JPH11296258A - Portable information processing device and expansion device - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Problem] To use a portable information processing device indoors together with an additional keyboard and the like, the portable information processing does not require a large installation area and the displayed content is not difficult to see. Provide equipment and the like. SOLUTION: In a portable information processing apparatus provided with a display device 4 in a rotating portion 3 that can be opened and closed with respect to a main body 2, the main body 2
And the rotating part 3 are connected by a hinge 8.
Is rotatably attached to the main body 2 by the rotating shaft 9a,
The rotating part 3 is rotatably attached to the hinge 8 by a rotating shaft 9 b, and the rotating part 3 is configured to open to the bottom side 11 of the main body 2. Further, the expansion device connector 13 is connected to the bottom surface 11 of the main body 2 and the keyboard surface (top surface) 12.
Prepared for.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a portable information processing apparatus, such as a notebook personal computer, which is portable and can be additionally used when used indoors.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art With the miniaturization and high performance of electronic devices, portable information processing devices such as notebook personal computers are used as portable terminal devices when going out, and are separately provided indoors. It has come to be used as a full-fledged personal computer in combination with a keyboard or an expansion device. FIG. 6 shows an example of using a conventional portable information processing device indoors. The portable information processing apparatus 1a is an apparatus main body 2a having a keyboard and the like.
And a rotating unit 3a supported by a hinge 8a provided at one edge of the apparatus main body 2a so as to be openable and closable (rotatable) in the direction of the arrow. The rotating unit 3a includes a display device 4 such as an LCD.
a is provided. Such portable information processing device 1
a is configured to be mountable on the upper surface of a separate extension device 5, and the portable information processing device 1 a and the extension device 5 are electrically connected at the time of mounting. In the illustrated example, a full-scale keyboard 6 and a pointing device 7 are connected to the expansion device 5,
The keyboard 6 is placed in front of the device main body 2a of the portable information processing device 1a. Docking device (expansion device) for a portable computer disclosed in JP-A-8-6669.
Is also one of the portable information processing devices and expansion devices as described above.

[0003]

However, in the above-mentioned prior art, as shown in FIG. 6, the rotating portion 3a of the portable information processing device 1a is opened to the rear of the device main body 2a, and the portable information processing device 1a is opened. Since the keyboard 6 is placed on the front side, a large installation area is required, and there is also a problem that the display device 4a provided in the rotating portion 3a is far from the position of the user's eyes, making it difficult to see. An object of the present invention is to solve the above-described problems of the related art, and to use a portable information processing device indoors together with an added keyboard and the like, without requiring a large installation area and viewing displayed contents. An object of the present invention is to provide a portable information processing device or the like that does not cause any trouble.

[0004]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a portable information processing apparatus having a display device in a rotating portion which can be opened and closed with respect to the device main body. The connecting portion between the device main body and the rotating portion is configured such that the rotating portion opens to the bottom side of the device main body. Claim 2
In the portable information processing device according to the first aspect of the present invention, the portable information processing device according to claim 1, further comprising a connection member having at least two rotation shafts for connecting the device main body and the rotating portion, wherein the connection member is connected to the first rotation shaft. The rotation unit is rotatably attached to the apparatus main body, and the rotation unit is rotatably attached to the connection member by a second rotation shaft. According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the portable information processing apparatus of the first or second aspect, the extension device connection connectors are provided on the bottom surface and the top surface of the device main body. According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the portable information processing apparatus according to the first or second aspect, an extension device connection connector is provided in the connection portion, and the extension device connection connector is used to rotate the rotating portion. Accordingly, it is configured to rotate around one rotation axis. According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, there is provided an expansion device for attaching a portable information processing device to extend a function of the portable information processing device, comprising a connector connection device having a connector connection portion, and expanding the connector connection portion. The connector connection device is configured so that it can be selectively arranged either before or after the device.

[0005]

According to the first or second aspect of the present invention, the rotating portion is opened to the bottom side of the apparatus main body, and the bottom side is turned upward, and the display device of the rotating portion is provided. The portable information processing apparatus can be installed with the surface facing forward, and the added keyboard can be placed in a state of approaching the display device surface. According to the third aspect of the invention, when the portable information processing device is mounted on the extension device, the extension device connection connector faces the extension device regardless of whether the bottom side of the portable information processing device body is down or up. I do. According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, when the rotating portion is rotated, the connector for connecting the extension device can also be rotated, so that the bottom side of the main body of the portable information processing apparatus can be turned down or up. The extension device connection connector can face the extension device. According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, the connector connection portion of the expansion device can be arranged at any of the front and rear of the expansion device.

