JP5842746B2 - Electronics - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an electronic device that is connected to a computer and includes a USB (Universal Serial Bus) connector, for example.

  In recent years, various connectors have been used to connect peripheral devices to a personal computer or the like. For example, the USB (Universal Serial Bus) standard, which is a serial interface standard, is also used in connection with a device that requires a relatively high data transfer speed, such as an SSD (Solid State Drive).

  FIG. 10 is a perspective view of a so-called USB memory that is widely used as an example of a device having such a USB connector. The USB memory 200 includes a main body portion 202 in which a memory as an information storage medium is stored, and a flat plate-like terminal portion 203 whose plane is substantially rectangular. In addition, a conductor pattern 204 as a plurality of terminals is formed on at least one of the flat surface or the bottom surface of the terminal portion 203 of the USB memory 200. Further, the terminal portion 203 is disposed in a rectangular cylindrical shell 205.

  The general USB memory 200 is used by inserting a terminal portion 203 as a plug into a USB receptacle provided in a personal computer or the like. When the terminal portion 203 is inserted, the USB receptacle sandwiches and supports the terminal portion 203 from the plane side and the bottom surface side. Further, the USB receptacle is provided with a conductor portion that is provided corresponding to each conductor pattern 204 on the terminal portion 203 and is in electrical contact therewith.

  A device such as a personal computer writes data to the memory in the USB memory 200 through electrical contact between the conductor portion of the USB receptacle and the conductor pattern 204 on the USB memory 200 side, and from the memory. Read the data.

  As described above, in many plugs (male side) and receptacles (female side) of electronic devices such as conventional USB connectors, a shell is provided so that a finger is not directly touched to the terminal portion. However, there are an increasing number of cases in which a shell is not provided for downsizing or due to a design problem.

  In such a connector without a shell, since the terminal portion is exposed, sebum, dust, and other foreign matters are likely to adhere when touched by human fingers. When a foreign object adheres, the user performs an operation such as wiping the conductor pattern of the terminal portion with a cloth or the like in order to ensure electrical contact.

  In the technology disclosed in Patent Document 1, in the fingerprint recognition sensor device, a cleaning unit / cover is attached to the detection unit in order to remove human sweat and oil remaining on the detection unit, as well as static electricity. Has been tried.

JP 2006-11921 A

  However, as described above, a plug such as a USB is inserted into a receptacle or the like when connected to a computer or the like, and is further cleaned by providing a cleaning means and cover at the terminal portion. If this is done, there is a concern about deterioration due to wear. On the other hand, there is a desire to clean the receiving side (receptacle) of the connector of this electronic device.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object thereof is to provide an electronic device that allows a user to select whether or not to clean a connection terminal. Another object is to enable selective cleaning of the receptacles upon request.

  The present invention that solves the problems of the conventional example is an electronic device, and is a terminal that is movable between a cover member, a position accommodated in the cover member, and a position exposed to the outside of the cover member. A terminal member provided on one end side, and a terminal cleaning member that is disposed on the cover member side and is movable between a position in contact with the terminal portion and a retracted position on the movement path of the terminal portion. It is to be prepared.

  An electronic apparatus according to an aspect of the present invention includes a terminal portion that is movable between a cover member, a position accommodated in the cover member, and a position exposed to the outside of the cover member on one end side. A terminal member, and a terminal cleaning member that is arranged on the cover member side and is movable between a position concealed by the terminal member and an exposed position, and having the same shape as the terminal portion. It is what.

  Here, either the terminal portion or the terminal cleaning member may be selectively exposed.

  According to an aspect of the present invention, the user can select whether or not to clean the connection terminal. In another aspect of the invention, the receptacle can be selectively cleaned.

It is a schematic perspective view showing an example of the electronic device which concerns on the 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is the schematic showing an example of the electronic device which concerns on the 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a schematic sectional drawing showing an example of the electronic device which concerns on the 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is explanatory drawing showing the example of an effect | action of the electronic device which concerns on the 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a schematic sectional drawing showing the example of the electronic device which concerns on the 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is a schematic sectional drawing showing another example of the electronic device which concerns on the 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is a schematic sectional drawing showing another example of the electronic device which concerns on the 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is a schematic sectional drawing showing another example of the electronic device which concerns on the 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is a schematic sectional drawing showing another example of the electronic device which concerns on the 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is a perspective view showing the outline | summary of a general USB memory.

