TWI442217B - Docking station - Google Patents

Description

Expansion base

The present invention relates to a docking station for use in a portable electronic device, and more particularly to a docking station for withdrawing a portable electronic device by means of a tie rod.

The performance of the notebook computer is getting better and better, but the size is still moving in the direction of light, thin, short and small to facilitate carrying. However, it is necessary to abandon some connection settings to save space. On the other hand, due to the improvement in the performance of the notebook computer and the budget considerations, many users will abandon the purchase of the desktop computer, and only have a notebook computer, the user can carry the notebook computer to and from home, Between school or company, but when you are at home, users usually need to connect peripherals such as screens, business machines, hard drives, burners, speakers, microphones, keyboards, mice and network routes, and more likely, schools. Or the company has another batch of peripheral equipment that needs to be continuously plugged and unplugged. This is not only time-consuming and labor-intensive, but also the action of plugging and unplugging accelerates the damage of the notebook or peripheral equipment. Therefore, the docking station came into being. In addition to the connection of the notebook, the peripherals can be connected to the docking station. All the peripherals can be used as long as the notebook is connected to the docking station, eliminating the cumbersome process of plugging and unplugging. .

In the existing product, a connector is arranged on the top of the docking station, and a corresponding connecting slot is arranged on the bottom of the notebook computer, and the user can place the notebook computer on the docking station to electrically connect the notebook computer and the docking station. When the notebook and the docking station are to be separated, the user simply pulls the lever next to the docking station to pull the notebook to push up the notebook to make the notebook dock. Separation. However, when the user puts the lever, the lever is subjected to the lever. The restoring force of the internal spring is quickly pulled back to the docking station, which not only causes the noise generated by the drawbar and the docking station, but may also be caught on the user's finger if the user does not pay attention, causing injury.

Therefore, it is necessary to provide an expansion base to improve the problems of the prior art.

The main object of the present invention is to provide an expansion base that can reduce noise generation and is safer.

In view of the above object of the present invention, the docking station of the present invention is used in a portable electronic device, the docking station includes a base, and the sliding member is movably disposed on the base; the first buffering member is disposed on the base. The second buffer member is disposed on the sliding member, and the second buffer member is detachably connected to the first buffering member. When the first buffering member is coupled to the second buffering member and relatively moved, the first buffering member is The second buffering member generates a resistance; the pulling member is rotatably disposed on the base, and the pulling member is coupled to the sliding member, the pulling member has a first rotating direction and a second rotating direction, when the pulling member faces the first rotating direction When moving, the slider moves in the first direction, and the first cushioning member is separated from the second cushioning member. When the pulling member moves in the second rotating direction, the sliding member moves in the second direction and the first cushioning member is The second cushioning member is coupled and relatively movable; and the upper cover is coupled to the base.

In an embodiment of the invention, the first cushioning member includes an idler pulley having a damping effect; wherein the second cushioning member includes a tooth portion detachably coupled to the idler pulley.

In an embodiment of the invention, the second buffer member includes at least one guide a hole, wherein at least one guiding member is located in the at least one guiding hole and is movable in the at least one guiding hole, the at least one guiding hole is wider on one side and narrower on the other side; and the first elastic member is connected a base, wherein when the at least one guiding member is located at a narrow portion of the at least one guiding hole, the first elastic member is compressed to generate a restoring force; thereby, when the pulling member is rotated in the first rotating direction, at least one The guiding member moves from a narrower portion of the at least one guiding hole to a wider portion, and the restoring force separates the second cushioning member from the first cushioning member; when the pulling member rotates in the second rotating direction, at least one guide The piece moves from a wider portion of the at least one guiding hole to a narrower portion, the second cushioning member is brought into contact with the first cushioning member and the first elastic member is compressed.

The above and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become more <RTIgt;

As shown in FIG. 1 , the docking station 1 of the present invention is used for the portable electronic device 2 . The upper cover 16 of the docking station 1 is provided with an electrical connector 161 , and the bottom of the portable electronic device 2 is provided with a corresponding connection. A slot (not shown) is provided at the bottom of the portable electronic device 2, and the connecting slot 21 is connected to the electrical connector 161 of the docking station 1. The docking station 1 can be operated with the portable electronic device 2. . The upper cover 16 of the docking station 1 is also provided with a plurality of positioning protrusions 31 and an ejection member 17. One of the positioning protrusions 31 is provided with a movable hook 32. The bottom of the portable electronic device 2 is provided with a corresponding positioning slot 22 and The card slot (not shown), whereby the positioning device 31 can be correctly inserted into the positioning slot of the portable electronic device 2 when the portable electronic device 2 and the docking station 1 are to be connected, and the movable hook 32 can be The card slot is fixed, whereby the portable electronic device 2 can be connected to the docking station 1 correctly and firmly. The ejection member 17 is used to separate the portable electronic device 2 from the docking station 1. It should be noted that The type, position or number of the electrical connector 161, the plurality of positioning bumps 31 and the movable hook 32 are not limited to those shown in FIG. 1, and may be changed according to actual needs.

