JP2013182660A - Connector conversion adapter, and storage apparatus or storage apparatus unit using the same - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a thin connector conversion adapter capable of shortening the total length of a storage apparatus.SOLUTION: In order to solve the problem, a connector conversion adapter 10 comprises: a substrate 20 where a circuit pattern 26 is formed; a storage device side connector 22 that is protruded from one surface of the substrate 20 and is connected to an input-output terminal 30 of the storage device 12; and an input-output side connector 24 that has a connection terminal 34 to which a cable 32 is connected from a direction opposite to a protrusion direction of the storage device side connector 22. Furthermore, a connector fitting hole 28 into which the input-output side connector 24 is fitted is formed at a position keeping away from the storage device side connector 22 in the substrate 20, and the input-output side connector 24 is fixed to the substrate 20 in a state of being fitted into the connector fitting hole 28.

Description

  The present invention relates to a connector conversion adapter used by being attached to a storage device such as a hard disk, a CD-ROM drive, and a DVD-R drive, and a storage device or a storage device unit using the same.

  Conventionally, storage devices such as hard disks, silicon disks, CD-ROM (Compact Disc-Read Only Memory) drives, and DVD-R (Digital Versatile Disk-Recordable) drives have been widely used by both companies and individual users. Yes. These storage devices are mainly used by connecting to a desktop computer or a notebook computer. The shape of the input / output terminals provided in each storage device for exchanging data with these computers is a fixed connection standard mainly used in desktop computers such as SATA. This is different from connection standards such as USB (Universal Serial Bus), IEEE1394, or Thunderbolt, which are often used in notebook computers and are easy to connect / disconnect, and the shape of the input / output terminals is also different. There is.

  In order to cope with such a difference in the shape of the input / output terminals, a connector conversion adapter as described in Patent Document 1, for example, has been developed.

  By using a connector conversion adapter in which one connector shape matches the shape of the input / output terminal of the storage device and the other connector shape matches the shape of the predetermined connection standard, this one type of connection is used. Standard cables can be connected to various types of storage devices.

JP 2004-71005 A

  In recent years, not only notebook computers but also desktop computers have been increasingly demanded for miniaturization. For storage devices connected to these computers, use connector shapes with highly versatile connection standards. As a premise, further downsizing is required. Since the shape of the storage device itself is determined by the standard up to the position of the screw hole, development of a connector conversion adapter capable of satisfying the above-described demand for downsizing has been awaited.

  The present invention has been made to solve the above-described problems, and its object is to provide a total length of a storage device configured in combination with a storage device (the total length of the storage device is the direction in which the connector conversion adapter is connected to the storage device). It is to provide a connector conversion adapter with a small thickness that can be shortened.

(1)
According to an aspect of the present invention, a connector conversion adapter that is used by being attached to an input / output terminal of a storage device is provided. The connector conversion adapter includes a circuit board-formed board, a storage device-side connector that protrudes from one side of the substrate and is connected to the input / output terminals of the storage device, and a protruding direction of the storage device-side connector. And an input / output side connector having a connection terminal to which a cable is connected from the opposite direction. A connector insertion hole for fitting the input / output side connector is formed on the board at a position avoiding the storage device side connector. The input / output side connector is fixed to the substrate in a state of being fitted into the connector fitting hole.

  In this connector conversion adapter, the input / output side connector to which the cable is connected is fixed in a state of being fitted into a connector insertion hole formed at a position avoiding the storage device side connector.

  As a result, the protruding length of the I / O connector can be shortened compared to the case where the I / O connector is mounted on the surface of the board. Thus, the overall length of the storage device can be shortened.

(2)
Moreover, it is preferable to add the following structure. That is, it is preferable to form an electrical insulating layer at the end of the input / output side connector opposite to the connection terminal.

  As described above, since the input / output side connector of the connector conversion adapter is fitted in the connector insertion hole formed in the board, the end of the input / output side connector opposite to the connection terminal faces the storage device. (Hereinafter, the opposite end will be referred to as “storage device side end”).

