JP2012090414A - Cable unit and method for maintain the same - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a cable unit and a method for maintain the same, having improved workability.SOLUTION: A cable unit 10 comprises: a cable 1; a pair of connectors 2 and 3 provided at both ends of the cable 1; and a plurality of light-emitting parts 4 arranged along the cable 1 at predetermined intervals, for emitting light. The connectors 2 and 3 or the vicinities of connectors 2 and 3 are provided with switches 5 and 6 for switching the light-emitting parts 4 to a conductive state or a non-conductive state. The light-emitting parts 4 may have a current applied to emit light by using a power supply line in the cable 1 or a line which is not used for data signals or control signals.

Description

  The present invention relates to a cable unit that connects a plurality of devices to each other and a maintenance method thereof, and more particularly to a cable unit that improves workability and a maintenance method thereof.

  Generally, in a computer system including a PC server or the like, a network, a computer, peripheral devices, and the like are connected to each other via a plurality of cables. Normally, when exchanging these interconnected networks, computers, peripheral devices, etc. for maintenance purposes, identify the cables connecting each device, and disconnect or change the identified cables Such treatment is performed.

  In recent years, with the spread of rack mount servers and high-density mounting devices, a large number of cables for connecting to a large number of servers are concentrated at a certain location, making it difficult to determine the connection status of each cable. It has become.

  To determine the connection state of such cables, for example, pull out the cable stored to a position where the operator can visually check it, check it visually, check the power supply state between the server and the connected device, and The connector is specified, or marking for identifying the connector is performed on both ends of the connector.

JP 2005-215660 A

  However, using any of the above methods, the number of cables to be connected increases, and it is more difficult to determine the connection state of each cable in a situation where the cables must be stored at a high density like the server. Become. As a result, more work time is consumed for identifying and replacing the cable essential for the server maintenance work. On the other hand, a cable with a light emitting unit in which a plurality of light emitting units are mounted on a cable is known (see, for example, Patent Document 1), but this cable does not connect a plurality of devices, and its maintenance workability It cannot be said that it was designed in consideration of the above.

  The present invention has been made to solve such problems, and has as its main object to provide a cable unit with improved workability and a maintenance method thereof.

  One embodiment of the present invention for achieving the above object includes a cable, a pair of connectors provided at both ends of the cable, and a plurality of light emitting units that are provided at predetermined intervals along the cable and emit light. It is a cable unit, Comprising: The switch which switches the said light emission part to an energized state or a non-energized state is provided in the said connector or this connector vicinity, The cable unit characterized by the above-mentioned.

  One embodiment of the present invention for achieving the above object is a cable, a pair of connectors provided at both ends of the cable, a plurality of light emitting units that are provided at predetermined intervals along the cable, and emit light. A cable unit maintenance method comprising: operating a connector or a switch provided in the vicinity of the connector to turn on the light-emitting unit and emit light. May be.

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, the cable unit which improved workability | operativity, and its maintenance method can be provided.

It is a functional block diagram of the cable unit which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. It is a lineblock diagram showing a schematic structure of a cable unit concerning one embodiment of the present invention. It is a conceptual diagram for demonstrating in detail the operation | movement of the LED line of a USB cable, and a 1st and 2nd switch. It is a conceptual diagram for demonstrating in detail the operation | movement of the LED line of a USB cable, and a 1st and 2nd switch. It is a figure which shows the state which removes the cable unit previously wired by the rack mount system. It is a block diagram which shows schematic structure of the cable unit which concerns on other embodiment of this invention.

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a functional block diagram of a cable unit according to an embodiment of the present invention. The cable unit 10 according to the present embodiment includes a cable 1, a pair of connectors 2 and 3 provided at both ends of the cable 1, and a plurality of light emitting units 4 provided at predetermined intervals along the cable 1 to emit light. I have. In addition, switches 5 and 6 for switching the light emitting unit 4 to an energized state or a non-energized state are provided in the connectors 2 and 3 or in the vicinity of the connectors 2 and 3, respectively.

  As a result, the operator can operate one of the connectors 2 and 3 or the switches 5 and 6 provided in the vicinity of the connectors 2 and 3 with better operability to cause each light emitting unit 4 of the cable 1 to emit light. . Therefore, the operator can easily visually recognize the wiring position, the wiring state, and the like of the cable 1 by visually recognizing the light emission of the plurality of light emitting units 4 provided at predetermined intervals along the cable 1. That is, the workability of the cable unit 10 can be improved.

  FIG. 2 is a configuration diagram illustrating a schematic configuration of the cable unit according to the present embodiment. A cable unit 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention is provided at both ends of a USB (Universal Serial Bus) cable 1 in which a plurality of lines (wirings) are embedded in parallel along the longitudinal direction thereof, and the USB cable 1. A pair of USB connectors 2, 3, a plurality of LEDs (light emitting units) 4 provided on the USB cable 1, and a pair of first and second switches 5, 6 for switching the LED 3 to an energized state or a non-energized state; It is equipped with.

