JP4825889B2 - Information processing device - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an information processing apparatus that exhausts air from an exhaust port using an exhaust fan.

  An information processing apparatus such as a POS terminal installed in an installation space such as a cash register counter of a store has a heating element such as an arithmetic processing unit such as a CPU and a thermal printer on a substrate provided therein. The heat generated from such a heating element has a thermal effect on other components and causes damage to electronic components.

  For this reason, measures are taken to efficiently release the heat generated from the heating element to the outside. For example, an information processing apparatus having a fan and an exhaust duct at an exhaust port and forcibly exhausting heated air inside to the outside is known.

  In addition, a housing having an exhaust port at each bent portion of the housing facing diagonally is known (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

  The information processing apparatus described above has the following problems. That is, the exhaust port of the information processing apparatus is appropriately provided at the front, rear, left, and right side surfaces of the information processing apparatus, or at an upper or lower position. However, the information processing apparatus has a different installation space for each installation. In particular, the installation space for such an information processing apparatus is often a narrow space. Moreover, there is a high possibility that an obstacle will be arranged around the installation space.

  However, if an obstacle is disposed adjacent to the exhaust port provided in the information processing apparatus, the exhaust port is blocked by the obstacle, and thus there is a possibility that predetermined exhaust may not be performed.

  In addition, such an information processing apparatus may be restricted in the arrangement of the heating elements due to its function, shape, etc., and it is often necessary to provide an exhaust port at a position where there is a high risk of contact with an obstacle. .

  In such a case, while securing a minimum exhaust area, install obstacles such as eaves on the exhaust port to prevent obstacles from moving during installation or to block the exhaust port on the obstacle. It is known to cope with this by ensuring a predetermined distance between the object and the object. However, when the protrusion is provided, the outer shape of the information processing apparatus becomes large due to the protrusion of the protrusion.

  Further, even when the exhaust port is provided at a position not blocked by an obstacle, there is a problem that the exhaust from the exhaust port hits an operator or a customer depending on the position of the exhaust port and the installation status of the information processing apparatus. For this reason, it may be difficult to secure an exhaust port capable of exhausting.

  Furthermore, since the positions of these exhaust ports are determined by the housing shape of the information processing apparatus, it is difficult to change the positions of the exhaust ports according to the installation situation. In addition, in order to be able to respond to customer requests, when manufacturing information processing devices with different positions of the exhaust ports, the cost required for manufacturing facilities and parts management increases, so the manufacturing cost of the information processing device is low. There is also the problem of becoming higher.

  Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide an information processing apparatus capable of easily changing the position of an exhaust port exhausted by an exhaust fan.

  In order to solve the problems and achieve the object, the information processing apparatus of the present invention is configured as follows.

One aspect of the present invention, the housing having an exhaust port at least two faces, the a substrate accommodated in a housing, a heating element provided on the substrate, provided on said substrate, said exhaust port The exhaust fan that exhausts air heated by the heating element from the opposing exhaust port , the relay connector provided on the substrate, and the substrate stored in the housing At least the same number of exhaust ports as can be connected to the relay connector are provided in the housing, and when any one of them is connected to the relay connector, the exhaust fan of the substrate housed in the housing is There is provided an information processing apparatus comprising a connection connector disposed at a position facing any one of the exhaust ports .

  According to the present invention, an exhaust port that can be exhausted can be easily changed depending on the installation status of the information processing apparatus, and the heat of the heating element can be reliably exhausted.

The perspective view which shows typically the structure of the information processing apparatus which concerns on one embodiment of this invention. Explanatory drawing which shows typically the connection of the main body of the same information processing apparatus, and a control block. Explanatory drawing which shows typically the connection of the I / O board of the main body, and the I / O relay board of a control block.

Hereinafter, an information processing apparatus 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.
In addition, this embodiment demonstrates the information processing apparatus 1 applied to the POS terminal installed in installation space, such as a cash register counter of a store.

  FIG. 1 is a perspective view schematically showing a configuration of an information processing apparatus 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 schematically shows a connection between a main body 2 and the control block 3 of the information processing apparatus 1. FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram schematically showing the connection between the I / O front board 16 of the main body 2 and the I / O relay board 25 of the control block 3. 1 to 3, C represents a center line of the I / O front board 16, H represents a heating element, and S represents a signal line.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the information processing apparatus 1 is used for a POS terminal, for example. The information processing apparatus 1 includes a main body unit 2 and a control block 3.

