JP2008204721A - Jack structure of portable electronic equipment, and portable electronic equipment - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a jack structure of a portable electronic equipment enabling further thinness of the equipment, and a portable electronic equipment. <P>SOLUTION: This is the jack structure of a tuner 1 which is used by being connected to an audio plug 10 and is provided with a first contact 7 installed at the side face 5 of the tuner 1, a second contact 8 installed on the side face 5 and at a location in which the audio plug 10 can be simultaneously in contact with the first contact 7, and a permanent magnet 9 which adheres the audio plug 10 on the side face 5 detachably. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a jack structure for input / output in a portable electronic device such as a tuner, and a portable electronic device.

  In order to ensure versatility, portable electronic devices such as tuners that input or output audio signals are often provided with jacks into which ready-made stereo or monaural audio plugs can be inserted, It is used by inserting plugs of input / output devices such as headphones into the jack.

In recent years, portable electronic devices have been required to be further reduced in size and thickness. Usually, in a portable electronic device used as described above, an off-the-shelf jack unit is often incorporated in the device as a jack. However, the thickness of the jack unit tends to make the portable electronic device smaller or thinner. It will be a hindrance when you do.
In response to this problem, Patent Document 1 proposes forming a structure that functions as a jack by, for example, providing a notch in a printed circuit board inside the tuner.
JP 2002-62871 A

  However, even the tuner disclosed in Patent Document 1 has a limit in reducing the thickness. As a part forming the jack, a plurality of contacts and a case structure for holding the contacts are required. However, in the method of Patent Document 1, although the casing of the tuner can be used also as the case structure, It is necessary to secure the thickness of the plug to be used, and the thickness of the plug becomes the limit of thinning.

  Further, since it is necessary to consider the space for accommodating the plug inside the tuner, there are restrictions on the internal arrangement of the components, and there is a limit in miniaturization. Furthermore, there is a problem that the degree of freedom of design is limited.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object thereof is to provide a portable electronic device jack structure and a portable electronic device that can be further reduced in thickness.

  The present invention relates to a jack structure for a portable electronic device that is used by connecting an audio plug, the first contact provided on the outer surface of the case of the portable electronic device, and the audio plug on the outer surface and the first audio plug. It is characterized by comprising a second contact provided at a position where contact can be made simultaneously with the contact, and a fixing portion for removably fixing the audio plug on the outer surface.

  According to the jack structure of the portable electronic device of the present invention, since the first contact and the second contact and the audio plug are electrically connected outside the portable electronic device, the audio plug is accommodated inside the portable electronic device. There is no need to provide a space for this.

  The fixing portion may be configured to include a magnet. In this case, since the audio plug can be fixed to the portable electronic device without greatly changing the appearance of the portable electronic device, the degree of freedom in design is improved.

  The fixing portion may be provided on the portable electronic device, and may include a locking member that locks the audio plug and fixes the audio plug on the outer surface. In this case, the audio plug is reliably connected to the first contact and the second contact of the jack structure by the locking member.

  A portable electronic device according to the present invention includes the jack structure according to the present invention. According to the portable electronic device of the present invention, since it can be electrically connected to the audio plug on the outer surface of the case, a portable electronic device that can be easily reduced in size and thickness can be configured.

  The outer surface may be formed with a recess that fits with the outer peripheral surface of the audio plug. In this case, since the audio plug stably fits in the jack structure, the first and second contacts and the audio plug are well connected.

  In addition, the “concave portion that conforms to the outer peripheral surface” means a concave portion in which an audio plug having a curved surface on the outer periphery is installed in a stable state on the outer surface by fitting into the concave portion. It does not necessarily mean to be fitted and fixed in the recess. Therefore, in addition to a curved surface or a U-shaped concave portion that matches a part of the curved surface of the outer peripheral surface of the audio plug, a substantially V-shaped concave portion that stabilizes the audio plug is also included.

According to the jack structure of the portable electronic device of the present invention, the first contact and the second contact can be electrically connected to the audio plug on the outer surface of the case of the portable electronic device. There is no need to secure space for. Therefore, the portable electronic device can be further reduced in thickness and size, and the degree of freedom in design can be increased.
Moreover, according to the portable electronic device of the present invention, the portable electronic device can be configured to be smaller or thinner while enabling connection with an audio plug.

