JPH03273323A - Extension device for small-sized electronic apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To obtain an extension device of wide application range to which plural kinds of small-sized electronic apparatus different in depth dimensions can be attached by adjusting the position of a detaining part provided on the holding plate of the extension device to engage the front edge part of a small- sized electronic apparatus with it. CONSTITUTION:A connector unit 71 is pulled out to the front from a case 12 in which a circuit board for function extension is stored, and the rear part of a small-sized electronic apparatus 1 is placed on a supporting base part 21 of the case 12, and the front edge of the apparatus 1 is engaged with a detaining part 35 of a supporting plate 31. Then, the apparatus 1 has the rear part supported by the supporting base part 21, and its forward movement is controlled. The detaining part 35 can be moved forward and backward, and its extent of movement is adjusted to install the apparatus different in depth dimensions. The connector unit 71 is connected to the connector of the apparatus 1. Thus, the small-sized electronic apparatus different in depth dimensions is easily attached to the extension device to extend the application range.

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] [Object of the Invention] (Industrial Application Field) The present invention is intended for use in applications where small electronic devices such as portable laptop personal computers and word processors are connected, and the functions of the small electronic devices are controlled. Regarding expansion equipment.

(Prior Art) The functions of a small electronic device are predetermined, and when a function other than these functions is required, a function expansion device configured to a specification capable of performing such a function is used. The small electronic device described above is attached to this device, and signals are exchanged between the two.

As such an extension device, for example, US Pat. No. 476
The one disclosed in No. 9764 is known. This expansion device includes a main body having four parts that are the same size as the small electronic device, and the entire small electronic device is housed in this recess so that it can be taken in and out from the front side of the recess. By this storage, the connectors of the expansion device and the small electronic device are inserted and connected to each other. As a result, the small electronic device is used while being attached to the expansion device.

(Problem to be solved by the invention@) However, since the above-mentioned known expansion device has a concave portion that is the same size as the small electronic device, it can be used by attaching other small electronic devices with different front and rear depth dimensions. The problem is that the scope of application is narrow.

The present invention was conceived based on the above points, and its purpose is to:
It is an object of the present invention to provide an expansion device for small electronic devices that can be used by attaching a plurality of various small electronic devices having different sizes.

[Structure of the invention]

(Means for Solving the Problems) In order to achieve the above object, the expansion device of the present invention includes a case in which a circuit board for function expansion is housed, and a case in which the electronic device is installed in the case. a support section to be placed; and a device side that is provided on the case, is electrically connected to the circuit board, and is removably connected to a connector of a small electronic device placed on the support section. a connector, and a holding means for holding a small electronic device placed on the support stand in a state in which the connector is connected to the apparatus side connector, the holding means is configured to hold the small electronic device placed on the support stand. a locking portion that engages with the front edge of the mounted small electronic device to restrict movement of the small electronic device in a direction in which the connector of the small electronic device is removed from the device-side connector; The stop portion is connected to the case so as to be movable along the direction.

Further, according to the present invention, in order to facilitate the work of attaching and detaching the small electronic device and to reduce the impact at that time, the case is provided with an exposed rear portion of the small electronic device positioned and supported by the case. A connector holder is installed at a position facing the connector, and a slider that can reciprocate in the direction of contacting and separating from the connector is installed on this holder, and an operating section for moving this slider is provided, and the slider is installed with the device. It is desirable that a side connector is attached.

Further, according to the present invention, in order to prevent damage to the connector section when a small electronic device attached to the expansion device is carelessly lifted, the connector unit having the device side connector can be attached to and detached from the case. Possibly installed.

(Function) To attach a small electronic device to the expansion device of the present invention, first, the holding means is pulled out an appropriate amount forward from the case, and then the small electronic device is attached from above the case. This attachment is carried out by placing the rear part of the small electronic device on the support portion of the casing and engaging the front edge of the small electronic device with the locking portion of the holding means. Then, small electronic devices
The rear part is supported by the support base part, and the holding means restricts forward movement, that is, movement in the direction in which the connector is removed, and the attachment is held in a predetermined position with respect to the case.

The above-mentioned locking part is movable in the front-rear direction with respect to the case, so by adjusting the amount of movement, the position of the locking part can be adjusted for various types with different depth dimensions when installed with the rear part placed on the support base. can be adapted to the front edge of small electronic equipment. Therefore, various small electronic devices can be attached to the expansion device.

In this way, the device side connector is inserted into the connector of the small electronic device attached to the case and connected. This makes it possible to send and receive signals between this expansion device and the small electronic device.

Further, in the expansion device according to the fifth aspect of the present invention, the small electronic device is positioned and attached to the case, so that the connector of the small electronic device and the connector of the expansion device are opposed to each other.

The two connectors are connected by inserting and connecting the two connectors by moving the slider to which the device-side connector is attached via the operating section toward the small electronic device using the connector holder as a guide. To separate the two connected connectors, simply move the operating section in the opposite direction to the direction in which it was connected. By doing so, as the slider moves away from the small electronic device, the device side The connector is pulled out from the electronic device side connector. In the above-described work of attaching and detaching connectors to each other, there is no need to move the small electronic device, so operability is good and the impact caused by attaching and detaching connectors can be reduced.