  The pair of USB connectors 2 and 3 are each provided with four pins, and the USB cable 1 has seven lines (for example, a power supply line 11, signal lines 12 and 13, a ground line 14, and an LED line 15. ) Is embedded along the longitudinal direction of the USB cable 1. The number of pins provided in the USB connectors 2 and 3 may be arbitrary, and the number of lines embedded in the USB cable 1 may be arbitrary. Further, both ends of each line of the USB cable 1 are connected to the pins of the USB connectors 2 and 3, respectively.

  For example, both ends of the power supply line 11 of the USB cable 1 are connected to the first pins (+ 5V) 21 and 31 of the USB connectors 2 and 3, respectively. Both ends of the signal line 12 of the USB cable 1 are connected to the second pins (DATA-) 22 and 32 of the USB connectors 2 and 3, respectively. Both ends of the signal line 13 of the USB cable 1 are connected to third pins (DATA +) 23 and 33 of the USB connectors 2 and 3, respectively. Both ends of the ground line 14 of the USB cable 1 are connected to the fourth pins (GRAND) 24 and 34 of the USB connectors 2 and 3, respectively. Note that the pin assignment of the USB connectors 2 and 3 is not limited to the above configuration, and any pin assignment can be applied.

  An LED line 15 is embedded in the USB cable 1 for supplying power to the LED 4 to emit light. The LED line 15 is connected with three LEDs 4 arranged at predetermined intervals along the longitudinal direction so as to be visible on the shield of the USB cable 1. Note that the number of LEDs 4 provided on the USB cable 1 may be arbitrary, and may be configured such that a plurality of LEDs 4 are provided at equal intervals or unequal intervals, and are arbitrary as long as the operator can see the light emission of the LEDs 4 well. The configuration of Further, the LED 4 may be provided on the USB connectors 2 and 3.

  Moreover, although the LED (Light Emitting Diode: LED) 4 such as red, yellow, green, white, and blue is used as the light emitting unit 4, any light emitting member can be used. In consideration of power consumption, lifetime, brightness, and the like, it is preferable to use the LED 4 as in the present embodiment. The pair of first and second switches 5 and 6 are switches that can be switched on / off by pressing, for example, and are provided in the pair of USB connectors 2 and 3, respectively. Further, the first and second switches 5 and 6 can switch each LED 4 to an energized state to turn on / flash, or switch each LED 4 to a non-energized state to turn it off. In the present embodiment, the pair of first and second switches 5 and 6 are provided in the USB connectors 2 and 3, but the present invention is not limited to this, and the number and position of the switches provided may be arbitrary. For example, the first and second switches 5 and 6 may be provided on the USB cable 1 in the vicinity of the USB connectors 2 and 3.

  The LED line 15 of the USB cable 1 includes three lines of a first line 151, a second line 152, and a third line 153. Both ends of the first to third lines 151, 152, 153 of the LED line 15 are connected to the power supply line 11 and the ground line 14 via the pair of first and second switches 5, 6, respectively. Therefore, it is possible to realize the light emission of each LED 4 for recognizing the wiring position, connection state, etc. of the USB cable 1 without changing the pin assignment, interface, USB connector shape, etc. of the USB cable 1.

  FIG. 3 is a conceptual diagram for explaining in detail the operation of the LED line of the USB cable and the first and second switches. The first and second switches 5 and 6 have first contacts 51 and 61, second contacts 52 and 62, one end connected to the first pins 21 and 31 via the power supply line 11, and the other end There are switching units 53 and 63 for switching the contact to the first contact 51 or 61 or the second contact 52 or 62, respectively.

  Each LED 4 is connected between the 1st line 151, and the 1st contacts 51 and 61 of the 1st and 2nd switches 5 and 6 are connected to the both ends, respectively. Similarly, each LED 4 is connected between the second lines 152, and the second contacts 52 and 62 of the first and second switches 5 and 6 are connected to both ends thereof. The LED 4 is connected between the third lines 153, and the fourth pins 24 and 34 of the USB connectors 2 and 3 are connected to both ends of the third line 153, respectively.

  The first and second switches 5 and 6 constitute a three-way switch. That is, as shown in Table 1, when the switching unit 53 of the first switch 5 is in contact with the first contact 51 and the switching unit 63 of the second switch 6 is in contact with the first contact 61, each LED 4 is energized. Switch to state and light up / blink (Fig. 3). Further, when the switching unit 53 of the first switch 5 is in contact with the second contact 52 and the switching unit 63 of the second switch 6 is in contact with the second contact 62, each LED 4 is switched to an energized state and lit / flashes. To do.

On the other hand, when the switching unit 53 of the first switch 5 is in contact with the first contact 51 and the switching unit 63 of the second switch 6 is in contact with the second contact 62, each LED 4 is switched to a non-energized state and turned off. To do. Further, when the switching unit 53 of the first switch 5 is in contact with the second contact 52 and the switching unit 63 of the second switch 6 is in contact with the first contact 61, each LED 4 is switched to an energized state and turned off ( FIG. 4). In this way, by configuring the first and second switches 5 and 6 as a three-way switch, by operating the better one of the first and second switches 5 and 6, It is possible to easily switch on and off.