  At this time, if a terminal such as a power supply or jumper pin on the storage device side is formed at a position corresponding to the storage device side end, the storage device side end may contact these terminals. There is a possibility that the device may be short-circuited and break down. In addition, even if there is no contact, a corresponding insulation distance is required. However, in the connector conversion adapter of the present invention, an electrical insulating layer is formed on the storage device side end. Therefore, even if the storage device side end contacts the power supply terminal of the storage device, the storage device It is possible to avoid failure due to short circuit.

  Also, the storage device 14 configured by connecting the connector conversion adapter 10 to the storage device 12 has a shorter overall length and is more compact than the conventional one.

(3)
Furthermore, a storage device unit comprising the connector conversion adapter, a storage device, a case that accommodates the connector conversion adapter and the storage device, and has a connection opening for connecting a cable to a connection terminal of the connector conversion adapter However, the overall length is shorter and more compact than the conventional one.

(4)
In the above case, it is preferable that a transparent window is formed in a portion corresponding to a position where the input / output terminal of the storage device and the storage device side connector of the connector conversion adapter are connected.

  By forming such a transparent window, it is possible to visually check through the window whether there is a defect in the connection between the connector conversion adapter and the storage device when the storage device unit is manufactured. Thus, the risk of shipping defective products by mistake can be reduced.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to reduce the overall length when the connector conversion adapter is formed thin and combined with a storage device.

It is a front side perspective view showing a connector conversion adapter to which the present invention is applied. It is a back side perspective view showing a connector conversion adapter to which the present invention is applied. It is a disassembled perspective view which shows the memory | storage device to which this invention was applied. It is a bottom view which shows the connection state of a connector conversion adapter and a memory | storage device. It is a disassembled perspective view which shows the memory | storage device unit to which this invention was applied. It is a bottom view which shows the state which looked at the connection state of the connector conversion adapter and the memory | storage device through the window part.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In the following description, the same parts are denoted by the same reference numerals. Their names and functions are also the same. Therefore, detailed description thereof will not be repeated.

  First, the connector conversion adapter 10 will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2, and then the storage device 14 configured by combining the connector conversion adapter 10 and the storage device 12 will be described. Further, a storage device unit 18 configured by combining the storage device 14 with the case 16 will be described.

  The connector conversion adapter 10 is used by being attached to the input / output terminal 30 of the storage device 12. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the board 20, the storage device side connector 22, the input / output side connector 24, It has.

  The substrate 20 is a plate-like material for fixing and wiring electronic components and connectors, and a predetermined circuit pattern 26 is formed on the surface thereof. Further, the board 20 has a connector insertion hole 28 into which the input / output side connector 24 is fitted. The connector insertion hole 28 will be described in detail later.

  The circuit pattern 26 is input / output between the first signal format input / output through the input / output terminal 30 of the storage device 12 and the cable 32 connected to the input / output side connector 24 of the connector conversion adapter 10. It has a role of mutually converting between two signal formats, and is composed of electronic components such as an IC, a capacitor, and a diode, and a wiring pattern.

  The storage device side connector 22 is a connector connected to the input / output terminal 30 of the storage device 12, and the end opposite to the connection end with the input / output terminal 30 is fixed to one surface of the substrate 20. , Projecting from this one side. The shape of the storage device side connector 22 may be any shape as long as it corresponds to the shape of the input / output terminal 30 of the storage device 12. The method for fixing the storage device side connector 22 to the substrate 20 is not particularly limited, and a desired fixing method can be used.

  The input / output side connector 24 is a connector to which a cable 32 is connected, and has a connection terminal 34 to which the cable 32 is connected. The connection terminal 34 faces in a direction opposite to the protruding direction of the storage device side connector 22. The input / output side connector 24 is fixed to the substrate 20 in a state of being fitted into a connector insertion hole 28 formed in the substrate 20. Therefore, the connector insertion hole 28 needs to be formed at a position avoiding the storage device side connector 22. Otherwise, the storage device side connector 22 interferes with the input / output side connector 24. The input / output side connector 24 may have any format as long as it corresponds to the connection format of the cable 32 prepared by the user in addition to USB, IEEE 1394, or Thunderbolt. Moreover, the fixing method to the board | substrate 20 of the input / output side connector 24 is not specifically limited, A desired fixing method can be used.

