JP2012043293A - Information processing device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an information processing device capable of reducing its device production costs in all cases where an operation unit is stored in a device body and where the operation unit is removed from the device body, by performing wireless communication between the operation unit and communication means of the device body.SOLUTION: An information processing device has an operation unit attachable/detachable to a device body. The device body has a first antenna and a second antenna for performing wireless communication with the operation unit, and the operation unit has a third antenna for performing wireless communication with the device body. When the operation unit is stored in the device body, wireless communication is performed between the first antenna and the third antenna, and when the operation unit is removed from the device body, wireless communication is performed between the second antenna ant the third antenna. Operation information indicating operations received in the operation unit is transmitted via the third antenna, and received by either the first antenna or the second antenna.

Description

  The present invention relates to an information processing apparatus having an operation unit that can be attached to and detached from an apparatus main body.

  As an example of technology related to the present invention, there is an information processing apparatus described in Patent Document 1, for example. The information processing apparatus disclosed in Patent Document 1 is configured such that a keyboard (an example of an operation unit) is detachable from the apparatus main body, and wireless communication is performed between the keyboard and the apparatus main body when the keyboard is detached. That is, information (key code) indicating a key operated by the user is transmitted from the keyboard to the apparatus main body by wireless communication. Thus, the user can perform the operation by removing the keyboard from the apparatus main body and arranging the keyboard at a desired location.

JP 2004-38332 A

  In the information processing apparatus of Patent Document 1, a connector is used as a communication means when the keyboard is housed in the apparatus main body, and an antenna for wireless communication is used as the communication means when the keyboard is detached from the apparatus main body. It is a configuration to use. Therefore, as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5 of Patent Document 1, each of the apparatus main body and the keyboard needs to include both a connector and an antenna. In other words, since the information processing apparatus of Patent Document 1 requires two types of communication means (hardware), there is a problem in that the manufacturing of the information processing apparatus is expensive.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and communication between the operation unit and the apparatus main body is performed both when the operation unit is housed in the apparatus main body and when the operation unit is detached from the apparatus main body. An object of the present invention is to provide an information processing apparatus capable of reducing the manufacturing cost of the apparatus by using wireless communication means.

  In order to achieve such an object, an information processing apparatus of the present invention is an information processing apparatus in which an operation unit is detachable from the apparatus main body, and the apparatus main body includes a first antenna for performing wireless communication with the operation unit, and The second antenna is provided, and the operation unit has a third antenna for wireless communication with the apparatus main body. When the operation unit is housed in the apparatus main body, the operation unit is provided between the first antenna and the third antenna. When wireless communication is performed and the operation unit is detached from the apparatus main body, wireless communication is performed between the second antenna and the third antenna, and operation information indicating an operation accepted by the operation unit is It is transmitted through three antennas and received by either the first antenna or the second antenna.

  According to the present invention, when the operation unit is housed in the apparatus main body and when the operation unit is detached from the apparatus main body, the communication unit between the operation unit and the apparatus main body is wirelessly communicated. The production cost of the apparatus can be reduced.

It is a perspective view showing an example of appearance of a PC concerning one embodiment of the present invention. It is a perspective view which shows the example of the state from which the keyboard and the housing | casing member were removed in PC concerning one Embodiment of this invention. It is a block diagram which shows an example of the internal structure of PC concerning one Embodiment of this invention. It is a top view which shows a state when a keyboard is removed from the accommodating part of PC which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. It is a top view which shows a state when the keyboard removed from the storage part of PC which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention is mounted in a mounting part. It is a side view which shows a state when the keyboard removed from the storage part of PC which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention is mounted in the mounting part. It is a side view which shows the example of the angle change of a keyboard when the keyboard removed from the storage part of PC which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention is mounted in the mounting part. It is a side view which shows the example of installation of the protection member in the keyboard removed from the storage part of PC which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. It is a side view which shows the state when mounting the keyboard removed from the accommodating part on the mounting part while showing another structural example of the keyboard and mounting part of PC concerning one Embodiment of this invention.

  DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, embodiments (embodiments) for carrying out the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

  FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an example of the appearance of a PC (Personal Computer) which is an embodiment of an information processing apparatus of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 1, the PC of this embodiment is a notebook PC. In the following, a notebook PC will be described as an example. However, the information processing apparatus of the present invention is not limited to this, and can be applied to any apparatus in which an operation unit can be detached from the apparatus main body. In the following, an example of an operation unit that can be attached to and detached from the apparatus main body will be described as a keyboard. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and a device that can be operated without changing the position of the device when the user performs an operation (for example, , Touch panel, touch pad, trackball, etc.).

  In the PC shown in FIG. 1, the casing 1 and the casing 3 are connected via a hinge part 4, and the casing (an example of the apparatus main body) 1 and the casing 3 are folded by the rotation of the hinge part 4. Can be. The housing 3 is provided with a display unit 5 that displays various types of information to the user. The housing 1 is provided with a keyboard (an example of an operation unit) 2 and a touch pad 6 for receiving user operations. The housing 1 includes a housing member 7 and a housing member 8. In the description of this embodiment, the longitudinal direction and the short direction of the housing 1 and the keyboard 2 are defined as shown in FIG. Also, in the short direction, the direction in which the hinge portion 4 is provided is referred to as “back”, and the direction in which the housing member 8 is provided is referred to as “front”. In the longitudinal direction, the side on which the casing member 7 is provided is called “right”, and the opposite side is called “left”.

  The keyboard 2 and the housing members 7 and 8 are detachable from the housing 1. FIG. 1 shows a state in which the keyboard 2 and the casing members 7 and 8 are mounted (stored) in the casing 1. Here, a state where the keyboard 2 and the casing members 7 and 8 are detached from the casing 1 will be described with reference to FIG.

  When the user wants to remove the keyboard 2 from the housing 1, the user first removes the housing member 7. By this removal, an opening is formed on the right side of the housing 1. Next, the user slides the keyboard 2 to the right and takes out the keyboard 2 from the opening. Further, the user removes the housing member 8 in order to use the removed keyboard 2 placed on the front side of the housing 1.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the keyboard 2 removed from the housing 1 is provided with a guide member 23 at the bottom thereof. The guide member 23 is a plate-like member, and has a shape protruding in the back side and the near side in the short side direction of the keyboard 2. A portion protruding to the back side is referred to as a back side member 24, and a portion protruding to the front side is referred to as a front side member 25. The back side member 24 and the near side member 25 guide the sliding movement when the keyboard 2 is removed and stored. In addition, the guide member 23 includes a hinge portion 26 for enabling the back side member 24 to rotate and a hinge portion 27 for enabling the front side member 25 to rotate.

  As shown in FIG. 2, a housing portion (an example of a first holding structure) 14 having a hollow portion is formed in the housing 1 from which the keyboard 2 has been removed. The storage portion 14 has substantially the same shape as the keyboard 2 and the guide member 23 and has a structure that allows the keyboard 2 to slide in the left-right direction. Therefore, the removed keyboard 2 is stored by being slid to the left with respect to the storage unit 14 and inserted, and is fixedly held in the storage unit 14.

  As shown in FIG. 2, a mounting portion (an example of a second holding structure) 15 is formed in the housing 1 from which the housing member 8 has been removed. A part of the removed keyboard 2 is placed on the placement unit 15. In the present embodiment, the back member 24 of the guide member 23 is placed on the placement portion 25. The longitudinal width of the mounting portion 15 is substantially the same as the longitudinal width of the back member 24. Therefore, the removed keyboard 2 is fixedly held on the placement unit 15 by placing the back member 24 on the placement unit 15.

