JP4070981B2 - communication cable - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a communication cable for connecting information devices to transmit data.
[0002]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
Generally, various information such as connection between personal computers, connection between personal computers and portable information terminals such as mobile phones and PDAs, or connection between personal computers and external peripheral devices such as printers and scanners. For connection of devices, for example, a communication cable for transmitting and receiving data between connected information devices such as a serial cable and a USB cable is used.
[0003]
However, when data is transmitted by connecting between information devices using such a communication cable, the connection by the communication cable is not completely maintained during data communication between information devices. When some kind of error occurs, transmission of required data is not performed and a transmission error occurs.
[0004]
When such a data transmission error occurs, the user who performs the operation notices the transmission error only after opening the data file that should have been received on the information device that receives the data transmission. There is a case.
[0005]
The present invention has been made in order to eliminate the inconvenience in the case where data is transmitted by connecting information devices with the communication cable as described above.
[0006]
That is, according to the present invention, when data transmission is performed by connecting information devices with a communication cable, the user who performs the operation easily confirms whether the data transmission is performed normally on the spot. The purpose is to be able to.
[0007]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
In order to achieve the above object, a communication cable according to a first invention is a communication cable that connects information devices and transmits data between the information devices, and is attached to the surface of the communication cable to supply power. From the information device when the communication cable is connected to the information device, the power supply line that connects the power of the information device to the light emitter when the communication cable is connected to the information device, And a control line to which a control signal for causing the light emitter to emit light in synchronization with the output of the data signal is provided .
[0008]
The communication cable according to the first aspect of the present invention is one information to which the communication cable is connected when connecting between information devices such as a personal computer and a cellular phone and transmitting data between them. A power supply line is connected to the power supply of the device, and the power is supplied to the light emitter attached to the surface of the communication cable.
[0009]
When data is transmitted between the information devices, a control signal for causing the light emitter to emit light is supplied to the control line in synchronization with the output of the data signal to the communication cable, and the control signal emits light. The body emits light.
[0010]
Therefore, by using the communication cable according to the first aspect of the present invention for data transmission between information devices, the light emitter emits light during data transmission, so that the user can visually recognize that data is being transmitted on the spot. In addition, if the light emitter does not emit light even if the user performs a data transmission operation, it can be easily confirmed on the spot as a data transmission error.
[0011]
In order to achieve the above object, a communication cable according to a second invention is characterized in that, in addition to the configuration of the first invention, the light emitter is organic electroluminescence.
[0012]
According to the communication cable of the second invention, the organic electroluminescence mounted on the surface of the communication cable emits light in synchronization with the data transmission, thereby confirming the data transmission and the data transmission error. It will be easy to do in the field.
[0013]
In order to achieve the above object, a communication cable according to a third invention is characterized in that, in addition to the configuration of the second invention, the organic electroluminescence is in the form of a film.
[0014]
According to the communication cable of the third invention, a flexible communication cable is configured by using film-like organic electroluminescence as a light-emitting body attached to the surface of the communication cable.
[0015]
In order to achieve the above object, a communication cable according to a fourth invention has a plurality of strip-like light emitters arranged in a line at a predetermined interval along the axis of the communication cable in addition to the configuration of the first invention. It is characterized by being.
[0016]
According to the communication cable of the fourth invention, a plurality of strip-shaped light emitters arranged in a line along the axis of the communication cable emit light simultaneously, for example, sequentially emit light in the data transmission direction. According to various light emission modes such as the above, it is possible to easily check data transmission and data transmission errors.
[0017]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Embodiments that are considered to be most suitable for the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings.
[0018]
Note that the present invention can be applied to various types of communication cables that perform data transmission between various types of information devices. In the following, description will be given by taking a USB cable as an example.
[0019]
FIG. 1 is an external view showing an example of an embodiment of a communication cable according to the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a schematic configuration diagram of the communication cable.
[0020]
As shown in FIG. 1, a communication cable 1 according to this example has a strip-shaped film organic EL (electroluminescence) inside a coating film 2 formed of a transparent resin that covers a core wire for transmitting data. ) 3A, 3B, 3C... Are pasted in a line at a required interval.
[0021]
In the communication cable 1, as shown in FIG. 2, a core wire 4, a power supply line 5 for connecting each film organic EL 3A, 3B, 3C... In series, and each film organic EL 3A, 3B, 3C. Are connected with the coating film 2 in parallel.
[0022]
