CN107425383B

CN107425383B - External device

Info

Publication number: CN107425383B
Application number: CN201710574952.8A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 周杰彦
Original assignee: Lenovo Beijing Ltd
Current assignee: Lenovo Beijing Ltd
Priority date: 2017-07-14
Filing date: 2017-07-14
Publication date: 2020-07-24
Anticipated expiration: 2037-07-14
Also published as: CN107425383A

Abstract

An external device is used for being connected with an electronic device to expand functions of the electronic device and comprises a connecting portion connected with the electronic device, wherein the connecting portion is provided with a first interface and a second interface, the first interface and the second interface are connected to the same functional module of the external device, and the first interface and the second interface are different in type. The same functional module in the external equipment of the embodiment of the invention can be connected with the electronic equipment through different types of interfaces, so that the external equipment can be connected with the electronic equipment with different types of interfaces, the application range of the external equipment is further improved, and the elimination rate of the external equipment is also greatly reduced.

Description

External device

Technical Field

The invention relates to the field of electronic equipment, in particular to external equipment with a multi-type interface.

Background

In the prior art, external devices used for connecting with a computer system (electronic device) are various, and the types of interfaces for connecting different types of external devices with the computer system are different, and meanwhile, the external devices in the prior art only have a single type of interface, for example, a sound (earphone) device is usually connected with a computer (mobile phone) through a TRS interface, a projector is connected with the computer through an HDMI interface, and the like; however, currently, during the period of switching from USB to Type-c interface, for example, when the electronic device only has a USB interface, the user can only purchase an external device (accessory) with a corresponding USB interface, and after the electronic device is updated, the Type-c interface replaces the USB interface, and the external device (accessory) with only the USB interface Type cannot be used, which causes waste of resources and increases the use cost of the user.

Disclosure of Invention

In view of the above-mentioned problems occurring in the prior art, embodiments of the present invention provide an external device having a plurality of interface types.

In order to solve the above problems, the embodiment of the present invention provides the following technical solutions:

an external device for connecting with an electronic device to expand functions of the electronic device, the external device including a connection part to which the electronic device is connected,

the connecting part is provided with a first interface and a second interface, the first interface and the second interface are connected to the same functional module of the external equipment, and the types of the first interface and the second interface are different.

Preferably, a first sliding hole and a second sliding hole are arranged on one end face of the connecting portion, and the first interface and the second interface are respectively connected with the electronic device through the first sliding hole and the second sliding hole in a sliding mode.

Preferably, the end surface is a flat surface.

Preferably, the external device further includes a rocker hinged in the connection portion, the first interface and the second interface are respectively disposed at two ends of the rocker, when the external device is connected to the electronic device, the first interface or the second interface is pushed to be retracted into the first sliding hole or the second sliding hole, and the second interface or the first interface extends out of the second sliding hole or the first sliding hole and is plugged into a port of the electronic device.

Preferably, a first sliding groove and a second sliding groove are respectively formed in two ends of the rocker along the length direction of the rocker, the first interface is in sliding connection with the first sliding groove, and the second interface is in sliding connection with the second sliding groove.

Preferably, the connecting portion is provided with a limiting mechanism for limiting a rotation range of the rocker.

Preferably, the maximum protruding length of the first header is the same as the maximum protruding length of the second header, and the hinge of the rocker is located at the middle of the rocker.

Preferably, the connecting portion further comprises a return spring acting on the seesaw to prevent the seesaw from shaking.

Preferably, the external device is at least one of a charger, a sound box, a projector, a usb flash disk, or a mobile power supply.

Preferably, the first interface is a Type-c interface, and the second interface is a USB interface.

Compared with the prior art, the embodiment of the invention has the beneficial effects that:

the same functional module in the external equipment of the embodiment of the invention can be connected with the electronic equipment through different types of interfaces, so that the external equipment can be connected with the electronic equipment with different types of interfaces, the application range of the external equipment is further improved, and the elimination rate of the external equipment is also greatly reduced.

Drawings

FIG. 1 is a schematic partial cross-sectional view of an external device according to an embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 2 is a schematic structural diagram of an external device and an electronic device when they are not connected according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Reference numerals:

1-an external device; 11-a connecting portion; 12-external device body; 13-a first interface; 14-a second interface; 15-a seesaw; 151-first runner; 152-a second chute; 16-a limiting column; 17-positioning plate; 18-a return spring; 2-an electronic device; 21-port.

