JP2009231242A - Connector structure - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a connector structure high in reliability, excelling in handleability, and having an excellent aesthetic appearance. <P>SOLUTION: This connector structure for an electric apparatus 1 is provided with a plurality of connectors of types different from one another, and also provided with a lid body 5 allowing its position to be changed to uniformly expose the respective connectors to a surface of the electric apparatus 1. In the connector structure, an opening different in shape and size adaptable to a selected connector is formed on either the electric apparatus 1 or the lid body 5. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a connector structure provided in an electric device.

Conventionally, as this type of connector structure, for example, there is one shown in Patent Document 1.
This technology relates to an information processing apparatus that includes a serial connector and a parallel connector and is capable of transmitting and receiving information by two transfer methods.
Here, a connector is prepared for each transfer method, and two connectors are attached to the apparatus main body. A connector is alternatively used. Therefore, a storage lid that completely covers the unused connector is provided in the connector mounting portion.
Further, this technique includes an exposed connector detection means for outputting a signal indicating a connector to be used. This means is constituted by a switch that is turned on and off according to the selection of the position of the storage lid. In accordance with the on / off state of the switch, the CPU provided in the apparatus selects an interface corresponding to the exposed connector and switches the transfer method.

As described above, the above-mentioned publicly known document describes what moves a storage lid to expose an arbitrary connector, covers another connector, and prevents the other connector from being connected to an external device. is there.
It is also described that since the transfer method is switched by the exposed connector detection means using a switch, the switching operation is easy and reliable and the operability is improved.
Japanese Utility Model Publication No.62-37330

However, in the technique described in the above-mentioned patent document, each connector is selectively exposed, but the exposed portion of each connector is simply opened by retracting the storage lid or shielded by the storage lid. However, it is impossible to instantly recognize which type of connector is used.
Further, the same opening is formed on the selected connector side regardless of the size of the connector. Therefore, when the connector size is small with respect to the opening area, dust, dust, or other foreign matter may enter from the gap between the storage lid and the connector and the operation may become unstable.
Furthermore, since the entire connector and its surroundings were exposed to the outside, there was still room for improvement from the viewpoint of the device overview.

  SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned drawbacks of the prior art, and an object thereof is to provide a connector structure that has high reliability, excellent handling properties, and good aesthetics.

  A first characteristic configuration of a connector structure according to the present invention is provided in an electrical device, and includes a plurality of different types of connectors, and the position is changed so that each connector is selectively exposed on the surface of the electrical device. It has a feature in that an opening having a shape and size suitable for each selected connector is formed in either the electric device or the lid.

As with the connector structure of this configuration, as a result of having openings of different shapes and sizes suitable for each selected connector, the connector is exposed from the electrical equipment, that is, only the minimum necessary part of the connector is exposed from the opening. Can be made. As a result, when the plug is attached to the connector, there is no gap between the edge of the opening and the plug, and it is effective for foreign matter and dust to enter the gap between the edge of the opening and the plug. Can be prevented.
In addition, the size of the opening is adapted to the size of the connector, and in consideration of the mounting cost of the plug with respect to the connector, an appropriate gap is generated between the edge of the opening and the connector when the plug is not mounted. It is configured. This gap provides a good guide when the plug is attached to the connector. Thereby, the operativity at the time of a plug apparatus improves.
Furthermore, in the state where the plug is mounted, the interior of the electrical device around the connector cannot be seen from between the edge of the opening and the connector, so that the aesthetics of the electrical device are also good.

  According to a second characteristic configuration of the connector structure according to the present invention, the lid body includes a handle portion for a slide operation, and the position of the lid body corresponds to any one of the plurality of connectors. In this case, the handle portion is configured to be positioned in the vicinity of the selected connector.

  By configuring the handle portion so as to be located in the vicinity of the selected connector as in this configuration, it can be used as a guide for the plug when the plug is attached to the connector. For this reason, the plug mounting operation is easy and reliable, and the handling of the electrical equipment is improved.