  For example, as shown in FIG. 5, it is assumed that the cable unit 10 is wired in advance to the rack mount system 100 and the cable unit 10 is removed from the rack mount system 100. In this case, first, the operator operates and switches one of the first and second switches 5 and 6 of the USB connectors 2 and 3 that has better operability (for example, the one closer to the operator) to change the USB cable 1. Each LED 4 can be lit / flashed. Thereby, the worker can easily visually recognize the wiring position, the wiring state, and the like of the USB cable 1 by visually confirming the lighting / flashing of the plurality of LEDs 4 provided at predetermined intervals along the longitudinal direction of the USB cable 1. be able to.

  As described above, a specific USB cable 1 is removed from a large number of USB cables 1 connected to a plurality of servers housed in the rack mount system 100 by maintenance and replacement of the cable unit 10 or the USB cable 1 When replacing the USB cable 1, it is possible to easily identify the USB cable 1 to be removed even when a plurality of cables are intensively stored in one place. For example, the worker can easily determine to which server a plurality of USB cables 1 having the same shape are connected. In addition, when a plurality of cables are connected to the same server, the worker can easily determine which USB cable 1 of which server is connected to which device.

  Furthermore, it may be assumed that a part of the USB cable 1 is hidden behind other members continuously or intermittently and it is difficult for the operator to visually identify the entire USB cable 1. Even in this case, the worker visually recognizes and tracks each LED 4 provided on the USB cable 1 at regular intervals from a position close to the USB connectors 2 and 3, thereby wiring the entire USB cable 1 to be removed, It is possible to easily recognize the connection state, the storage state, and the like. Therefore, for example, the worker can greatly improve work efficiency such as cable identification work and cabling work in the maintenance work while visually recognizing the light emission state of each LED 4. That is, the workability of the cable unit 10 can be improved.

  Note that the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and can be changed as appropriate without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

  For example, in the above-described embodiment, the USB cable unit 10 is applied. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and may be applied to, for example, the RS232C cable unit 20 (FIG. 6). Applicable.

  As shown in FIG. 6, the cable unit 20 for RS232C includes an RS232C cable 7 configured as a cross cable in which a plurality of lines cross, and a pair of RS232C connectors 8 and 9 provided at both ends of the RS232C cable 7. The RS232C cable includes three LEDs 4 that emit light, and a pair of first and second switches 5 and 6 that switch the LEDs 4 between an energized state and a non-energized state.

  The pair of RS232C connectors 8 and 9 are each provided with 9 pins, and the RS232C cable 7 has 12 lines (for example, a power supply line, a signal line, a ground line, and an LED line) of the RS232C cable 7. It is buried along the longitudinal direction.

  Both ends of the power supply line of the RS232C cable 7 are connected to the 9th pin (VCC + 5V) of each RS232C connector 8, 9 respectively. Further, both ends of the ground line of the RS232C cable 7 are connected to the fifth pins (GRAND) of the RS232C connectors 8 and 9, respectively. Further, both ends of the first to third lines of the LED line are connected to the power supply line and the ground line via a pair of first and second switches 5 and 6. Therefore, the light emission of each LED 4 for recognizing the wiring position, connection state, etc. of the RS232C cable 7 can be realized without changing the pin assignment, interface, RS232C connector shape, etc. of the RS232C cable 7.

  Moreover, in the said one Embodiment, the luminescent color of each LED4 of the USB cable 1 may be the same, and may differ. Further, the LEDs 4 may be arranged in a different arrangement on the USB cable 1. Furthermore, a plurality of sets of USB cables 1 in which the emission color, emission period, arrangement, etc. of each LED 4 are changed may be configured. Thereby, by visually recognizing the light emission method of the LED 4 in each USB cable 1, it is possible to easily recognize the connection state of the USB cable 1 of the same type, the storage state of the USB cable 1, and the like.

  The present invention is applicable to, for example, a cable unit that connects a network of a computer system, a computer, peripheral devices, and the like and a maintenance method thereof.

1 USB cable 2, 3 USB connector 4 LED
5 First switch 6 Second switch 10 Cable unit

Claims (5)

A cable and a pair of connectors provided at both ends of the cable;
A plurality of light emitting units that emit light at a predetermined interval along the cable,
A cable unit, characterized in that a switch for switching the light emitting unit to an energized state or a non-energized state is provided in the connector or in the vicinity of the connector. The cable unit according to claim 1,
The light emitting unit emits light by energization using a power line in the cable or a line not used for a data signal and a control signal, and emits light. The cable unit according to claim 1 or 2,
The cable unit, wherein the light emitting unit is an LED. The cable unit according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
The cable unit is a USB cable or an RS232C cable. A cable unit maintenance method comprising: a cable; a pair of connectors provided at both ends of the cable; and a plurality of light emitting units that emit light at predetermined intervals along the cable,
A method for maintaining a cable unit, comprising: operating the connector or a switch provided in the vicinity of the connector to cause the light emitting unit to be energized to emit light.

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