JP2010015602A - Electronic device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an electronic device which can connect a connector without application of an unreasonable force to the connector. <P>SOLUTION: The portable computer (electronic device) 10 which is electrically connected to a cradle device (support device) 20 when installed to the cradle device 20 includes: a body 11; a connector 18 provided on a bottom surface 11c of the body 11 and electrically connected upon installation to the cradle device 20; and an engaging hole 19 located in a position shifted oppositely to the connector 18 from the center of the bottom surface 11c of the body 11, where the engaging hole locks a hook (locking piece) 50 with a claw part 50b provided on the cradle device 20 when the body 11 is installed to the cradle device 20, and the locking to the locking piece 50 is released by pulling the body 11 upward, when separated from the cradle device 20, while tilting to the position shifted oppositely to the connector 18 so as to separate the connector 18 first. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an electronic device.

  In recent years, a personal computer device has been proposed in which a personal computer main body and a station main body equipped with a disk drive device or the like are separately configured, and the personal computer main body is detachably docked to the station main body (for example, Patent Documents). 1).

  The docking device described in Patent Document 1 has a docking connector installed on a board in a station body, and the board is supported by a movable support means such as a ball bearing so as to be movable in the connector installation plane (horizontal direction). It is. The docking connector and the PC-side connector provided on the PC main body can be connected to the PC-side connector as long as the mating connector can be guided to the appropriate coupling position by the guide portion formed on the housing of any connector. Even if there is a misalignment with the docking connector, the board and the docking connector move relative to the station main body, and both connectors are coupled.

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 10-133780

  However, since the conventional docking device has a structure in which the connector is moved only in a direction perpendicular to the connecting direction of the connector, an excessive force is applied when the connector is connected, and the connector may be damaged.

  Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide an electronic device that can prevent an excessive force from being applied to the connector when the connector is connected.

  In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides the following electronic devices.

[1] An electronic device that is electrically connected to the support device when mounted on the support device, provided on a predetermined surface of the main body and the main body, and electrically connected to the support device. A connector to be connected to the connector, and a position of the predetermined surface shifted from the center of the main body to the opposite side of the main body when the main body is mounted on the support device. Locked to a locking piece having a claw portion, and when the main body is detached from the support device, it is inclined upward toward the position shifted to the opposite side of the connector so as to be detached first from the connector. An electronic device provided with an engagement hole formed at a position where the locking to the locking piece is released by pulling it up.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to prevent an excessive force from being applied to the connector when the connector is connected.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an electronic device system according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a portable computer constituting the electronic device system. FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a cradle device constituting the electronic device system. FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the cradle device viewed from the bottom side. FIG. 5 is an exploded perspective view of the cradle device viewed from the bottom side. FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the sub-board. 7A and 7B show a mounting structure of the sub-board 400, where FIG. 7A is a plan view, FIG. 7B is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA in FIG. 7A, and FIG. 7C is a cross-sectional view taken along line BB in FIG. It is. FIG. 8 shows an example of a hook structure, (a) is an exploded perspective view, and (b) is a sectional view showing an assembled state. FIG. 9 is a block diagram showing a system configuration of the portable computer. It is a figure. FIGS. 10A to 10C show the operation of mounting the portable computer on the cradle device. FIGS. 11A to 11C are diagrams illustrating the operation of detaching the portable computer from the cradle device.

  1 is a perspective view of an electronic device system according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a portable computer constituting the electronic device system, and FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a cradle apparatus constituting the electronic device system. It is.

(Electronic equipment system)
As shown in FIG. 1, the electronic device system 1 includes a cradle device (support device) 20 mainly used on a desk or a top board, and a tablet-type portable that can be attached to and detached from the cradle device 20. And a computer (electronic device) 10.

(Portable computer)
The portable computer (hereinafter also simply referred to as “computer”) 10 can be driven by a battery while being removed from the cradle device 20. 1 and 2, the portable computer 10 includes a substantially rectangular main body 11 having a front surface 11a, side surfaces 11b and 11b, a bottom surface 11c, an upper surface 11d, and a back surface 11e.

  On the front surface 11a of the main body 11, an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) and a display unit 12 composed of a tablet, which will be described later, are arranged substantially at the center. A cursor key 13 and a left click are displayed below the display unit 12. A switch 14 </ b> A and a right click switch 14 </ b> B are disposed, and a microphone 15 is disposed on the upper side of the display unit 12.