By the way, since the small electronic device attached to the expansion device can be moved upward to be removed from the device, there may be cases where the small electronic device is lifted with both connectors still connected.

According to the expansion device of claim 6, the connector unit is removably attached to the case. Therefore, in the above case, a pulling force is applied to the connector unit when the electronic device is removed, but when that force exceeds a certain value, the connector unit is removed from the case. Ru.

This can prevent overload from being applied to both connectors in the connected state.

(Example) Hereinafter, an example of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 shows an expansion device according to an embodiment of the present invention and a personal computer 1 as a small electronic device to which this device is applied. The computer 1 has a rectangular planar shape, is approximately A4 size, and is generally referred to as a notebook or book type personal computer. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 22, this computer 1 is equipped with a detachable battery pack 2 at the rear of a main body 8.
A hula soto/kunel display device 3 is provided at the front side of the vehicle. The display device 3 includes a pair of pivot protrusions 4 rotatably connected to a pivot 5 of the main body 8.
It has a pivot point 5 that can be raised and lowered.

The computer 1 includes a keyboard 7 provided at the front of the main body 8, which is hidden when the display device 3 is closed. A connector 6 is provided on the rear outer surface of the main body 8, for example, on the rear surface. This connector 6 is a plug-in type having a large number of terminals 6a arranged in parallel. The connector 6 is normally covered by a detachable cup (not shown) on the rear surface of the main body 8, and is exposed on the rear surface of the main body when necessary by removing this cup.

As shown in FIG. 1, the computer 1 has a width dimension A and a depth dimension B of R-. and,
A plurality of types of small electronic devices having the same width dimension A and different depth dimensions B are connected to the expansion device 11. In this case, the connectors 6 of these electronic devices have the same configuration, and are mounted in the same position.

Next, the expansion device 11 to which the personal computer 1 is removably attached as necessary will be explained.

As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the expansion device 11 includes a case 12 made of synthetic resin, and this case is formed from a substantially rectangular base 13, a cover 14, and a rear plate 15. . The cover 14 is provided to cover the upper surface of the base 13, and the rear plate 15 is attached so as to close a rear opening (not shown) formed by the base and the cover 14.

Inside the case 12, a plurality of modular circuit boards 16 for functional expansion are housed horizontally. Examples of the circuit board 16 include a circuit board for personal computer communication, a circuit board for memory, and a circuit board mounted with a hard disk drive. In addition to the circuit board 16, the case 12 houses an AC adapter, an exhaust fan, etc. (not shown).

As shown in FIG. 4, electrical components such as a circuit board 16 and an AC adapter are covered with a shield cover 17 formed by combining a large number of iron plates. A rectangular mounting hole 1 is provided on the upper surface of the front part of this shield cover 17.
8 is formed.

In this mounting, the hole 18 is used for mounting a connector unit, which will be described later. In addition, Fig. 2 and '! In Figure M3, reference numeral 19 indicates a power cord having a power supply plug at the tip that is plugged into the power socket 9 (see Figure 1) of the computer 1, and this cord is connected to the case 12.
It is drawn out from one side of the.

The front part of the case 12 is formed as a support base part 21 on which the rear part of the computer 1 is placed. That is, the cover 14 is formed in a step shape, with the front side being lower and the rear side being higher with the step portion 14a as a boundary. The support base portion 21 is constituted by a mud wall 21a on the front side of the cover 14 and a step portion 4a. The upper portion 921a is formed to be inclined downward.

Positioning members 20 each having a truncated pyramid-shaped convex portion 22 are provided on the upper surface of both sides of the upper wall 21a. The distance C between the bases of the pair of protrusions 22 (see FIG. 1) is set to be approximately equal to the body size of the computer 1. Each positioning member 20 restricts movement of the rear part of the computer 1 placed on the support base 21 in the width direction, and is used for positioning the computer 1 in the width direction with respect to the expansion device. Further, the stepped portion 4a comes into contact with the rear surface of the computer 1 placed on the support base portion 21, and restricts the computer from moving backward. In this way, the positioning member 20 and the step portion 14a
constitutes positioning means for positioning the rear part of the computer 1 with respect to the expansion device.

Although each positioning member 20 may be molded integrally with the cover 14, in the case of this embodiment, a separately molded positioning member is attached to the cover 14. Each positioning member 2
0 is made of synthetic resin, which is softer than the material from which the cover 14 is made, in order to reduce damage and impact during installation. The structure for attaching these positioning members 20 to the earthen wall 21a is shown in FIG.

That is, each positioning member 20 is integrally provided with a support plate 23 on which the computer 1 is placed at the base of the positioning side surface 22a of the convex portion 22.