  The position of the connector insertion hole 28 is not particularly limited as long as it is a position that avoids the storage device side connector 22 as described above. The edge of the substrate 20 is cut out, and the cutout portion is connected to the connector. It can also be set as the insertion hole 28. In particular, when there is a recess in the surface of the storage device 12 on which the input / output terminal 30 is provided, it is preferable to form the connector insertion hole 28 at a position corresponding to the recess. This is because even if the input / output side connector 24 is inserted further, it is difficult to interfere with the storage device 12.

  According to the connector conversion adapter 10 of the present embodiment, by inserting the input / output side connector 24 into the connector insertion hole 28, the length of the input / output side connector 24 protruding from the board 20 is shortened by the amount of the insertion. Therefore, compared with the case where the input / output side connector 24 is mounted on the surface of the substrate 20 as in the prior art, the protruding length of the input / output side connector 24 is shortened, and the thickness of the connector conversion adapter 10 is reduced. It can be formed thin.

  Note that an electrical insulating layer 38 may be formed at the end of the input / output side connector 24 of the connector conversion adapter 10 opposite to the connection terminal 34, that is, the storage device side end 36 facing the storage device 12. The insulating layer 38 may be formed by attaching a plate-like material made of an insulating material by means such as adhesion, or may be formed by applying an insulating material. The effect of attaching the insulating layer 38 will be described later.

  Next, the storage device 14 will be described with reference to FIG. The storage device 14 is configured by combining the connector conversion adapter 10 and the storage device 12 described above. The storage device 12 may be a hard disk, a CD-ROM drive, a DVD-R drive, or the like. However, it is not limited to these.

  As described above, the storage device 12 is provided with the input / output terminal 30 for inputting / outputting data and the terminal 31 such as a power source or a jumper pin. By connecting the storage device side connector 22 of the connector conversion adapter 10 to the input / output terminal 30, the storage device 12 is completed by combining the storage device 12 and the connector conversion adapter 10.

  Since the connector conversion adapter 10 of this embodiment can be formed thinner than the conventional one, the total length of the storage device 14 using the connector conversion adapter 10 is also shorter than that of the conventional storage device, and is made compact. be able to.

  Further, as described above, the insulating layer 38 is formed on the storage device side end 36 of the input / output side connector 24 of the connector conversion adapter 10 so that the connector conversion adapter 10 is attached to the storage device 12 as shown in FIG. In this case, it is possible to avoid that the storage device side end 36 is in direct contact with the terminal 31 of the storage device 12 and the storage device 12 is damaged by a short circuit or the like.

  As shown in FIG. 5, the storage device unit 18 is configured by combining the storage device 14 with a case 16.

  The case 16 is a box having an internal space 40 for accommodating the storage device 14 composed of the connector conversion adapter 10 and the storage device 12, and in the illustrated embodiment, the case 16 can be divided into two vertically. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and an opening may be provided on the side, and the storage device 14 may be inserted from the opening. In addition, the outer shape of the case 16 is not particularly limited, but in view of the object of the present invention to shorten the entire length, the outer shape of the case 16 is also as small as possible so that the storage device 14 is tightly wrapped. It is preferable to do this.

  Further, a connection opening 41 for connecting the cable 32 to the connection terminal 34 of the input / output side connector 24 is formed at a position of the case 16 corresponding to the input / output side connector 24 of the accommodated connector conversion adapter 10. Yes. The position of the connection terminal 34 in the input / output connector 24 may be set at a position slightly behind the connection opening 41 or may be set at a position slightly outside the connection opening 41. Of course, the connection terminal 34 and the connection opening 41 may be set to be flush with each other.

  Further, the material of the case 16 is not particularly limited, and polycarbonate having excellent mechanical strength, thermoplastic polyurethane having suitable elasticity, good touch and easy coloring can be used.