  A power switch 16 and a USB (Universal Serial Bus) terminal 17 are disposed on the right side surface 11b of the main body 11, and a connector (first external connection terminal) 18 and an engagement hole 19 are provided on the bottom surface 11c of the main body 11. Has been placed. Further, a magnetic body (not shown) for magnetically detecting the separation of the computer 10 from the cradle device 20 is disposed inside the bottom surface 11c.

  The connector 18 is connected to the connector (second external connection terminal) 40 shown in FIG. 3 provided in the cradle device 20 and is directed rightward from the center of the bottom surface 11c in FIG. 2 so as not to protrude from the bottom surface 11c. It is provided in the position shifted to.

  The engagement hole 19 is to be engaged with a hook (locking piece) 50 shown in FIG. 3 provided in the cradle device 20, and is provided at a position shifted leftward from the center of the bottom surface 11c in FIG. Yes.

(Cradle equipment)
The cradle device 20 has a function of supplying power to the computer 10 and a function of making the computer 10 expandable by communicating with an external device such as a notebook personal computer or an external storage device. The cradle device 20 is not limited to the above function, and for example, the cradle device itself may be an electronic device such as a personal computer or an external storage device. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, the cradle device 20 includes a housing 21 containing various substrates, a stand (electronic device guide) 22 that is fixed to the housing 21 and supports the portable computer 10. Is provided.

  The housing 21 has a side wall 21a, a front wall 21b, a rear wall 21c, an upper wall 21d, and a bottom wall described later. A connector 40 is attached to the bottom wall.

  The stand 22 includes a side wall 22a, a front wall 22b and a rear wall 22c that serve as a guide when the computer 10 is mounted on the cradle device 20, and a bottom wall 22d with which the bottom surface 11c of the computer 10 abuts. The stand 22 is fixed to the housing 21 with screws, but may be formed integrally with the housing 21. In addition, a recess for guiding the computer 10 may be provided in the housing 21 without providing the stand 22.

  The side wall 22a and the front wall 22b are lower in height than the rear wall 22c, but before the connector 18 provided in the computer 10 contacts the connector 40 provided in the cradle device 20, the computer 10 It has a height that can regulate the position of the lower outer periphery.

  An opening 22e for inserting the connector 40 shown in FIG. 3 and an opening 22f for inserting the hook 50 shown in FIG. 3 are formed in the bottom wall 22d.

  4 is a perspective view of the cradle device 20 viewed from the bottom surface side, and FIG. 5 is an exploded perspective view of the cradle device 20 viewed from the bottom surface side. 4 and 5, the illustration of the bottom plate that closes the bottom surface of the housing 21 is omitted. The casing 21 has reinforcing pieces 21f formed from the upper wall 21d in order to reinforce the side wall 21a, the front wall 21b, and the rear wall 21c. A stud 211 having a screw hole 211a is provided on the upper wall 21d, and the bottom plate is fixed to the screw hole 211a with a screw.

A main board 300 is attached to the upper wall 21d of the casing 21, and a sub board 400 is attached to the bottom wall 21e.

  The bottom wall 21e has a shape curved in a mountain shape, and includes a hook accommodating portion 214 that accommodates the hook 50, a square hole 21g into which a positioning projection 22g provided on the stand 22 is fitted, a boss portion 21h, An attachment hole 21i provided in the boss portion 21h for attaching the substrate 400 and the stand 22, an opening 21j for escaping a pedestal described later, and a stud 211 for fixing the bottom plate are provided.

  A power supply terminal portion 301, a USB terminal 302, and a mini USB terminal 303 are mounted on the main board 300 so as to be exposed on the rear wall 21c of the housing 21, and a spacer 304 for securing a space with a bottom plate (not shown); A connector 305 for connecting to the sub board 400 is attached.

  On the back surface of the sub-substrate 400, an elastic body (vertical support portion, elastic force applying member) provided on the film 44 and a sponge, rubber or the like that is provided on the film 44 and elastically presses against a bottom body (not shown). 45 and a connector 43 for connecting the main board 300 are attached. The connector 305 on the main board 300 is connected by a flexible wiring board 306.

  FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the sub board 400. A connector 40, a base 41 to which the connector 40 is attached, and a magnetic sensor 42 are mounted on the sub board 400, and an attachment hole 400a and a positioning hole 400b are formed. The connector 40 is provided with a pair of pyramidal guide portions 40 a for guiding the connector 40 to the connection position of the mating connector 18. If the displacement amount of the connection position between the connector 40 and the mating connector 18 is within a range that can be guided by the guide portion 40a, the sub-board 400 can move horizontally to connect the connector 40 to the mating connector 18. it can. In addition, the guide part may be provided in both the connectors 18 and 40, or may be provided only in the mating connector 18.

