the special cable 205 has a special outlet and plug shape as shown in FIG. 8, the special cable 205 cannot be used for a device that uses only a power source, and is not versatile.

  In recent years, there is a peripheral device server using wireless network technology in order to solve the complicated handling of the network cable. However, even in the case of a wireless type peripheral device server, the power source alone is required in the case of the external type server, so the problem of the power cable at the time of installation cannot be completely solved.

  An object of the present invention is to self-hold a power receiving unit and a network communication terminal unit in order to reduce wiring trouble, and to have a power outlet type, a table tap type, or a power supply port for peripheral devices and a data connection (interface) port. It is to provide a power outlet plug-in type peripheral device server.

  1st invention of this application is connected to an external power line, and the power supply branch means to branch the electric power supplied from this to one or more, and the power supply branch means connected to the power supply branch means to supply power to peripheral devices 1 Alternatively, a plurality of power supply means, a power supply rectifier circuit connected to the power supply branching means for converting AC power supplied from the power supply branch means to a predetermined DC power, and connected to a network cable, and supplied with power from the power supply rectifier circuit. Network connection means for performing data communication with a network, data connected to the network connection means, receiving power from the power rectifier circuit, and transmitting / receiving data to / from the peripheral device and data to / from the network Data conversion means for mutual conversion, and one or more data connected to the data conversion means and performing data communication with the peripheral device Characterized in that it comprises a connection means, to a power outlet type peripheral server.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a power supply branching means for branching the power supplied from the external power line into one or more, and a power supply branching means connected to the power supply branching means for supplying power to peripheral devices. Or a plurality of power supply means, a power supply rectifier circuit connected to the power supply branching means for converting the AC power supplied from the power supply branching means to a predetermined DC power, and supplied with power from the power supply rectifier circuit, and wirelessly connected to the network Wireless network connection means for performing data communication; data connected to the wireless network means, receiving power from the power rectifier circuit, and transmitting / receiving data to / from the peripheral device and data transmitted / received to / from the network to each other A data conversion means for conversion; and one or a plurality of data connection means connected to the data conversion means for performing data communication with the peripheral device. Wherein the is directed to a power outlet type peripheral server.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided power receiving means from a power source, power supply branching means connected to the power receiving means via a cable, and branching the power supplied from the power receiving means into one or more, and connected to the power supply branching means. One or a plurality of power supply means for supplying power to a peripheral device, a power supply rectifier circuit connected to the power supply branching means for converting AC power supplied thereby into predetermined DC power, and the power supply rectification A wireless network connection means for receiving power from a circuit and performing data communication with a network by wireless means; data connected to the wireless network means, supplied with power from the power supply rectifier circuit, and transmitted to and received from the peripheral device; and Data conversion means for mutually converting data to be transmitted / received to / from the network, and connected to the data conversion means for data communication with the peripheral device. Characterized in that it comprises one or more data connection means for performing, regarding strip-type peripheral server.

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a power receiving means from a power source, a power branching means that is directly connected to the power receiving means and branches the power supplied from the power receiving means into one or a plurality, and the power branching means. One or a plurality of power supply means for supplying power to the device, a power supply rectifier circuit connected to the power supply branching means for converting AC power supplied thereby into predetermined DC power, and power supply from the power supply rectifier circuit The wireless network connection means for performing data communication with the network by wireless means, and the network connected to the wireless network means, supplied with power from the power supply rectifier circuit, and transmitted / received to / from the peripheral device and the network Data conversion means for mutually converting data to be transmitted and received between the data conversion means and the data conversion means connected to the data conversion means for performing data communication with the peripheral device. Characterized in that it comprises a plurality of data connection means, regarding electrical outlet plug-peripheral server.

  According to the first invention of this application, the computer peripheral device can be directly connected to the peripheral device and the data connection means using a USB cable or the like without preparing a special peripheral device server as in the external type. Can be shared from an information processing apparatus such as a PC connected to the network. That is, it is not necessary to connect the power supply to the peripheral device server that is normally required, and the cable wiring can be simplified. At the same time, computer peripherals can be easily installed and wired for beginners of computers. In addition, since the power supply means and the data connection means are devices independent of each other and each can be used alone, it is necessary to limit the devices to be connected due to the special outlet shape as in Patent Documents 1 and 2. Absent. Some USB devices operate by supplying power from the USB plug (referred to as bus power devices). In such devices, the remaining power supply means is used for other devices. You can also

  According to the second invention of the present application, the power outlet type peripheral device server that can be attached to the wall can be connected to the network through wireless means. That is, it is not necessary to install a network cable in the wall, and the power outlet type peripheral device server can be installed at a free position on the wall as long as radio waves reach and can be connected to an external power line. . In addition, by designing the dimensions appropriately, it can be used simply by replacing the conventional outlet that supplies only the power supply, so there is no need for large-scale construction such as the installation of cables in the wall. It is excellent in many respects such as the construction period.