The other side of the docking station 1 can be provided with various ports (not shown), such as USB port, PS/2 port, VGA port, RJ-45 port, S-Video port, PCMCIA port, IEEE1394 port, RS-232.埠, HDMI 埠, DVI 埠, parallel port, serial port or memory card slot, etc., to connect various peripheral devices, but the invention is not limited thereto.

In one embodiment of the present invention, the portable electronic device 2 is a notebook computer, but the invention is not limited thereto; for example, the portable electronic device 2 can also be a personal digital assistant ( Personal digital assistant), tablet PC (smart PC) or smart phone (smart phone).

As shown in FIG. 2A, the docking station 1 includes a base 11, a slider 12, a first cushioning member 13, a second cushioning member 14, a pulling member 15, and an upper cover 16. The sliding member 12 is movably disposed on the base 11 . In an embodiment of the present invention, the sliding member 12 includes a plurality of openings 121 , and the openings 121 can be sleeved on the positioning members 112 on the base 11 . Thereby, the slider 12 can be horizontally moved to a limited extent on the base 11, but the invention is not limited thereto. In an embodiment of the invention, the pulling member 15 is a tie rod, but the invention is not limited thereto.

As shown in FIG. 2B, the first buffering member 13 is disposed on the base 11. In an embodiment of the present invention, the first cushioning member 13 includes an idler 131, and the idler 131 has a damping effect. When the idler 131 is stressed When rotating, a resistance opposite to the moving method is gradually generated, and the moving speed is lowered. However, the first cushioning member 13 of the present invention is not limited to the idler 131, and any part having a damping effect can be the first buffer of the present invention. Piece 13, and the pattern of the idler 131 is also not applied as shown in Figure 2B. Limited.

As shown in FIG. 2A, the pulling member 15 is rotatably pivotally coupled to the base 11. The pulling member 15 is respectively rotatable in a first rotational direction and a second rotational direction. In an embodiment of the present invention, the first rotation The direction is clockwise and the second direction of rotation is counterclockwise. The pulling member 15 is connected to the sliding member 12 by a connecting rod 42 which is pivotally connected to the pulling member 15 and the sliding member 12, respectively.

In one embodiment of the present invention, one end of the slider 12 is coupled to the base 11 by a second elastic member 41, and when the pulling member 15 is moved in the first rotational direction (for example, when the user rotates the pulling member 15), the sliding member The movement of the 12 series in the first direction (ie, the right side) causes the second elastic member 41 to be stretched to generate a restoring force, and when the pulling member 15 is not affected by the external force, the restoring force can move the slider 12 in the second direction (ie, Left) and the pulling member 15 is moved in the second rotational direction. In an embodiment of the invention, the second elastic member 41 is a spring, but the invention is not limited thereto.

As shown in FIG. 2B, in one embodiment of the present invention, the sliding member 12 includes an accommodating space 122, and the second buffering member 14 is disposed in the accommodating space 122. mobile. The second buffering member 14 includes a tooth portion 141, two guiding holes 142, a first elastic member 143, and a support rod 144. The support rod 144 is detachably attached to a portion of the upper wall 123 of the slider 12 . The first elastic member 143 is sleeved on the support rod 144 , and the length of the first elastic member 143 is greater than the support rod 144 . In an embodiment of the invention, the first elastic member 143 is a spring, but the invention is not limited thereto.

Each of the guiding holes 142 includes a narrow portion 1422, a slope 1421 and a wider portion 1423. The guiding members 111 of the base 11 are located in the guiding holes 142. In an embodiment of the invention, the space of the narrower portion 1422 is slightly larger than the guiding member 111. When the second cushioning member 14 moves horizontally left and right, the guiding member 111 changes position between the narrower portion 1422 and the wider portion 1423.

