JPH07319598A - Portable information processor and keyboard switching connector - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To enhance the expandability of a keyboard type portable information processor by providing the processor with a key output terminal. CONSTITUTION:Since the key output terminal which outputs key input to the outside is provided on an integrated type keyboard 13 unified with a main body 12, the expandability shared by another information processor can be provided in the integrated type keyboard 13 of the portable information processor such as a note type or laptop personal computer and a word processor, etc., and simmultaneously, a key input mistake can be eliminated by performing the key input from the integrated type keyboard 13 exceedingly familiarized with a key input operation, and the key input operation can be efficiently and surely performed.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a keyboard-integrated portable information processing device having a key output terminal and a keyboard switching connector for facilitating switching connection of a plurality of keyboards.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Information processing apparatuses such as personal computers and word processors are desktop type information processing apparatuses called desktop type and portable type called laptop type or notebook type which are used by placing them on a desk such as a personal computer desk. It can be roughly divided into information processing devices. The stationary type and the portable type each have advantages and disadvantages, and while the portable information processing device is inferior to the stationary type in terms of processing speed and expandability,
It is compact and can be carried outdoors without taking up a lot of space. On the other hand, the stationary type information processing apparatus has no limitation in continuous use time because it can use a commercial AC power source, and many of them are excellent in processing speed and expandability, but have a drawback that they occupy a considerable space. .

[0003]

An increasing number of users are selectively using a stationary information processing device and a portable information processing device according to their purposes. Take it back to the office, Figure 5
As shown in, when the portable information processing device 2 is used together on the same desk on which the stationary information processing device 1 is placed, the detachable type connected to the stationary information processing device body 1a with the curl cord 1b. Keyboard 1c and portable information processing device body 2
The integrated keyboard 2b that is integrated with a is a key input means having the same specifications in terms of function and standard, but one of the two devices 1 and 2 is used only because the input target of the key signal is different.
Therefore, it is not possible to share it with the other two, and therefore the separable keyboard 1c and the integral keyboard 2b are placed on a desk with limited installation space.
However, there is a problem that the work efficiency is likely to decrease because the key input is performed in a very cramped posture.

[0004]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention is to solve the above problems, and a portable information processing device of the present invention includes a main body and a key output which is integrated with the main body and externally outputs a key input. An integrated keyboard having terminals is provided.

Further, the main body having a central processing unit and a keyboard interface circuit connected to the central processing unit, and the key scan circuit and the key scan circuit are either the keyboard interface circuit or the key output terminal. And an integrated keyboard having a selector selectively switched and connected.

Further, the keyboard switching connector of the present invention comprises a detachable keyboard which is connectable to the stationary information processing apparatus main body and a pair of input ports which are connected to respective key output terminals of the portable information processing apparatus. An output port connected to the key input terminal of the stationary information processing device body,
And a selector that is switched from the outside and selectively connects one of the pair of input ports to the output port.

Further, when only the separable keyboard or only the integrated keyboard is connected to the pair of input ports, the connected keyboard is connected to the stationary information processor main body, and the pair of input ports is connected to the pair of input ports. When both the separable keyboard and the integrated keyboard are connected to the input port of the, the integrated keyboard is switched in response to the connection of the integrated keyboard, and the integrated keyboard is prioritized over the separable keyboard. It is characterized in that it is constituted by the selector connected to the main body of the stationary information processing apparatus.

[0008]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS. FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view showing a state in which an embodiment of a portable information processing device of the present invention is connected to a stationary information processing device, and FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of a device group in the connected state shown in FIG. It is a circuit block diagram.

The portable information processing apparatus 11 shown in FIG. 1 is a notebook personal computer in which a keyboard 13 and a liquid crystal display 14 are integrated in a main body 12 having a central processing unit (CPU) and a memory built therein. The liquid crystal display 14 displays the information processing contents of the main body 12 as an image, and is provided so as to cover the key input surface of the integrated keyboard 13 so as to be openable and closable. The most important feature of the portable information processing device 11 is that the integrated keyboard 13 is provided with a key output terminal 15 for externally outputting a key input. As shown in FIG. 2, the integrated keyboard 13 has a key scan circuit 13a composed of a one-chip microcomputer and a selector 16 for switching the connection target of the key scan circuit 13a. The selector 16 includes the key scan circuit 13a in the main body 1
2 functions to selectively switch and connect to either the keyboard interface circuit 17 in FIG. 2 or the key output terminal 15 side, and the switching control circuit 18 switches in response to a specific key input on the integrated keyboard 13. The selector 16 is switched by issuing a control signal.

