TW201324088A - External inputting device and related detachable computer system - Google Patents

Abstract

An external inputting device for combining with a portable electronic device is disclosed in the present invention. The external inputting device includes a foundation, and a battery module pivotably disposed on the foundation. The foundation includes a body, and a connector disposed inside the body for electrically connecting to a terminal of the portable electronic device. The battery module includes a battery unit for supplying electric energy to the portable electronic device, a casing for covering the battery unit, and a rotary mechanism disposed between the casing and the foundation. The casing can utilize the rotary mechanism to adjust a rotary angle relative to the foundation, so as to hold a predetermined view angle of the portable electronic device relative to the foundation.

Description

External input device and related detachable computer system

The present invention relates to an external input device, and more particularly to an external device that is easy to disassemble and does not occupy a volume and is connected to the portable electronic device to form a detachable computer system.

With the advancement of technology, because of its simple operation and convenient portability, tablet PCs have gradually replaced the general notebook computers and become electronic products that users carry with them. Traditional tablet PCs do not have a keyboard-type input module, which means that in order to simplify the overall structure, traditional tablet computers generally use a touch screen as an input interface. However, the touch input interface is not suitable for the user to perform long-term operations, and many users are still accustomed to tapping the keyboard as the optimal input interface, so that an external input device suitable for a tablet computer is subsequently applied. . The conventional external keyboard device includes a pivoting structure for electrically connecting the connection terminal groups of the tablet computer and simultaneously carrying and loading the weight of the tablet computer. However, in order to achieve better load strength, the conventional pivoting structure protrudes from the housing of the external keyboard device, and thus the conventional external keyboard device has the disadvantages of occupying space and inconveniently accommodating.

The present invention provides a detachable and non-receiving external input device and its associated portable electronic device to form a detachable computer system to solve the above problems.

The patent application scope of the present invention discloses an external input device for use in conjunction with a portable electronic device. The external input device includes a base and a battery module disposed on the base in a relatively pivotable manner. The base includes a body and a connector disposed inside the body. The connector is used to electrically connect one of the connection terminals of the portable electronic device. The battery module includes a battery unit for supplying power to the portable electronic device, and a casing includes an upper protective cover and a lower protective cover, and the upper protective cover and the lower protective cover respectively cover the battery Both end faces of the unit, and a rotating mechanism are disposed between the housing and the base. The housing adjusts a rotation angle of one of the bases by using the rotating mechanism, so as to support the portable electronic device to have a predetermined viewing angle with respect to the base.

The scope of the invention further discloses that the base further comprises a two-arm structure, which is respectively disposed at two ends of one side of the main body and extends outward from the main body, and the two arm structures form a space. A space is provided, and the accommodating space is used to accommodate the battery module.

According to the patent application of the present invention, the rotating mechanism is disposed between the outer casing and the outer end of the arm structure, so that the battery module has an outer end of the arm structure as an axis. The base pivots.

The patent application scope of the present invention further discloses that the battery module further includes a flexible connecting wire. Both ends of the flexible connecting wire are electrically connected to the battery unit and one of the circuit boards disposed in the base.

According to the patent application of the present invention, the upper protective cover of the housing has a baffle structure, and the baffle structure is configured to cover the connector when the battery module is in an initial position relative to the base. .

The baffle structure of the present invention further discloses that the baffle structure is used to stop the backplane of the portable electronic device when the battery module is located at a position different from the initial position.

The scope of the patent application of the present invention further discloses that the rotating mechanism is a hinge mechanism or a buckle mechanism.

According to the claimed invention, the latching mechanism includes a shaft body and a bump structure disposed on one side surface of the housing, and a shaft hole and a plurality of groove structures formed on the base adjacent to the shell One side surface of the body, the shaft system is inserted into the shaft hole for relative rotation, and the battery module is buckled to the corresponding groove structure by the protrusion structure to limit the rotation angle with respect to the base.

The patent application scope of the present invention further discloses a detachable computer system including a portable electronic device and an external input device. The portable electronic device has a connection terminal. The external input device includes a base and a battery module disposed on the base in a relatively pivotable manner. The base includes a body and a connector disposed inside the body. The connector is used to electrically connect one of the connection terminals of the portable electronic device. The battery module includes a battery unit for supplying power to the portable electronic device, and a casing includes an upper protective cover and a lower protective cover, and the upper protective cover and the lower protective cover respectively cover the battery Both end faces of the unit, and a rotating mechanism are disposed between the housing and the base. The housing adjusts a rotation angle of one of the bases by using the rotating mechanism, so as to support the portable electronic device to have a predetermined viewing angle with respect to the base. The portable electronic device is detachably mounted on the external input device, and the external input device has a keyboard module for inputting a signal to control the connector through the connector. Functional operation of the portable electronic device.