  The magnetic sensor 42 magnetically detects the detachment of the computer 10 from the cradle device 20 according to the distance from the magnetic body provided in the computer 10. The magnetic sensor 42 may be provided in the computer 10 and the magnetic body may be provided in the cradle device 20.

(Sub-board mounting structure)
7A and 7B show a mounting structure of the sub-board 400, where FIG. 7A is a plan view viewed from the back side of the sub-board 400, FIG. 7B is a cross-sectional view taken along the line A-A in FIG. It is BB sectional drawing of (a). In FIG. 7A, the bottom plate is omitted.

  As shown in FIG. 7A, the two positioning holes 400b are formed so as to be positioned in the vicinity of the peripheral edge of the sub-substrate 400, and are formed so as to obtain the longest possible pitch with respect to the substrate sub-substrate 400. Has been. The two attachment holes 400a are formed at a pitch shorter than the pitch of the two positioning holes 400b, and are formed at positions adjacent to the connector 40 rather than the positioning holes 400b. The pitch of the mounting holes 400a may be substantially equal to the pitch of the positioning holes 400b, and the positioning holes 400b are not limited to the two described above, and may be three or more.

  As shown in FIG. 7B, the positioning protrusion 22g is provided on the bottom wall 22d of the stand 22 via a square seat 22h, and the square seat is provided in the square hole 21g provided on the bottom wall 21e of the housing 21. 22h is fitted and protrudes from the back surface of the bottom wall 21e. Thereby, the sub board | substrate 400 can be positioned so that a movement with respect to the stand 22 is possible.

  The sub board 400 is mounted on the sub board on which the connector 40 is mounted so that the connector 40 on the cradle apparatus 20 side coincides with the connector 18 on the computer 10 side following the mounting operation of the computer 10 on the cradle apparatus 20. 400 is attached so as to be movable forward and backward and left and right. That is, the sub-board 400 is more than the backlash amount between the outer peripheral surface of the computer 10 and the inner surfaces of the side wall 22a, the front wall 22b, and the rear wall 22c constituting the guide portion of the stand 22 (for example, 0.3 mm for each of left and right and front and rear) The movable amount (for example, 0.6 mm for each of front and rear and left and right) is increased.

  In order to make the sub-substrate 400 movable forward and backward, left and right, for example, the inner diameter of the positioning hole 400b is 3 mm and the outer diameter of the positioning protrusion 22g is 1.8 mm. The backlash between the inner diameter of the mounting hole 400a and the outer diameter of the boss portion 21h is 0.6 mm or more for each of the front and rear and the left and right.

  A mounting hole 400a provided in the sub board 400 and a boss part 21h provided in the housing 21 support the sub board 400 so as to be movable in the in-plane direction (horizontal direction) of the surface to which the connector 40 is attached. Configure. By providing the attachment hole 400a close to the connector 40, the deflection of the sub board 400 with respect to an external force applied via the connector 40 is suppressed. The positioning holes 400b and the positioning protrusions 22g are provided at the peripheral edge of the sub-board 400 that is away from the connector 40, and constitute a horizontal movement amount restricting portion that restricts the movement amount in the in-plane direction of the sub-board 400.

  Further, the boss portion 21h, the elastic body 45, the screw 212, and the washer 213 constitute a vertical support portion that supports the sub-substrate 400 so as to be movable in a direction perpendicular to the in-plane direction. In FIG. 7A, two horizontal movement amount restricting portions are provided, but the distance between them is larger than the distance between the two horizontal support portions provided on both sides of the connector 40. It is separated in the long side direction of 400 and is provided away from the connector 40. This restricts the movement of the connector 40 in the rotational direction while allowing the connector 40 to move in the in-plane direction.

  The elastic body 45 applies an upward elastic force to the sub-board 400 as an elastic force applying member, and when the connector 40 is pushed in due to the displacement of the connectors 18 and 40, the elastic body 45 is compressed, and FIG. The sub-substrate 400 moves in the direction of the arrow shown in c). The elastic body 45 may apply the elastic force in the horizontal direction and the vertical direction of the sub-substrate 400 without applying the frictional force.

(Sub-board mounting work)
When attaching the sub board 400 to the bottom wall 21e of the housing 21, the positioning protrusion 22g is inserted into the positioning hole 400b of the sub board 400, and the screw 212 is formed on the bottom wall 22d of the stand 22 via the washer 213. Tighten into the screw hole 221 of the portion 220. Next, the bottom plate 24 is fixed to the screw hole 211a of the stud 211 with screws (not shown).