Detailed Description

In order to make the technical solutions of the present invention better understood, the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments.

As shown in fig. 1 and fig. 2, an external device 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention is used for connecting with an electronic device 2 to expand the functions of the electronic device 2, where the external device 1 includes a connection portion 11 connected with the electronic device 2; the connection portion 11 has a first interface 13 and a second interface 14, the first interface 13 and the second interface 14 are connected to the same functional module of the external device 1, and the types of the first interface 13 and the second interface 14 are different. The electronic device 2 may be a notebook computer, a smart phone, a tablet computer, or the like; the external device 1 may be a sound box, a charger, a mobile power supply, a projector, a usb disk, a mobile hard disk, or the like.

Specifically, as shown in fig. 1 and fig. 2, in the embodiment provided by the present invention, a first sliding hole and a second sliding hole are arranged on one end surface of the connecting portion 11, and the first interface 13 and the second interface 14 slide out from the first sliding hole and the second sliding hole respectively to be connected to the electronic device 2; furthermore, the end face of the connecting portion 11 is a plane, the external device 1 further includes a rocker 15 hinged in the connecting portion 11, the first interface 13 and the second interface 14 are respectively disposed at two ends of the rocker 15, when the external device 1 is connected with the electronic device 2, the first interface 13 or the second interface 14 is pushed to be retracted into the first slide hole or the second slide hole, the second interface 14 or the first interface 13 extends out of the second slide hole or the first slide hole and is inserted into the port 21 of the electronic device 2, and almost all end faces of the electronic device 2 on which the port 21 is disposed are planes; when the external device 1 is plugged with the electronic device 2, the interface which is not plugged with the port 21 is pushed into the sliding hole by the electronic device; for example, when the first interface 13 is required to be connected with the electronic device 2, the first interface 13 is opposite to the port 21, and the second interface 14 is pushed by the housing of the electronic device 2, so that the second interface 14 is retracted into the connecting portion 11 from the second sliding hole, and since the first interface 13 is connected with the second interface 14 through the rocker 15, the first interface 13 extends out of the connecting portion 11 from the first sliding hole and is plugged into the port 21 of the electronic device 2.

Furthermore, in the rotating process of the rocker 15, the distances between the first interface 13 and the second interface 14, which are respectively arranged at the two ends of the rocker 15, and the center of the first slide hole and the center of the second slide hole change, if the first interface 13 and the second interface 14 are fixed on the rocker 15, the first interface 13 and the second interface 14 respectively abut against the hole walls of the first slide hole and the second slide hole, so that the normal rotation of the rocker 15 and the switching of the interfaces are hindered; in order to improve the use reliability of the rocker arm, the first interface 13 and the second interface 14 respectively slide along the first sliding hole and the second sliding hole smoothly, a first sliding groove 151 and a second sliding groove 152 are respectively arranged at two ends of the rocker arm 15 along the length direction of the rocker arm, the first interface 13 is connected with the first sliding groove 151 in a sliding manner, and the second interface 14 is connected with the second sliding groove 152 in a sliding manner; therefore, the first connector 13 and the second connector 14 can slide along the first sliding groove 151 and the second sliding groove 152 under the pushing action of the hole walls of the first sliding hole and the second sliding hole in the rotating process of the rocker 15, so as to prevent the rocker 15 from tightly abutting against the hole walls.

In addition, in order to prevent the stability of the connection between the rocker 15 and the first interface 13 and the second interface 14 from being affected by the overlarge rotation range of the rocker 15, in the embodiment provided by the invention, a limiting mechanism for limiting the rotation range of the rocker 15 is arranged on the connecting part 11; specifically, as shown in fig. 1 and fig. 2, in the present embodiment, the limiting mechanism includes four limiting posts 16 disposed in the housing of the connecting portion 11; as shown in fig. 1, at this time, the rocker 15 cannot continue to rotate in the counterclockwise direction under the resisting action of the limiting column 16, and as shown in fig. 2, at this time, the rocker 15 cannot continue to rotate in the clockwise direction under the resisting action of the limiting column 16, so that the rotation range of the rocker 15 is limited; in this embodiment, four limiting posts 16 are used to ensure that the limiting mechanism has good reliability, but in other embodiments, only two limiting posts 16 may be used, or the shape of the limiting posts 16 may be reasonably adjusted to improve the stress performance, and the limiting posts 16 may be manufactured by an integral molding process with the housing of the connecting portion 11 (external device 1), or may be manufactured separately and then the limiting posts 16 are fixed on the housing; the present invention is not specifically limited herein; furthermore, in order to prevent the rocker 15 from being shaken freely, the connecting portion 11 further comprises a return spring 18, and the return spring 18 acts on the rocker 15; as shown in fig. 1 and fig. 2, in the embodiment of the present invention, one end of the return spring 18 is connected to one end of the rocker 15, and the other end of the return spring is connected to the positioning plate 17 in the connecting portion 11, because the user often uses the first interface 13, in order to improve the user experience, the return spring 18 is disposed near the first interface 13, so that the first interface 13 extends out of the connecting portion 11.