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. The electronic apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention is realized as, for example, the USB memory 10 illustrated in FIG. As illustrated in FIG. 1, the USB memory 10 as an example of the electronic apparatus according to the present embodiment includes a main body cover portion 11 as a cover member, a terminal member 13, a terminal portion 14, and a conductor pattern 15. .

  The main body cover portion 11 has a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape. Of course, it may be a parallelogram shape in a side view for design and the like. In the electronic apparatus according to the present embodiment, the terminal member 13 is accommodated in the main body cover portion 11 serving as a cover member (FIG. 1A) and exposed to the outside of the main body cover portion 11 (FIG. 1). The terminal part 14 which can move between (b)) is provided at least at one end side.

  FIG. 1A is a perspective view showing a case where the terminal portion 14 is in a position where it is accommodated in the main body cover portion 11, and FIG. 1B is a view in which the terminal portion 14 is exposed to the outside of the main body cover portion 11. It is a perspective view which shows the case where it moves to a position. As shown in FIG. 1, in an example of this embodiment, at least a part of the bottom surface of the main body cover portion 11 is open, and the bottom surface of the terminal member 13 is always exposed to the outside. 13 may include a cover covering the bottom surface.

  2A and 2B are cross-sectional views taken along arrows AA and BB in FIG. 1, respectively. As shown in FIG. 2A, an opening is formed at one end of the upper surface of the main body cover portion 11 within a range of a predetermined length L from the wall on the front side. Further, the bottom surface is removed except for both end portions in the width direction, and both end portions in the width direction are flanges 111. Further, a bracket 112 is formed on a predetermined range from the front side of the main body cover portion 11, at least on a part of the side wall. An elastic body 17 is sandwiched between the bracket 112 and the pressing portion 18. The pressing unit 18 has an upper surface exposed through an opening formed in a part of the upper surface side of the main body cover unit 11, and a cleaning unit 16 is attached below. That is, the cleaning unit 16 is provided integrally with the pressing unit 18.

  Here, the elastic body 17 is a rubber, a spring, or the like that has a predetermined natural length and is restored to the natural length when there is no external force. Moreover, the cleaning part 16 is formed with the functional fiber etc. which can wipe off the oil film etc. of the target object surface.

  The terminal member 13 includes a plate-shaped substrate as illustrated in FIG. In an example of this embodiment, the terminal member 13 is a plate-like substrate itself, and the bottom surface is exposed to the outside. In another example of the present embodiment, the terminal member 13 includes a plate-like substrate and a cover disposed on the bottom side of the substrate. FIG. 2C shows a case including a cover. As shown in FIG. 2 (c), the cover of the terminal member 13 (or a substrate when the terminal member 13 is a substrate itself) has a predetermined length in the longitudinal direction from the back side in the vicinity of both sides in the width direction. Only a substantially L-shaped engaging portion 131 is formed. The engaging portion 131 engages with a flange 111 formed inside the main body cover portion 11. The terminal member 13 is provided with a terminal portion 14 having a conductor pattern 15 formed on one side. The circuit portion 12 electrically connected to the conductor pattern 15 may be provided on the plate-like substrate of the terminal member 13. FIG. 2C is a reference perspective view illustrating a shape example of the terminal member 13.

  As shown in FIG. 2C, the main body cover portion 11 and the terminal member 13 are arranged such that the front side end of the engaging portion 131 contacts the front inner wall of the main body cover portion 11 and the engaging portion 131. It is relatively movable along the longitudinal direction between the rear side end portion of the main body cover portion 11 and the position where it contacts the rear inner wall of the main body cover portion 11 (that is, within a restricted range). Moreover, since the engaging part 131 and the flange 111 are engaging, these do not fall apart.

