JPH0541255A - Cable connection discriminating device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To recognize the connecting condition of the other side end at one side end of a cable device, and to prevent an error of a connection or its release by providing a connecting data generating means at the connector of one side end of the cable, while providing a display means of the data at the connector of the other side end. CONSTITUTION:The system is composed of a cable 2 housing transmission lines 1, and two connectors 3 and 4 connected to both ends of the cable 2, and at least the connector of one end is connected to an apparatus, and a power or signals are transmitted by the transmission lines 1. While a connecting data generating means 5 to output the data as to the connecting condition is provided at least to the connector 3 of one side end, the data is transmitted through the cable 2, and a connecting data display means 6 to display the data is provided to the connector 4 at the other side end. As a result, the connecting condition of the connector of one side end can be recognized by the connector at the other side end, and an error of a connection or its release of the cable device can be prevented.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a cable device, and more particularly to a cable comprising a cable and connectors connected to both ends of the cable, at least one end of which is connected to equipment for transmitting electric power and signals. Regarding the device.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art As a cable device as described above, a power cable for connecting a device and a power outlet to supply power to the device, or a signal for connecting a device and a device and transmitting a signal or data. There are cables and control cables. Such a cable device is provided with a connector for connecting these transmission lines to a device or a power outlet at both ends of a cable including transmission lines for transmitting electric power and signals.

By the way, in such a cable device, the cable device should be arranged under the floor of the free access or at the rear part of the desk, and if it is a signal cable, it should be tied up with a string for organizing. There are many. In such a case, it is preferable that the number of cables is small, but if the number of cables is large, it becomes difficult to make correspondence between the cables and the equipment to which the cables are connected.

Therefore, conventionally, a special device is connected to the connector at one end or both ends of the cable, and a pair of connectors provided at both ends of the cable is identified by a cable checker for identifying the other end of the cable, or a connector on the cable side is identified. The connector for generating the identification signal and the connector for the device to which the cable is connected have a mechanism for analyzing the identification signal, and the CPU incorporated in the device recognizes the information and connects to the device. There was a method to identify what kind of equipment the cable is connected to the other end.

[0005]

By the way, in order to use the above-mentioned cable checker, it is necessary to connect a special device to one or both of the cables. Therefore, a device in which connectors at both ends of the cable are connected to the device, In other words, this method cannot be adopted for the cable currently in use. Also, in the method described later, it is assumed that the terminal connected to the cable is uniquely determined, so in a cable with both ends being connectors, the device connected to the other end can be changed variously. There is a problem that the device connected to the other end of one cable may be changed after all, and it is not possible to know where the other end of one cable is.

[0006]

In the present invention, the means for solving the above-mentioned problems are, as shown in FIG. 1, a cable 2 containing a transmission line 1 and two cables 2 connected to both ends of this cable 2. In a cable device that is composed of two connectors 3 and 4 and has at least one end connected to a device and that transmits power and signals by the transmission line 1, the state in which the connector is connected to at least one end connector 3 is described. The connection information generating means 5 for outputting the connection information from the cable is provided, and the connection information transmitting means 6 for transmitting the connection information by the cable 2 and displaying the connection information from the connection information generating means 5 on the connector 4 at the other end. It is provided.

According to the present invention, as shown in FIG. 2, the connection information generating means 5 and the connection information display means 6 are respectively provided at the connectors at both ends, and the connection information display device at one end displays the connection information at the other end. can do. Further, according to the present invention, as shown in FIG.
Is composed of an input section 7 for inputting connection information, a coded signal generation section 8 for generating a coded signal based on the input data from the input section 7, and a storage section 9 for storing the coded signal. The connection information display unit 6 may include a decoding unit 10 that decodes a coded signal of another connector and a display unit 11 that displays the decoded connection information.

Further, according to the present invention, as shown in FIG. 4, the connection information is input to the connection information generating means 5 from the information input section 15 of the device 12 to which the connector is connected. it can. And according to the invention, FIG.
As shown in, the display portion of the connection information display means 6 can be provided in the device 13 to which the connector is connected.

On the other hand, according to the present invention, the connection information can be transmitted by the connection information transmission line 14 provided on the cable 2, and the connection information can be transmitted by the transmission line 1 for transmitting power and signals of the cable. You can also do it. Furthermore, according to the present invention, drive power for at least one of the connection information generating means 5 and the connection information displaying means 6 can be supplied from a power supply line in the cable 2 or can be supplied from a solar cell. ..

[0010]

According to the present invention, connection information about the connected state of the connector is output from the cable from the connection information generating means provided at least at the connector at one end, and the connection state provided at the connector at the other end. It is possible to display the connection information from the signal generating means on the display means,
The connection state of the connector at one end can be known from the connector at the other end.

Therefore, it is possible to prevent an error in connecting and disconnecting the cable device. In addition to displaying these on both ends of the cable device, you can input the connection status of one end from the connected device,
Further, the status information at one end can be displayed on the marking portion provided on the device at the other end.