The external input device of the present invention mounts the battery module to the base at an adjustable angle, thereby serving as a movable stand for supporting the portable electronic device. The portable electronic device of the present invention can be selectively used alone as a tablet device, or alternatively, the portable electronic device can be coupled to an external input device to form a detachable computer system in a notebook mode. Therefore, the invention has the advantages of simple structure and light weight, and can effectively reduce the structural volume size of the external input device to reduce the manufacturing cost of the product.

Please refer to FIG. 1. FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of the appearance of a detachable computer system 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention. The detachable computer system 10 includes a portable electronic device 12 and an external input device 14. The portable electronic device 12 can be a tablet computer with a touch interface, and the external input device 14 can be a docking base for a tablet computer. In addition to being used to support the portable electronic device 12 to stand up to assist in forming a predetermined viewing angle, the external input device 14 can have a physical input device and an additional power storage device so that the user can view the demand at any time and any place. The operation mode is switched, for example, switching to the tablet mode or the notebook mode, and switching to the touch interface input mode or the physical button input mode, and additionally providing auxiliary power to further extend the boot time of the portable electronic device 12.

Please refer to FIG. 1 to FIG. 3 . FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of component explosion of the external input device 14 according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 3 is a group diagram of the external input device 14 according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of the portable electronic device 12 removed from FIG. The external input device 14 includes a base 16. The base 16 can include a main body 18, a connector 20, a keyboard module 22, and a circuit board 24. The connector 20, the keyboard module 22 and the circuit board 24 are all disposed in the main body 18 to provide a function of accommodating protection. The connector 20 and the keyboard module 22 are electrically connected to the circuit board 24. When the portable electronic device 12 is mounted on the external input device 14, the connection terminal 121 of the portable electronic device 12 can be electrically connected to the external input device. The connector 20 of the user 14 can be used to input a command by the keyboard module 22 having a physical button mechanism to control the functional operation of the portable electronic device 12 through a combination of the connector 20 and the connection terminal 121.

As shown in FIG. 2 and FIG. 3, the base 16 of the external input device 14 may further include a two-arm structure 26 respectively disposed at two ends of one side of the main body 18 and from the main body 18 The outer extension extends to form an accommodation space 161 between the two arm structures 26 . The external input device 14 further includes a battery module 28 disposed on the base 16 in a relatively pivotable manner. The size of the accommodating space 161 is corresponding to the size of the battery module 28, and the battery module 28 is pivotally connected to the outer end 261 of the arm structure 26 so that the user can rotate the battery module 28 to accommodate it. In the space 161, the battery module 28 can be turned out of the accommodating space 161 for supporting the portable electronic device 12.

Please refer to FIG. 4 and FIG. 5 , FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram showing the explosion of the components of the battery module 28 according to the embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 5 is a group diagram of the battery module 28 according to the embodiment of the present invention. The battery module 28 includes a battery unit 30, a housing 32, two rotating mechanisms 34 and a flexible connecting line 36. The battery unit 30 is an external power source of the detachable computer system 10 for supplying power to the portable electronic device 12 to extend its boot time. The housing 32 can include an upper protective cover 32A and a lower protective cover 32B. The protective cover 32A and the lower protective cover 32B cover the both end faces of the battery unit 30, respectively, and can be interlocked with each other using a fixing member such as a screw or a bolt. The housing 32 is not only a protective casing of the battery unit 30 , but also an external input device 14 for supporting the main structural components of the portable electronic device 12 . Two rotating mechanisms 34 are disposed between the housing 32 and the outer end 261 of the corresponding arm structure 26, respectively. The user can utilize the rotating mechanism 34 coupled to the outer end 261 as a rotation axis to adjust the rotation angle of the housing 32 relative to the base 16, for example, the housing 32 can be parallel to the base 16, or the housing 32 can be opposite. The base 16 holds the angle of rotation. When the housing 32 has the rotation angle with respect to the base 16, the housing 32 can be used to support the portable electronic device 12 in a preset viewing angle with respect to the external input device 14 as shown in FIG.

