JP3380070B2 - Connection cable - Google Patents

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a connecting cable having a communication line and a power supply line.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art When a terminal device such as a personal computer and a terminal device such as a bar code reader are connected by a communication (signal) code and communication is carried out between the two, power supply to the terminal device is performed, for example. , A part of the electric power supplied to the terminal device is distributed to the terminal device. However, the supply of electric power from the terminal device to the terminal device is limited by the limitation on the terminal device side.

That is, there is a limit to the electric power that can be taken out from the terminal device due to the power source capacity, and it is impossible to supply electric power that exceeds this limit. Therefore, when power is supplied from the terminal device to the terminal device, there are problems that the usable terminal device is limited according to the power supply capacity that can be taken out from the terminal device, and the design range of the terminal device is narrowed. is there.

There are terminal devices with and without a terminal for extracting electric power. In the case of a terminal device without the terminal, other than the terminal device, for example, AC power supply to AC
It is necessary to supply power to the terminal device via the adapter.

In each of the case where power is supplied to the terminal device from a terminal other than the terminal device and the case where power is supplied from the terminal device to the terminal device as described above, the power cord plugs directly into the terminal device. Many of them are plugged in. In such a case, since the power cord and the communication cord are separately connected to the terminal device, especially in the case of a handy type terminal device, there are two cords when operating. There is a problem that it gets in the way.

The above-mentioned problem is not limited to the case where the terminal device and the terminal device are connected by the communication code, but also in the case where the terminal devices are connected by the communication code and the communication between them is performed. The same happens.

[0007]

DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide a connection cable which can supply electric power without being restricted by the power supply capacity of a device for communication and which is easy to operate when operating a terminal device. To provide.

[0008]

The above objects are achieved by the present invention described in (1) to (3) below.

(1) A connection cable for connecting a terminal device to a terminal device, which has a cable body formed by bundling a communication line and a power supply line and at least one relay portion provided in the middle of the cable body. The relay section is located closer to the terminal device than the middle of the entire length of the cable body, the relay section is provided with a terminal for supplying power to the power supply line, and the power supply line is The relay unit is disposed on each of the cable body on one end side and the cable body on the other end side, and one of them is disposed so that the power supply line reciprocates,
A connecting member that is detachably connected to the terminal device is provided at one end of the one cable body, and power supply to the terminal device is controlled by connecting or disconnecting the connecting member. A connection cable characterized in that it is configured to be.

(2) The connection cable according to (1), wherein the power supply line is for a DC power supply.

(3) The connection cable according to (1) or (2), wherein the relay section is arranged in the vicinity of the connection member.

[0012]

[0013]

[0014]

[0015]

[0016]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The connection cable of the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the preferred embodiments shown in the accompanying drawings. In this case, in this embodiment, a connection cable used when connecting a personal computer (personal computer) and a handy type barcode reader will be described as a representative.

1 and 2 are a perspective view and a plan view, respectively, showing a configuration example of the connection cable of the present invention.
As shown in FIG. 1, the connection cable 1a of the present invention has a cable body 2 and a relay section 3.

The cable body 2 of the connection cable 1a is a bundle of a communication (signal) line and a power supply line for a DC power supply. The communication line and the power supply line of the cable body 2 are insulated from each other by an insulating coating.

A DSUB connector (connector) 4, which is a connecting member that is detachably connected to a personal computer 6 which is a terminal device, is installed at one end of the cable body 2, and a bar code reader 7 is detachably attached at the other end. A connector 5 which is a connection member connected to the is installed.

A relay section 3 is installed in the middle of the cable body 2. Hereinafter, the cable body 2 between the relay section 3 and the connector 4 is referred to as a first cable 2A, and the cable body 2 between the relay section 3 and the connector 5 is referred to as a second cable 2B.

The relay section 3 is located closer to the personal computer 6 than the middle of the entire length of the cable body 2. That is, the length of the first cable 2A is shorter than the length of the second cable 2B. The relay portion 3 is preferably arranged in the vicinity of the connector 4 of the connection cable 1a, particularly at a position separated from the connector 4 so as not to interfere with the attachment / detachment work of the connector 4 of the connection cable 1a.

The length of the first cable 2A is appropriately determined according to various conditions such as the shape and size of the connector 4 and is not particularly limited, but in the case of the connector 4 of the type shown in FIG. It should be about 7 cm. With such a configuration, the operability associated with the movement of the barcode reader 7 is improved without impairing the operability of the work of attaching and detaching the connector 4.