  Further, a transparent window 42 may be formed in a part of the case 16 corresponding to a position where the input / output terminal 30 of the storage device 12 and the storage device side connector 22 of the connector conversion adapter 10 are connected. In this case, as shown in FIG. 6, it is possible to visually check whether there is a defect in the connection between the connector conversion adapter 10 and the storage device 12 through the transparent window 42, and the defective product is shipped by mistake. This is preferable in that it can reduce the risk of the occurrence.

  The configuration means of the window portion 42 is not particularly limited, but as an example, a method of notching a predetermined position of the case 16 to form an opening and covering the opening with a transparent plate material can be considered. As another example, the window portion 42 can be configured using two-color molding (or three-color or more multi-color molding). Two-color molding is a method of injecting and molding two different kinds of materials in order, but the second material to be injected later is completely applied to all the surfaces of the first material injected first. It is also possible to mold so that a portion where the first material can be seen from the outside remains in a part without being molded repeatedly. When a seal or nameplate describing the company name or product name is attached to the case 16, a hard mounting surface is required, or when it is attached to the case surface, the thickness of the seal or nameplate protrudes. Therefore, the above-mentioned problem can be solved by molding the second material so as not to be injected to the seal or nameplate attachment position and attaching the seal or nameplate describing the company name or product name to the case 16. Utilizing this, polycarbonate is used as the first material, and colored thermoplastic polyurethane is used as the second material, and the portion where the thermoplastic polyurethane as the second material is not molded is matched with the window portion 42. Is preferred. As a result, the inside can be visually checked through the highly transparent polycarbonate, so that the work of notching part of the case 16 or attaching a separate transparent part becomes unnecessary. After visually checking the connection state, the window part 42 can be covered with a seal or nameplate describing the company name or product name so that the inside cannot be seen.

  A preferred embodiment of the present invention is as described above, but the present invention is not limited thereto. It will be understood that various other embodiments may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Furthermore, in this embodiment, although the effect | action and effect by the structure of this invention are described, these effect | actions and effects are examples and do not limit this invention.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... Connector conversion adapter, 12 ... Memory | storage device, 14 ... Memory | storage device, 16 ... Case, 18 ... Memory | storage device unit, 20 ... Board | substrate, 22 ... Memory | storage device side connector, 24 ... Input / output side connector, 26 ... Circuit pattern, 28 ... Connector insertion hole, 30... (Input / output terminal) of 31 (storage device), 31... (Storage device) terminal, 32. Space, 41 ... opening for connection, 42 ... window

Claims (7)

A connector conversion adapter that is attached to the input / output terminal of a storage device and used.
A substrate on which a circuit pattern is formed;
A storage device side connector that protrudes from one surface of the substrate and is connected to an input / output terminal of the storage device,
An input / output side connector having a connection terminal to which a cable is connected from a direction opposite to the protruding direction of the storage device side connector,
The board is formed with a connector fitting hole for fitting the housing of the input / output side connector at a position avoiding the storage device side connector,
The input / output-side connector is fixed to the substrate in a state where the housing is fitted into the connector fitting hole and at least a part protrudes from the one surface of the substrate. Connector conversion adapter.   The connector conversion adapter according to claim 1, wherein an electrical insulating layer is formed at an end of the housing of the input / output side opposite to the connection terminal.   The connector conversion adapter according to claim 1 or 2, wherein a format of the input / output side connector is USB or Thunderbolt (registered trademark).   The housing of the input / output side connector is fitted into the connector fitting hole so that the length protruding from the other surface of the substrate is reduced by the amount fitted into the connector fitting hole. The connector conversion adapter of any one of Claim 1 to 3. The connector conversion adapter according to any one of claims 1 to 4,
And a storage device to which the connector conversion adapter is connected. The connector conversion adapter according to any one of claims 1 to 4,
A storage device to which the connector conversion adapter is connected;
A storage device unit including a case having a connection opening for housing the connector conversion adapter and the storage device and connecting the cable to the connection terminal of the connector conversion adapter. The transparent window part is formed in the part corresponding to the position which the said input / output terminal of the said memory | storage device and the said memory | storage device side connector of the said connector conversion adapter connect in the said case. 6. The storage device unit according to 6.

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