The key output terminal 15 is composed of an 8-pin mini DIN terminal here, but it may be composed of an 8-pin modular jack terminal. Generally, the key input signal of a personal computer is an asynchronous serial interface, and the key input is a key scan circuit 13a.
Are sent as serial data via and are represented by codes. Since one bit of the 8-bit data length serial signal is used as data for distinguishing when a key is pressed (make) and when the key is released (break), a maximum of 2 7 Multiply or 128 key inputs can be handled.

The keyboard interface circuit 17 in the main body 12 processes a serial signal transmitted from the integrated keyboard 13, so that, for example, the IC name 8251 is used, and the interface between the CPU (central processing unit) 12a and the selector 16 is used. Are inserted in the connection relationship shown in FIG. The terminal arrangement of the 8-pin mini DIN used for the key output terminal 15 is as shown in the figure, and terminal number 1 is an RST terminal for a signal for resetting the keyboard. The terminal number 2 is a GND terminal for ground connection, and the terminal number 3 is an RDY terminal indicating whether or not serial data can be received on the personal computer side, that is, in the ready state. Also,
The terminal number 4 is an RxD terminal for a serial data signal, and the terminal number 5 is an RTY terminal that outputs a signal for retransmitting the data that the keyboard has just transferred, but it is not actually used. . The terminal numbers 6 and 7 are non-connection terminals, and the terminal number 8 is a power supply terminal for supplying + 5V power to the keyboard.

The inverter 19 and the NA provided between the selector 16 and the keyboard interface circuit 17 are provided.
The logic ICs such as the ND gate 20 are known,
The description is omitted here. In addition, the stationary information processing device main body 22 which is a main part of the stationary information processing device 21.
Similar to the portable information processing device 11, the CPU 22a and the separable keyboard 23 are connected by the keyboard interface circuit 24 and several logic ICs.

Here, the use of the stationary information processing device 21 resident on the desk is temporarily suspended and the portable information processing device 11 is stopped.
It is assumed that the stationary information processing device 21 is operated using the integrated keyboard 13 of FIG. In this case, first, the connection terminal of the curl cord 25, which is partly indicated by a dashed line in FIG. 1 for connecting the stationary information processing device main body 22 and the separable keyboard 23, is separated from the separable keyboard 23 and is shown by a solid line. Thus, the integrated keyboard 1 of the portable information processing device 11
3 is connected to the key output terminal 15 provided on the terminal 3. As a result, the keyboard interface circuit 24 in the stationary information processing device body 22 is connected to the key output terminal 15 of the portable information processing device 11 via the curl cord 25.

Then, when a selector changeover switch (not shown) designated as a function key is operated on the integrated keyboard 13 of the portable information processing device 11, the changeover control circuit 18 which receives this switch operation causes the selector 16 to operate.
The switching control terminal S is switched to the low level. The selector 16 whose switching control terminal S is switched to the low level switches and connects the port Y from the port A to the port B, so that all serial data input via the integrated keyboard 13 is guided to the key output terminal 15. become. In addition, the integrated keyboard 13 of the portable information processing device 11 and the CPU in the stationary information processing device main body 22
22a is already connected to each other via the selector 16, the curl cord 25, and the keyboard interface circuit 24. Therefore, when the stationary information processing device main body 22 is turned on, + 5V power is supplied to the integrated keyboard 13. Then, the serial data can be transferred.

Therefore, at this time, the separable keyboard 23 is not necessary, and for example, it is placed on the display of the stationary information processing device 21 or spread out on the desk, and then the portable information processing device 11 The physical keyboard 13 can be used as it is in place of the separable keyboard 23 of the stationary information processing device 21 to process information. Further, in the middle of the information processing by the stationary information processing device 21, if the information processing by the portable information processing device 11 becomes necessary,
By operating the selector changeover switch on the integrated keyboard 13, the integrated keyboard 13 can be switched and connected to the CPU 12a in the main body 12,
The original use of the portable information processing device 11 becomes possible.