  When the bottom plate 24 is attached, the sub-board 400 is pressed by the elastic body 45 toward the bottom wall 21e.

(hook)
FIG. 8 shows an example of a hook structure, (a) is an exploded perspective view, and (b) is a sectional view showing an assembled state. The hook 50 includes a base portion 50a, a claw portion 50b provided above the base portion 50a, and a shaft portion 50c provided below the base portion 50a, and is formed by integral molding using a material such as resin. ing. The claw portion 50b has an inclined surface 50d and a horizontal surface 50e.

  The shaft portion 50 c is pivotally supported on a bearing portion (not shown) provided on the lower surface side of the bottom wall 22 d of the stand 22, and the winding spring 51 is attached to the shaft portion 50 c of the hook 50. The end portion 51 a is locked to the base portion 50 a of the hook 50, and the other linear end portion 51 b is assembled so as to contact the lower surface of the bottom wall 22 d of the stand 22.

  Thereby, the winding spring 51 gives an elastic rotational force to the hook 50 in the direction opposite to the arrow direction shown in FIG. The winding spring 51 may give the hook 50 the same rotational force as that of the winding spring 51 by a tension spring or a compression spring.

(Portable computer system configuration)
FIG. 9 is a block diagram showing a system configuration of the portable computer 10. The computer 10 includes a CPU 111, a north bridge 112, a main memory 113, a graphics controller 114, an LCD 12a, a tablet 12b, a south bridge 116, a BIOS-ROM 120, a network controller 125, a hard disk drive (HDD) 130, a connector 18, an embedded controller / A keyboard controller IC (EC / KBC) 170, a power supply circuit 180, and the like are included.

  The CPU 111 is a processor that controls the operation of the computer 10. The CPU 111 executes an operating system and various application programs loaded from the HDD 130 to the main memory 113. The CPU 111 also executes a system BIOS (Basic Input Output System) stored in the BIOS-ROM 120. The system BIOS is a program for hardware control.

  The north bridge 112 is a bridge device that connects the local bus of the CPU 111 and the south bridge 116. The north bridge 112 also has a function of executing communication with the graphics controller 114 via an AGP (Accelerated Graphics Port) bus or the like. Further, the north bridge 112 also includes a memory controller that controls the main memory 113.

  The graphics controller 114 is a display controller that controls the LCD 12 a used as a display monitor of the computer 10. Further, the graphics controller 114 displays data written in the video memory (VRAM) 114A by the operating system or application program on the LCD 12a.

  The south bridge 116 incorporates an IDE (Integrated Drive Electronics) controller for controlling the HDD 130 and a USB controller 117 for controlling the USB terminal 17. The south bridge 116 is connected to a PCI (Peripheral Component Interconnect) bus 2 and an LPC (Low Pin Count) bus 3, respectively.

  A network controller 125 is connected to the PCI bus 2. The network controller 125 executes communication with an external network device via a LAN cable connected to the LAN port 126.

  The EC / KBC 170 is a one-chip micro integrated with an embedded controller (EC) for power management and a keyboard controller (KB) for controlling the tablet 12b, the cursor key 13, the left click switch 14A, the right click switch 14B, and the like. It is a computer. The EC / KBC 170 has a function of turning on / off the computer 10 in accordance with the operation of the power switch 16 by the user by operating in cooperation with the power supply circuit 180.

  The power supply circuit 180 generates system power to be supplied to each component of the computer 10 using an external power supplied via the AC adapter 182 or a rechargeable battery 181.

  The computer 10 is connected to the cradle device 20 via the connector 18 as described above. The connectors 18 and 40 are provided with, for example, about 50 pins. These pins define several power pins for supplying operating power from the cradle device 20 to the computer 10 and some signal pins connected to the USB signal line group.

(Installation operation)
FIGS. 10A to 10C show the mounting operation of the computer 10 to the cradle device 20. The computer 10 is pushed down in the direction of arrow C along the rear wall 22d of the stand 22. At the stage before mounting, as shown in FIG. 10A, the hook 50 is urged by the winding spring 51 and is in an upright state. When the computer 10 is pushed downward C, the edge of the engagement hole 19 comes into contact with the inclined surface 50d of the hook 50, and a reaction force is generated on the hook 50 to rotate in the arrow direction D in the figure. This reaction force causes the hook 50 to rotate in the arrow direction D in the figure against the spring force of the winding spring 51.

