KR20000021172U - A expansion system having a apparatus for ejecting portable computer - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a port replicator, which is an expansion system used to expand the functionality of a portable computer, wherein the expansion system has a top surface on which the portable computer to be connected is formed, and a first opening and a second opening are formed thereon. A housing having a third opening formed on one side thereof close to the upper surface, a base plate installed inside the housing, a sliding plate installed on the base plate and slidably movable within a limited distance from the inside of the housing; A lever for engaging the sliding play and protruding to the side of the housing through a third opening, for externally manipulating the sliding plate to be movable a limited distance before and after, and installed on the sliding plate and the upper surface of the housing through the first opening Projecting, the sliding plate moves back When the loader engages the latch coupled to the connected portable computer and the portable computer hingedly coupled to the base plate and the sliding plate is moved forward, protruding and connecting from the top surface of the housing through the second opening. Equipped.

Description

Expansion system having apparatus for attaching and detaching portable computer {A EXPANSION SYSTEM HAVING A APPARATUS FOR EJECTING PORTABLE COMPUTER}

The present invention relates to an expansion system having a locking device, and more particularly to a port replicator which is a device used to expand the functionality of a portable computer.

With the development of the information society, portable computers, which are designed to be portable and used anywhere, have become commonplace. In addition, the development of communication technology has further increased the range of the portable computer to provide a convenience to easily obtain and store the necessary information anytime, anywhere, regardless of place and time to induce the expansion of portable computers.

In order to meet such changes, various kinds of auxiliary devices are provided to freely use the portable computer, and efforts are made to satisfy the user's desire for the flow of information that changes every moment. Portable computers, on the other hand, are becoming popular due to the ease of portability and the expansion of functions, and are replacing desktop computers. However, since it is manufactured to be easy to carry, it is difficult to enlarge a monitor and the manufacturing conditions of a keyboard which are convenient to use are limited.

Thus, to overcome the shortcomings of portable computers, a supported device is an expansion system called a docking station.

U.S. by Seo Pat. No. 5,567,180, U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,460,547 and 5,569,052 disclose a cable manager or port replicator incorporating all connectors to connect peripheral devices connected to computers that are frequently moved, such as portable computers. The port replicator eliminates the inconvenience of connecting / disconnecting the connectors of the peripheral devices to the computers when mounting / removing peripheral devices to / from the computers. In other words, the port replicator provides the convenience of connecting / disconnecting peripheral devices to and from the computer in one operation.

Port replicators and portable computers are generally electrically connected by connectors installed on and connected to each other. In order to keep this electrical connection stable, the port replicator is provided with a locking device.

However, the locking device applied to the port replicator does not apply the force uniformly to the left and right when the portable computer is unlocked and the portable computer is held by two hands and separated from the port replicator. If not, there is a problem that can overwhelm the connector. When the portable computer is coupled to the port replicator, the locking state is not firm, and the separation of the portable computer is not easy.

The present invention is to solve such a conventional problem, the purpose of which is to maintain a stable electrical connection between the portable computer and the expansion system, and at the same time simply unlock the latch and at the same time the portable computer It is to provide an expansion system having a lock that can be automatically separated from the expansion system.

1 is a plan view showing a port replicator with a locking device according to an embodiment of the present invention;

2 is a side view showing a state in which a portable computer is coupled to a port replicator according to an embodiment of the present invention;

3 shows in sequence the operation of the locking device when the portable computer is coupled to the port replicator;

Figure 4 is a view showing in sequence the operation of the locking device to separate the portable computer from the port replicator by pulling the lever.

* Explanation of symbols for the main parts of the drawings

12 housing 14 hole

16: connector 18a: first opening

18b: second opening 18c: third opening

22: base plate 26: sliding plate

27: guide hole 28: latch

30: Loader 32: Guide Pin

36: lever

According to a feature of the present invention for achieving the above object, the expansion system has a top surface on which the portable computer to be connected, the first opening and the second opening is formed on the top surface, the first side and the first surface is formed on one side adjacent to the top surface A housing in which three openings are formed; A base plate installed inside the housing; A sliding plate installed on the base plate and slidable to move a limited distance before and after the inside of the housing; A lever coupled to the sliding play and protruding to the side of the housing through the third opening, the lever being configured to be externally operated to move the sliding plate by a limited distance before and after; A latch mounted to the sliding plate and protruding through the first opening to the upper surface of the housing and coupled to the connected portable computer when the sliding plate is moved backward; And a loader which hinges to the base plate and when the sliding plate is moved forward, protrudes through the second opening to the top of the housing and lifts the connected portable computer from the top of the housing.

In the present invention, the loader and the sliding plate each have a guide hole and a pin fitted to the guide hole in the base plate so that the loader rotates in conjunction with the forward and backward movement of the sliding plate, and the base plate is moved forward and backward. When moved, the loader is rotated by a limited angle by a pin that moves along the guide hole.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. In addition, in the drawings, the same reference numerals are denoted together for components that perform the same function.

1 is a plan view showing a port replicator with a locking device according to an embodiment of the present invention. 2 is a side view showing a portable computer coupled to a port replicator according to an embodiment of the present invention.

1 to 2, the port replicator 10, which is an expansion system according to an embodiment of the present invention, includes a top housing, a bottom housing, and a specially configured locking device. On the top surface of the top housing, a portable computer 100 is placed, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3. The port replicator 10 and the portable computer 100 are electrically connected by connectors installed and positioned to be connected to each other. In the embodiment of the present invention, the connector 16 of the port replicator 10 is installed to correspond to the hole 14 formed in the top housing 12a. The connector is connected via a cable and a board (not shown) provided with a plurality of connectors to be connected with peripheral devices. Since the technology related to the connector and the board can use a conventional method in the art, a detailed description thereof will be omitted.