  According to the third invention of the present application, by making the peripheral device server a table tap type, it becomes possible to share the peripheral device on the network flexibly at a necessary place when necessary. The peripheral device server of the present invention can be connected to an external power line such as a normal power outlet, and can be used in any place as long as wireless radio waves can reach. Therefore, the peripheral device server can cope with a flexible usage environment.

  According to the fourth invention of the present application, the peripheral device server is of a power outlet plug-in type, so that it is possible to share the peripheral device on the network in a necessary place when necessary. The peripheral device server of the present invention can be connected to an external power line such as a normal power outlet, and can be used in any place as long as wireless radio waves can reach. Therefore, the peripheral device server can cope with a flexible usage environment. Since a power cable is not required unlike the table tap type, the installation area is smaller than that of the table tap type when the distance from the power outlet of the external light line to the peripheral device is relatively short.

  Since the USB interface is widely used, the peripheral device server according to the present invention is preferably configured as a USB device server. The USB device server is a peripheral device server that can share a USB device, which has been conventionally connected to only one host computer, from any host computer on the network via the network.

  Each host computer can monitor the status of the USB device connected to the USB device server on the screen and send / receive data files in the same manner as the USB device connected to the local interface provided by itself. it can. For example, a printer or scanner device that is a USB device connected to a USB device server can be selected from a host computer on the network, and printer output and scanning data can be captured.

Here, a USB device server system will be described with reference to FIG.
This system includes host computers 101 a, 101 b, 101 c, a USB device server 103, and a USB device 104 connected to the USB device server 103. The host computers 101a, 101b, 101c and the USB device server 103 are connected by a network 102 such as a LAN, and the USB device server 103 and the USB device 104 are connected by a USB cable. Note that a plurality of USB devices can be connected. In this case, when using a USB device having more than the number of USB ports of the USB device server 103, the connection may be made via a USB hub.

Next, a USB data transmission / reception process will be described.
When transmitting data from the host computers 101a, 101b, and 101c to the USB device 104, the host computers 101a, 101b, and 101c send commands and data to the USB device 104 issued from the application in a network protocol such as TCP / IP. The data is encapsulated and transmitted to the USB device server 103. Upon receiving this, the USB device server 103 releases the encapsulation, extracts the command and data, and gives the command and data to the USB device 104. In this way, the system of the USB device server 103 enables remote control of the USB device 104 via the network 102 from the host computers 101a, 101b, and 101c. On the other hand, when the host computers 101a, 101b, and 101c receive data from the USB device 104, they operate in a manner opposite to the transmission process described above. The USB data transmission / reception process explained here corresponds to the operation of the USB device server unit 501 in FIGS.

  FIG. 3 shows an example of a connection mode of the power outlet type peripheral device server that can be attached to the wall in the first embodiment of the present invention. A power outlet type peripheral device server 301 that can be attached to a wall and a printer 302 that is a USB device are connected via a power cable 303 and a USB cable 304. The printer 302 is supplied with power via a power cable 303 and transmits / receives data such as a print job via a USB cable 304. When the USB device is a bus power device, connection by the power cable 303 is not necessary. In addition, about the fixing tool for attaching to a wall, such as a screw stop and an adhesive agent, illustration is abbreviate | omitted.

  FIG. 2 shows an example of the front form of the power outlet type peripheral device server 301 that can be attached to the wall according to this embodiment. The front surface is similar to a power outlet that can be attached to a normal wall, but in addition to a power supply port (power supply means) 402, a USB host interface (data connection means) 403 is provided.

  FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram showing a hardware system of a power outlet type peripheral device server 301 that can be attached to a wall according to the present embodiment. For example, the external lamp line 504 disposed in the wall is usually a commercial power source and supplies 100V of power. The external lamp line 504 is connected to the power branch unit 503. The power supply branching unit 503 branches the power supplied from the external lamp line 504 in parallel. At least one of the branched power is connected to the power outlet 402. Then, the power branched to the other side is supplied to a power supply rectifier circuit 502 which is an AC / DC converter, and the USB device server unit 501 and the network connection unit 506 such as DC 5V are operated from AC 100V. It is converted into a necessary DC voltage and supplied to the USB device server unit 501 and the network connection unit 506. On the other hand, the network connection means 506 is connected to a network cable 505 disposed in a wall, for example. The network connection unit 506 controls not only a physical network interface but also processing such as TCP / IP which is a typical protocol of the network, thereby controlling data transmission / reception with the network. The USB device server unit 501 mutually converts the format of data transmitted / received to / from a USB device connected to the USB host interface 403 and data transmitted / received via a network exchanged via the network connection unit 506. . That is, the USB device server unit 501 executes a USB data transmission / reception process in the above description of the USB device server, and is a specific example of data conversion means in the claims.