  At this time, even if the connector 40 on the cradle device 20 side and the connector 18 on the computer 10 side are displaced, the sub board 400 is elastic body 45 as long as it is within the range in which the guide portion 40a of the connector 40 can be guided. It moves in the in-plane direction of the substrate (horizontal direction) while sinking downward against the elastic force, and the connection position matches.

  When the computer 10 is further pushed down, the connector 40 is attached to the connector 18 on the computer 10 side, and the hook 50 is returned to its original state by the spring force of the winding spring 51 and engaged with the engagement hole 19.

(Withdrawal operation)
FIGS. 11A to 11C show the detachment operation of the computer 10 from the cradle device 20. In order to remove the computer 10 from the cradle device 20, if the computer 10 is lifted horizontally as it is or the hook 50 is lifted, the edge of the engagement hole 19 comes into contact with the horizontal surface 50e of the claw portion 50b of the hook 50. Since the hook 50 cannot be rotated, it is difficult to remove the computer 10. Therefore, when the computer 10 is lifted in the upward direction E as shown in FIG. 11A and the connector 18 side is lifted in the F direction as shown in FIG. Rotating in direction D, hook 50 is disengaged from engagement hole 19 and computer 10 can be removed from cradle device 20.

(Effect of embodiment)
According to the present embodiment, since the connector 40 can be moved not only in the horizontal direction but also in the vertical direction, an excessive force is not applied to the connectors 18 and 40 when the connectors are connected, and damage to the connectors 18 and 40 is prevented. be able to. Further, since the hook 50 is provided on the side opposite to the connector 40, the posture of the computer 10 when the computer 10 is detached from the cradle device 20 is limited, and the load on the connectors 18 and 40 can be reduced.

  The present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, and various modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the invention.

1 Electronic device system, 2 PCI bus, 3 LPC bus,
10 portable computer, 11 main body, 11a front surface, 11b side surface,
11c bottom surface, 11d top surface, 11e back surface, 12 display unit, 12a LCD,
12b tablet, 13 cursor keys, 14A left click switch,
14B Right click switch, 15 microphone, 16 power switch, 17 USB terminal,
18 connector, 19 engagement hole, 20 cradle device, 21 housing, 21a side wall,
21b front wall, 21c rear wall, 21d top wall, 21e bottom wall, 21f reinforcing piece,
21g square hole, 21h boss, 21i mounting hole, 21j opening, 22 stand,
22a side wall, 22b front wall, 22c rear wall, 22d bottom wall, 22e opening,
22f Opening, 22g Positioning protrusion, 22h Square seat, 23 Magnetic sensor, 24 Bottom plate, 40 Connector, 40a Guide part, 41 Base, 42 Magnetic sensor, 43 Connector,
44 film, 45 elastic body, 50 hook, 50a base part, 50b claw part,
50c shaft part, 50d inclined surface, 50e horizontal surface, 51 winding spring,
51a, 51b end, 111 CPU, 112 North Bridge, 113 main memory,
114 graphics controller, 116 south bridge,
117 USB controller, 125 network controller,
126 LAN port,
170 Embedded controller / keyboard controller IC (EC / KBC),
172 register, 173 magnetic body, 180 power supply circuit, 181 battery,
182 AC adapter, 211 stud, 211a screw hole, 212 screw,
213 Washer, 214 Hook storage part, 220 Boss part, 221 Screw hole,
300 main board, 301 power terminal, 302 USB terminal,
303 mini USB terminal, 304 spacer, 305 connector,
306 Flexible wiring board, 400 Sub board, 400a Mounting hole,
400b Positioning hole

Claims (2)

An electronic device electrically connected to the support device when mounted on the support device,
The body,
A connector provided on a predetermined surface of the main body and electrically connected when mounted on the support device;
A locking piece having a claw portion provided in the support device when the predetermined surface is shifted from the center of the main body to the opposite side of the connector and the main body is mounted on the support device. And when the main body is detached from the support device, the engagement is lifted upward while being inclined to the side shifted to the opposite side of the connector so as to be detached first from the connector. An electronic device comprising an engagement hole formed at a position where the locking to the stop piece is released.   The support device includes an electronic device guide portion for guiding a mounting position of the main body therein, and the engagement hole is locked to the locking piece when the main body is mounted along the electronic device guide portion. On the other hand, when the connector is detached, the connector is guided to a position where the engagement hole is unlocked by the engagement piece after the connector is detached. machine.

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