JP6074310B2 - Information processing device - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an information processing apparatus having a connector for external connection.

  Various information processing apparatuses such as smartphones and tablets have been developed, and information processing apparatuses are often provided with connectors for connecting external devices and the like. As an example of the connector, there is a USB (Universal Serial Bus) connector that has been popular in recent years.

For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a configuration that takes into account the ease of connection when connecting an external device or the like to a connector in such an information processing apparatus.
In patent document 1, when the connector is provided on the side surface of the information processing apparatus, a configuration in which a first guide portion extending in the vertical direction of the connector and a second guide portion extending in the lateral direction of the connector is disclosed. ing. According to this, if the external plug is moved along the first guide part or the second guide part, it can be connected to the connector.

  Further, Patent Document 2 discloses a configuration in which the USB connector is lowered from above and guided to the USB connector with the guide connector recessed above the USB connector and the lateral direction of the USB connector as the side edge.

JP 2010-287144 A JP 2003-345464 A

  As an information processing device, a digitally recorded book according to the DAISY (Digital Accessible Information System) standard that digitally records text information described in the book so that people with visual impairments can enjoy reading. An apparatus for reproducing is conventionally known.

As a user of digital sound recording books, people who are visually impaired can record digital sound recording books on specially shaped storage media so that even people with visual impairments can easily recognize them. is there.
However, there are cases where the digital sound recording book is stored not only in a specially-shaped storage medium but also in a storage medium that is generally on the market (for example, a USB memory).

  In addition, it may be necessary to connect another external device to the information processing apparatus that plays back the digital recording book.

In such a case, if the configuration as described in Patent Document 1 or Patent Document 2 described above is adopted in the information processing apparatus that reproduces the digital sound recording book, the location of the connector can be confirmed even when there is a visual obstacle. It can be said that it is easy.
However, the plug to be connected to the connector may have a structure that is different from the front and back, so if you try to insert the plug with the front and back wrong, you will not be able to insert it. Then, there exists a subject that a connector and a plug may be damaged.

Even a general user who is not visually impaired can check the front and back of the plug and insert it into the connector, but it is troublesome especially for people with visual impairments. Is more difficult to identify.
For this reason, there is a demand for a structure that can be connected to a connector so that the front and back of the plug are not mistaken.

  Accordingly, the present invention has been made to solve the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide an information processing apparatus that can be connected to a connector so that the front and back of the plug are not mistaken.

According to the information processing apparatus of the present invention, in the information processing apparatus in which the connector that can be connected to the plug having the protrusion formed on either the front surface or the back surface is provided in the housing, the housing in which the connector is provided. On the surface orthogonal to the surface of the body, the position in the width direction and the width direction of the connector are formed at the same position, and a mounting portion on which the front surface or the back surface of the plug can be mounted is formed. Is capable of storing the protrusion formed on the front surface or the back surface of the plug, and the operator cannot move the plug on the mounting portion in the front-rear direction or feels a sense of resistance. A recess is formed.
The effect | action by employ | adopting this structure is as follows. First, the operator places the plug on the placement unit before inserting the plug into the connector. When the projection of the plug is placed toward the placement portion, even if the plug is moved in parallel with the placement portion surface in this state, the projection is housed in the recess and cannot move. When it cannot move in this way, the operator can recognize that the protrusion faces the surface of the placement portion (downward). In addition, when the plug protrusion is placed on the mounting portion opposite to the mounting portion (upward), the protrusion does not get in the way when the plug is moved parallel to the surface of the mounting portion. The plug moves smoothly. In this case, the operator can recognize that the protrusion faces the opposite side (upward) from the placement unit.
And by making the connector orientation in the housing insertable when the plug protrusion is upward, the plug placed on the placement part is shifted parallel to the surface of the placement part and moved to the connector as it is By doing so, the plug can be easily connected to the connector.

Further, the mounting portion is formed so as to be an inclined surface inclined with respect to both the surface on which the mounting portion is formed and the surface on which the connector is provided. It is good.
According to this configuration, when the plug is shifted in the inclined direction on the mounting portion, the mounting portion is formed to be inclined in the connector direction, so that the plug can be easily connected to the connector.

Further, in the opening portion of the connector, a protrusion projecting from a side surface on which the connector is provided is formed on a side close to a surface different from the surface on which the mounting portion is formed. Also good.
By adopting this configuration, the plug is placed on the mounting part and shifted to check the direction of the protrusion, and after the plug is moved in the direction of the connector, even if it passes the connector, the protruding part Since the plug comes into contact with the plug, the movement of the plug stops at the protrusion, and the plug can be securely connected to the connector.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to connect to the connector so that the front and back of the plug are not mistaken.

It is a top view which shows the structure of the surface of the information processing apparatus concerning this invention. It is a bottom view which shows the structure of the back surface of information processing apparatus. It is the perspective view seen from the bottom face side of an information processor. It is explanatory drawing which shows an example of a plug. It is a front view of the lower surface of information processing apparatus. It is AA sectional drawing of FIG.