In addition, the flexible connecting cable 36 can be a flexible cable or a card flexible cable. The two ends of the flexible connecting line 36 can be electrically connected to the battery unit 30 and the circuit board 24 respectively. Therefore, the power of the battery unit 30 can be transmitted to the keyboard module 22 through the flexible connecting line 36 and the circuit board 24, or can pass through the flexible connecting line 36. The circuit board 24 and the combination of the connector 20 and the connection terminal 121 are output to the portable electronic device 12 as auxiliary power. As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the housing 32 may further include a shutter structure 321 disposed at one end of the upper protective cover 32A. When the battery module 30 is in an initial position relative to the base 16 (that is, it is accommodated in the accommodating space 161), the baffle structure 321 can cover the connector 20 of the base 16 to prevent dust from falling into the connector. 20 or avoid being damaged by external force. On the other hand, when the battery module 30 is turned out of the accommodating space 161 and located at one of the different initial positions, the baffle structure 321 can be used to stop against the back plate of the portable electronic device 12, thereby improving friction. The force is used to assist the portable electronic device 12 to stand firmly on the base 16 . The baffle structure 321 may be composed of a material having a high friction system, such as rubber, or the back plate of the portable electronic device 12 may be provided with a corresponding abutting structure, thereby resisting the baffle structure 321 to limit the battery module 30. Rotation relative to the base 16.

As shown in Figures 4 and 5, the rotating mechanism 34 can be a hinged hinge mechanism. The hinge mechanism can be a hinge mechanism for applying a torque or a frictional force to limit the rotation angle. Since the viewing angle of the portable electronic device 12 is proportional to the rotation angle of the battery module 28 relative to the base 16, the housing 32 can be The hinge mechanism is used to limit the rotation angle of the base 16 so that the portable electronic device 12 can be stably loaded on the external input device 14. In addition to the foregoing embodiments, any rotational mechanism that can be used to limit the angle of rotation is within the scope of the present invention. For example, the rotating mechanism 34 can also be a snap mechanism.

Please refer to FIG. 6. FIG. 6 is a schematic view of a rotating mechanism 34 according to another embodiment of the present invention. The rotating mechanism 34 (the snap mechanism) may include a shaft body 341 and a bump structure 342 respectively disposed on one side surface of the housing 32. The rotating mechanism 34 (the snap mechanism) may further include a shaft hole 343 and a plurality of groove structures 344 respectively formed at an outer end 261 of the arm structure 26 of the base 16 adjacent to one side surface of the housing 32. The shaft body 341 is sleeved in the shaft hole 343 so that the battery module 28 can be rotated relative to the base 16 by the combination of the shaft body 341 and the shaft hole 343. As the battery module 28 rotates relative to the base 16 , the bump structure 342 can be snapped into the corresponding groove structure 344 according to the rotation angle, thereby limiting the rotation angle of the battery module 28 relative to the base 16 to make the battery The module 28 can be used to securely support the portable electronic device 12.

In summary, the external input device of the present invention provides the battery module in a relatively pivotable manner on the base, so that the battery module can be used not only to provide additional auxiliary power, but also to use the structure as a foot. The frame supports the portable electronic device to achieve the design of light and thin. The external input device of the present invention has two arm structures extending from the edge of the base, and the accommodation space between the arm structures can be used for accommodating the battery module. When the external input device is not used, the battery module can be pivoted relative to the base to be accommodated in the accommodating space, and the external input device can be a complete rectangular structure, which is compact and convenient. The advantages of storage. When an external input device is required, the user can pivot the battery module relative to the base to remove the accommodating space through the rotating mechanism, and the battery module can hold a fixed rotation angle with respect to the base, and the user can The portable electronic device is mounted on the pedestal to present a preset viewing angle, which not only improves the operation disadvantages of the tablet computer that cannot be adjusted by the portable electronic device, but also can be adjusted through the external input device. Choice of physical keyboard input mode and additional auxiliary power supply.

Compared with the prior art, the external input device of the present invention mounts the battery module to the base at an adjustable angle, thereby serving as a movable stand for supporting the portable electronic device. The portable electronic device of the present invention can be selectively used alone as a tablet device, or alternatively, the portable electronic device can be coupled to an external input device to form a detachable computer system in a notebook mode. Therefore, the invention has the advantages of simple structure and light weight, and can effectively reduce the structural volume size of the external input device to reduce the manufacturing cost of the product.

The above are only the embodiments of the present invention, and all changes and modifications made by the scope of the present invention should be within the scope of the present invention.

10. . . Detachable computer system

12. . . Portable electronic device

121. . . Connection terminal

14. . . External input device

16. . . Pedestal

161. . . Housing space

18. . . main body

20. . . Connector

twenty two. . . Keyboard module

twenty four. . . Circuit board

26. . . Arm structure

261. . . Outer end

28. . . Battery module

30. . . Battery unit

32. . . case

321. . . Baffle structure

32A. . . Upper protective cover

32B. . . Lower protective cover

34. . . Rotating mechanism

36. . . Flexible cable

341. . . Axle body

342. . . Bump structure

343. . . Shaft hole

344. . . Groove structure

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of the appearance of a detachable computer system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

2 is a schematic view showing the explosion of components of the external input device according to the embodiment of the present invention.