A claw 24 is integrally provided at the lower end of the plate 23 and the convex portion 22, respectively. These claws 24 are connected to the mud wall 2 of the cover 14.
are respectively inserted into slit-shaped holes 25 drilled in 1a,
It is hooked on the edges of these holes. As a result, each positioning member 22 is attached to the upper surface of the upper wall 21a that constitutes the support base portion 21. Reference numeral 26 in FIG. 5 indicates a recess for allowing a projection (not shown) provided on the rear lower surface of the computer 1 to escape. Note that the positioning member 20 is
By attaching it to the upper wall 21a so that the interval C between the two can be adjusted, it becomes possible to adapt it to small electronic devices having different width dimensions A.

As shown in Figures 1 to 3, Figures 6 and 7,
The bottom of the case 12 is formed flat, and four legs 27 are attached to the corners of the bottom. Further, a rectangular support plate 31 made of synthetic resin is attached to the bottom of the case 12 and can be pulled out from the case toward the front of the case along the direction of the arrow. That is, a pair of parallel guide plates 32 are screwed to the outer surface of the bottom wall of the case 12. These guide plates 32 are made of synthetic resin and extend in the front-rear direction of the case 12, that is, in the direction of the arrow. The left and right edges of the support plate 31 are connected to the case 12.
The guide plate 32 is attached to the case 12 so as to be movable in the direction of the arrow, while being fitted into a groove formed between the outer surface of the bottom wall of the guide plate 32 and the guide plate 32 .

A hooking step 33 is provided protrudingly located on both sides of the rear end of the support plate 31, and a step 33 is provided at the front end of the groove.
4 is formed. The latching step portion 33 can be engaged with the step portion 34, and this engagement prevents the support plate 31 from being pulled out excessively to the front of the case 12.

A pair of locking portions 35 are formed on the front edge of the support plate 31, located on the radial direction side portion of the support plate 31. Each locking portion 35 is formed by bending a flange integral with the support plate 31 upward. As will be described later, these locking parts 35 engage with the front edge of the computer 1 placed on the support base part 21 to restrict forward movement of the computer 1. A rubber plate 36 is attached over the locking portion 35 and the front portion of the support plate 31 connected thereto.

A stopper mechanism 41 for regulating the movement of the support plate 31 is provided inside the case 12, and hereinafter this stopper mechanism 4 will be referred to as the stopper mechanism 41.
1 will be explained.

As shown in FIGS. 7 to 10, the stopper mechanism 41
includes a metal guide plate 42 provided on the base 13 of the case 12 along the width direction thereof. The guide plate 42 has a horizontal portion 42a screwed to the inside of the front portion of the base 13, and a vertical portion 42b bent upward from the front end of the horizontal portion. An elongated slide fitting 43 that is slidable along the length of the guide plate 42 is placed on the upper surface of the horizontal portion 42a. This metal fitting 43 has a U-shaped cross section. A long hole 44 extending in the front-rear direction of the case 12 is formed at the left end (FIG. 7) of the slide fitting 43, and a coil spring 45 is installed between the right end of the fitting 43 and the guide plate 42. This coil spring 45 urges the slide fitting 43 in the direction of arrow E in FIG. A rotating lever 47 is attached to the end of the guide plate 42 on the elongated hole 44 side via a pivot 46 . A shaft portion 48 attached to one end of the lever 47 is inserted into the long hole 44, and a movable shaft 49g of the release button 49 is in contact with the other end of the lever 47. The release button 49 is attached to one side wall of the base 13 and can be pressed from outside the case 12.

Therefore, when the release button 49 is pressed, the movable shaft 49a or the rotating lever 47 is rotated in the direction of arrow F in FIG. Therefore, the slide fitting 43 is attached to the coil spring 4.
The guide plate 4 is moved in the direction of arrow G in FIG.
2 will be moved above.

Furthermore, when the pushing operation is stopped, the urging force of the coil spring 45 returns it to its original state (as shown in FIG. 7).

Stoppers 50 (only one of which is shown) made of synthetic resin are attached to both lengthwise end portions of the guide plate 43, respectively.

To attach the stopper to the guide plate 43, a pair of parallel guide shafts 51 are erected on the part of the guide plate 43, and the stopper 50 is fitted onto these.
is installed so that it can move up and down. The stopper 50 integrally includes a stopper protrusion 52 that penetrates a hole 13a provided in the bottom wall of the base 13 and projects downward, and a cam follower 53 that is disposed opposite to the upper surface of the slide fitting 43.

A spring bearing plate 5 extends between the upper ends of the pair of guide shafts 51.
4 is installed. This receiver consists of a plate 54 and a stopper 50.
A leaf spring 55 is sandwiched between the upper surface of the plate 54 and the spring receiver of the leaf spring 55 is fixed to the plate 54. In FIGS. 8 and 9, a reference numeral 56 is a retaining ring fixed to the guide shaft 51 and a spring receiver for positioning the plate 54. As shown in FIGS. However, the stopper 50 is always urged downward by the leaf spring 55.