  When a user uses a USB device such as a printer on a network, a power outlet type peripheral device 301 that can be attached to a wall and a printer 302 are connected by a USB cable 304 and a power cable 303 as shown in FIG. Good. When the printer 302 is a bus power device, the printer 302 can be used simply by connecting a USB cable to the USB host interface 403 shown in FIG. 1, and the power outlet 402 can be used for another device.

  FIG. 4 is a schematic configuration diagram illustrating a hardware system of the second embodiment. Since most of the components are the same as those in the first embodiment, only the differences will be described. In the present embodiment, the network connection means is the wireless network connection means 602 and is connected to another network via the antenna 603. In the figure, the antenna 603 is a built-in type, but it may be a type that is exposed to the outside. Since the present embodiment connects to the network by wireless means, the wireless network connection means 602 performs wireless transmission / reception by the antenna 603 in addition to protocol processing such as TCP / IP as in the network connection means 506 of the first embodiment. Signals and network signals are converted into each other. Note that, similarly to the USB device server unit 501, power is also supplied to the wireless network connection unit 602 from the power rectifier circuit 502. Here, in designing the internal arrangement, attention should be paid to the arrangement of the components and the introduction of a high-frequency noise filter and a shield in the power supply rectifier circuit 502 so that radio signals do not leak via the external power line 504. Needless to say.

In use, the user only needs to connect the power outlet 402 and the USB host interface 403 shown in FIG. 4 to the USB device as in the first embodiment. The same applies to the case where the USB device is a bus power device. If the USB device is connected to the USB host interface 403, the USB device can be used on the network.
Note that the wireless standards include IEEE802.11a, IEEE802.11b, and IEEE802.11g, but the present invention does not depend on the wireless standard, and any wireless means can be adopted.

  FIG. 5 shows an appearance of a table tap peripheral device server 701 according to the third embodiment. A power outlet 402 and a USB host interface 403 are provided on the main plane of the table tap. Electric power is normally received by connecting a power plug 702 to a power outlet (not shown) embedded in a wall or the like. Inside the wall, since the external power line is connected to the power outlet, the table tap peripheral device server 701 can receive commercial power from the power outlet via the power plug 702. The internal hardware structure is the same as that of the second embodiment. A power plug 702 serving as a power receiving means is connected to the table tap peripheral device server main body through a flexible cable. As in the second embodiment, since the means for connecting to the network is a wireless means, no network cable is required, and the wireless means can be used to connect to the network.

In use, the user connects the power plug 702 to a power outlet embedded in a wall or the like, and connects the power outlet 402 and the USB host interface 403 to the USB device. Since it is a table tap type, it can be removed freely and can be used at any place as desired.
As in the second embodiment, the present invention does not depend on the wireless standard, and any wireless means can be employed.

FIG. 6 shows the appearance of a power outlet plug-in type peripheral device server 901 according to the fourth embodiment.
The difference from the third embodiment is only the form of the power receiving means, and there is no difference in other configurations. Therefore, in the present embodiment, only differences from the third embodiment will be described. This embodiment is a power outlet plug-in type peripheral device server, and is used in a state where a power plug 902 as a power receiving means protrudes from the back surface of the peripheral device server main body. For this reason, the main body can be directly inserted into a power outlet or the like embedded in the wall. The power plug 902 does not have to be fixed to the peripheral device server 901. The power plug 902 can be rotated around the joint between the power plug 902 and the peripheral device server 901, and is not used. In some cases, the power plug 902 may be stored in the case of the peripheral device server 901.

  In use, the user connects the power plug 902 to a power outlet embedded in a wall or the like, and connects the power outlet 402 and the USB host interface 403 to the USB device. Since it is a power outlet plug-in type, it can be removed freely and can be used at any place as desired. As in the second and third embodiments, the present invention does not depend on the wireless standard, and any wireless means can be employed.