As described above, the portable information processing device 11 is
According to, the integrated keyboard 1 integrated with the main body 12
3 is provided with a key output terminal 15 for externally outputting a key input, so that an integral keyboard 13 attached to a notebook or laptop personal computer or a word processor can be shared with other information processing devices 21 and the like. Can have At the same time, by making a key input from the keyboard 13 that is most familiar with the key input operation, a key input error can be eliminated, and an efficient and accurate key input operation can be performed.

Further, since the key scan circuit 13a in the integrated keyboard 13 can be selectively switched and connected to either the keyboard interface circuit 17 or the key output terminal 15 by the selector 16, the integrated type is realized. When the keyboard 13 is used for the portable information processing device main body 22 which is the original key input target,
It is possible to clearly distinguish between the case where the key is used for the purpose 2 and the case where the key is used, and it is possible to prevent the inconvenience that the careless key input causes an unintended information processing result.

Further, the switching control circuit 18 issues a switching control signal to the selector 16 in response to a specific key input on the integrated keyboard 13, and the key scanning circuit 13
Since a is selectively switched and connected to either the keyboard interface circuit 17 or the key output terminal 15, it is not necessary to prepare a special switch for switching the selector 16, and The selector 16 can be switched through a simple key operation.

In the above embodiment, when the integrated keyboard 13 was connected to the stationary information processing apparatus 21, the curl cord 25 had to be changed.
The connection work can be further simplified by using the keyboard switching connector 31 described below.

The keyboard switching connector 31 shown in FIG.
Is a selector 32 having substantially the same configuration as the selector 16.
And has three curl cords 33, 34, 35,
It functions to selectively connect the separable keyboard 23 and the integrated keyboard 13 to the stationary information processing device 21. As shown in FIG. 4, the pair of input ports A and B of the selector 32 are connected to the key output terminal of the separable keyboard 23 and the key output terminal 15 of the integrated keyboard 13 via curl cords 33 and 34, respectively. And selector 3
The output port Y of No. 2 is connected to the key input terminal of the stationary information processing apparatus main body 22 via the curl cord 35. However, in the case where only the separable keyboard 23 or only the integrated keyboard 13 is connected to the pair of input ports A and B, the selector 32 shown in the embodiment is a stationary type of the connected keyboard 23 or 13. When the separable keyboard 23 and the integral keyboard 13 are both connected to the pair of input ports A and B, the integral keyboard 13 is connected to the information processing device main body 22.
Prior to the connection with the stationary information processing device body 22. The preferential connection by the integrated keyboard 13 is the selector 32 which receives the curl cord 34.
However, the switching control terminal S (not shown) may be automatically lowered to a low level when the curl cord 34 is connected.

When the keyboard switching connector 31 is used, the separable keyboard 23 is usually connected to the stationary information processing device main body 22 via the selector 32, and the portable information processing device 11 can be operated as necessary. Key output terminal 15
Need only be connected to the selector 32 via the curl cord 34. By doing so, the separable keyboard 23 can be disabled and key input can be made from the integrated keyboard 13 to the stationary information processing apparatus main body 22. Also, the detachable keyboard 23 can be connected and restored to the stationary information processing device body 22 simply by removing the curl cord 34 from the key output terminal 15.

[0022]

As described above, in the portable information processing apparatus of the present invention, since the key output terminal for externally outputting the key input is provided in the integrated keyboard integrated with the main body, it is a notebook type or a laptop type. A keyboard integrated in a portable information processing device such as a top-type personal computer or word processor can be expanded to be shared with other information processing devices, and at the same time, key input from the keyboard most familiar with key input operations As a result, it is possible to eliminate key input mistakes and to perform an efficient and accurate key input operation, which is an excellent effect.

Further, since the key scan circuit in the integrated keyboard can be selectively switched and connected to either the keyboard interface circuit or the key output terminal by the selector, the integrated keyboard can be used as an original key. It can be used by clearly distinguishing it when it is used for the main body that is the input target and when it is used for the stationary information processing apparatus main body, and careless key input causes unintended information processing results. It is possible to prevent the occurrence of the above.

Furthermore, the switching control circuit issues a switching control signal to the selector in response to a specific key input on the integrated keyboard, and selects the key scan circuit as either the keyboard interface circuit or the key output terminal. Since the switches are switched and connected, it is not necessary to prepare a special switch to switch the selectors, and the selectors can be switched through a simple key operation on the integrated keyboard.