The slide fittings 43 have a pair (
A cam 57 (only one of which is shown) is attached. cam 5
7 is made of synthetic resin and has an inclined cam surface 57a as shown in FIG. The cam surface 57a is the slide metal fitting 4
3, the stopper 50 approaches and separates from the cam follower 53 to raise the stopper 50. Cam surface 5
Stopper 50 when 7a comes off from cam follower 53
The lowering of is realized by the biasing force of the leaf spring 55.

A portion of the guide plate 42 is vertically cut and raised to form a locking piece 58. The locking piece 58 has a slot (not shown) extending in the sliding direction of the slide fitting 43, and is inserted into a long hole 59 provided in the slide fitting 43. By engaging with these locking pieces 58 and the elongated holes 59, the slide fitting 43 is positioned at the lock position shown in FIG. 7, and the sliding fitting 43 is also restrained from moving forward, backward, and upward. . In the lock position, each cam 57 is positioned with its flat surface 57b facing the cam follower 53.

The front lower part of the stopper protrusion 52 of each stopper 50 is located at the eighth
As shown in the figure, it is formed with a slope 52g. Further, each of the widthwise both sides of the support plate 31 has a large number of engaging grooves 60 into which the lower ends of the stopper protrusions 52 are engaged and disengaged, and one engagement groove, as shown representatively in FIGS. 7 and 8. A locking groove 61 is formed. The engaging grooves 60 are arranged side by side at a predetermined pitch P in the sliding direction of the support plate 31.
The cross-sectional shape of each groove matches the cross-sectional shape of the lower part of the stopper protrusion 52. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 8, a slope 60a is provided on the front side of each engagement groove 60. Further, the locking groove 61 is provided spaced apart forward from the front end of the row of the locking grooves 60, and has the same configuration as the locking groove 60.

When the support plate 31 is pushed toward the case 12 from the pulled out state as shown in FIGS.
It is pushed up against 5. Therefore, the support plate 31 can be easily pushed in. Conversely, the movement of the support plate 31 in the direction of pulling it out from the case 12 is carried out by the stopper protrusion 5.
2 and the engaging groove 60. Therefore, careless pulling out of the support plate 31 is prevented. The support plate 31 is pulled out by pressing four release buttons. That is, when the release button 49 is pressed, the slide fitting 43 is slid in the direction of arrow G. Thereby, each stopper 50
The stopper protrusion 52 is pushed upward by the engaging groove 60.
removed from Thereby, the support plate 31 can be pulled out.

As shown in the figure, indicators 63 and 64 are provided on the upper surface of the support plate 31 near each row of engagement grooves 60.

These indicators 63 and 64 are determined based on the depth dimension B of various small electric devices mounted on the expansion mounting Wllll.
It is used as a rough guide for the withdrawal amount when withdrawing 1.

On the other hand, when the expansion device 11 is not in use, the support plate 31 is pushed all the way toward the casing 12 to a storage position where it is stored below the bottom surface of the case 12, as shown in FIG. With the support plate 31 pushed into the storage position,
The protrusion 52 of each stopper 50 is engaged with the corresponding locking groove 61 to lock the support plate 31. This prevents the stored support plate 31 from being inadvertently pushed forward. Further, as shown in FIG. 6, two leaf springs 62 are screwed to the rear end of the bottom surface of the base 13. When the support plate 31 is pushed into the storage position, the spring 62 is pushed by the rear edge of the support plate 31 and is bent, thereby generating an urging force that pushes the support plate forward. Therefore, when the release button 49 is pressed when the support plate 31 is being pulled out, the spring 62 acts to press the support plate forward and reduce the force required to pull out the support plate.

The case 12 has a connector unit 7 at a position facing the connector 6 of the computer 1 mounted on the support base 21.
1 or installed. Below, this connector unit 2
1 will be explained with reference to FIGS. 11 to 21.

As shown in FIGS. 11 to 16, the connector unit 71 includes a plate-metal type connector holder 72, and this holder includes a rectangular bottom plate 72b that extends horizontally, and two holders that are erected on both sides of the bottom plate and facing each other. It has left and right side plates 72a. A slit-shaped guide groove 73 opening at the front end of each side plate 72a is formed horizontally. A plate-shaped slider 74 is mounted within the connector holder 72 so as to be able to reciprocate along the front-rear direction. In other words,
The slider 74 is composed of a flat plate located parallel to the bottom plate 72b of the connector holder 72, and both ends thereof are connected to the bottom plate 72b.
It is bent at right angles towards. Also, slider 7
4 has projecting pieces 75 horizontally projecting from both ends thereof. By inserting these projecting pieces 75 into the guide grooves 73 of the connector holder 72, they are movably supported by the connector holder using the guide grooves 73 as guides.

Lower ends of left and right arms 77 of a handle 76 serving as an operating section are rotatably attached to a side plate 72a of the connector holder 72 via pivots 78, respectively. Each arm 7
A long hole 79 extending in the length direction of the arm is formed in the middle of the arm 7 , and a projecting piece 80 that integrally projects from the tip of the overhanging piece 75 is inserted into this long hole 79 . Therefore, by rotating the handle 76 back and forth, the slider 74 is reciprocated in the back and forth direction with respect to the connector holder 72.