  Further, in this embodiment, the elastic body 17 urges the cleaning portion 16 together with the pressing portion 18 upward of the main body cover portion 11. When no pressure is applied to the pressing portion 18 from the outside, the surface on the terminal member 13 side of the cleaning portion 16 is at a position facing the upper surface of the terminal member 13 with a gap (referred to as a retracted position). Further, when downward pressure is applied to the pressing portion 18 from the outside, the cleaning portion 16 and the pressing portion 18 are cleaned so that the surface of the cleaning portion 16 is in contact with the terminal portion 14 of the terminal member 13 and is positioned on the movement locus of the conductor pattern 15. It is assumed that the thickness with the portion 16 and the natural length of the elastic body 17 are adjusted.

  The circuit unit 12 includes a memory chip, a processor, and the like, and is formed integrally on the plane of the terminal member 13 here. In this example, the conductor pattern 15 is a conductor of the USB connector of the USB memory 10. Further, in the present embodiment, for example, the main body cover portion 11 and the terminal member 13 are relatively movable along the longitudinal direction while maintaining a state where the main body cover portion 11 and the terminal member 13 are engaged with each other. Any mechanism may be used as long as it can be moved.

  The USB memory 10 according to the example of the present embodiment has the above configuration, and operates as follows. In order to facilitate understanding of the operation, the USB memory 10 as the electronic device will be described below with reference to cross-sectional views (FIGS. 3 and 4) cut along a plane along the moving direction of the terminal member 13.

  FIG. 3 shows an example in which the pressing unit 18 is not pressed and the cleaning unit 16 is in the retracted position. In this state, even when the user moves the terminal member 13 relative to the main body cover portion 11, the position where the terminal portion 14 is exposed without the cleaning portion 16 being in contact with the conductor pattern 15, and the main body cover portion 11. It moves to and from the position where it is stored. That is, no cleaning is performed.

  On the other hand, as illustrated in FIG. 4A, when the user moves the terminal member 13 relative to the main body cover portion 11 while pressing the pressing portion 18 downward, the lower surface of the cleaning portion 16 becomes a conductor pattern. Since it moves toward the movement locus | trajectory of 15 (FIG.4 (b)), the cleaning part 16 contacts the conductor pattern 15, and the cleaning part 16 will wipe the surface of the conductor pattern 15. FIG. As a result, dirt and oil / fat adhering to the conductor pattern 15 are removed. In addition, by adjusting the pressing force of the pressing portion 18, for example, the stronger the pressing force is, the stronger the cleaning portion 16 comes into contact with the conductor pattern 15, thereby improving the ability to clean the conductor pattern 15. This is effective when there are a lot of adhered dirt and the like. As described above, according to an example of the present embodiment, the user can select whether or not to clean the connection terminal by operating the push-down portion 18, and further, “protrude the terminal portion 14 without cleaning it”. Adjustments such as “lightly clean the terminal portion 14” and “clean the terminal portion 14 strongly” are also possible.

  Next, an electronic apparatus according to a second embodiment of the present invention will be described. An example of the electronic apparatus according to the second embodiment is the USB memory 20 illustrated in the cross-sectional view of FIG. As illustrated in FIG. 5, the USB memory 20 as an example of the electronic apparatus of this embodiment includes a main body cover portion 21 as a cover member, a terminal member 23, a terminal portion 24, and a conductor pattern 25. . FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of the USB memory 20 according to the example of the present embodiment, which is an electronic device, cut along a plane along the moving direction of the terminal member 23.

  The main body cover portion 21 has a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape. Of course, it may be a parallelogram shape in a side view for design and the like.

  The terminal member 23 includes a terminal portion 24 on one end side thereof. The terminal member 23 is engaged with the main body cover portion 21 and is relatively movable along the longitudinal direction between the terminal member 23 and the main body cover portion 21 while maintaining the engaged state. Regarding the structure for performing such a movement, various known methods can be adopted in addition to the examples already described, and thus detailed description thereof will be omitted. In addition, as a result, the terminal portion 24 is accommodated in the main body cover portion 21 that is a cover member (accommodated state: FIG. 5A), and is exposed to the outside from the main body cover portion 21 (FIG. 5B). ).