Further, since a display for displaying the information processing contents by the main body is provided by covering the key input surface of the integrated keyboard so as to be openable and closable, it can be carried by a general notebook type or laptop type personal computer or a word processor. It can be applied to an information processing device designed to be folded in consideration of the nature, and it is possible to take the data collected outdoors to the room and edit it using a stationary information processing device with an integrated keyboard connected. It also has the effect of being able to

Further, the key output terminal can be composed of an 8-pin mini DIN terminal including a serial data output terminal or an 8-pin modular jack terminal including a serial data output terminal, and the key output terminal is a stationary type. By adopting a configuration that matches the keyboard connection specifications of the information processing device, it is possible to obtain effects such as excellent versatility.

The keyboard connection switching device of the present invention can selectively connect either the separable keyboard or the integrated keyboard to the stationary information processing apparatus body by switching the selector. Therefore, a portable information processing device having a key output terminal in the main body can be connected to a stationary information processing device through the selector.

Furthermore, normally, the separable keyboard is connected to the stationary information processing apparatus via the selector, and the key output terminal of the portable information processing apparatus is connected to the selector as required, The detachable keyboard can be disabled and key input can be made from the integrated keyboard to the main body of the stationary information processing device, and the detachable keyboard can be installed by simply removing the key output terminal of the portable information processing device from the selector. It is possible to achieve an effect such that the portable information processing apparatus main body can be connected and restored.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view showing a state in which an embodiment of a portable information processing device of the present invention is connected to a stationary information processing device.

FIG. 2 is a schematic circuit configuration diagram of a main part of the device group in the connection state shown in FIG.

3 is a schematic perspective view showing another connection example of the portable information processing device and the stationary information processing device shown in FIG.

FIG. 4 is a schematic circuit configuration diagram of a main part of the devices in the connected state shown in FIG.

FIG. 5 is a schematic perspective view showing a conventional usage example of a stationary information processing device and a portable information processing device.

[Explanation of symbols]

 11 Portable Information Processing Device 12 Main Body 13 Integrated Keyboard 13a Key Scan Circuit 15 Key Output Terminal 16 Selector 17 Keyboard Interface Circuit 21 Stationary Information Processing Device 22 Stationary Information Processing Device Main Body 23 Separable Keyboard 25 Curl Code 31 Keyboard switching connector 32 selector 33, 34, 35 curl cord

─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of the front page (51) Int.Cl. ⁶ Identification code Internal reference number FI Technical display location G06F 1/18 15/02 310 F

Claims (8)

[Claims] 1. A portable information processing apparatus comprising: a main body; and an integral keyboard integrated with the main body and having a key output terminal for externally outputting a key input. 2. A main body having a central processing unit and a keyboard interface circuit connected to the central processing unit; and a key scan circuit and the key scan circuit, which are either the keyboard interface circuit or the key output terminal. 2. The portable information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the portable information processing apparatus is configured with the integrated keyboard having a selector selectively switched and connected. 3. A switching control signal is issued in response to a specific key input on the integrated keyboard, and the integrated key scan circuit is selectively provided to either the keyboard interface circuit or the key output terminal. The portable information processing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the portable information processing apparatus comprises the integrated keyboard having a switching control circuit for switching connection. 4. The portable type according to claim 1, wherein the display for displaying the information processing content by the main body is constituted by the integrated keyboard provided so as to openably and closably cover the key input surface. Information processing equipment. 5. The portable information processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising the key output terminal formed of an 8-pin mini DIN terminal including a serial data output terminal. 6. The portable information processing device according to claim 1, further comprising the key output terminal configured by an 8-pin modular jack terminal including a serial data output terminal. 7. A detachable keyboard connectable to the stationary information processing device body, a pair of input ports connected to respective key output terminals of the portable information processing device, and the stationary information processing device body. And a selector which is switched from the outside and selectively connects one of the pair of input ports to the output port, the keyboard switching connector. 8. When only the separable keyboard or only the integrated keyboard is connected to the pair of input ports, the connected keyboard is connected to the stationary information processing apparatus main body, and the pair of input ports is connected to the pair of input ports. When both the separable keyboard and the integrated keyboard are connected to the input port of the, the integrated keyboard is switched in response to the connection of the integrated keyboard, and the integrated keyboard is prioritized over the separable keyboard. 8. The keyboard switching connector according to claim 7, wherein the keyboard switching connector comprises the selector connected to the main body of the stationary information processing device.