  Next, the internal configuration of the PC of the present embodiment configured as described above will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating an example of the internal configuration of the PC according to the present embodiment.

  As illustrated in FIG. 3, the housing 1 includes a control unit 10, a wireless communication unit 11, and loop antennas 12 and 13. As illustrated in FIG. 3, the keyboard 2 includes a control unit 20, a wireless communication unit 21, a loop antenna 22, and a storage capacitor 28. The control unit 10 is an embedded controller, and the control unit 20 is a keyboard controller. The wireless communication units 11 and 21 are RF communication devices. The loop antennas 12, 13, and 22 may be the same.

  The control unit 10 generates an electric field in the loop antenna 12 or 13 via the wireless communication unit 11. As a result, the data from the loop antenna 22 can be received. On the other hand, when the loop antenna 22 receives the electromagnetic field, electric power is stored in the storage capacitor (an example of the storage means) 28. The storage capacitor 28 stores the minimum power necessary for key scanning. The controller 20 performs a key scan using the stored power. Then, the control unit 20 transmits data (an example of operation information) indicating a key code as a result of the key scan from the loop antenna 22 to the loop antenna 12 or 13 via the wireless communication unit 21. The control unit 10 performs processing based on the data received from the loop antenna 22.

  The present embodiment is characterized in that the housing 1 includes two loop antennas 12 and 13. The loop antenna (an example of a first antenna) 12 is used for wireless communication with a loop antenna (an example of a third antenna) 22 when the keyboard 2 is housed in the housing 1. The loop antenna (an example of a second antenna) 13 is used for wireless communication with the loop antenna (an example of a third antenna) 22 when the keyboard 2 is detached from the housing 1. The wireless communication between the loop antenna 12 and the loop antenna 22 and the wireless communication between the loop antenna 13 and the loop antenna 22 are a common wireless communication system (for example, RFID).

  Here, an installation example of these two loop antennas 12 and 13 will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 4 is a top view showing a state when the keyboard 2 is removed from the storage unit 14 of the housing 1. FIG. 5 is a top view showing a state when the keyboard 2 removed from the storage portion 14 of the housing 1 is placed on the placement portion 15 of the housing 1. 4 and 5, the illustration of the housing 3 and the keys of the keyboard 2 are omitted.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the loop antenna 12 is installed in the storage unit 14 on the right side in the longitudinal direction and the back side in the short direction. Further, as shown in FIG. 4, the loop antenna 13 is installed on the right side in the longitudinal direction and on the near side in the short direction in the mounting portion 15. The installation positions of the loop antennas 12 and 13 are horizontal in the lateral direction of the housing 1. The loop antenna 12 is installed behind the outer layer of the storage unit 14 at the installation position shown in FIG. 4 (incorporated without being exposed on the surface of the storage unit 14). Similarly, the loop antenna 13 is also installed behind the outer layer of the mounting unit 15 at the installation position shown in FIG. 4 (incorporated without being exposed on the surface of the mounting unit 15). As shown in FIG. 4, the loop antenna 22 is installed on the keyboard 2 on the right side in the longitudinal direction and the back side in the short direction. This loop antenna 22 is also installed behind the outer layer of the keyboard 2 at the installation position shown in FIG. 4 (incorporated without being exposed on the surface of the keyboard 2). With such an installation, the loop antenna 22 is positioned so as to overlap at least a part of the loop antenna 12 when the keyboard 2 is stored in the storage portion 14 as shown in FIG. Thereby, wireless communication becomes possible between the loop antenna 12 and the loop antenna 22. Since this wireless communication is performed via the guide member 23, the outer layer of the keyboard 2, and the outer layer of the storage portion 14, the total thickness thereof is configured so as not to interfere with the wireless communication ( For example, within a few centimeters).