[0006]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is an external perspective view of a portable information processing apparatus 1 and the like according to a first embodiment of the present invention.
Is a side view. As illustrated, a portable information processing device (hereinafter, abbreviated as an information processing device) 1 according to the present embodiment includes:
The display device 4 includes a device main body 2, a turning portion 3 that is turned by a hinge (a connecting portion, a connecting member) 8, and the like. As shown in the portable state of FIG. 3A, in the information processing apparatus 1, the rotating unit 3 can be tilted to the keyboard side 12 of the apparatus main body 2 to keep the rotating unit 3 closed. The information processing apparatus 1 is carried in the closed state. In this state, the device body 2
And the display device 4 of the rotating unit 3 are opposed to each other. Next, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the hinge 8, which is a connecting member between the apparatus main body 2 and the rotating portion 3, is a member having two rotating shafts 9a and 9b. The axial directions of the rotating shafts 9a and 9b are the same as the directions of the edges of the device main body 2 and the rotating portion 3 at the connection portion, and the hinge 8 is attached to the device main body 2 so as to be rotatable by the first rotating shaft 9a. In addition, the rotating portion 3 is attached to the hinge 8 so as to be rotatable about the second rotating shaft 9b. In the above-described configuration, when the rotating portion 3 is to be opened at the time of carrying, for example, the edge of the rotating portion 3 opposite to the above-described edge is lifted. Then, the rotating unit 3 rotates around the rotation shaft 9b, for example, and opens as shown in FIG.
At this time, the display device 4 in the rotating unit 3 is on the device main body 2 side, and the user can operate a keyboard or the like on the device main body 1 while viewing the display contents of the display device 4.

When the rotating part 3 is pushed in the direction in which it opens in the state of FIG. 3B, the rotating part 3 rotates about the rotating shaft 9a, for example, as shown in FIG. Like Figure 3
Open from the closed state of (a) to a range exceeding 180 degrees.
In other words, the rotating part 3 can be opened to the bottom side 11 of the apparatus main body 1 by 180 degrees or more, and the rotating part 3 can be folded to the bottom side 11 of the apparatus main body 1. The information processing apparatus 1 shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 is configured such that the information processing apparatus 1 in a state as shown in FIG. 3C is turned upside down, that is, the bottom surface 11 of the apparatus main body 2 faces upward. It is mounted on the extension device 5. Then, the display device 4 is directed to the user side, and a full-scale keyboard (added keyboard) 6 connected to the extension device 5 is arranged in front of the display device 4. That is, the extension device 5 is not interposed in front of the display device 4. In the example of FIG. 1, the pointing device 7 is also connected to the expansion device 5 and arranged beside the keyboard 6. In the configuration example shown in FIG. 1, a configuration without the extension device 5 is also possible. That is, the keyboard 6 is connected to the information processing device 1.
The information processing apparatus 1 in the state shown in FIG. 1 or the like can be directly installed on a desk and used, for example. According to this embodiment, when the information processing device 1 is used indoors in combination with the keyboard 6 or the like, the installation area does not need to be large, and the position of the user's eyes is close to the display device 4, so that the display content is also small. It will be easier to see.

The rotating part 3 is connected to the bottom side 11 of the apparatus main body 2.
The configuration for opening up to is not limited to the configuration described above. For example, the apparatus main body 2 and the rotating portion 3 may be flexibly connected by a rubber plate or the like which is easily deformed. Further, in the above description, the case where the number of the rotation shafts 9 of the hinge is two is shown, but there may be three. In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 2, the extension device connection connectors 13 (13a, 13b) for connecting the device body 2 of the information processing device 1 and the extension device 5 are provided on the bottom surface of the device body 1. Side 1
Since it is provided on both the keyboard side 1 and the keyboard side 12, it can be connected to the extension device with the bottom side 11 facing downward, or can be connected to the extension device with the keyboard side 12 facing down. The expansion device connectors 13a and 13b are connected to the bottom side 11 and the keyboard side 12 respectively.
A plurality of pin holes recessed from the surface of the expansion device 5 are provided, and a plurality of pins of the expansion device-side connector traveled from the surface of the expansion device 5 are directly inserted into the pin holes. In the above configuration, when the information processing apparatus 1 is mounted on the expansion apparatus 5 in a state as shown in FIG.
Is fitted with the connector on the extension device 5 side, and when the information processing device 1 is mounted on the extension device 5 in the state as in the prior art shown in FIG. 6, the connector 13a on the bottom side 11 becomes the connector on the extension device 5 side. Mates with Therefore, even when the keyboard provided in the information processing apparatus 1 is used in the state as shown in FIG. 6 and the expansion apparatus 5 is used, the information processing apparatus 1 and the expansion apparatus 5 can be connected without using a cable that is complicated to handle and store. The information processing apparatus 1 and the expansion apparatus 5 can be connected without using a cable even when the information processing apparatus 1 is used in the configuration as shown in FIG. 1, thereby improving operability.