A plug-in connector 81 having a large number of terminals 81a is supported on the slider 74 as a device-side connector. The connector 81 on the expansion device side is configured to be pluggable and connectable to the connector 6 on the computer 1 side. In this embodiment, the connector 81 is attached in a floating state with respect to the slider 74 in order to ensure reliable insertion into the connector 6.

In other words, a pair of through holes are formed in the upper wall of the slider 74, and the connector 81 is inserted into these through holes.
A pair of pins 88 protruding from the upper surface of the holder are slidably inserted therethrough. Bottom surface of connector 81 and connector holder 72
A pair of leaf springs 82 bent into a U-shape are arranged between the bottom TU72b and the bottom TU72b, and each leaf spring is fixed to the bottom wall 72b. In addition, the top surface of the connector 81 and the slider 7
4, there is a pair of plates 8 bent into a U-shape.
3 are arranged, and each leaf spring is fixed to the slider 72. Thereby, the connector 81 is connected to the leaf springs 82 and 83.
It is elastically held between the upper and lower sides by the connector holder 72, and is movable in the vertical direction, that is, in the direction perpendicular to the bottom wall 72b of the connector holder 72, by the upward deformation of these leaf springs. Further, a downward flange 89 is formed at the rear center of the slider 74. This flange 89 is in contact with the center of the rear surface of the connector 81. Therefore, the force of moving the slider 74 forward is applied to the bin 88 and the flange 89.
The signal is transmitted to the connector 81 through the connector 6, so that the connector 81 can be moved in parallel without tilting when inserted into the connector 6.

A base plate 93 made of sheet metal is fixed to the lower surface of the bottom plate 72b of the connector holder 72. A large number of mounting claws 94 are protruded from the bottom surface of the base plate 93. Each installation has 9 claws
4 are formed by bending a leaf spring, and are protruded from the lower surface of the front side and the left and right edges of the base plate 93, respectively. Each mounting pawl 94 is as shown in detail in FIG.
It is formed by connecting a tapered insertion portion 94a and an engagement recess 94b.

The connector unit 71 is attached to the extension device 11 using the claw 94.
The mounting hole 18 provided in the case 12 (see Figure 4)
It is attached to the case by engaging with the case. In this case, first the mounting pawl 94 is aligned with the mounting hole 18 and the mounting hole is pushed into the hole. As a result, each mounting piece 94 is elastically deformed while its insertion portion 94a is inserted into the mounting hole 18. At the same time, the engagement recess 94
b is attached elastically pressed against the hole edge 18a of the hole 18. Therefore, connector uni・7h 71 or case 1
Attached to 2. Of course, in this state, the installation is possible between the base plate 93 and the case 12 through the claws 94.
Since they are electrically connected, electromagnetic shielding of the connector unit can also be achieved. Since the attachment claws 94 are elastically deformable as described above, when a pull-out force greater than a predetermined value is mistakenly applied to the connector unit 71, the connector unit 71 is removed from the attachment hole 18. Therefore, damage to the connector unit 71 and the connector 6 connected thereto is prevented.

As shown in FIG. 18, one end of a signal cable 95 is connected to the connector 81. The signal cable 95 is drawn into the case 12 from the connector 81 through a through hole 110 formed in the bottom plate 72b and the base plate 93 of the connector holder 72, and through a hole 18a for mounting the rolled case 17. The other end of the signal cable 95 is connected to the circuit board 16 inside the casing 12 via a connector 112. When the connector unit 71 is removed, a portion of the signal cable 95 is attached to the port 18.
It has a sufficient length so that it will not be pulled out and apply a load to the other end.

In addition, the lower surface of the base plate 93 has a cable protection force/<-
114 is installed. The protective cover 114
As shown in FIGS. 8 and 19, it is made of a sheet-like insulating elastic material such as vinyl chloride and has a semi-cylindrical shape.

Both side edges of the cover 114 are bent inward to form flanges 115, respectively. In addition, the protective cover 114
An insertion hole 116 is formed in and located between the flanges 115. The protective cover 114 is attached to the base plate by screwing its flange 115 to the lower surface of the base plate 93, and the plurality of attachments are located inside the claws 94. Further, the signal cable 95 that has passed through the through hole 110 extends inside the protective cover 114 and through the insertion hole 116.

Therefore, the claw 94 and the signal cable 95 are separated by the protective cover 114, and when the connector unit 71 is attached to the case 12, the signal cable is attached to the claw 94 and the signal cable 95 is separated from the hole 18. This prevents it from being caught between the edges.

As shown in FIGS. 20 and 21, the main part of the connector unit 71 is covered with a synthetic resin cover 96, and the handle 76 is also covered with a synthetic resin handle cover (not shown).