  The keyboard 2 removed from the storage portion 14 is placed on the placement portion 15 as shown in FIG. That is, FIG. 5 shows a state where the back side member 24 of the guide member 23 is placed on the placement portion 15 as described above. Further, FIG. 6 shows a state of another viewpoint (viewed from the direction of the arrow in FIG. 5) in this state. In this state, the loop antenna 22 is positioned so as to overlap at least a part of the loop antenna 13 as shown in FIGS. Thereby, wireless communication becomes possible between the loop antenna 13 and the loop antenna 22. Since this wireless communication is performed via the guide member 23, the outer layer of the keyboard 2, and the outer layer of the mounting portion 15, the total thickness thereof is configured so as not to interfere with the wireless communication. (E.g. within a few centimeters).

  As shown in FIG. 6, when the keyboard 2 is placed on the placement portion 15, the front side member 25 of the guide member 23 is rotated by the hinge portion 27 and placed on a placement table such as a desk or table. It functions as a leg portion that supports the keyboard 2. For this reason, the near side member 25 is preferably stronger than the back side member 24. For example, the thickness of the front side member 25 is made larger than the thickness of the back side member 24 or the material of the front side member 25 is made stronger than the material of the back side member 24 to ensure the strength. Like that.

  The control unit 10 illustrated in FIG. 3 switches between the two loop antennas 12 and 13. For example, when the keyboard 2 is stored in the storage unit 14 as shown in FIG. 1 and wireless communication between the loop antenna 12 and the loop antenna 22 is performed, the keyboard 2 is stored as shown in FIG. When the wireless communication is detected as being disconnected from the unit 14, the control unit 10 stops the electric field generation from the loop antenna 12 and starts the electric field generation from the loop antenna 13. Further, for example, as shown in FIG. 4, when the keyboard 2 is placed on the placement unit 15 as shown in FIG. 5 and wireless communication between the loop antenna 13 and the loop antenna 22 is performed, as shown in FIG. 4. When the keyboard 2 is removed from the placement unit 15 and the cutoff of the wireless communication is detected, the control unit 10 stops the electric field generation from the loop antenna 13 and starts the electric field generation from the loop antenna 12. Therefore, depending on whether the keyboard 2 is housed or removed, one of the loop antennas 12 and 13 is controlled to a state in which wireless communication is possible.

  Next, an angle change of the keyboard 2 when the keyboard 2 is placed on the placement unit 15 will be described with reference to FIG.

  The angle change of the keyboard 2 can be realized by rotating the back member 24 by the hinge portion 26 (an example of an angle changing means). Further, a hinge portion that is fixed to the guide member 23 and can turn the keyboard 2 is provided at one end of the keyboard 2 (for example, the front side of the keyboard 2 in the short direction).

  With this configuration, for example, as shown in FIG. 7A, when the keyboard 2 is rotated by the hinge portion and separated from the guide member 23, a space is formed between the keyboard 2 and the guide member 23. The back side member 24 rotated by the hinge portion 26 is inserted into this space. One end of the keyboard 2 (the back side of the keyboard 2 in the short direction) is placed on the back member 24. As a result, the keyboard 2 shown in FIG. 7A is inclined by an angle α as compared with the case of the placement shown in FIG. Further, for example, as shown in FIG. 7B, the back member 24 is rotated by a hinge portion 26 so as to be perpendicular to the guide member 23. One end of the keyboard 2 (the back side of the keyboard 2 in the short direction) is placed on the back member 24. As a result, the keyboard 2 shown in FIG. 7B is inclined by an angle β as compared with the case of the placement shown in FIG. FIG. 7 shows two examples of the angles α and β, but the present invention is not limited to this. That is, the back member 24 can be rotated to an arbitrary angle, and the mounting angle of the keyboard 2 can be changed accordingly.