As shown in FIG. 2, a terminal for supplying power to the power supply line of the cable body 2 (in this embodiment, the power supply line of the second cable 2B), that is, the cable body 2 is provided in the relay portion 3. A connection portion (DC jack) 31 having a terminal for supplying power to the bar code reader 7 which is a terminal device via a power supply line (power supply line of the second cable 2B in this embodiment) is provided.

As shown in FIG. 1, a DC plug 82 is provided at the tip of a cord on the DC current output side of an AC adapter 81 for converting AC to DC, and this DC plug 82 is connected to the connecting portion 31. Inserted and connected. And
The AC plug 83 provided at the tip of the AC current input side cord of the AC adapter 81 is connected to an AC power source by being inserted into an outlet.

FIG. 3 is a circuit diagram showing a configuration example of the connection cable of the present invention. As shown in the figure, the cable body 2
The communication line 21 is arranged at both ends of the relay section 3, that is, from the connector 4 to the connector 5. The power supply line 22 of the cable body 2 is arranged on one end side of the relay section 3, that is, from the relay section 3 to the connector 5.

Next, the operation of the above-mentioned connection cable 1a will be described. As shown in FIG. 3, the connection cable 1a
When the DC plug 82 of the AC adapter 81 is connected to the connection part 31 of the relay section 3 of the power supply and the bar code reader 7 is supplied with electric power, a current (DC current) is supplied from the positive terminal 811 of the AC adapter 81. , Through the terminal 32 to the plus terminal 71 of the barcode reader 7, and from the minus terminal 72 of the barcode reader 7 to the terminal 34.
Through the negative terminal 812 of the AC adapter 81.

Further, the personal computer 6 and the bar code reader 7
Communication with is performed via the communication line 21. This communication includes, for example, a signal output from the personal computer 6 side such as a control signal for controlling the operation of the bar code reader 7 and a bar code reader 7 such as a data signal read by the bar code reader 7. At least one of the signals output from the side is included.

According to the connection cable 1a of this embodiment, the bar code reader 7 has the AC adapter 8
Since the power is supplied from 1, the power supply capacity that can be taken out from the personal computer 6 is not limited when supplying power to the barcode reader 7. With this, depending on the power capacity that can be taken out from the terminal device,
The usable terminal device is not limited, and the design range of the terminal device is expanded.

Further, since the power supply line and the communication line are bundled and can be handled as one cable, as compared with the conventional one in which the power supply cord and the communication cord are separately connected to the terminal device, It is not bothersome and the wiring is simple, and it is easy to operate especially in the case of a handy type terminal device.

Since the connector 4 has a plurality of shapes depending on the model of the terminal device, for example, in the case of a connection cable in which a DC jack or the like is provided on the connector itself for connecting to the terminal device, the connector 4 In order to change the shape of the connector according to the model, it is necessary to newly manufacture the entire connector according to the model. By contrast, according to the connection cable 1a of the present embodiment, the relay section 3 and the connector are 4 is a separate body, and when changing the shape of the connector 4,
Since ready-made connector parts can be used for the connector 4,
Only the relay section needs to be newly manufactured. As a result, the mold or the like can be manufactured at low cost, and the cost of the connecting cable can be reduced.

Further, in the present invention, the relay section 3 can be installed at an arbitrary position in the middle of the cable body 2. As the position where the relay section 3 is provided, for example, the vicinity of the personal computer 6 or the vicinity of the bar code reader 7 as in this embodiment, or the middle of the personal computer 6 and the bar code reader 7 can be selected as required. Good.

Next, another structural example of the connection cable of the present invention will be described. In each of the following examples,
Description of common points with the above-mentioned connection cable 1a will be omitted, and main differences will be described.

FIGS. 4 and 5 are circuit diagrams showing other examples of the structure of the connection cable of the present invention. The connection cable 1b is used for the AC adapter 81 and the personal computer 6.
It is a type of connection cable that can supply power to the barcode reader 7 from the respective sides.

As shown in FIG. 4, the communication line 21 of the connection cable 1b is connected to both ends of the relay section 3, that is, the connector 4.
To the connector 5. The power supply line 22 is arranged at both ends of the relay unit 3, that is, from the relay unit 3 to the connector 4 and from the relay unit 3 to the connector 5.

The connecting portion 31 of the relay portion 3 has terminals 32,
It has terminals 33 and 34. In this case, the terminal 32 is composed of a pin that can contact the conductor on the inner peripheral side of the DC plug 82. The terminal 34 is connected to the DC plug 8
2 is a member that can come into contact with the conductor on the outer peripheral side, and is in its original position (the terminals 33 and 3) when the DC plug 82 is pulled out.
It is configured by a spring so that it can be returned to a position (where it can be electrically connected to 4).