  One of the characteristic features of the present embodiment is that the end portion of the body cover portion 21 on the side facing the terminal portion 24 has the same shape as the terminal portion 24 in the stored state shown in FIG. (The same thickness, width and depth) (hereinafter referred to as pseudo terminal portion 24 '), and at least on the surface (bottom surface) side of the pseudo terminal portion 24' facing the terminal portion 24. The cleaning unit 26 is arranged.

  The cleaning unit 26 is formed of functional fibers that can wipe off an oil film or the like on the surface of the object. Since the pseudo terminal portion 24 ′ is formed in the same shape as the terminal portion 24, the pseudo terminal portion 24 ′ can be inserted as it is in place of the terminal portion 24 into the receptacle that receives the terminal portion 24. Yes.

  Then, the relative movement between the terminal member 23 and the main body cover portion 21 causes the cleaning portion 26 to be concealed by the terminal member 23 (the same relative position as FIG. 5A) and the position exposed to the outside (FIG. 5 ( c)).

  In the electronic apparatus according to the present embodiment illustrated in FIG. 5, the terminal member 23 and the cleaning unit 26 that is a terminal cleaning member are mutually in a predetermined regulation range (the terminal unit 24 and the cleaning unit 26 along the longitudinal direction). Can be reciprocated over a range in which reciprocation is possible between a position where the surface is exposed to the outside and a position where it is concealed, and either the terminal portion 24 or the cleaning portion 26 can be selectively exposed. It has become.

  When the user does not use the USB memory 20 (for example, when carrying it), the user places the terminal unit 24 in a position where the terminal unit 24 faces the cleaning unit 26 as shown in FIG. In this state, the conductor pattern 25 formed on the terminal portion 24 is in a hidden state.

  When the user connects the USB memory 20 to a computer or the like and uses it as a storage device, as shown in FIG. 5B, the main body cover portion 21 is located at a position where the terminal portion 24 is exposed to the outside. And the terminal member 23 are moved relative to each other. Then, the terminal portion 24 is inserted into a receptacle provided in a computer or the like.

  Further, when cleaning the receptacle side of a computer or the like, as shown in FIG. 5C, the user relatively moves the main body cover portion 21 and the terminal member 23 so that the cleaning portion 26 is exposed to the outside. Then, the pseudo terminal portion 24 ′ of the main body cover portion 21 is inserted into a receptacle provided in a computer or the like. At this time, the terminal portion 24 is inserted upside down so that the cleaning portion 26 faces the terminal (terminal contacting the conductor pattern 25) side of the receptacle. Thus, when the pseudo terminal portion 24 ′ is inserted and removed, the cleaning portion 26 rubs against the terminal of the receptacle, and the terminal of the receptacle is cleaned.

  Furthermore, in the second embodiment, the terminal portion 24 is exposed to the outside from a state where the user presses the upper surface of the pseudo terminal portion 24 ′ while the terminal portion 24 faces the cleaning portion 26. When the main body cover portion 21 and the terminal member 23 are moved relative to each other, the cleaning portion 26 is pressed toward the conductor pattern 25. When the conductor pattern 25 is moved to a position where the conductor pattern 25 is exposed in this state, the conductor pattern 25 is cleaned by the cleaning unit 26. For this purpose, the upper surface of the portion of the main body cover portion 21 where the cleaning portion 26 is formed may be formed to be easily bent. In this case, the rigidity of the cleaning part 26 is increased to such an extent that it can be inserted into the receptacle.

  In the example of this embodiment, the pseudo terminal portion 24 ′ provided with the cleaning portion 26 is formed on the side of the main body cover portion 21 facing the terminal portion 24, but is illustrated in the sectional view of FIG. 6. As described above, the pseudo terminal portion 24 ′ may be formed on the other end side E instead of the one end side D of the main body cover portion 21, and the cleaning portion 26 may be provided on the back surface thereof. FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of the USB memory 20 according to an example of the present embodiment, which is an electronic device, cut along a plane along the moving direction of the terminal member 23, as in FIG.