As shown in FIG. 3, in this communication cable 1, a USB connector 7A provided at one end is connected to one information device (in this example, a personal computer PC), and the other USB connector 7B is connected. The personal computer PC and the mobile phone T are connected to the other information device (the mobile phone T in this example) and the core wire 4 is connected to the data terminals of the personal computer PC and the mobile phone T, respectively. To send and receive data to and from.
[0023]
At this time, the power supply line 5 of the communication cable 1 supplies power to the cellular phone T to which the USB connector 7B is connected to a power supply terminal (not shown) provided in the personal computer PC to which the USB connector 7A is connected. Further, the lighting control line 6 is connected to a control terminal (not shown) provided in the personal computer to which the USB connector 7A is connected.
[0024]
When the personal computer PC and the mobile phone T are connected as described above, the communication cable 1 supplies power to the film organic ELs 3A, 3B, 3C,... Via the power supply line 5 from the personal computer PC side. It was carried out, and the film organic EL3A, 3B, 3C ... is a control signal that will be supplied through the lighting control line 6 the core wire 4, and performs the blinking.
[0025]
The lighting control signals of the film organic ELs 3A, 3B, 3C,... Transmitted through the lighting control line 6 are output from the personal computer PC in synchronization with the data signal output to the core wire 4 under the control of the CPU. Is done.
[0026]
FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing a procedure for blinking the film organic ELs 3A, 3B, 3C... Of the communication cable 1 by the CPU of the personal computer PC.
[0027]
In FIG. 4, the CPU of the personal computer PC determines whether or not data is being transmitted between the personal computer PC and the mobile phone T (step s1), and the data is transmitted. when being on the basis of the signal that will be supplied through the lighting control line 6 performs first head of the film organic EL3A of whether lit (step s2), when not lit, the core wire 4 The film organic EL 3A is turned on by a control signal supplied to the lighting control line 6 in synchronization with the output of the data signal (step s2 ').
[0028]
Next, for the next film organic EL 3B, it is similarly determined whether or not the film organic EL 3B is lit (step s3). When the film organic EL 3B is not lit, the film organic EL 3B is controlled by a control signal from the lighting control line 6. Is turned on (step s3 ′), the lighting of the film organic EL3C is judged (step s4), the film organic EL3C is turned on when it is not lit (step s4 ′), and so on. The film organic EL is turned on sequentially.
[0029]
Then, returning to step s1, it is determined in this step s1 that the data transmission in the core wire 4 is continuously performed, and in steps s2, s3, s4..., All the film organic ELs 3A, 3B, 3C. When it is determined that all the film organic ELs 3A, 3B, 3C,... Are turned off (step s5).
[0030]
Thereafter, returning to step s1 again, if it is determined that the data transmission on the core wire 4 is still continued, the film organic ELs 3A, 3B, 3C,... Hereinafter, while data transmission in the core wire 4 is performed, the flashing of the film organic ELs 3A, 3B, 3C,... Is repeated.
[0031]
When the data transmission on the core wire 4 ends and no data transmission on the core wire 4 is detected in step s1, all the film organic ELs 3A, 3B, 3C... Are turned off in step s5.
[0032]
As described above, in the communication cable 1, while data transmission is being performed on the core wire 4, the film organic ELs 3A, 3B, 3C,. When the transmission is not performed, the film organic ELs 3A, 3B, 3C,... Are turned off, so that the user determines whether the data transmission is performed according to the lighting state of the film organic ELs 3A, 3B, 3C,. Can be visually recognized.
[0033]
That is, the film organic ELs 3A, 3B, 3C,.
[0034]
Thus, for example, if the film organic EL 3A, 3B, 3C,... Of the communication cable 1 does not blink even when the user performs the data transmission operation, the user is informed that an error in data transmission has occurred. It is possible to recognize immediately on the spot, and to respond immediately.
[0035]
In addition to the film organic EL, any light emitter that can be blinked by power supply control can be used as the flashing light emitter, but by using the film organic EL as in the above example, It becomes possible to construct a flexible communication cable.
[0036]
The shape of the film organic EL is not limited to the strip shape as described above. For example, one film organic EL extending in a band shape may be attached to the surface of the communication cable.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is an external view showing an example of an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a schematic configuration diagram of a communication cable in the example.
FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a connection state of information devices using a communication cable of the example.
FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing a light emission procedure of the communication cable of the example.
[Explanation of symbols]
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Communication cable 2 ... Coating film 3A, 3B, 3C ... Film organic EL (light-emitting body)
4 ... Core wire 5 ... Power supply line 6 ... Lighting control line (control line)
7A, 7B ... USB connector

Claims (4)

In a communication cable that connects information devices and transmits data between the information devices,
A light emitter that is attached to the surface of the communication cable and emits light when supplied with power;
A power supply line for connecting a power supply of the information device to the light emitter when a communication cable is connected to the information device;
A control line supplied with a control signal for causing the light emitter to emit light in synchronization with the output of the data signal from the information device when the communication cable is connected to the information device;
A communication cable characterized by comprising: The communication cable according to claim 1, wherein the light emitter is organic electroluminescence. The communication cable according to claim 2, wherein the organic electroluminescence is in a film form. The communication cable according to claim 1, wherein a plurality of the strip-shaped light emitters are arranged in a line at a predetermined interval along an axis of the communication cable.

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