A relief iM 96 a is formed in the cover 96 to allow movement of the arm 77 of the handle 76 .

A guide groove 98 is formed in the upper wall of the cover 96, and a lock knob 99 is attached to the groove 98 so as to be slidable in the left-right direction.

A stopper plate 100 located inside the cover 96 is fixed to the lock knob 99 with screws. Stopper plate 100
is made of a plate spring, and one end 100a thereof is formed so as to be inserted into the guide groove 73 of the connector holder 72. Thereby, the one end 100a is connected to the arm 7 of the handle 76.
The handle 76 can be protruded into the movement path of the handle 76 to obstruct the rotation operation of the handle 76.

That is, after the handle 76 is rotated in the direction in which the connector 8] protrudes from the holder 72 (see FIG. 15),
The stopper plate 100 is moved in the direction of arrow H in FIGS. 20 and 21 via the lock knob 99. Then, one end portion 100a of the stopper plate 100 passes through the guide groove 73 and is located on the rear side of the arm portion 76 of the handle 76, thereby preventing the handle 76 from rotating rearward. A protrusion 10 is formed on the inner surface of the upper wall of the cover 96.
1 is integrally formed, and a bent end 100b that goes over this protrusion 101 is formed at the other end of the stopper plate 100. The bent end 100b rides over the protrusion 101 at the same time as the one end 100a is inserted into the guide groove 73, thereby moderating the movement of the stopper plate 100.

Next, a procedure for connecting the computer 1 to the expansion device 11 configured as described above will be explained.

First, the support plate 31 is pulled out to the front of the case 12. This withdrawal operation is performed while the release button 49 is pressed. In other words, when the release button 4Q4 is pushed in, the rotating lever 47 is rotated in the direction of the arrow F in FIG. c Pull it in the 3 direction to move it. Then, the cam surface 57a of the cam 57 lifts up the stopper 50 via the cam follower 53, and the stopper mechanism 52 of the stopper 50 is disengaged from the locking groove 61. Therefore, leaf spring 6
The support plate 31 is pushed forward by the urging force of 2. After that, the user moves the support plate 3 using the guide plate 32 etc. as a guide.
Pull 1 forward.

The amount of extension of the support plate 31 is appropriately selected according to the depth dimension B of the small electronic device to be connected, and this selection is made according to the index 6.
3 or 64 as a guideline. After the support plate 31 is pulled out, the release button 49 is released. With that, stopper! s, the slide fitting 43 on the side 41 is returned to the locked position shown in FIG. 8 by the biasing force of the coil spring 45. Therefore, the stopper 50 is pushed down by the biasing force of the leaf spring 55, and the stopper protrusion 52 engages with the engagement groove 60 located directly below it, and the further support plate 3
Prevent withdrawal of item 1. Therefore, the support plate 31 is held at the desired drawn-out position.

Next, the rear part of the prepared computer 1 is placed on the support base part 21 of the case 12, and the front part of the computer 1 that protrudes forward from the case is placed on the front part of the support plate 31. In this case, both rear sides of computer 1 are
A pair of positioning members 20 protruding from the support base 21
are engaged with the root portions of the side surfaces 22a of the convex portions 22, respectively. Thereby, the computer 1 is positioned in the width direction with respect to the case 12. Further, the rear surface of the computer 1 is brought into contact with the stepped portion 14a of the support base portion 21, and the backward movement of the computer is also restricted by this stepped portion 34. In this state, if the locking part 35 of the support plate 31 is not caught on the front edge of the computer 1, the support plate 31 is pushed toward the case 12 until the locking part 35 is caught on the front edge of the computer 1. , is locked in the pushed-in position by the stopper mechanism 41. Therefore, the forward movement of the computer 1 is restricted by the pair of locking parts 35. As a result, as shown in FIG. 2, the computer 1 is attached to the case 12 in a predetermined position.

Note that the earthen wall 21a of the support base section 21 on which the rear part of the computer 1 is placed is located at a higher level than the support plate 31, and is inclined downward. Therefore, the computer 1 mounted in the case 12 as described above is in a forward tilted state as shown by the two-dot chain line in FIG.

The amount of the support plate 31 to be pulled out is determined by the pitch P(
(see Figure 8), other types of small electronic devices 1 with the same width dimension A but different depth dimension B can also be attached to the expansion device using the same procedure as above. I can do it.

In other words, this expansion device ll can handle many types of small electronic devices 1.
It is suitable for mounting and using, and is versatile.

The connector 6 of the computer 1 attached to the expansion device 11 at a predetermined position by the above procedure is the connector on the device side, that is, the connector 8 of the connector unit 71.
It is located opposite 1.

In this state, the connector 81 is connected to the connector 6. This connection operation is performed by rotating the handle 76 of the connector unit 71 forward.