FIG. 1 shows the front side of the information processing apparatus 30 according to the present embodiment, and FIG. 2 shows the back side. FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the information processing apparatus 30 as viewed from the back side.
An example of the information processing apparatus 30 described below is an audio player that is used by a visually impaired person to play back a digitally recorded book.
The information processing apparatus 30 has a thin rectangular parallelepiped casing 31 with rounded corners.

Functions for an operator to operate on the surface 31 a of the housing 31 are integrated.
A battery housing portion for housing a battery (not shown) is provided on the back surface 31 b of the housing 31, and the battery housing portion is covered with a battery cover 32.
A memory card insertion slot 37 into which a memory card is inserted is provided on the left side surface 31 c when viewed from the surface of the housing 31.
Further, various switches are provided on the left side surface 31 d when viewed from the back surface of the housing 31. Examples of the switch provided on the right side surface 31d include a key lock switch for preventing malfunction and a volume switch.

A speaker 36 and a display unit 34 are provided on the surface 31a of the housing 31 from the upper side when viewed from the surface. As the display unit 34, an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) or the like can be employed.
A plurality of switches are provided on the lower side of the display unit 34. The plurality of switches are push button switches. A circular push button switch 40 is provided at the center of the plurality of push button switches 42 to 46. A reproduction / stop switch is arranged at the center of the circular push button switch, and movement switches for moving the reproduction position are arranged at four positions around the reproduction / stop switch.

A connector 50 for external connection is provided on the lower side surface 35 (the side surface opposite to the side where the speaker 36 is provided) as viewed from the surface of the housing 31.
In this embodiment, a micro USB (Universal Serial Bus) is adopted as the type of connector.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a micro USB plug.
The micro USB is a kind of USB standard, and is characterized in that the plug 60 is provided with a stopper 62.
The stopper 62 is a metal member protruding from either the front surface or the back surface of the insertion portion 61 of the plug 60 to the connector. The retainers 62 of the present embodiment are provided on both the left and right sides in the width direction of the front surface or the back surface. Each retaining member 62 is biased so as to move up and down with respect to the insertion portion 61, and is configured to be stored in the insertion portion 61 by being pressed by the inner wall of the connector when inserted into the connector. ing.
The two retaining members 62 in the present embodiment correspond to protrusions in the claims.

FIG. 5 shows a side view from the lower side of the information processing apparatus, and FIG. 6 shows a cross-sectional view taken along line AA of FIG.
As described above, the micro USB connector 50 is provided on the lower side surface 35 of the housing 31. The connector 50 is provided approximately at the center of the lower surface 35 of the housing 31.
The insertion direction of the connector 50 and the plug 60 is determined by the cross-sectional shape of the insertion portion 61 of the plug 60 and the shape of the connector 50. Incidentally, in the present embodiment, the connector 50 is provided on the lower side surface 35 so that the plug 60 can be connected when the retainer 62 of the plug 60 is located on the back surface 31b side.

  Thus, even if it is going to insert the plug 60 upside down with respect to the connector 50 (with the retainer 62 facing the surface side 31a), it cannot be inserted. Therefore, a mounting portion 52 is provided on the casing 31 so that the operator can determine whether the front and back of the plug 60 is right.

In the present embodiment, the placement portion 52 is provided on the back surface 31b. A more detailed placement position of the mounting portion 52 is provided on the back surface 31b at the same position as the connector 50 (same in the width direction), that is, in the center when viewed from the width direction.
The mounting portion 52 is formed as an inclined surface between the back surface 31 b and the lower side surface 35. That is, the surface of the back surface 31b and the surface of the lower side surface 35 are orthogonal to each other, but the mounting portion 52 is a recess that allows communication between the surface of the back surface 31b and the surface of the lower side surface 35. And an inclined surface inclined with respect to both of the surfaces of the lower surface 35. That is, the operator can guide the plug to the connector 50 by sliding the plug 60 as it is after placing the plug 60.

The width of the placement portion 52 (the length in the left-right direction when viewed from the back surface) is slightly wider than the width of the insertion portion 61 of the plug 60 so that the insertion portion 61 of the plug 60 can be placed.
The mounting portion 52 is formed with a recess 54 that is recessed to a depth that can accommodate the stopper 62 of the insertion portion 61 of the plug 60. The width of the concave portion 54 (the length in the left-right direction when viewed from the back surface) is slightly wider than the width of the two stoppers 62 provided in the insertion portion 61, and is formed so that the two stoppers 62 can be accommodated. ing.

  Further, in the opening of the connector 50, when the plug 60 is moved from the back surface 31b where the mounting portion 52 is formed to the surface of the lower surface 35 where the mounting portion 52 is not formed, the plug 60 is moved. , A positioning projection 56 for positioning the insertion position into the connector 50 is formed.