[0012]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of a cable connection identification device according to the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 6 shows a first embodiment of the cable device according to the present invention. In the present embodiment, the main body side plug 22 that is a connector provided at one end of the cable device 21 is connected to the device 23, while the connector provided at the other end is connected to a power outlet to supply power to the device. It has a power plug. In addition, in the present embodiment, in addition to the two lines 25 and 26 for power supply, one line is added to the cable as the information transmission line 27 to form three cores, and the main body plug 22 connected to the device side is connected via the micro switch 28. Then, one line 25 on the power supply side is connected to the information transmission line 27, and in the power outlet 24, a resistor 29 and a light emitting diode 30 are provided between the other line 26 on the power supply side and the information transmission line 27. As a thing, the micro switch 2 of the main body side plug 22
When 8 is turned on, the light emitting diode of the power plug emits light.

Therefore, in the present embodiment, in a normal state, the micro switch of the main body side plug 22 is turned off, and when searching for a connector corresponding to the device, the micro switch is turned on. Then, even if the light emitting diode 30 of the power plug 24 emits light and the device and the power outlet are separated from each other, the device and the power plug 24 corresponding to the device 23 can be associated with each other, and the power plug of the device can be associated. When disconnecting from the power outlet, you will not accidentally disconnect the power plug of another device from the power outlet.

FIG. 7 shows a second embodiment of the cable connection identification device according to the present invention. In this example,
The cable device 41 is an RS232C cable that transmits information between one information processing device and another information processing device. In this embodiment, of the 25 cores 42 of the RS232C cable, about half of the cores 43 which are not normally used are used as a transmission path for connection information.

Each connector 45 provided at both ends of the cable 44 has a connection information generating means, a solar cell 46 as a power generation source as a connection information displaying means, and a small numeric keypad 47 for inputting data. , A coding circuit 48 for coding the data input from the numeric keypad 47.
And a storage circuit 49 for storing coded data,
A restoration circuit 50 that restores the coded data from another connector, a liquid crystal display 51 that displays the restored data, and a control unit 42 that performs overall control are provided.

Therefore, according to this embodiment, if the number of the connected device is input from the ten-key pad 47, this number is coded by the coding circuit 48, stored in the storage circuit 49, and stored in the control circuit 42. Under control, it is transmitted to the other connector via the connection information transmission path. Then, in the other connector, the data is restored by the restoration circuit 50 under the control of the control circuit 42 and displayed on the liquid crystal display 51. Therefore, the device number of the connection destination device can be displayed. Therefore,
According to this embodiment, the device to which the other connector of the cable device is connected is displayed on the connector, and the number of the device can be displayed from the ten-key pad 47. It is possible to recognize the type and number of the device to which the connector at the other end is connected, and prevent an error in connection and disconnection.

[0017]

As described above, according to the present invention,
Since the cable connection identification device is configured as described above, it is possible to recognize the connection state of the other end of the cable device at one end of the cable device and prevent an error in connection and disconnection.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a first principle of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a second principle of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a third principle of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a fourth principle of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a fifth principle of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a first embodiment of the cable connection identification device according to the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a second embodiment of the cable connection identification device according to the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 transmission line 2 cable 3 connector 4 connector 5 connection information generation means 6 connection information display means 7 input section 8 coded signal generation section 9 storage section 10 decoding section 11 display section 12 equipment 13 equipment 14 connection information transmission line 15 information input Department

Claims (9)

[Claims] 1. A cable (2) incorporating a transmission line (1)
And two connectors (3) and (4) connected to both ends of this cable (2), at least one end of which is connected to a device and power and signals are transmitted through the transmission line (1). In the cable device, at least one end of the connector (3) is provided with connection information generating means (5) for outputting connection information regarding the connected state of the connector from the cable, and the connection information is transmitted by the cable (2). A cable connection identification device characterized in that a connector (4) at the other end is provided with connection information display means (6) for displaying connection information from the connection information generation means (5). 2. The connection information generation means (5) and the connection information display means (6) are provided on the connectors (3) and (4) at both ends, respectively, and the connection information display device at one end is connected at the other end. Information is displayed, The information of Claim 1 characterized by the above-mentioned.
Cable connection identification device described. 3. The connection information generating means (5) includes an input section (7) for inputting connection information, and a coded signal generation section for generating a coded signal based on input data from the input section (7). (8) and a storage section (9) for storing coded signals, wherein the connection information display section (6) is a decoding section (10) for decoding coded signals of other connectors, and the decoded connection information. The cable connection identification device according to claim 1 or 2, further comprising a display unit (11) for displaying. 4. The connection information generating means (5), wherein the connection information is input from an information input section (15) of a device (12) to which a connector is connected. Alternatively, the cable connection identification device according to claim 3. 5. The cable connection according to claim 1, wherein the display portion of the connection information display means (6) is provided in the device (13) to which the connector is connected. Identification device. 6. The connection information transmitting line (14) provided on the cable (2) transmits the connection information, claim 1, claim 2, claim 3, claim 4, or claim 5. Cable connection identification device described. 7. The connection information is transmitted via a cable power and a transmission line (1) for transmitting a signal, claim 1, claim 2, claim 3, claim 4, or claim 5.
Cable connection identification device described. 8. The driving power for at least one of the connection information generation means (5) and the connection information display means (6) is supplied from a power supply line in a cable (2). 2. The cable connection identification device according to claim 4, claim 5, claim 6, or claim 7. 9. The driving power for at least one of the connection information generating means (5) and the connection information displaying means (6) is supplied from a solar cell.
4. The cable connection identification device according to claim 5, claim 6, or claim 7.