In other words, in the state before connection, the handle 76 of the connector unit 71 is tilted rearward as shown in FIGS. It is located in a retracted position where it is almost flush with the As shown in Figures 2 and 15,
When the handle 76 is rotated forward, the slider 74 is pushed forward along the guide groove 73 of the connector holder 72. Along with this, the connector 81 is also pushed forward and reaches the forward position where it protrudes into the support base section 21. On this occasion,
Even if the connector 6 is slightly misaligned with respect to the connector 81, the connector 81 is accurately aligned with the connector 6 due to the elastic deformation of the leaf springs 82, 83 that support the connector 81 in a floating state. Therefore, the connector 81 is smoothly inserted and connected to the connector 6. As a result, signals can be exchanged between the computer 1 and the expansion device 11.

After the connector 6.81 is connected, the lock knob 99 of the connector unit 71 is moved in the direction of arrow H in FIGS. 20 and 21, and the one end 1 of the stopper plate 100 is
00a is inserted into the guide groove 73. This prevents rearward rotation of the handle 76 and prevents the connector 6.
81 is prevented from being unintentionally separated.

Further, in order to remove the computer 1 connected to the expansion device 11, it is sufficient to perform the procedure in reverse to the installation procedure described above. In this case, when the handle 76 is rotated rearward and the slider 74 retreats, the pulling force is transmitted to the connector 81 via the pin 88.

When connecting and separating both connectors 6.81, move the device side connector 81 as described above,
There is no need to move the entire computer 1. By the way, since the connector 6.81 has a large number of terminals 6a, 81a, a great deal of force is required both in connection and separation. However, in the configuration of this embodiment,
Since the entire weight of the computer 1 is not applied to the connector during connection and disconnection, there is less impact on the connector during connection and disconnection. Therefore, the circuit components inside the computer 1 and the expansion device 11 are less likely to be adversely affected, and failures can be prevented.

The computer 1 mounted on the expansion device 11 in the manner described above can be removed upwards from the expansion device 'll. Therefore, it is conceivable that the computer 1 may be lifted with both connectors 6 and 81 connected. In such a case, a large load is applied to the mounting section of the connector unit 71.

However, in this connector unit 71, a large number of mounting pieces 94 protruding from the lower surface of the base plate 93 are attached to the case 12.
is attached to the case by elastically securing the edge 18a of the hole 18. Therefore, when a detachment force is applied to the connector unit 71 as a result of lifting the computer 1 as described above, when the force exceeds a certain value, the mounting piece 94 will undergo a large elastic deformation. The above attachment is removed from the hole edge 18a of the hole 18. As a result, overload is not applied to both connectors 6.81 in the connected state, and these connectors 6.8
1. 2. Connector unit 7.
1 has a cable protection cover 114 attached to the lower surface of the base plate 93, and the signal cable 95 extending from the connector 81 passes through the inside of the protection cover 114 and the insertion hole 116 formed in the protection cover to the case]2 being pulled inside. Therefore, when attaching the connector unit 71 to the case 12 in the hole 18, the protective cover 11
4, the cable 95 can be prevented from being caught between the claw 93 and the edge 18a of the hole 18 during attachment, and as a result, disconnection of the signal cable 95 can be reliably prevented.

Note that this invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, and can be modified in various ways within the scope of this invention.

For example, the operation unit that reciprocates the connector 81 when connecting and disconnecting the connector 81 from the connector 6 does not use the rotary handle 76, but instead uses a nozzle fixedly provided to the connector 81. May be used. In this case, by reciprocating the handle together with the connector 81, the connectors 6, 81 are connected and separated.

In the above-mentioned embodiment, the upper wall 2 of the support base 21 is
1a is formed to be inclined. However, by providing a pedestal part near the locking part 35 of the support plate 31 and forming this pedestal part at approximately the same height as the earthen wall 21a, the small electronic device 1 can be mounted in a substantially horizontal state. Good too.

Alternatively, the support plate 31 may be fixed to the case 12, and only the locking portion 35 may be provided so as to be movable in the front-rear direction of the case with respect to the support plate. In this case, the support plate and the case may be formed integrally.

[Effects of the Invention The expansion device configured as described above has the following advantages.

In other words, according to the expansion device 11 of the first aspect, by adjusting the position of the locking portion of the holding means, it is possible to adapt it to the front edge portions of various small electronic devices 1 having different depth dimensions. Therefore, it is possible to provide an expansion device with a wide range of adaptability, which is capable of attaching a plurality of types of small electronic devices having different front and rear depth dimensions.

According to the expansion device of claim 5, by reciprocating the device-side connector via the operation section with respect to the small electronic device mounted on the support base, the device-side connector can be connected to the other side connector, that is, the device-side connector. It can be attached and detached. Therefore, it is not necessary to move the entire small electronic device, and there is no need to grasp and operate the connector itself, and the connectors can be easily connected or separated. Also,
A large work space is not required for attachment/detachment work. Furthermore, the impact on the connector due to attachment and detachment can be reduced.

Further, according to the expansion device of claim 6, the connector unit is attached to the removable case, and when the small electronic device is lifted with both connectors connected, it is automatically removed from the case.