  The main body 2 is provided, for example, on the housing 10 that forms the outer shape, the front (side) 10a side of the housing 10, the operator 11 that is operated by the operator, and the front 10a side of the housing 10. And a display unit 12 capable of visually recognizing information. The main body 2 may have a configuration including not only the operation unit 11 and the display unit 12 but also a printer.

  Here, the side on which the operation unit 11 and the display unit 12 are provided is defined as a front surface 10a for convenience of explanation. Further, a side surface facing the front surface 10a of the housing 10 is defined as a back surface 10b, and a side surface positioned between the front surface 10a and the back surface 10b is defined as a side surface 10c, which will be described below.

  The housing 10 forms the outer shape of the information processing apparatus 1. The housing 10 has an opening 13 into which the control block 3 can be inserted on the back surface 10b. Moreover, the housing | casing 10 has the accommodating part 14 formed so that at least one part of the control block 3 could be accommodated in the inside. That is, the housing 10 stores the control block 3 inserted from the opening 13 provided on the back surface 10b in the storage portion 14, so that the back surface 10b of the housing 10 and the end surface (back surface) of the control block 3 face each other. The control block 3 can be stored in a single position. Note that the back surface of the control block 3 may not be flush with the back surface 10b of the housing 10.

  The housing 10 has two exhaust ports 15 provided on the side surface 10c. These exhaust ports 15 are provided at opposing positions on the opposite side surfaces 10 c of the housing 10. More specifically, the exhaust port 15 is formed symmetrically (laterally symmetrical) with respect to the two side surfaces 10 c of the housing 10. In addition, the exhaust port 15 should just be provided in the at least 2 surface of the housing | casing 10, respectively, and may be surfaces other than the side surface 10c.

  In addition, the housing 10 includes an I / O front board 16 formed of a PC board or the like that can be connected to the control block 3 on the front surface 10 a in the storage unit 14. As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the I / O front board 16 includes a board 17 and a connection connector provided on the board 17. At least the same number of connection connectors as the exhaust ports 15 are provided.

  For example, the connection connector includes a first connector 18 and a second connector 19. The first connector 18 is provided on one surface 17 a of the board 17. The second connector 19 is provided on the other surface 17 b of the board 17.

  The first connector 18 and the second connector 19 are connected to the same circuit via the signal line S. The signal line S is, for example, a bus line connected to each component such as the operation unit 11 or the display unit 12.

  Further, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the first connector 18 and the second connector 19 are different planes of the board 17, and are line symmetric or point symmetric about the center line C of the board 17. Formed in position. That is, the first connector 18 and the second connector 19 are arranged at a position where the center line C of the I / O front board 16 is an axis of symmetry, or the first connector 18 is rotated 180 around the center line C. The second connector 19 is arranged at a position rotated by a predetermined degree.

  The control block 3 includes a control unit such as a CPU, a substrate 21 on which electronic components such as a ROM and an integrated circuit are stacked, a heating element H that is an electronic component and particularly generates heat, and an exhaust disposed near the heating element H. A duct 22, an exhaust fan 23 provided in the exhaust duct 22, and a cover 24 that covers the substrate 21 are provided.

  The control block 3 includes an I / O relay board 25 and an I / O device connector 26. A part of the I / O relay board 25 protrudes from one side surface of the cover 24 (hereinafter referred to as “front surface 24 a”) and is provided on the substrate 21. The I / O device connector 26 can be connected to each device connected to the information processing apparatus 1, such as a hand scanner, a drawer, and a host computer. A plurality of back surfaces 24b are provided.

  The substrate 21 is housed in the housing 10 when the control block 3 is housed in the housing 10. For example, the exhaust duct 22 is disposed so as to be able to suck in air around the heating element H heated by the heating element H. The position and shape of the exhaust duct 22 can be changed as appropriate depending on the arrangement and shape of the heating element H and the substrate.

  The exhaust fan 23 is configured to be able to exhaust air heated by the heating element H through the exhaust duct 22. That is, the exhaust fan 23 is formed so as to be able to exhaust heat generated in the housing 10 to the outside. Such an exhaust fan 23 is provided on the side surface 24 c of the cover 24. More specifically, the exhaust fan 23 is provided on one of the side surfaces 24c connecting the front surface 24a and the back surface 24b so as to be exposed to the outside substantially flush with the cover 24.