The position of the second cushioning member 14 corresponds to the position of the first cushioning member 13, and the tooth portion 141 is detachably engageable with the idler pulley 131, as will be further described later.

It should be noted that the number of the guiding member 111 and the guiding hole 142 is not limited to two. In another embodiment of the present invention, when the number of the guiding member 111 and the guiding hole 142 is one, The same effect can be achieved.

Referring to FIG. 2B and FIG. 3 together, when the pulling member 15 is in the original position, each guiding member 111 is located at a narrow portion 1422 of each guiding hole 142, and the supporting rod 144 is opposite to the upper wall 123, first The elastic member 143 is compressed to generate a restoring force, and each of the positioning members 112 is located at the rightmost side of each of the openings 121. At this time, the idler gear 131 of the first cushioning member 13 and the tooth portion 141 of the second cushioning member 14 are in contact with each other.

Referring to FIG. 2A, FIG. 2B and FIG. 3 together, when the pulling member 15 moves in the first rotational direction 51 (for example, the user applies a force), the pulling member 15 drives the connecting rod 42 to move and the sliding member 12 faces in the first direction. 53 (ie, the right side) moves, and the second buffering member 14 also moves toward the first direction 53 to relatively change the guiding member 111 from the narrower portion 1422 along the slope 1421 to the wider portion 1423, and by the first elastic member The restoring force of 143 causes the second cushioning member 14 to be pushed downward toward the bottom of the accommodating space 122 and the support rod 144 is separated from the upper wall 123 (because it is hidden by the first elastic member 143), at this time, the tooth The portion 141 is separated from the idler gear 131. Since the tooth portion 141 is not in contact with the idler gear 131, the pulling member 15 can smoothly move to the bottom when moving in the first rotational direction 51. When the pulling member 15 moves to the bottom clockwise, the geometry of the sliding slot 125 of the sliding member 12 is changed to cause the movable hook 32 to retreat to exit the portable battery. The card slot of the sub-device 2 (when the portable electronic device 2 and the docking station 1 have been connected first), the flange 124 of the slider 12 pushes the ejection member 17 to the surface of the upper cover 16, thereby enabling the portable electronic device The device 2 is detached from the docking station 1. Since the manner in which the portable electronic device 2 and the docking station 1 are detached has been widely used in the related art, and is not the focus of improvement of the present invention, detailed operation modes thereof will not be described herein.

Referring to FIG. 2B and FIG. 4 together, when the pulling member 15 moves in the second rotational direction 52 (for example, the user releases the pulling member 15), the pulling member 15 drives the connecting rod 42 to move and the sliding member 12 faces the second. The direction 54 (ie, the left side) moves, and the second buffer member 14 also moves toward the second direction 54 to relatively change the guide member 111 from the wider portion 1423 along the slope 1421 to the narrower portion 1422, so that the second portion The buffer member 14 is moved to the top of the accommodating space 122, and the support rod 144 is further connected to the upper wall 123 (because it is hidden by the first elastic member 143), the first elastic member 143 is thus recompressed to generate The restoring force, at this time, the tooth portion 141 is in contact with the idler gear 131. Since the idler gear 131 has a damping effect, when the pulling member 15 moves in the second rotational direction 52, the moving speed is gradually relaxed, thereby solving the previous In the technology, the pulling speed of the pulling member 15 is too fast, and the noise generated by the docking station 1 is damaged and the user may be pinched.

To sum up, the present invention, regardless of its purpose, means and efficacy, shows its distinctive features of the prior art. You are requested to review the examination and express the patent as soon as possible. It should be noted that the various embodiments described above are merely illustrative for ease of explanation, and the scope of the invention is intended to be limited by the scope of the claims.

1‧‧‧Docking base

11‧‧‧Base

111‧‧‧Guide

112‧‧‧ Positioning parts

12‧‧‧Sliding parts

121‧‧‧Opening

122‧‧‧ accommodating space

123‧‧‧Upper wall

124‧‧‧Flange

125‧‧‧ chute

13‧‧‧First buffer

131‧‧‧ Idler

14‧‧‧Second buffer

141‧‧‧ teeth

142‧‧‧ Guide hole

1422‧‧‧ narrower

1421‧‧‧ slope

1423‧‧‧wider

143‧‧‧First elastic parts

144‧‧‧Support rod

15‧‧‧ Pulling parts

16‧‧‧Upper cover

161‧‧‧Electrical connectors

17‧‧‧Top pieces

31‧‧‧Positioning bumps

32‧‧‧ activity hook

41‧‧‧Second elastic parts

42‧‧‧ Connecting rod

51‧‧‧First direction of rotation

52‧‧‧second direction of rotation

53‧‧‧First direction

54‧‧‧second direction

2‧‧‧Portable electronic devices

21‧‧‧Connecting slot

22‧‧‧ positioning slot

1 is a schematic diagram of an embodiment of a docking station connected to a portable electronic device in accordance with the present invention.