Next, the operation of the connection cable 1b will be described. As shown in FIG. 4, the DC plug 82 of the AC adapter 81 is attached to the connection portion 31 of the relay portion 3 of the connection cable 1b.
Is connected and power is supplied to the bar code reader 7, the current is the positive terminal 8 of the AC adapter 81.
11 flows through the terminal 32 to the plus terminal 71 of the barcode reader 7, and flows from the minus terminal 72 of the barcode reader 7 to the terminal 34 of the AC adapter 81 via the terminal 34.

In this case, as shown in FIG.
When 2 is inserted into the connecting portion 31, the conductor on the inner peripheral side of the DC plug 82 and the pin (terminal 32) come into contact with each other, and the positive terminal 811 and the terminal 32 of the AC adapter 81 are electrically connected. Then, the conductor on the outer peripheral side of the DC plug 82 comes into contact with the terminal 34, the negative terminal 812 of the AC adapter 81 and the terminal 34 are conducted, and the terminal 34 is pressed outward by the DC plug 82, so that the terminal 33 There is no electrical connection with the terminal 34.

Further, as shown in FIG. 5, when the DC plug 82 is pulled out from the connecting portion 31, the conductor (pin 32) on the inner peripheral side of the DC plug 82 does not come into contact with each other. Then, the conductor on the outer peripheral side of the DC plug 82 is not in contact with the terminal 34, the terminal 34 is returned to the original position, and the terminal 33 and the terminal 34 are electrically connected.

Therefore, as shown in the figure, the D of the AC adapter 81 is connected to the connecting portion 31 of the relay portion 3 of the connecting cable 1b.
When power is supplied from the personal computer 6 to the bar code reader 7 with the C plug 82 not connected, current flows from the positive terminal 61 of the personal computer 6 to the positive terminal 71 of the bar code reader 7, Then, it flows from the minus terminal 72 of the barcode reader 7 to the minus terminal 62 of the personal computer 6 through the terminals 34 and 33 in order. The communication between the personal computer 6 and the barcode reader 7 is performed via the communication line 21.

With this connection cable 1b, the power can be supplied from the AC adapter 81 to the bar code reader 7 even if the connector 4 is removed from the personal computer 6. Further, there is an advantage that power can be supplied to the barcode reader 7 from the AC adapter 81 or from the personal computer 6 side.

When power is supplied from the AC adapter 81 to the bar code reader 7, the DC plug 82
Even if is disconnected from the connection portion 31 of the relay portion 3, the barcode reader 7 can be temporarily supplied with power from the personal computer 6 side.

Next, another structural example of the connection cable of the present invention will be described. FIG. 6 is a circuit diagram showing another configuration example of the connection cable of the present invention. In the figure, AC
The adapter 81 is omitted and not shown. As shown in the figure, the communication line 21 of the connection cable 1c is arranged at both ends of the relay section 3, that is, from the connector 4 to the connector 5. The power supply line 22 is arranged at both ends of the relay unit 3, that is, from the relay unit 3 to the connector 4 and from the relay unit 3 to the connector 5.

Next, the operation of the connection cable 1c will be described. As shown in FIG. 6, the DC plug 82 of the AC adapter 81 is attached to the connection portion 31 of the relay portion 3 of the connection cable 1c.
When (not shown) is connected and power is supplied to the bar code reader 7, current flows from the positive terminal 811 of the AC adapter 81, through the terminal 32, to the positive terminal 71 of the bar code reader 7. Flowing. Then, it flows from the negative terminal 72 of the barcode reader 7 through the terminal 34 to the negative terminal 812 of the AC adapter 81.

Further, the personal computer 6 and the bar code reader 7
Communication with is performed via the communication line 21. In addition,
With this connection cable 1c, power can be supplied from the AC adapter 81 to the barcode reader 7 even if the connector 4 is removed from the personal computer 6.

Next, another structural example of the connection cable of the present invention will be described. FIG. 7 is a circuit diagram showing another configuration example of the connection cable of the present invention. In the figure, AC
The adapter 81 is omitted and not shown. As shown in the figure, the communication line 21 of the connection cable 1d is arranged at both ends of the relay section 3, that is, from the connector 4 to the connector 5.

The power supply lines 22 are arranged at both ends of the relay section 3, that is, from the relay section 3 to the connector 4 and from the relay section 3 to the connector 5. In this case, the power supply line 22 reciprocates between the relay section 3 and the connector 4.