  According to a third characteristic configuration of the connector structure according to the present invention, the plurality of connectors are different in size, and the plurality of connectors are arranged in parallel in the vertical direction or the horizontal direction. It is in the point arrange | positioned close to the outer periphery of the surface of the electric equipment to do.

As described in the characteristic configuration 1, the present invention is intended to improve the exposure mode of the connector by forming an opening corresponding to the shape and size of the connector. Since there are various shapes and sizes of connectors, it is inevitably necessary to change the shape and size of the opening for each connector. As described above, in order to form the opening, it is necessary to appropriately change the position of the lid. In that case, it is preferable that the degree of freedom of movement of the lid can be ensured without affecting the size of the electrical device.
As in this configuration, when a plurality of connectors are arranged in parallel in the vertical direction or the horizontal direction and a large-sized connector is provided close to the outer peripheral edge of the electric device, the lid can be configured as follows, for example. That is, the opening of the connector having a large size is formed using a part of the case, and the opening is formed by retracting the lid from this part. On the other hand, in the case of providing an opening for a small connector, an opening corresponding to the position of the small connector may be formed in the lid while shielding the larger connector with the lid. If such a large opening is provided on the edge side of the case, when the lid is retracted to open the opening, a moving region of the lid can be efficiently secured. For example, if the lid is configured to slide along the back surface of the case, it is sufficient to secure the sliding distance of the lid by the height of the opening. Therefore, the thickness of the case is not increased, and the electric device can be configured compactly.

  According to a fourth characteristic configuration of the connector structure according to the present invention, the lid body has an opening corresponding to the shape of any one of the plurality of connectors, and is similar to the shape of the connector around the opening. Is provided with a concave portion.

  For the smaller size connector, the area of the lid is sufficiently larger than the opening area required for the connector. Therefore, in order to improve the visibility of the connector, it is preferable to provide a recess having a similar shape around the opening. As a result, when the plug is attached to the connector, the type of the connector can be recognized from a certain distance, so that the plug can be easily attached and the handleability is improved.

  According to a fifth characteristic configuration of the connector structure according to the present invention, a guide member that urges the lid toward the inner surface of the electrical device is provided on the inner surface of the electrical device, and guides the slide of the lid. Is formed on either the inner surface of the electric device or the pressing member.

As in this configuration, if the lid is attached to the inner surface of the electric device by the pressing member while constituting the slide guide of the lid, the lid can be incorporated into the case before the electric device is assembled. Therefore, the assembly of the electric device is facilitated.
In addition, since the lid is biased to the inner surface of the electric device, no rattling or the like occurs during the operation of the lid, and a connector structure with excellent operational stability can be obtained.

(Overview)
Embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
The present invention relates to a connector structure provided in an electric device 1. Examples of the target electric device 1 include portable information terminals (Personal Digital Assistants), mobile phones, PHS, digital cameras, media players, and the like that can use a plurality of communication cables. In the present embodiment, a portable information terminal (hereinafter referred to as “information terminal 1 </ b> A”) provided with two types of USB connectors is illustrated as the electric device 1.

(Case body)
The external appearance of the information terminal 1A and the connector structure is shown in FIGS.
FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an appearance of a connector structure provided in the information terminal 1A, and FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the information terminal 1A.
The information terminal 1 </ b> A has a case body 2 and a back cover 3. Among these, a lid 5 for selecting a connector to be used is attached to a side surface 4 formed on the case body 2. The lid 5 is slidable along the inner surface of the case body 2. A substrate 6 is disposed inside the case body 2. A small connector is provided on the front surface of the substrate 6, and a large connector is provided on the back surface of the substrate 6. The position of the lid 5 can be changed over the front side and the back side of the substrate 6 inside the case body 2.