On the upper surface of the top housing 12a, a pair of first and second openings 18a and 18b are formed, respectively. This means that a pair of locking devices are installed in a symmetrical form to the port replicator 10. Therefore, in the present embodiment will be described as a locking device of one side for convenience of description. A half opening is formed on the side of the top housing 12a. This half opening is combined with the half opening formed in the bottom housing 12b to form the third opening 18c. A latch 28 is positioned on the first opening 18a, a loader 30 is positioned on the second opening, and a lever 36 is positioned on the third opening.

In the locking device according to the embodiment of the present invention, the components for combining the components are the base plate 22 and the sliding plate 26. The base plate 22 is engaged by a screw on the boss 19 protruding from the inner bottom surface of the housing 12. The sliding plate 26 is installed on the base plate 22 so as to be movable back and forth. The sliding plate 26 is movable by the front and rear limited distance on the base plate 22.

A latch 28 coupled with the portable computer 100 is integrally formed with the sliding plate 26. This has the effect of reducing the number of components and improves the durability of the product. In addition, the sliding plate 26 and the latch 28 is formed of a metal material, which has the effect of shielding the electromagnetic interference without using a separate component. The latch 28 protrudes from the upper surface of the housing 12 through the first opening 18a. This latch 28 is coupled to the connected portable computer 100 when the sliding plate 26 is moved backwards.

The lever 36 is coupled to the side of the sliding plate 26 facing the third opening 18c. The lever 36 is located rearward on the third opening 18c when the portable computer 100 is coupled to the port replicator 10. The lever 36 protrudes toward the side of the housing 12 through the third opening 18c, and when the sliding plate 26 is moved by a front and rear limited distance, the lever 36 moves forward and backward. do.

The locking device has a first spring 40 and a second spring 42. The first spring 40 is for imparting an elastic force to direct the sliding plate 26 to the front, the spring is supported by the rib 44 formed to extend from the inner surface of the top housing 12a and the sliding An elastic force is imparted to the plate 26. The second spring 42 imparts an elastic force in the direction in which the loader 30 lifts up the portable computer 100.

One end of the base plate 22 is hinged to the loader 30. And the loader 30 pulls the lever 36 to separate the portable computer 100 from the port replicator 10, the top housing 12a through the second opening 18b. It protrudes to the upper surface of the function to lift the connected portable computer 100 from the upper surface of the top housing 12a.

For this purpose the loader 30 is hinged to the base plate 22 to enable pivoting. In addition, the loader 30 and the sliding plate 26 may be respectively rotated about the hinge shaft 30a so that the loader 30 cooperates with the forward and backward movement of the sliding plate 26. A guide hole 27 is formed in the 26, and the loader 30 is provided with a guide pin 32 fitted into the guide hole 27. By this coupling, the loader 30 is rotated by a limited angle by the guide pin 32 which is moved along the guide hole 27 when the base plate 22 is moved back and forth.

Figure 3 is a view showing the operation of the locking device when the portable computer is coupled to the port replicator in sequence, Figure 4 is a sequential operation of the locking device to separate the portable computer from the port replicator by pulling the lever The figure shows.

Referring to FIG. 3, when the portable computer is placed on the top of the top housing 12a of the port replicator 10, the loader 30 is pressed by the portable computer 100 to enter the bottom. At this time, the guide pin 32 of the loader 30 moves along the guide hole 27 of the sliding plate 26 and slides the sliding plate 26 to the rear. When the sliding plate 26 is moved by a limited distance, the latch 28 is coupled to the portable computer 100. In this state, referring to FIG. 4, when the lever 36 is pulled, the sliding plate 26 slides forward. At this time, the loader 30 is rotated upward by the guide pin 32 moving along the guide hole 27 of the sliding plate 26, and the top housing (B) through the second opening 18b. Protrudes to the top of 12a). Then, the loader 30 pushes the portable computer 100 upwards. As such, the locking device according to the embodiment of the present invention has a configuration that operates in a state where all of its components are coupled, the operation is made stable.

According to the present invention, the locking device of the expansion system automatically latches the portable computer when the portable computer is placed on the expansion system. When the lever is pulled, the latch is released and the loader lifts the portable computer. do.

Thus, there is an advantage that the connection / disconnection of the portable computer and the expansion system is automatically performed by simple operation. In addition, since the components of the locking device are all coupled to each other, the parts may not be operated arbitrarily, thereby maintaining the reliability of the product.

In conclusion, the present invention maintains a stable electrical connection between the portable computer and the expansion system, and the operation can be automatically released from the expansion system while simultaneously unlocking the latch with a single operation. Has the convenience of.

Claims (2)

A housing having an upper surface on which the portable computer to be connected is placed, a first opening and a second opening formed on the upper surface thereof, and a third opening formed on one side thereof adjacent to the upper surface; A base plate installed inside the housing; A sliding plate installed on the base plate and slidable to move a limited distance before and after the inside of the housing; A lever coupled to the sliding play and protruding to the side of the housing through the third opening, the lever being configured to be externally operated to move the sliding plate by a limited distance before and after; A latch mounted to the sliding plate and protruding through the first opening to the upper surface of the housing and coupled to the connected portable computer when the sliding plate is moved backward; And a loader hinged to the base plate and propelled through the second opening to the top of the housing when the sliding plate is moved forward to lift the connected portable computer from the top of the housing. The method of claim 1, Each of the loader and the sliding plate includes a guide hole and a pin fitted in the guide hole in the base plate such that the loader rotates in conjunction with the forward and backward movement of the sliding plate, when the base plate is moved back and forth. And the loader is pivoted by a limited angle by a pin that is moved along the guide hole.