Further, in the embodiment provided by the present invention, the maximum protruding length of the first interface 13 is the same as the maximum protruding length of the second interface 14, and the hinge joint of the rocker 15 is located at the middle part; in addition, considering that the connection lengths (extension lengths) required by different types of interfaces are different, the position of the hinged part of the rocker 15 can be adjusted correspondingly according to different conditions; for example, when the connection length of the first interface 13 is longer than the connection length of the second interface 14, the hinge of the rocker 15 may be disposed near the second interface 14.

Specifically, when the electronic device 2 is a notebook computer and the external device 1 is a mobile hard disk, the functional module connected to the first interface 13 and the second interface 14 is a storage module, and in a normal case, the mobile hard disk is connected to the USB port 21 of the notebook computer and is currently in a stage of converting USB to Type-c, so in the embodiment of the present invention, the first interface 13 is a USB interface and the second interface 14 is a Type-c interface; the connection portion 11 may be provided integrally with the external device body 12, or may be connected by a wire.

In addition, when the electronic device 2 is a smart phone and the external device 1 is a mobile power supply, the functional module connected to the first interface 13 and the second interface 14 is a discharging module, and the charging interfaces of the mobile phones in the existing mobile phone market are roughly divided into a micro interface and a lightning interface, so in the embodiment of the present invention, the first interface 13 is a micro interface and the second interface 14 is a lightning interface.

The above embodiments are only exemplary embodiments of the present invention, and are not intended to limit the present invention, and the scope of the present invention is defined by the claims. Various modifications and equivalents may be made by those skilled in the art within the spirit and scope of the present invention, and such modifications and equivalents should also be considered as falling within the scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. An external device for connecting with an electronic device to expand functions of the electronic device, the external device including a connection part to which the electronic device is connected,

the connecting part is provided with a first interface and a second interface, the first interface and the second interface are connected to the same functional module of the external equipment, and the types of the first interface and the second interface are different;

the external equipment further comprises a warping plate hinged in the connecting part, and the first interface and the second interface are respectively arranged at two ends of the warping plate;

the connecting portion are provided with limiting mechanisms used for limiting the rotating range of the wane, and the limiting mechanisms comprise a plurality of limiting columns arranged in a shell of the connecting portion.

2. The external device according to claim 1, wherein a first sliding hole and a second sliding hole are provided on one end surface of the connecting portion, and the first interface and the second interface are slid out from the first sliding hole and the second sliding hole respectively to be connected with the electronic device.

3. The external device of claim 2, wherein the end surface is a flat surface.

4. The external device according to claim 3, wherein when the external device is connected to the electronic device, the first interface or the second interface is pushed to be retracted into the first sliding hole or the second sliding hole, and the second interface or the first interface extends out of the second sliding hole or the first sliding hole and is plugged into a port of the electronic device.

5. The external device according to claim 4, wherein a first sliding slot and a second sliding slot are respectively disposed at two ends of the rocker along a length direction thereof, the first interface is slidably connected to the first sliding slot, and the second interface is slidably connected to the second sliding slot.

6. The external device of claim 1, wherein a maximum extension of the first interface is the same as a maximum extension of the second interface, and wherein the hinge of the rocker is located at a middle portion thereof.

7. The external device of claim 4, wherein said connection portion further comprises a return spring acting on said paddle to prevent it from rocking.

8. The external device according to claim 1, wherein the external device is at least one of a charger, a stereo, a projector, a U-disk, or a mobile power supply.

9. The external device according to claim 1, wherein the first interface is a Type-c interface, and the second interface is a USB interface.