  6 and 7, when the keyboard 2 is placed on the placement portion 15, the guide member 23 (including the back member 24 and the hinge portion 26) contacts the surface of the placement portion 15, The near side member 25 that functions as a leg portion contacts the surface of the mounting table (desk, table, etc.). At this time, when the user operates the keyboard 2, pressure is applied to each of the contact portions, so that the surface of the mounting unit 15 or the surface of the mounting table may be damaged. Therefore, in order to prevent such scratches, it is preferable that a protective member is provided in the guide member 23 at a location corresponding to the contact portion. An example in which a protective member is provided is shown in FIG. In the example of FIG. 8, protection members 29 and 30 are provided on the guide member 23, respectively. Examples of the protection members 29 and 30 include elastic members such as rubber rubber.

  FIG. 9 shows an example of another configuration of the keyboard 2 and the placement unit 15. As shown in FIG. 9A, the placement unit 15 may be configured to have a predetermined angle of inclination. Further, as shown in FIG. 9A, the rear side member 24 and the front side member 25 of the keyboard 2 may be configured to be rotated in the direction indicated by the arrows in the drawing by the hinge portions 26 and 27. Good. FIG. 9B shows a state when the keyboard 2 is placed on the placement unit 15 in such a configuration. As shown in FIG. 9B, the folded back side member 26 is placed on the placing portion 15, and the folded front side member 25 is placed on the placing table. At this time, the keyboard 2 is inclined by an amount corresponding to the inclination angle of the placement unit 15.

  As described above, according to the present embodiment, the keyboard 2 is removed from the housing 1 when the keyboard 2 is housed in the housing 1 as shown in FIG. 1 and as shown in FIGS. In any case, the communication means between the keyboard 2 and the housing 1 is wireless communication. Therefore, in the present embodiment, the housing 1 and the keyboard 2 may be provided with only one type of communication means, and it is not necessary to provide two types of communication means as in Patent Document 1, thereby reducing the manufacturing cost of the PC and the keyboard. It becomes possible.

  Further, according to the present embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, by placing the keyboard 2 removed from the storage portion 14 on the placement portion 15, the keyboard 2 (in the short side direction) is It will be in the state which protruded on the extended line of the near direction of 1 short direction. In this state, the keyboard 2 is closer to the user than the keyboard 2 is stored in the storage unit 14. Therefore, the operability can be improved for the user.

  Further, according to the present embodiment, when the keyboard 2 removed from the storage portion 14 is placed on the placement portion 15 as shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the loop antenna 13 and the loop antenna 22 are at least It is configured to partially overlap. Thereby, even when the communication range of wireless communication is narrow, wireless communication between the keyboard 2 removed from the storage unit 14 and the housing 1 can be reliably performed.

  When the user removes and uses the keyboard 2 housed in the housing 1, the user needs to be aware that the removed keyboard 2 is disposed at a position where it can communicate with the housing 1. In contrast, in this embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 2, 4 to 6, etc., the keyboard 2 removed from the housing 1 is held at a position where the loop antenna 13 and the loop antenna 22 can perform wireless communication. A mounting portion 15 is provided. As a result, the user does not need to be aware of the position where the removed keyboard 2 is placed, and can simply perform wireless communication between the keyboard 2 and the housing 1 simply by placing the keyboard 2 according to the placement unit 15. . The same is true when the removed keyboard 2 is stored in the housing 1. That is, when the user uses the removed keyboard 2 in the housing 1, the user needs to be aware that the keyboard 2 to be stored is arranged at a position where the keyboard 2 can communicate with the housing 1. On the other hand, in this embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 4, the storage unit 14 holds the keyboard 2 stored in the housing 1 at a position where the loop antenna 12 and the loop antenna 22 can perform wireless communication. Is provided. Thereby, the user does not need to be aware of the position where the keyboard 2 to be stored is disposed, and can simply perform wireless communication between the keyboard 2 and the housing 1 only by arranging the keyboard 2 according to the storage unit 14.