The positive terminals 61 and 63 and the negative terminals 62 and 64 on the personal computer 6 side are NC (Non Connect) terminals as unused terminals, respectively, so that the reciprocating power supply lines 22 are connected to each other. , Inside the personal computer 6, plus terminal 61 and plus terminal 6
3. The minus terminal 62 and the minus terminal 64 are electrically connected by jumper wires or the like.

Next, the operation of the connection cable 1d will be described. As shown in FIG. 7, the DC plug 82 of the AC adapter 81 is connected to the connection portion 31 of the relay portion 3 of the connection cable 1d.
When (not shown) is connected and power is supplied to the bar code reader 7, the current is sequentially passed from the positive terminal 811 of the AC adapter 81 to the terminal 32 and the positive terminals 63 and 61 of the personal computer 6. , Barcode reader 7
Flows to the plus terminal 71 of. Then, it flows from the minus terminal 72 of the bar code reader 7 to the minus terminal 812 of the AC adapter 81 through the minus terminals 62 and 64 of the personal computer 6 and the terminal 34 in order. In addition, the communication between the personal computer 6 and the bar code reader 7 is performed by the communication line 21.
Done through.

In the case of this connection cable 1d, a personal computer 6
Substantial processing of each side terminal is a plus terminal 61 and a plus terminal 63, and a minus terminal 62 and a minus terminal 64.
Since it is only necessary to connect the terminals, and there is no need to separately add terminals or change the terminal shape, existing connectors and terminals can be used as they are.

Unlike the connection cables 1a to 1c, the connection cable 1d does not supply power to the bar code reader 7 when the connector 4 is detached from the personal computer 6. Therefore, the power supply to the barcode reader 7 can be controlled by connecting or disconnecting the connector 4, and the connection state (connected or disconnected) between the connector 4 and the personal computer 6 can be controlled by the barcode reader 7. It can be determined by the presence or absence of power supply.

The personal computer 6 is provided with display means such as a pilot lamp which is connected to, for example, the positive terminal 61 and the negative terminal 62 and is turned on by the power from the AC adapter 81 to detect the connection or non-connection of the connector 4. It is also possible to have a configuration to obtain. Thereby, the connection failure of the connector 4 can be detected.

The electric power supplied from the AC adapter 81 to the personal computer 6 via the cable body 2 has relatively low power consumption in the personal computer 6, such as LCD and LE.
It can also be used as an auxiliary power source for the personal computer 6 (eg, power source in case of emergency).

In the above-described embodiment, some arrangement patterns of the power supply line of the connection cable have been described as representatives. However, the arrangement pattern of the power supply line of the connection cable of the present invention is the connection cable 1a described above. The arrangement pattern is not limited to 1d, and may be any arrangement as long as power can be supplied to the terminal device from the terminal of the relay section. Further, in the present invention, the communication line is not limited to an electrical communication line, and may be, for example, an optical communication line using an optical fiber.

In the present invention, the arrangement of the cable body 2 and the connecting portion 31 with respect to the relay portion 3 is not limited to that shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 8, as the arrangement of the cable main body 2, when the cable main body 2 is arranged on two facing surfaces of the relay portion 3, as in the present embodiment, the connection portion 31 (not shown) is It can be provided so as to open in any one of the four surfaces adjacent (orthogonal) to those surfaces.

Further, as shown in FIG. 9, the cable bodies 2 are respectively arranged on two adjacent surfaces of the relay section 3 (surfaces arranged substantially at right angles to each other), and as shown in FIG. It is also possible to arrange the two cable bodies 2 on one surface of the relay section 3. In these cases, for example, with respect to the respective arrangements of the cable main body 2 shown in FIGS. 9 and 10, the connection portion 31 (omitted in the drawing) is opened on any one of the six surfaces of the relay portion 3. Can be provided.

In addition, in the present invention, the connecting portion 3 is connected to the relay portion 3.
Two or more 1 may be provided. Further, in each of the above embodiments, only one relay section 3 is provided in the middle of the cable body 2, but in the present invention, there may be a plurality of relay sections 3 in the middle of the cable body 2. According to such a configuration, when using, the DC plug 82 of the AC adapter 81
It is possible to freely select the position to connect to from among the plurality of positions.

The present invention is not limited to the case where the relay section 3 is fixedly installed on the cable body 2, and
The configuration may be such that the relay section 3 is installed movably in the longitudinal direction of the cable body 2 with respect to the cable body 2 (for example, a configuration using sliding contacts).