  In the example of FIG. 6, the main body cover portion 21 and the terminal member 23 are relatively moved to a position where the terminal portion 24 is exposed to the outside. In the example of FIG. 6, an end portion (that is, the other end side) E opposite to the end portion D on the side facing the terminal portion 24 of the main body cover portion 21 is provided on the back side of the main body cover portion 21. The cleaning unit 26 is exposed. As described above, when the pseudo terminal portion 24 ′ is formed also on the other end side E of the main body cover portion 21 and the cleaning portion 26 is provided on the back surface thereof, when the USB memory 20 is connected to a computer or the like and used as a storage device. The user moves the main body cover portion 21 and the terminal member 23 relative to a position where the terminal portion 24 is exposed to the outside as shown in FIG. At this time, the cleaning portion 26 is exposed at the other end E, which is different from the side from which the terminal portion 24 protrudes. And a user inserts the terminal part 24 in the receptacle with which the computer etc. were equipped.

  Further, when cleaning the receptacle side of a computer or the like, the user inserts the pseudo terminal portion 24 ′ on the other end side E exposed in the state illustrated in FIG. 6 into the receptacle. Also in this case, when inserting the terminal part 24, it inserts upside down. As a result, the cleaning unit 26 rubs against the receptacle terminal, and the receptacle terminal is cleaned.

  Furthermore, as another example of this embodiment, both end portions of an end portion (one end side) D facing the terminal portion 24 of the main body cover portion 21 and an end portion (that is, the other end side) E opposite thereto. Alternatively, the pseudo terminal portion 24 ′ may be formed, and the cleaning portion 26 may be provided on each back surface.

  When pseudo terminals 24 'are formed at both ends in this way, when the user intends to connect the USB memory 20 to a computer or the like and use it as a storage device, as shown in FIG. The main body cover portion 21 and the terminal member 23 are relatively moved to a position where the terminal portion 24 is exposed to the outside. At this time, the cleaning part 26 is exposed on the end side E different from the terminal part 24. When the user inserts the terminal unit 24 into a receptacle provided in a computer or the like, the USB memory 20 can be used as a storage device. In the example of FIG. 7A, the main body cover portion 21 and the terminal member 23 are relatively moved to a position where the terminal portion 24 is exposed to the outside.

  Further, in the state illustrated in FIG. 7A, when the exposed pseudo terminal portion 24 'on the other end E is inserted into the receptacle, the cleaning portion 26 provided on the back surface thereof rubs against the receptacle terminal, Receptacle terminals are cleaned. Also in this case, when inserting the terminal part 24, it inserts upside down.

  Further, when the user intends to clean the receptacle, as shown in FIG. 7B, the cleaning unit 26 provided on the back surface of the pseudo terminal portion 24 ′ on the side D facing the terminal portion 24 is exposed to the outside. The main body cover portion 21 and the terminal member 23 may be relatively moved to the exposed position. In this case, the pseudo terminal portion 24 'on the one end side D is inserted into a receptacle provided in a computer or the like. At this time, the terminal portion 24 is inserted upside down so that the cleaning portion 26 faces the terminal (terminal contacting the conductor pattern 25) side of the receptacle. As a result, the cleaning portion 26 provided on the back surface of the pseudo terminal portion 24 ′ on the one end side D rubs against the terminal of the receptacle, and the terminal of the receptacle is cleaned.

  Furthermore, in the examples so far, the terminal portion 24 is inserted into the receptacle so that the function of the electronic device can be exhibited (that is, the terminal portion 24 contacts the terminal on the receptacle side), and the terminal of the receptacle is cleaned. In order to do this, the electronic device is turned upside down when the pseudo terminal portion 24 'is inserted into the receptacle. This is because the orientation of the surface of the terminal portion 24 where the conductor pattern 25 is formed and the orientation of the surface of the pseudo terminal portion 24 ′ where the cleaning portion 26 is provided are opposite (surfaces facing each other). is there.

  Therefore, the cleaning part 26 is not turned upside down during use and during cleaning, and the cleaning part 26 is arranged on the surface side of the pseudo terminal part 24 ′ so that cleaning can be performed at once even in a connector having electrodes on the upper and lower sides on the receptacle side. It may be provided on both the back side and the back side. However, since the cleaning part 26 on the front side is always exposed, sebum, dust, and other foreign matters are likely to adhere.