FIG. 4 is a side view of an information processing apparatus and the like according to a second embodiment of the present invention. As shown in the figure, the information processing apparatus 1 according to this embodiment includes a 2
Instead of one expansion device connection connector 13, one expansion device connection connector 14 is provided fixedly on the rotation shaft 9 a side of the hinge 8 (the hinge 8 itself rotates around the rotation shaft 9 a). With the above configuration, as shown in FIG. 4A, when the keyboard side 12 of the apparatus main body 2 is on the lower side, the hinge 8 is rotated by 180 degrees with the rotation of the rotation unit 3. Therefore, the expansion device connection connector 14 faces the upper surface of the expansion device 5 and, as shown in FIG. 4B, when the bottom surface 11 of the device main body 2 is on the lower side. The connector 14 faces the upper surface of the expansion device 5.
Therefore, both when the information processing apparatus 1 is mounted on the expansion apparatus 5 in the state as shown in FIG. 1 and when the information processing apparatus 1 is mounted on the expansion apparatus 5 in the state as in the prior art shown in FIG. 14 is fitted with the connector on the expansion device 5 side.

FIG. 5 is an external perspective view of an expansion device showing a third embodiment of the present invention. As shown in the figure, the expansion device 5a of this embodiment includes, for example, a U-shaped connector connection device 16 that rotates around a rotation shaft 20 as shown by an arrow. In other words, the connector connection device 16 includes two legs 16a to which one ends are rotatably attached to both sides of the expansion device 5a, and a horizontal bar 16b that connects the other ends of the two legs. When such a connector connection device 16 is tilted toward the near side of the expansion device 5a, the connector connection portion 17 in the horizontal bar portion of the connector connection device 16 is disposed on the near side, and the connector connection device 1
6 to the rear side of the expansion device 5a, the connector connection portion 1
7 is arranged on the rear side. The connector connection device 16
The inside of the leg portion and the horizontal bar portion is hollow, and a plurality of wiring members pass through the hollow portion. This wiring member connects a control unit (not shown) in the expansion device 5 a to a plurality of connectors in the connector connection unit 17. Thus, according to the third embodiment, the connector connection portion 17 of the expansion device 5a can be arranged in front of or behind the expansion device 5a according to the arrangement of the devices connected to the expansion device 5a. The connector connection section 17 is connected to a connector (not shown) of the apparatus main body on the front side or the rear side, respectively.

[0011]

As described above, according to the present invention,
According to the first or second aspect of the present invention, the portable information processing device is installed with the rotating portion opened to the bottom surface side of the device main body, the bottom surface side up, and the display device surface of the rotating portion facing forward. And
Since the additional keyboard can be placed close to the display device surface, when the portable information processing device is used indoors together with the additional keyboard, a large installation area is not required, and the position of the eyes of the user is not required. Becomes closer to the display device, and the displayed content becomes easier to see. Claim 3
According to the invention described above, when the portable information processing device is mounted on the extension device, the extension device connection connector of the device main body faces the extension device regardless of whether the bottom side of the portable information processing device body is down or up. Therefore, the portable information processing device and the extension device can be connected without using a cable. Also,
According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, when the rotating portion is rotated, the connector for connecting the extension device can also be rotated, so that the bottom side of the main body of the portable information processing apparatus can be turned down or up. Since the extension device connection connector can be opposed to the extension device, the same effect as in claim 3 can be realized with one extension device connection connector. According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, the connector connection portion of the extension device can be disposed either before or after the extension device. Therefore, the connector connection portion can be extended according to the arrangement of the device main body connected to the extension device. It can be located in front of or behind the device.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is an external perspective view of a portable information processing device and the like according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a side view of a portable information processing apparatus and the like according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIGS. 3 (a), 3 (b) and 3 (c) are explanatory diagrams of a portable information processing apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIGS. 4A and 4B are side views of a portable information processing apparatus and the like according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is an external perspective view of an expansion device according to a third embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is an external perspective view of a portable information processing apparatus or the like showing an example of a conventional technique.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 portable information processing device, 2 device main body, 3 rotating unit,
4 display device, 5 expansion device, 6 keyboard, 7
Pointing device, 8 hinges, 9 rotation axes, 1
1 bottom side, 12 keyboard side, 13 connector for expansion device connection, 14 connector for expansion device connection,
16 connector connection unit, 17 connector connection unit

Claims (5)

[Claims] 1. A portable information processing apparatus comprising: a device main body; and a rotating portion connected to the device main body so as to be openable and closable and having a display device, wherein the rotating portion is on the bottom side of the device main body. A portable information processing device, wherein a connection portion between the device main body and the rotating portion is configured to open up to a distance. 2. The portable information processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a connecting member having at least two rotating shafts for connecting the device main body and the rotating portion, wherein the connecting member is connected by a first rotating shaft. A portable information processing apparatus, wherein the portable information processing apparatus is configured to be rotatably attached to an apparatus main body, and to be configured to be rotatably attached to the connection member by a second rotation shaft. 3. The portable information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein connectors for connecting an extension device are provided on a bottom surface and an upper surface of the apparatus main body. 4. The portable information processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a connector for connecting an extension device on the connection portion, wherein the connector for connecting the extension device rotates one rotation with rotation of the rotating portion. A portable information processing device characterized in that it is configured to rotate around an axis. 5. An expansion device for attaching a portable information processing device to extend the function of the portable information processing device,
An expansion device comprising a connector connection device having a connector connection portion, wherein the connector connection device is configured such that the connector connection portion can be selectively arranged either before or after the expansion device.