JPH11161368A - Docking station for notebook computer - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To actualize the docking station which can easily be undocked only by pressing a release lever, allows a CRT to be placed on the station, and can not be undocked even when the release lever is pressed once a lock mechanism is place in operation. SOLUTION: With the release lever 1 pressed, a slide arm 2 projects and release operation is completed. A base is installed so that the docking can be reset even when a CRT is placed on the docking station. The lock mechanism is added to a docking release mechanism to prevent careless undocking. To facilitate the docking of a notebook type computer, cuts 10 and 11 are formed and the front side of the personal computer is pushed by putting the hand and with a thumb in the cuts 10 and 11 according to projections of a slide table 9, thereby making a connection with a connector 13.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a docking station for a notebook computer which can be easily docked and can be released only by pushing a release lever.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a notebook computer has been mounted on a docking station so that various peripheral devices such as a CD-ROM, a hard disk drive, a liquid crystal display and a speaker can be used from the computer via the docking station. . For example, in a docking station described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 9-6475, a handle operating portion arranged on the rear side of a case rotates a handle to advance or reverse a slide portion according to the rotation, In accordance with the forward or backward movement of the slide portion, the rotating portion is folded in the forward or reverse direction by a rotating operation to lock or unlock the notebook computer.
In the docking station described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 8-502377, when a user opens the upper lid and inserts the computer into the docking station, docking is easy if certain conditions exist, and This is done in a repeatable manner, such that docking or undocking is prevented if the condition does not exist. Further, in the docking station described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 9-97126, a lock mechanism having normal, block, and emergency rotation positions is disposed in front of the docking station. When mounted on, the eject operation is executed and eliminated, and if set to normal,
When the attachment / detachment of the computer is permitted and the emergency is set, manual ejection of the computer is permitted.

[0003]

As a method of using the docking station, it is most common to carry a notebook computer when going out or the like, and to set it in the docking station in an office to have a function equivalent to a desktop. Among the conventional docking stations, in the pull-up type, the docking is released by two operations of lifting the release lever from the locked position and raising the release lever. However, it is desirable that the docking release method be as simple as possible. Also, conventional docking stations often use a pull-up method,
If you connect a CRT and try to view it on a large screen,
Although it is necessary to secure the pull-up operation range, CRT
Could not be installed above the docking station due to the height of the docking station. For this reason, the CRT is often placed beside or behind the docking station, and the space efficiency is deteriorated. Furthermore, when using an external keyboard, this is not a problem, but when using a notebook computer keyboard, the height and angle of the keyboard surface affect operability. If the notebook computer is undocked during the access operation, there is a danger of data corruption. To avoid this, it is necessary to prevent the inadvertent docking operation. Requires the addition of a lock mechanism. Further, it is desired that a manual docking station can be carried out without force so that the notebook computer can be easily docked.

Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to solve these conventional problems, and it is possible to easily release docking simply by pressing a release lever, and to place a CRT table on the top of the station. It is an object of the present invention to provide a docking station for a notebook computer which can not be released by a stopper even when the release lever is pushed while the mechanism is operating, and which improves the operability of the keyboard even when the keyboard is docked.

[0005]

In order to achieve the above object, a docking station for a notebook computer according to the present invention is provided with a manual undocking mechanism, and the undoing operation is completed by pushing a release lever. As a result, the docking can be released simply by pressing the release lever. Also, even if the CRT is set on the docking station, the docking release operation can be performed. As a result, docking can be performed by adding a CRT table, and the docking release operation can be performed. In addition, a lock mechanism is added to the docking release mechanism to prevent inadvertent release of the docking. Thus, while the lock mechanism is operating, the computer cannot be pushed out because the stopper operates even if the release lever is pressed. In addition, in order to make it easy to dock the notebook computer, a notch for putting a hand on the docking station body is provided. Thereby, since the force is distributed to two places, docking can be easily performed. Further, when the notebook computer keyboard is used in the docked state, the computer installation surface of the docking station is inclined so that the keyboard is easy to use. Thereby, the operability of the keyboard is improved because the front side is low and the keyboard surface is inclined.

[0006]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an assembly plate of a docking station for a notebook computer according to an embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 1, reference numeral 1 denotes a release lever capable of releasing the docking by lightly pressing, 2 denotes a slide arm which moves forward by pressing the release lever 1, and 3 denotes a release arm interposed between the release lever 1 and the slide arm 2. A link plate 5 that moves in an oblique direction by pressing the lever 1 is a guide shaft that slides in a window provided on the side surface when the release lever 1 is pressed. When the user presses the release lever 1 lightly, the slide arm 2 that slides along the guide shaft 5 causes the link plate 3 to move.
Move forward in conjunction with and push out the notebook computer. Thereby, the docking of the notebook computer is released. Although not shown, the notebook computer is placed and docked in front of the notebook computer docking station shown in FIG.

FIG. 2 is an overall perspective view of a docking station for a notebook computer showing one embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 2, the docking station of the present invention includes a main body having a release lever 1 and a station 12 on which a computer is placed. 2
Is a slide arm shown in FIG.
Is pressed, the slide arm 2 protrudes, and the notebook computer placed on the station section 12 is pushed out, whereby the docking is released. Reference numeral 13 denotes an electrical connection between the computer and the docking station.

FIG. 3 is a side sectional view when the release lever and the slide arm shown in FIG. 1 are locked. In FIG.
1 is a release lever that is pressed for release, 2 is a slide arm that moves forward when the release lever is pressed, 3 is a link plate interposed between the release lever 1 and the slide arm 2, 6
Is a solenoid that is energized at the time of locking, 7 is a stopper that is fitted into the notch of the link plate 3, and 8 is a solenoid 6
It is a spring attached to. When you need a lock,
That is, when the notebook computer is locked so that the docking is not released during operation, the stopper 7 is pulled by energizing the solenoid 6 and the stopper 7 is fitted into the notch below the link plate 3. The link plate 3 cannot move. As a result, even if the release lever 1 is pressed, the notebook computer cannot be pushed out. That is, docking and undocking are locked, and docking and undocking are disabled.