(connector)
As shown in FIG. 2, in this embodiment, two connectors are provided in the vertical direction, and a large standard A type USB connector is provided on the lower surface of the substrate 6. A small mini-B type USB connector is provided. When a standard A type connector is used, the information terminal 1A functions as a host. On the other hand, when a mini-B type connector is used, the information terminal 1A functions as a device. Hereinafter, the large connector is referred to as a first connector C1, and the small connector is referred to as a second connector C2.

(Lid)
As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the lid 5 for selecting use of both connectors is provided on the side surface 4 of the case body 2. The position of the lid 5 can be changed in the vertical direction of the case body 2 so that the first connector C1 and the second connector C2 are selectively exposed on the surface of the information terminal 1A.
As shown in FIG. 2, the lid 5 has a substantially rectangular shape. A rectangular window 7 that is slightly smaller than the size of the lid 5 is provided on the side surface 4 of the case body 2. The lid 5 is slidable by being fitted into the window portion 7. That is, on the surface of the lower half of the lid 5, a thick portion 8 having a thickness substantially the same as the thickness of the case body 2 is formed. The width of the thick portion 8 is set so as to fit into the window portion 7, and the lid 5 slides up and down using this portion as a guide.

  When the lid 5 is moved upward, the lower half of the window 7 formed in the case body 2 is opened and the first connector C1 is exposed. That is, the first opening K <b> 1 is formed by the three sides of the window portion 7 and the lower side of the lid 5. At this time, the width of the window portion 7 and the slide length of the lid 5 are set so that the first connector C1 is exposed to the minimum necessary amount.

On the other hand, when the lid 5 is lowered, the first opening K1 is closed, and the second opening K2 for the second connector C2 provided in the upper half of the lid 5 appears. The shape of the second opening K2 is matched to the shape of the mini-B type connector.
As described above, the connector exposure opening can be provided on the case body 2 side or the lid body 5 side, and may be appropriately configured according to the shape and size of the connector to be used.

  A handle portion 9 is formed to project from the center portion of the lid 5. Of course, the handle portion 9 is used for the operation of the lid 5, but also serves as a guide when the plug is inserted into the connector. In particular, when the plug P is inserted into the upper second connector C2, it is convenient that the plug P can be placed close to the upper surface of the handle portion 9. For this reason, the operation of attaching the plug P becomes easy and reliable, and the operability of the information terminal 1A is improved.

The upper half region of the lid 5 is formed with a contour that matches the shape of the mini-B type second connector C2. On both sides of the thick portion 8 provided on the lid 5, extending portions 10 are provided toward the upper side of the lid 5. A shape similar to the outer shape of the second connector C2 is obtained by the upper edge of the thick portion 8 and the contour of the extended portion 10 following the thick portion 8, and the upper edge and side edge of the window portion 7. For this reason, when the plug P is attached to the information terminal 1A, the type of the connector can be recognized even from a certain distance, and the plug P can be easily attached. In particular, when the size of the connector is small, such a shape setting is effective for improving operability.
The extended portion 10 also functions as a stopper by contacting the upper edge of the window portion 7 when the lid 5 is moved upward.

As shown in FIG. 2 or FIG. 3, the first connector C <b> 1 and the second connector C <b> 2 are provided on the side surface 4 at a position close to the bottom of the case body 2. That is, these connectors are juxtaposed in the vertical direction, and a large first connector C1 is provided close to the bottom of the case body 2.
The first opening K1 for the first connector C1 is formed by retracting the lid 5 upward. For this reason, it is necessary to provide a space in which the lid 5 can move inside the case body 2. Therefore, if the first connector C1 is installed as close as possible to the bottom of the case body 2, the operating range of the lid 5 can be shifted to the bottom side of the case body 2. As a result, even when the storage space for the lid 5 moved upward is secured in the case main body 2, a compact case main body 2 having a low height can be obtained.