Therefore, it is possible to prevent overload from being applied to both connectors in the connected state.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

1 to 21 show an extension device according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing the extension device with the support plate pulled out and a small electronic device separated from it, and FIG. FIG. 3 is a side view of the expansion device; FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the case with the cover removed; FIG. 5 is an enlarged perspective view of the positioning member. , Fig. 6 is a perspective view of the expansion device viewed from below with the support plate pulled out, Fig. 7 is a plan view with some parts omitted showing the stopper mechanism built into the base of the case, and Fig. 8 is the 7 is a sectional view of the stopper mechanism taken along the line ■-■ in Fig. 7, Fig. 9 is a sectional view of the stopper mechanism taken along the line X-X in Fig. 7, and Fig. 10 is a sectional view of the stopper mechanism taken along the line X-X in Fig. 7. 11 is a perspective view of the connector unit shown with the cover omitted; FIG. 12 is a front view of the connector unit with the cover omitted; FIG. 13 is the connector shown with the cover omitted. Rear view of the unit. Figure 14 is a side view of the connector unit with the cover omitted, shown with the handle moved to the rear. Figure 15 is a side view of the connector unit with the handle moved to the front, with the cover omitted. Figure 16 is a side view of the connector unit, Figure 16 is a sectional view of the lid unit taken along the line
The figure is a cross-sectional view showing the connector unit attached to the casing, Figure 19 is a perspective view of the cable protection cover, Figure 20 is a cross-sectional view showing the handle stopper mechanism of the connector unit, and Figure 21 is a cross-sectional view showing the handle stopper mechanism of the connector unit. FIG. 22 is a perspective view showing a small electronic device attached to the expansion device. 1... Small electronic device, 6... Connector, 6a...
Terminal, 11... Expansion device, 12... Case, 16...
・Circuit board, 18... mounting hole, 18a... hole edge,
21...-support part, 20... positioning member, 22...
Projection, 31... Support plate, 35... Locking part, 71... Connector unit, 72... Connector holder 74.
...Slider 76...Handle (operation section), 8]
...Device side connector, 81a...Terminal, 94...
Installation is one piece, 114...Cable protection cover 4 Figure 545651 56 Hiro 6 2 Figure 1 Figure 3 Figure 94 Figure 4 Figure 4 Figure 6 Figure 5 Figure 5? IT 7 1・4 16 6 Kone 7 a tm+ Figure 2

Claims (7)

[Claims] (1) In an expansion device for a small electronic device that is combined with a generally rectangular small electronic device having a rear surface provided with a connector and a front edge facing the rear surface, and expands the functions of the small electronic device, a case housing a circuit board for functional expansion; a support section provided in the case and on which the electronic device is placed; a support section provided in the case and electrically connected to the circuit board; A device-side connector that is removably connected to a connector of a small electronic device placed on the support platform; and a device-side connector that is removably connected to a connector of a small electronic device placed on the support platform; holding means for holding the small electronic device in a state in which the holding means engages with the front edge of the small electronic device placed on the support base so that the connector of the small electronic device is pulled out from the device side connector. Addition of a small electronic device, characterized in that the device has a locking portion that restricts movement of the small electronic device in the direction, and the locking portion is connected to the case so as to be movable along the direction. Device. (2) The small electronic device according to claim 1, wherein the case has positioning means for positioning a rear portion of the small electronic device placed on the support base with respect to the case. expansion equipment. (3) Claim 2, wherein the holding means has a support plate movably attached to the case along the removal direction, and the locking portion is provided on the support plate. An expansion device for small electronic devices described in . (4) The support plate is provided movably between a storage position where it is stored below the case and a desired drawer position where it is pulled out from the case in the above direction. An expansion device for small electronic devices described in . (5) A connector holder provided in the case so as to face the connector of the small electronic device placed on the support base, and the connector holder movable back and forth in a direction toward and away from the connector. a slider supported by;
2. The expansion device for a small electronic device according to claim 1, further comprising: an operation section for moving the slider, and wherein the device-side connector is attached to the slider. (6) In an expansion device for a small electronic device that is combined with a generally rectangular small electronic device having a rear surface provided with a connector and a front edge opposite to the rear surface, and expands the functions of the small electronic device, a case in which a circuit board for function expansion is stored; a support section provided in the case and on which the electronic device is placed; It has a device-side connector that is removably connected to the connector of a small electronic device, and has a connector unit that is removably attached to the case, and a small electronic device placed on the support base. An expansion device for a small electronic device, comprising: a holding means for holding the device in a state connected to a side connector. (7) The case has a mounting hole, and the connector unit includes a connector holder holding the device-side connector, and is formed of an elastically deformable material and is provided in the connector holder, and is provided in the mounting hole. a plurality of mounting pieces engaged with the edges; a signal cable connected from the device-side connector to the circuit board through the mounting hole; and a signal cable attached to the connector holder, the mounting pieces and the edges of the mounting hole 7. The small-sized electronic device expansion device according to claim 6, further comprising a protective cover that prevents the signal cable from being caught between the two.