  The exhaust fan 23 is disposed on the side surface 24 c of the cover 24 at a position where the exhaust fan 23 is located at the same position as any one of the exhaust ports 15 when the control block 3 is housed in the housing 10. That is, the exhaust fan 23 faces one of the exhaust ports 15 when the control block 3 is housed in the housing 10.

  As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the I / O relay board 25 has either the first connector 18 or the second connector 19 when the control block 3 is inserted through the opening 13 and stored in the housing 10. A relay connector 27 that connects to either of them (connects to any one of the connection connectors) is provided. The relay connector 27 is provided on one surface of the I / O relay board 25 between the center side of the I / O relay board 25 and one side.

  As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the relay connector 27 reverses the upper and lower surfaces of the control block 3 (rotates 180 degrees), and when the control block 3 is inserted from the opening 13, 2 Connect to either one of the connectors 19.

  In addition, the board | substrate 21 shown in FIG. 2 has shown the example which reversed the upper and lower surfaces, and the board | substrate 21 described above the dashed-two dotted line is the 1st connector 18 and the relay connector 27 of the dashed-two dotted line. The substrate 21 described on the lower side shows an arrangement in which the second connector 19 and the relay connector 27 are connected to each other. Moreover, the relay connector 27 displayed with the dashed-two dotted line on the I / O relay board 25 shown in FIG. 3 is a figure explaining the relay connector 27 when the board | substrate 21 is reversed.

  More specifically, when the control block 3 is housed in the housing 10 with the exhaust fan 23 and the one exhaust port 15 facing each other, the first connector 18 and the relay connector 27 are connected. When the control block 3 is housed in the housing 10 with the exhaust fan 23 and the other exhaust port 15 facing each other, the second connector 18 and the relay connector 27 are connected.

  That is, the relay connector 27 causes the exhaust fan 23 to face either one of the two exhaust ports 15 provided on the side surface 10c of the housing 10 so that one of the main surfaces of the control block 3 (substrate 21) is The upper surface or the lower surface. Thus, the main surface of the control block 3 is reversed (replaced) depending on the position of the exhaust fan 23.

  Thereby, when the main surface of the control block 3 is reversed, the position of the relay connector 27 is changed from a position facing one of the first connector 18 and the second connector 19 to a position facing the other. For this reason, the relay connector 27 is connected to one of the first connector 18 and the second connector 19 through the exhaust port 15 opposed to the exhaust fan 23.

  The information processing apparatus 1 configured in this manner arbitrarily selects the exhaust port 15 for exhausting the air, and controls the control block 3 so that the arbitrary exhaust port 15 and the exhaust fan 23 face each other with the insertion direction as the rotation center. The control block 3 is housed in the housing 10 by being arbitrarily rotated and inserted through the opening 13.

  In the control block 3 housed in the housing 10, the relay connector 27 of the I / O relay board 25 is connected to the first connector 18 or the second connector 19 of the I / O front board 16 facing the relay connector 27. . As described above, the control block 3 is housed in the housing 10 and the I / O front board 16 and the I / O relay board 25 are connected to form the information processing apparatus 1.

  Further, since the first connector 18 or the second connector 19 connected to the relay connector 27 is connected to the same circuit by the signal line S, the relay connector 27 is connected to any of the first and second connectors 18 and 19. Even so, they are connected to the same circuit. As a result, the control block 3 is housed in the housing 10 regardless of the direction of the exhaust fan 23 and is connected to the relay connector 27 and the first and second connectors 18 and 19 to form the same circuit.

  According to the information processing apparatus 1 configured as described above, the first and second connectors 18 and 19 connected to the relay connector 27 are connected to the same circuit by the signal line S. For this reason, even if the exhaust port 15 is arbitrarily selected and the exhaust fan 23 is disposed so as to exhaust air from the selected exhaust port 15, the same function can be obtained. Thereby, while maintaining the function of the control block 3, it becomes possible to select an arbitrary exhaust port 15.

  For this reason, it is possible to select an exhaust port 15 that is optimal for use, such as selecting an exhaust port 15 that does not face an obstacle around the installation space when the store is placed in an installation space such as a cashier counter. That is, the information processing apparatus 1 can oppose the optimum exhaust port 15 and the exhaust fan 23, and the air in the housing 10 including the heat generated from the heating element H by the exhaust fan 23 is changed to either one. It is possible to reliably exhaust air from the exhaust port 15.