The positioning protrusion 56 is formed so as to protrude from the lower side surface 35 of the housing 31. In the present embodiment, the connector 50 has a short side on the surface 31a side when viewed from the front, and is formed in a substantially pentagonal shape. Further, the fact that the connector 50 is formed in such a substantially pentagonal shape means that the insertion portion 61 of the plug 60 is also formed in such a substantially pentagonal shape.
Accordingly, the positioning projection 56 also has a bottom side 56a and a hypotenuse 56b that rises obliquely outward from the both ends of the bottom side 56a when viewed from the front side in accordance with the shape of the front surface 31a of the connector 50. doing.

Hereinafter, a method for connecting a plug to the connector of the information processing apparatus according to the present embodiment will be described.
As a premise, in the present embodiment, the connector 50 is provided so that the plug 60 is connected when the stopper 62 of the plug 60 faces the back surface 31b side of the housing 31.
In other words, the plug 60 is connected to the connector 50 in a state in which the stopper 62 of the plug 60 is directed to the back surface 31 b side of the housing 31.

When the operator intends to insert the plug 60 into the connector 50 of the information processing apparatus 30, the back surface 31b of the information processing apparatus 30 is directed upward. The operator may place the information processing apparatus 30 on a desk or the like or may have it by hand.
The operator holds the plug 60 and places the insertion portion 61 of the plug 60 on the placement portion 52 of the information processing apparatus 30. At this time, the planar portion of the insertion portion 61 is brought into contact with the surface of the placement portion 52.

When the stopper 62 provided in the insertion portion 61 of the plug 60 faces the placement portion 52 side, the operator places the plug 60 on the placement portion 52 in the front-rear direction (direction along the insertion direction of the plug). ) Cannot be moved (or the operator feels a sense of resistance) because the retainer 62 has entered the recess 54 of the mounting portion 52.
As described above, since the plug 60 cannot move on the mounting portion 52, the operator can recognize that the retaining member 62 faces the mounting portion 52 side. That is, the operator can recognize that the direction of the plug 60 is different.

  On the other hand, when the stopper 62 provided in the insertion portion 61 of the plug 60 does not face the placement portion 52 side but faces upward, the operator places the plug 60 on the placement portion 52. If it is moved in the front-rear direction (the direction along the plug insertion direction), it can be moved without any resistance. As described above, the plug 60 moves on the placement unit 52, so that the operator can recognize that the retainer 62 is facing away from the placement unit 52.

The operator moves the plug 60 in the direction of the lower surface 35 as it is. The moving direction is such that the moving portion 52 is moved as it is in the direction of the lower surface 35 (vertically downward) from the place where the mounting portion 52 is formed.
When the distal end portion of the insertion portion 61 of the plug 60 is moved toward the surface 31a while being brought into contact with the lower side surface 35, the distal end portion of the insertion portion 61 is brought into contact with the positioning projection 56, so that the moving operation is stopped here. . The operator knows that the connector 50 is provided at this position when the plug 60 contacts the positioning protrusion 56. Then, the operator can insert the plug 60 into the connector 50 at a position where the movement of the plug 60 is stopped.

In the embodiment described above, the placement unit 52 has a configuration provided on the back surface 31b side. However, you may form the mounting part 52 in the surface 31a side.
Further, the connector 50 may be provided on the front surface 31a or the back surface 31b instead of the side surface, and the mounting portion 52 may be provided on the side surface.

Further, in the above-described embodiment, when the stopper 62 of the plug 60 is stored in the recess 54 formed in the mounting portion 52, it is recognized that the orientation of the plug 60 is reversed.
However, the stopper 50 of the plug 60 is housed in the recess 54 of the mounting portion 52 so that the operator can recognize that the orientation of the plug 60 is correct when the operator tries to move the plug 60 but does not move. May be configured.

  In addition, the connector and the plug are not limited to the micro USB, but the direction of the front and back is determined between the plug and the connector, and the projection is formed on either the front or back of the plug. Good.

30 Information processing device 31 Housing 31a Front surface 31b Back surface 31c Left side surface 31d Right side surface 32 Battery cover 33 Battery storage unit 34 Display unit 35 Lower side surface 36 Speaker 37 Memory card insertion slot 40, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46 Push button Switch 50 Connector 52 Placement 54 Recess 56 Positioning projection 56a Bottom 56b Slope 60 Plug 61 Insertion

Claims (3)

In the information processing apparatus in which the connector that can be connected to the plug formed with the protrusion on either the front surface or the back surface is provided in the housing.
On the surface orthogonal to the surface of the housing on which the connector is provided, a position in which the width direction position and the width direction of the connector are formed at the same position, and a mounting portion on which the front surface or the back surface of the plug can be mounted Formed,
The mounting portion can store the protrusions formed on the front surface or the back surface of the plug, and the operator cannot move the plug even if it tries to move in the front-rear direction on the mounting portion. An information processing apparatus is characterized in that a recess having such a size as to feel the above is formed.
The placement section is
2. The information according to claim 1, wherein the surface is formed so as to be inclined with respect to both the surface on which the mounting portion is formed and the surface on which the connector is provided. Processing equipment.   In the opening of the connector, the plug comes into contact with the side closer to the surface different from the surface on which the mounting portion is formed when the plug is moved from the surface on which the mounting portion is formed. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a positioning projection for positioning the insertion position is formed.

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