  Further, according to the present embodiment, even when the keyboard 2 is stored in the storage unit 14 as shown in FIG. 1, the keyboard 2 is mounted on the mounting unit 15 as shown in FIGS. 5 and 6. Even when the power is on, the power necessary for key scanning (power that can acquire operation information) can be stored in the storage capacitor 28. Therefore, in this embodiment, unlike the patent document 1, it is not necessary to provide the secondary battery for charge.

  Further, according to the present embodiment, when the keyboard 2 removed from the storage unit 14 is placed on the placement unit 15 as shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, the user arbitrarily rotates the back side member 24. By doing so, the mounting angle of the keyboard 2 can be freely changed. Therefore, the operability can be improved for the user.

  Further, according to the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 8, in the guide member 23, a protective member is provided at a location that contacts the surface of the housing 1 (mounting portion 15) or the surface of a mounting table such as a desk or table. I am doing so. Thereby, the crack which arises in a contact location by the pressure added at the time of a user's keyboard operation can be prevented.

  As mentioned above, although embodiment of this invention was described, it is not limited to the said embodiment, A various deformation | transformation is possible in the range which does not deviate from the summary.

1 Housing 2 Keyboard 3 Housing 4 Hinge (for housing)
5 Display unit 6 Touch pad 7 Housing member (for storage unit)
8 Housing member (for placement part)
10 Control unit (housing side)
11 Wireless communication unit (housing side)
12 Loop antenna (housing side)
13 Loop antenna (housing side)
14 Storage Unit 15 Placement Unit 20 Control Unit (Keyboard Side)
21 Wireless communication part (keyboard side)
22 Loop antenna (keyboard side)
23 Guide member 24 Back side member 25 Front side member 26 Hinge part (for back side member)
27 Hinge (for front side member)
28 Storage Capacitor 29 Protective Member (For Back Side Member)
30 Protection member (for front side member)

Claims (8)

An information processing apparatus in which an operation unit is detachable from the apparatus body,
The apparatus main body includes a first antenna and a second antenna for performing wireless communication with the operation unit,
The operation unit has a third antenna for performing wireless communication with the apparatus main body,
When the operation unit is housed in the apparatus main body, wireless communication is performed between the first antenna and the third antenna,
When the operation unit is detached from the apparatus main body, wireless communication is performed between the second antenna and the third antenna,
Operation information indicating an operation accepted by the operation unit is transmitted via the third antenna and received by either the first antenna or the second antenna. The apparatus main body is
A first holding structure for holding the operation unit housed in the apparatus main body at a position where wireless communication between the first antenna and the third antenna is possible;
A second holding structure that holds the operation unit removed from the apparatus main body at a position where wireless communication between the second antenna and the third antenna is possible;
The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: The second holding structure is
The information processing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein at least a part of the operation unit removed from the apparatus main body is configured to be fixedly placed on a surface of the apparatus main body. The operation unit is
The information processing apparatus according to claim 3, further comprising an angle changing unit that can arbitrarily change an angle of the operation unit when placed on a surface of the apparatus main body. The operation unit is
5. The information processing apparatus according to claim 3, further comprising a protection member at a portion that comes into contact with the surface of the apparatus main body when placed on the surface of the apparatus main body. The operation unit is
Having at least power storage means for storing electric power capable of acquiring the operation information;
The power storage means is
The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the power is accumulated by wireless communication performed between the third antenna and the first antenna or the second antenna. . The information processing apparatus includes:
A first housing having a display unit;
A second housing serving as the device main body connected to the first housing via a hinge portion;
The second holding structure is
Provided at the end of the second casing that is not connected to the hinge portion in the longitudinal direction;
The operation unit is
When held by the second holding structure, the end in the longitudinal direction of the operation portion is held by the end of the second casing, so that the second casing extends on the extension line in the short direction of the second casing. The information processing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein a short direction of the operation unit protrudes. The operation unit is
The information processing apparatus according to claim 7, further comprising a protection member on a bottom surface of a portion protruding on an extension line in a short direction of the second casing.

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