FIG. 4 is a sectional side view of the release lever and the slide arm shown in FIG. 1 when the lock is released. When the lock is released, when the energization of the solenoid 6 is stopped, the stopper 7 returns to the original position by the extension force of the spring 8 attached to the solenoid 6, and is separated from the notch below the link plate 3. As a result, the link plate 3 becomes operable, and the docking operation and the undocking operation of the notebook computer become possible.

FIG. 5 is an overall perspective view of a docking station for a notebook computer showing another embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 5, in addition to the configuration of FIG. 2, a slide table 9 is provided on the station section 12, and cuts 10, 11 are formed on side surfaces of the station section 12.
Is provided. When the notebook computer is docked to the docking station, the notebook computer is aligned with the projections of the slide table 9, and both fingers are put on the cuts 10 and 11, and the notebook computer is pushed forward with both thumbs. Do docking. At this time, since the force of the finger is distributed to two places, docking can be easily performed.

FIG. 6 is an overall perspective view of the docking station when docking a notebook computer. By aligning the notebook computer 4 with the projections of the slide table, putting both hands on the cuts 10 and 11 and pushing the front side of the notebook computer 4 with the thumb, the projections of the slide table are formed on the bottom of the computer 4. When the docking station is inserted, the electrical connection at the distal end of the computer 4 is connected to the electrical connection of the docking station main body.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing a state where a CRT stand and a CRT are set in the docking station of the present invention. To connect a CRT to the notebook computer 4 and view the processing results on a large screen,
By adding the RT table 15, a CRT can be added above the docking station 16. Also, in the case of the docking release operation, since there is an empty space under the table 15 of the CRT, the hand can contact the release lever 1, and the notebook computer can be easily removed by pressing this. it can. This makes it possible to place the docking station more efficiently than placing it beside or behind the docking station.

FIG. 8 is an overall perspective view of a docking station for a notebook computer, showing still another embodiment of the present invention. In the present embodiment, the station unit 12 of the docking station 16 on which the notebook computer 4 is placed is inclined, so that when the keyboard of the notebook computer 4 is operated, the operability is improved. Reference numeral 4a denotes a lid portion forming a display unit of the notebook computer 4.

FIG. 9 is an overall perspective view of a docking station for a notebook computer, showing still another embodiment of the present invention. The docking station of the present embodiment is provided with a plurality of sliding sections 17 arranged in parallel so that the notebook computer can slide smoothly on the installation surface on the station section 12 in addition to the configuration of FIG. In order to prevent the notebook computer from being misaligned and being unable to be docked, a slip stopper 18 is provided on one side surface of the notebook computer.

Although not directly related to the present invention, a plurality of sets of connectors and card insertion portions for connecting peripheral devices are provided on the back side of the docking station.
That is, an insertion section for inserting a CD-ROM, a card, and the like,
Further, connectors for connecting a hard disk, a monitor, a printer, a flexible disk, a modem, a game slot, and the like are provided.

As described above, according to the present invention,
Docking can be easily released just by pressing the release lever,
In addition, a CRT table can be placed on the top of the station, and the lock cannot be released by the stopper even if the release lever is pressed while the lock mechanism is operating, and the operability of the keyboard is improved even while docked. There is the advantage of being improved.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an assembly plate of a docking station for a notebook computer according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an overall perspective view of a docking station for a notebook computer showing one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a side sectional view showing a locked state of a release lever and a slide arm according to the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a side sectional view of the unlocking state of the release lever and the slide arm in the present invention.

FIG. 5 is an overall perspective view of a docking station for a notebook computer, showing another embodiment of the present invention.

6 is a perspective view showing a state in which the notebook computer in FIG. 5 is docked.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing a state where a CRT and a CRT table are set in the docking station of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a perspective view of a docking station for a notebook computer and a notebook computer, showing still another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 9 is an overall perspective view of a docking station for a notebook computer, showing still another embodiment of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 release lever, 2 slide arm, 3 link plate,
4: notebook computer, 5: guide shaft,
6 ... solenoid, 7 ... stopper, 8 ... spring, 9
... Slide table, 10, 11 ... Cut, 12 ... Station, 13 ... Connector, 14 ... CRT, 15 ...
CRT stand, 16 docking station, 4a notebook computer lid (display unit), 17 slip unit, 18 slip stopper unit.

Claims (5)

[Claims] 1. A docking station for a notebook computer for docking the notebook computer to connect a peripheral device to the notebook computer, comprising: a release lever for releasing the docking by being manually pressed; A docking station for a notebook computer, comprising: a sliding arm that is moved in a horizontal direction by being pressed to detach the docked notebook computer. 2. The docking station for a notebook computer according to claim 1, wherein the undock lever is installed on a table for the CRT even when the CRT is installed above the docking station. A docking station for a notebook computer, wherein a space for inserting a hand is provided. 3. The docking station for a notebook computer according to claim 1, wherein the docking release lever has a lock mechanism for preventing undocking. station. 4. The docking station for a notebook computer according to claim 1, wherein notches are provided on both sides of the docking station main body to easily dock the notebook computer. And docking station for notebook computer. 5. The docking station for a notebook computer according to claim 1, wherein an installation surface of the notebook computer is inclined so that the notebook computer can be easily used in a docked state. A docking station for a notebook computer.