  As is clear from the above-described embodiments, the present invention does not depend on the USB device server unit 501 or the USB host interface 403. That is, the USB device server unit 501 can be replaced with a print server or other server means without being limited thereto, and the USB host interface 403 is not limited thereto, and can be replaced with other interfaces such as IEEE 1394 or IEEE 1284. is there. Further, in the present embodiment, the case where there is one power outlet 402 and one USB host interface 403 is shown, but a plurality of these can be provided by increasing the number of branches of the power branch means 503 or incorporating a USB hub or the like. Is also possible.

FIG. 2 is a schematic configuration diagram illustrating a hardware system according to the first embodiment. FIG. 3 is an exemplary external view of the first embodiment. FIG. 3 is a connection mode example diagram of the first embodiment. FIG. 6 is a schematic configuration diagram illustrating a hardware system according to a second embodiment. FIG. 6 is an external view illustrating a third embodiment. FIG. The network configuration example figure using a USB device server. A plug / outlet sketch according to a known example. The connection illustration figure of the peripheral device server and peripheral device at the time of using the said well-known example.

Explanation of symbols

101 Host computer 102 Network 103, 203, 301, 601, 701, 901 Peripheral server 104, 204, 302 USB device (peripheral device or printer)
201, 202 Power outlet 205 Special cable 206 Data connection cable 207 Power cable 303 Power cable 304 USB cable 402 Power supply means 403 Data connection means 501 Data conversion means 502 Power supply rectifier circuit 503 Power supply branch means 504 External power line 505 Network cable 506 Network Connection means 602 Wireless network connection means 603 Antenna 702, 902 Power plug

Claims (4)

A power supply branching means (503) connected to the external power line (504) and branching the power supplied therefrom into one or more, and one or more connected to the power supply branching means and supplying power to peripheral devices Connected to a power supply rectifier circuit (502) connected to the power supply means (402) and the power supply branch means, and converts AC power supplied therefrom into predetermined DC power, and a network cable (505), Network connection means (506) that receives power from the power supply rectifier circuit and performs data communication with the network, and data that is connected to the network connection means, receives power from the power supply rectifier circuit, and transmits / receives data to / from the peripheral device; Data conversion means (501) for mutually converting data to be transmitted to and received from the network, and connected to the data conversion means, Characterized in that it comprises a serial peripheral device and one or more data connection means for performing data communication (403), power outlet type peripheral server. A power supply branching means (503) connected to the external power line (504) and branching the power supplied therefrom into one or more, and one or more connected to the power supply branching means and supplying power to peripheral devices Power supply means (402), a power supply rectifier circuit (502) connected to the power supply branch means for converting AC power supplied from the power supply branch means to predetermined DC power, and powered by the power supply rectifier circuit, A wireless network connection means (602) for performing data communication with the network by means, and a connection between the network and the data that is connected to the wireless network means, receives power from the power supply rectifier circuit, and transmits / receives data to / from the peripheral device Data conversion means (501) for mutually converting data to be transmitted / received by the mobile station and data communication with the peripheral device connected to the data conversion means 1 or, characterized in that it comprises a plurality of data connection means and (403), power outlet type peripheral server to perform. A power receiving means (702) from a power source, a power supply branching means (503) connected to the power receiving means via a cable and branching the power supplied from the power receiving means into one or a plurality, and the power supply branching means, One or a plurality of power supply means (402) for supplying power to the peripheral device, and a power supply rectifier circuit (502) connected to the power supply branch means for converting the AC power supplied thereby into predetermined DC power A wireless network connection means (602) that receives power from the power supply rectifier circuit and performs data communication with the network by wireless means, and is connected to the wireless network means and receives power supply from the power supply rectifier circuit, Data conversion means (501) for mutually converting data transmitted / received between the network and data transmitted / received between the network; Is connected to, characterized in that it comprises one or more data connections means (403) for the peripheral device and the data communication, a table tap peripheral server. A power receiving means (902) from a power source, a power branching means (503) that is directly connected to the power receiving means and branches the power supplied from the power receiving means to one or a plurality, and a power supply branching means connected to the peripheral device. One or a plurality of power supply means (402) for supplying power to the power supply, a power supply rectifier circuit (502) connected to the power supply branching means for converting AC power supplied thereby into predetermined DC power, and the power supply Wireless network connection means (602) that receives power from the rectifier circuit and performs data communication with the network by wireless means, and is connected to the wireless network means, receives power from the power rectifier circuit, and transmits / receives to / from the peripheral device Data conversion means (501) for mutually converting data to be transmitted and received and transmitted / received between the network, and connection to the data conversion means Is characterized in that it comprises one or more data connections means (403) for the peripheral device and the data communication, power outlet plug-peripheral server.

Images