  In another example of the present embodiment, as illustrated in FIG. 8, members adjacent to each other are located within a predetermined restriction range (positions at which the terminal portion 24 and the cleaning portion 26 are exposed to the outside) along the longitudinal direction. Further, the shell 29, the main body cover 21, and the terminal member 23 that can be moved relative to each other over a range that can be reciprocated between the position and the concealed position may be arranged in this order.

  According to this example, when the user does not use the USB memory 20 (such as when carrying it), as shown in FIG. 8A, the terminal portion 24 faces the cleaning portion 26a, and the shell portion 29 The relative position between the shell portion 29 and the main body cover portion 21 is set so as to cover the cleaning portion 26b provided on the surface side of the pseudo terminal portion 24 ′ of the main body cover portion 21. In this state, the conductor pattern 25 formed on the terminal portion 24 is also hidden.

  When the user connects the USB memory 20 to a computer or the like and uses it as a storage device, the user places the main body at a position where the terminal portion 24 is exposed to the outside as shown in FIG. The cover part 21 and the terminal member 23 are moved relative to each other. At this time, the relative positional relationship between the main body cover portion 21 and the shell portion 29 is not changed. And a user inserts the terminal part 24 in the receptacle with which the computer etc. were equipped.

  Further, when cleaning the receptacle side of a computer or the like, as shown in FIG. 8 (c), the user must place the main body so that both the front and back surfaces of the pseudo terminal portion 24 ′ provided with the cleaning portions 26 a and b are exposed to the outside. The cover part 21 is moved relative to the terminal member 23 and the shell part 29. Then, the exposed pseudo terminal portion 24 ′ of the main body cover portion 21 is inserted into a receptacle provided in a computer or the like. At this time, regardless of whether the terminal of the receptacle (the terminal that originally contacts the conductor pattern 25) is on the front side or the back side (or both), either of the cleaning portions 26a and 26b is the terminal of the receptacle. The terminal of the receptacle is cleaned.

  In the description here, a USB memory has been cited as an example of the electronic apparatus of this embodiment. However, the embodiment of the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the electronic device of the present embodiment may be any device provided with a USB plug. By setting the plug portion as described above, various peripheral devices such as a keyboard, a mouse, and a game controller may be used. Further, the device is not limited to USB, and may be a device including IEEE1394, Thunderbolt, and other plugs.

  Further, in the examples of FIGS. 5 to 8, the shape of the main body cover portion 21 is a mountain shape in the cross-sectional views in these drawings. However, the present embodiment is not limited to this, for example, the example of FIG. 7. As illustrated in FIG. 9 corresponding to FIG. 9, the surface of the main body cover portion 21 may be a flat surface.

  In the examples so far, the cleaning units 16 and 26 may be replaceable. Here, the functional fiber portion as the cleaning portions 16 and 26 may be replaced, or replaced integrally with the pressing portion 18 formed integrally with these, the main body cover portions 11 and 21, and the like. You may do.

10, 20, 200 USB memory, 11, 21 Main body cover part, 12, 22 Circuit part, 13, 23 Terminal member, 14, 24, 203 Terminal part, 15, 25, 204 Conductor pattern, 16, 26 Cleaning part, 17 Elastic body, 18 pressing part, 24 'pseudo terminal part, 29 shell part, 111 flange, 112 bracket, 131 engaging part, 202 body part, 205 shell.

Claims (3)

A cover member;
A terminal member provided on one end side with a terminal portion movable between a position housed in the cover member and a position exposed to the outside of the cover member;
An electronic device comprising: a terminal cleaning member that is disposed on the cover member side and is movable between a position in contact with the terminal portion and a retracted position on a moving path of the terminal portion. A cover member;
A terminal member provided on one end side with a terminal portion movable between a position housed in the cover member and a position exposed to the outside of the cover member;
An electronic device comprising: a terminal cleaning member that is arranged on the cover member side and is movable between a position concealed by the terminal member and an exposed position, and having the same shape as the terminal portion. The electronic device according to claim 2,
The electronic device which can selectively expose either the said terminal part and the said terminal cleaning member.

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