Further, the relay portion of the connection cable of the present invention is
The relay unit 3 of the present embodiment shown in FIG. 2 is not limited, and any unit having a terminal for supplying electric power to the power supply line may be used.

For example, as shown in FIG. 11, a relay section body 91 is installed in the middle of the cable body 2, a power cord 93 is branched from the relay section body 91, and a DC jack 92 is provided at the end of the power cord 93. It is also possible to have a configuration in which is installed. In this case, the relay section main body 91, the DC jack 92, and the power cord 93 form a relay section.

Further, in the present embodiment, the terminal device is a personal computer, but in the present invention, the terminal device connected by the connection cable is not limited to the personal computer. Further, in the present embodiment, the terminal device is a handy type bar code reader, but in the present invention, the terminal device connected by the connection cable is not limited to the handy type bar code reader.

For example, as the terminal device, in addition to a handy type bar code reader, a stationary type (fixed type) bar code reader, a handy type or a stationary type bar code reader is used.
Examples include a dimension code reader, various measuring instruments, TV cameras, and the like.

Although the present invention has been described above based on the illustrated configuration example, the present invention is not limited to this.

[0063]

As described above, according to the connection cable of the present invention, the relay section provided in the middle of the cable body is provided with the terminal for supplying the power to the power supply line. The other device (for example, a terminal device) can be used and the other device can be designed and constructed without being limited by the power supply capacity that can be taken out from the device (for example, a terminal device).

Further, since the power supply line and the communication line are bundled and can be handled as one cable, compared with the conventional one in which two power cords and communication cords are separately connected to the terminal device. Therefore, it is easy to operate, especially in the case of a handy type device.

Further, in comparison with a connection cable in which a DC jack or the like is provided on the connector itself for connecting to the terminal device, for example, the connection cable of the present invention has a relay section and a connection member (connector) which are separate bodies. Therefore, when the connecting member is changed to a predetermined shape corresponding to the model, an existing connecting member can be used as the connecting member, and therefore, in the connecting cable of the present invention, only the relay portion needs to be newly manufactured. As a result, the mold or the like can be manufactured at low cost, and the cost can be reduced.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a configuration example of a connection cable of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a plan view showing a configuration example of a connection cable of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a circuit diagram showing a configuration example of a connection cable of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a circuit diagram showing a configuration example of a connection cable of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a circuit diagram showing a configuration example of a connection cable of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a circuit diagram showing a configuration example of a connection cable of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a circuit diagram showing a configuration example of a connection cable of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a perspective view showing a configuration example of an arrangement of a cable body in the present invention.

FIG. 9 is a perspective view showing a configuration example of an arrangement of a cable body in the present invention.

FIG. 10 is a perspective view showing a configuration example of an arrangement of a cable body in the present invention.

FIG. 11 is a plan view showing a configuration example of a relay section in the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

1a-1d connection cable 2 cable body 2A first cable 2B second cable 21 communication line 22 power line 3 relay section 31 Connection 32-34 terminals 4 DSUB connector (connector) 5 connector 6 Personal computer 61, 63 Positive terminal 62, 64 Negative terminal 7 Bar code reader 71 Positive terminal 72 Negative terminal 81 AC adapter 811 positive terminal 812 negative terminal 82 DC plug 83 AC plug 91 Relay unit body 92 DC jack 93 power cord

─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of the front page (56) Reference JP-A-5-94235 (JP, A) JP-A-3-223915 (JP, A) Actual flat 4-76132 (JP, U) Actual flat 2- 36181 (JP, U) Actual development 1-131292 (JP, U) (58) Fields surveyed (Int.Cl. ⁷ , DB name) G06F 1/16-1/18 G06F 3/00 G06F 1/26- 1/32 H01B 11/00

Claims (3)

(57) [Claims] 1. A connection cable for connecting a terminal device and a terminal device, comprising: a cable main body that bundles a communication line and a power supply line; and at least one relay portion provided in the middle of the cable main body. The relay unit is located closer to the terminal device than the middle of the entire length of the cable body, the relay unit is provided with a terminal for supplying power to the power supply line, and the power supply line is It is arranged on each of the cable body on one end side and the cable body on the other end side of the relay section, one of which is arranged so that the power supply line reciprocates, and at one end of the one cable body. Is provided with a connecting member that is detachably connected to the terminal device, and controls the power supply to the terminal device by connecting or disconnecting the connecting member. A connection cable characterized by being configured so that 2. The connection cable according to claim 1, wherein the power supply line is for a DC power supply. 3. The connection cable according to claim 1, wherein the relay portion is arranged near the connection member.