  The lid 5 is attached to the back side of the case body 2. As shown in FIG. 4, the lid 5 is slidable by fitting a thick portion 8 provided on the lid 5 into a window portion 7 formed on the side surface 4 of the case body 2. As shown in FIG. 3, the lid 5 is held in position while being urged toward the inner surface of the case body 2 by a pressing member 11 provided on the back side of the case body 2. The pressing member 11 is fixed to the back surface of the case body 2 with screws 12. The pressing member 11 is not completely fixed, and the entire pressing member 11 exhibits a biasing force by being bent to some extent. As a result, the lid 5 can be slid without falling off the back surface of the case body 2.

  Further, an engaging portion 13 and an engaged portion 14 are provided separately across the lid body 5 and the pressing member 11 so that the lid body 5 can be fixed in a state where the lid body 5 is moved to the upper position. This engagement operation may be any configuration as long as it stops with a click feeling at the position where the lid 5 has moved upward. This engaging operation is performed based on the urging force of the pressing member 11.

(switch)
As shown in FIGS. 2 to 4, the board 6 is provided with a switch 15 for switching the ID signal line so as to recognize which connector is used. On the other hand, the lid 5 is provided with an operation piece 16 for turning the switch 15 on and off. For example, when the lid 5 is moved upward, the operation piece 16 is separated from the switch 15 to be turned off (FIG. 4A), and when the lid 5 is moved downward, the operation piece 16 is depressed to depress the switch 15 to be turned on. (FIG. 4B). If this switch 15 is installed between the ID signal and the ground, when the lid 5 is lowered and the switch 15 is turned on, the ID line becomes Hi, the second connector C2 becomes active, and the information terminal 1A functions as a device. It will be in the state which exhibits. On the other hand, when the lid 5 is raised and the switch 15 is turned off, the ID line becomes Low, the first connector C1 becomes active, and the information terminal 1A enters a state of exhibiting the host function.

(Another embodiment)
As shown in FIG. 5, the connector structure of the present invention may be one in which the lid 5 slides in the lateral direction. Also in this case, the configuration of the lid 5 or the characteristic configuration related to the installation position of the lid 5 can be set in the same manner as in the above embodiment.

  The connector structure of the present invention can be applied to electric devices such as mobile phones, PHSs, digital cameras, media players and the like having a plurality of types of communication cable connectors in addition to the information terminal. is there.

The perspective view which shows the external appearance of the electric equipment which concerns on this embodiment The exploded perspective view of the electric equipment concerning this embodiment Sectional drawing which shows the attachment structure of the cover which concerns on this embodiment Explanatory drawing which shows the operation | movement aspect of the cover which concerns on this embodiment. The perspective view which shows the external appearance of the electric equipment which concerns on another embodiment

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Electric equipment 5 Lid 9 Handle part 11 Holding member C1 1st connector C2 2nd connector

Claims (5)

A connector structure provided in an electrical device,
With multiple different types of connectors,
A lid that can be repositioned to selectively expose each connector on the surface of the electrical device,
A connector structure in which openings of different shapes and sizes suitable for each selected connector are formed in either the electric device or the lid.   The lid includes a handle for sliding operation, and when the position of the lid corresponds to any one of the plurality of connectors, the handle is in the vicinity of the selected connector The connector structure according to claim 1, wherein the connector structure is configured to be located at a position.   The sizes of the plurality of connectors are made different, and the plurality of connectors are arranged in parallel in the vertical direction or the horizontal direction, and the larger the size of the connectors, the closer to the outer peripheral edge of the surface where these connectors are exposed. Item 3. The connector structure according to Item 1 or 2.   4. The device according to claim 1, wherein the lid includes an opening corresponding to a shape of any one of the plurality of connectors, and a recess similar to the shape of the connector around the opening. The connector structure according to claim 1.   A pressing member that urges the lid toward the inner surface of the electric device is provided on the inner surface of the electric device, and a guide portion that guides the slide of the lid is provided on either the inner surface of the electric device or the pressing member. The connector structure according to claim 1, wherein the connector structure is formed on one side.

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