2A is a schematic illustration of one embodiment of a base of a docking station of the present invention.

2B is a schematic view of an embodiment of a first cushioning member and a second cushioning member of the docking station of the present invention.

Figure 3 is a schematic illustration of the operation of one embodiment of the docking station of the present invention.

Figure 4 is a schematic illustration of the operation of one embodiment of the docking station of the present invention.

13‧‧‧First buffer

131‧‧‧ Idler

14‧‧‧Second buffer

141‧‧‧ teeth

142‧‧‧ Guide hole

1422‧‧‧ narrower

1421‧‧‧ slope

1423‧‧‧wider

143‧‧‧First elastic parts

144‧‧‧Support rod

Claims (10)

An expansion base for a portable electronic device, the expansion base comprising: a base; a sliding member movably disposed on the base; a first buffer member disposed on the base a second buffer member is disposed on the sliding member, the second buffer member is detachably coupled to the first buffer member, when the first buffer member is coupled to the second buffer member and relatively moves The first cushioning member and the second cushioning member generate a resistance; a pulling member is rotatably disposed on the base, the pulling member is coupled to the sliding member, and the pulling member has a first rotation a direction and a second rotation direction, when the pulling member moves toward the first rotation direction, the sliding member moves toward a first direction, and the first buffer member is separated from the second buffer member, when the pulling member When moving in the second rotational direction, the sliding member moves in a second direction and the first cushioning member is coupled to the second cushioning member and relatively moved; and an upper cover is coupled to the base. The docking station of claim 1, wherein the first cushioning member comprises an idler pulley, the idler gear has a damping effect; wherein the second cushioning member comprises a tooth portion which is separable from the idler pulley The meshing connection. The docking station of claim 1 or 2, wherein the base comprises at least one guiding member; wherein the second cushioning member comprises: at least one guiding hole, wherein the at least one guiding member is located at the And at least one guiding hole is movable in the at least one guiding hole, the at least one guiding hole is wider on one side and narrower on the other side; and a first elastic member is connected to the base, wherein the at least one a guide is located When the at least one guiding hole is narrow, the first elastic member is compressed to generate a restoring force; thereby, when the pulling member is rotated in the first rotating direction, the at least one guiding member is The narrow portion of the at least one guiding hole is changed to a wider position, and the restoring force separates the second buffering member from the first cushioning member; when the pulling member rotates in the second rotating direction, the at least one The guiding member is changed from a wider portion of the at least one guiding hole to a narrower portion, so that the second cushioning member is in contact with the first cushioning member and the first elastic member is compressed. The docking station of claim 3, wherein the at least one guiding hole comprises a slope along which the at least one guiding member is wider and narrower than the at least one guiding hole Moving inwardly, when the at least one guiding member is changed from a narrow portion of the at least one guiding hole to a wider portion, and the restoring force separates the second buffering member from the first buffering member, and the first The second buffer member moves downward; when the at least one guiding member changes from a wider portion of the at least one guiding hole to a narrower portion, the second buffering member moves upward to cause the second buffering member to The first buffer members are connected. The docking station of claim 3, wherein the second cushioning member further comprises a supporting rod detachably against a portion of the upper wall of the sliding member, the first elastic member is sleeved on The support rod, and the length of the first elastic member is greater than the support rod. The docking station of claim 3, wherein the pulling member comprises a pull rod. The docking station of claim 3, wherein the first elastic member comprises a spring. The docking station of claim 1, wherein one end of the sliding member is coupled to the base by a second elastic member, and when the pulling member moves toward the first rotational direction, the sliding member is directed toward The first direction moves to the second elastic member Stretching produces a restoring force whereby the restoring force moves the slider in the second direction and moves the pulling member in the second rotational direction. The docking station of claim 1, wherein the upper cover comprises an electrical connector detachably electrically connected to the portable electronic device. The docking station of claim 1 or 9, further comprising a top ejection member for separating the portable electronic device from the docking station.