  In addition, by making it possible to select the exhaust port 15 to be exhausted by the exhaust fan 23, it is possible to cope with each installation situation and to improve the installation property of the information processing apparatus 1. Moreover, since it can respond | correspond widely to installation conditions, such as installation space and an obstruction, it is not necessary to manufacture the housing | casing 10 etc. which changed only the position of the exhaust port 15 based on an installation condition. That is, the management of parts and products is facilitated, and the manufacturing cost can be reduced. Further, the selection of the exhaust port 15 may be performed by arbitrarily rotating the insertion direction of the control block 3 as the rotation center and making the exhaust fan 23 face the arbitrary exhaust port 15. For this reason, it becomes possible to select the exhaust port 15 easily.

  As described above, according to the information processing apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment, the exhaust fan 23 can be arbitrarily selected as the exhaust fan 15 facing the exhaust fan 23 by making the exhaust fan 23 face any one of the exhaust ports 15. It becomes possible. Thus, it becomes possible to easily select the exhaust port 15 that can be exhausted according to the installation status of the information processing apparatus 1. Thus, by selecting the exhaust port 15 according to the installation status of the information processing apparatus 1, the heat of the heating element H can be reliably exhausted outside the information processing apparatus 1.

  The present invention is not limited to the above embodiment. In the above-described example, the first connector 18 and the second connector 19 are arranged at positions where the center line C is an axis of symmetry, or at positions where the first connector 18 is rotated 180 degrees around the center line C. Although two connectors 19 are arranged, the present invention is not limited to this. That is, the first connector 18 and the second connector 19 are arranged such that the relay connector 27 and the first and second connectors 18 and 19 are connected when the exhaust fan 23 is opposed to any one of the exhaust ports 15. Any arrangement may be used. Therefore, for example, the exhaust port 15 is provided on one side surface and the upper surface of the housing 10, and the first connector 18 is disposed at a position rotated 90 degrees from the second connector 19 around the center line C. Also good. In the above-described example, the information processing apparatus 1 is used for a POS terminal. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and may be used for a PC, a register, a label printer, or the like.

Furthermore, in the above-described example, the casing 10 has two exhaust ports 15. However, the number of the exhaust ports 15 is not limited to two. For example, the structure provided in the surface adjacent to the surface in which the opening part 13 of the housing | casing 10 was provided may be sufficient. In such a configuration, the same number of connection connectors as the exhaust ports 15 may be provided on the I / O front board. In addition, various modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the present invention.
Hereinafter, the invention described in the scope of claims of the present application will be appended.
[1] A housing having an exhaust port provided on each of at least two surfaces;
A substrate housed in the housing;
An exhaust fan provided on the substrate and facing any one of the exhaust ports;
At least the same number of exhaust ports as the connector provided in the housing;
A relay connector that is provided on the substrate, and is connected to any one of the connection connectors by housing the substrate in the housing with the exhaust fan facing the exhaust fan.
An information processing apparatus comprising:

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Information processing apparatus, 2 ... Main-body part, 3 ... Control block, 10 ... Housing | casing, 11 ... Operation part, 12 ... Display part, 13 ... Opening part, 14 ... Storage part, 15 ... Exhaust port, 15 ... One side Exhaust port, 16 ... O front board, 17 ... board, 18 ... first connector (connector connector), 19 ... second connector (connector connector), 21 ... substrate, 22 ... exhaust duct, 23 ... exhaust fan, 24 ... cover 25 ... I / O relay board, 26 ... connector for O equipment, 27 ... relay connector, C ... center line, H ... heating element, S ... signal line.

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 11-224989

Claims (1)

A housing having an exhaust port at least two surfaces,
A substrate housed in the housing;
A heating element provided on the substrate;
An exhaust fan that is provided on the substrate, faces one of the exhaust ports, and exhausts air heated by the heating element from the facing exhaust port ;
A relay connector provided on the substrate;
At least the same number as the exhaust ports are provided in the casing so as to be connectable to the relay connector of the board housed in the casing, and when any one of them is connected to the relay connector, Connection connectors respectively disposed at positions where the exhaust fan of the accommodated board faces any one of the exhaust ports;
An information processing apparatus comprising:

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