Figure 3 is a block diagram of an external input device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a schematic view showing the explosion of the components of the battery module according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram of a battery module according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Figure 6 is a schematic view of a rotating mechanism according to another embodiment of the present invention.

14. . . External input device

16. . . Pedestal

161. . . Housing space

20. . . Connector

twenty two. . . Keyboard module

261. . . Outer end

26. . . Arm structure

28. . . Battery module

32. . . case

321. . . Baffle structure

34. . . Rotating mechanism

Claims (16)

An external input device for combining with a portable electronic device, the external input device comprising: a base comprising: a main body; and a connector disposed inside the main body, the connector is used for the connector Connected to one of the connection terminals of the portable electronic device; and a battery module disposed on the base in a relatively pivotable manner, the battery module includes: a battery unit for supplying power to the a portable electronic device; a casing comprising an upper protective cover and a lower protective cover, wherein the upper protective cover and the lower protective cover respectively cover both end faces of the battery unit; and a rotating mechanism disposed on the housing Between the pedestals, the housing adjusts a rotation angle of one of the bases by using the rotating mechanism, so as to support the portable electronic device to have a predetermined viewing angle with respect to the pedestal. The external input device of claim 1, wherein the base further comprises a two-arm structure respectively disposed at two ends of one side of the main body and extending outward from the main body, the two-arm structure The space forms an accommodating space, and the accommodating space is for accommodating the battery module. The external input device of claim 2, wherein the rotating mechanism is disposed between the housing and an outer end of the arm structure such that the battery module has the outer end of the arm structure An axis pivots relative to the base. The external input device of claim 1, wherein the battery module further comprises: a flexible connecting line, wherein the two ends of the flexible connecting line are electrically connected to the battery unit and a circuit disposed in the base board. The external input device of claim 1, wherein the upper protective cover of the housing has a baffle structure, and the baffle structure covers the base when the battery module is in an initial position relative to the base The connector of the seat. The external input device of claim 5, wherein the baffle structure is further configured to stop the backplane of the portable electronic device when the battery module is located at a position different from the initial position. The external input device of claim 1, wherein the rotating mechanism is a hinge mechanism or a buckle mechanism. The external input device of claim 7, wherein the latching mechanism comprises a shaft body and a bump structure disposed on a side surface of the housing, and a shaft hole and a plurality of groove structures formed on the shaft The pedestal is adjacent to a side surface of the housing, the shaft system is sleeved into the shaft hole for relative rotation, and the battery module is buckled to the corresponding groove structure by the bump structure to limit the base relative to the base The angle of rotation. A detachable computer system comprising: a portable electronic device having a connection terminal; and an external input device as claimed in claim 1; wherein the portable electronic device The device is detachably mounted on the external input device, and the external input device has a keyboard module for inputting a signal to control the portable electronic device through the connector and the connection terminal. Functional operation. The detachable computer system of claim 9, wherein the base of the external input device further comprises a two-arm structure, respectively disposed at two ends of one side of the main body, and outward from the main body An accommodating space is formed between the two arm structures, and the accommodating space is for accommodating the battery module. The detachable computer system of claim 10, wherein the rotating mechanism of the battery module is disposed between the housing and an outer end of the arm structure such that the battery module has the arm portion The outer end of the structure is an axis that pivots relative to the base. The detachable computer system of claim 9, wherein the battery module of the external input device further comprises: a flexible connecting wire, the two ends of the flexible connecting wire are respectively electrically connected to the battery unit and disposed on the battery unit One of the boards in the base. The detachable computer system of claim 9, wherein the upper protective cover of the housing of the battery module has a baffle structure, and the baffle structure is located at an initial position of the battery module relative to the base When in position, the connector of the base is covered. The detachable computer system of claim 13, wherein the baffle structure is further configured to stop the backplane of the portable electronic device when the battery module is located at a position different from the initial position. The detachable computer system of claim 9, wherein the rotating mechanism of the battery module is a hinge mechanism or a buckle mechanism. The detachable computer system of claim 15, wherein the latching mechanism comprises a shaft body and a bump structure disposed on a side surface of the housing, and a shaft hole and a plurality of groove structures are formed on The pedestal is adjacent to a side surface of the housing, the shaft system is sleeved into the shaft hole for relative rotation, and the battery module is buckled to the corresponding groove structure by the bump structure to limit the relative base The angle of rotation of the seat.