Hereinafter, a jack structure (hereinafter simply referred to as “jack structure”) of a portable electronic device and a portable electronic device according to a first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.
FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a tuner (portable electronic device) 1 having a case structure of the present embodiment. The tuner 1 includes a display unit 3 provided on the upper surface of the housing 2, an operation key 4 provided around the display unit 3, and an input unit (jack) provided on a side surface (outer surface) 5 of the housing 2. Structure) 6.

  The input portion 6 is formed of a metal piece, and has a plate-like shape provided between the first contact 7 and the second contact 8 provided slightly projecting from the side surface 5 and between the first contact 7 and the second contact 8. A permanent magnet (magnet, fixed part) 9 is provided. As shown in FIG. 2, the positions of the respective contacts 7 and 8 are the first contact points when the base end of the terminal portion 11 of the audio plug 10 to be connected is aligned with the right end of the side surface 5 and along the side surface 5. 7 is provided at a position where the distal end portion 12 of the terminal portion 11 and the second contact 8 are in contact with the cylindrical portion 13 of the terminal portion 11.

3 is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA in FIG. As shown in FIG. 3, the first contact 7 and the second contact 8 are electrically connected to a substrate 14 provided inside the housing 2. The permanent magnet 9 is fixed to the inner wall of the housing 2, and a part of the permanent magnet 9 is exposed to the outside of the housing 2 through a hole provided in the side surface 5 of the housing 2.
The substrate 14 is also connected to the display unit 3. Also, a battery 15 serving as a power source for the tuner 1 is accommodated in the upper space inside the housing 2 in FIG.

  FIG. 4A is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the periphery of the first contact 7 and the second contact 8 inside the housing 2 at the normal time. The first contact 7 and the second contact 8 are made of metal, and as shown in an enlarged view in FIG. 4C, a cylindrical fixing portion 16A electrically connected to the substrate 14 and fixed. 16B, substantially conical protrusions 17A and 17B provided below the fixed part, and springs 18A and 18B provided between the fixed parts 16A and 16B and the protrusions 17A and 17B. .

  Rod-shaped shaft portions 19A and 19B are provided coaxially with the protrusion portions 17A and 17B on the surfaces of the protrusion portions 17A and 17B facing the fixing portions 16A and 16B, and the tips of the shaft portions 19A and 19B are fixed to the fixing portion 16A. , 16B are movably inserted in the axial direction, and are electrically connected to the fixing portions 16A, 16B. The springs 18A and 18B are provided between the fixed portions 16A and 16B and the projecting portions 17A and 17B so as to surround the shaft portions 19A and 19B, and urge the projecting portions 17A and 17B toward the outside of the housing 2. ing. Accordingly, in the normal state shown in FIG. 4A, the protruding portions 17A and 17B partially protrude outside the housing 2 by the springs 18A and 18B.

  Further, a disc-shaped switch contact 20 is provided between the protrusion 17A of the first contact 7 and the spring 18A, and in the state shown in FIG. 4A, in the vicinity of the protrusion 17A of the first contact 7. It is comprised so that the provided contact terminal 21 may be contacted. The contact terminal 21 is connected to a built-in microphone (not shown) provided inside the housing 2.

The operation of the tuner 1 having the input unit 6 having the above-described configuration will be described with reference to FIGS. 4 (a) and 4 (b).
First, in the state of FIG. 4A that is not connected to the audio plug 10, the contact terminal 21 connected to the built-in microphone is in contact with the switch contact 20 of the first contact 7 as described above. The input unit 6 is connected to a built-in microphone. In this state, the tuner 1 picks up the sound emitted by an external musical instrument that is not connected with the built-in microphone and inputs it to the substrate 14 and displays tune-related information such as the pitch name, octave, and cent deviation on the display unit 3. . The user can tune the musical instrument while referring to the information on the display unit 3.

  As shown in FIG. 4B, the audio plug 10 such as an electronic musical instrument is placed on the side surface adjacent to the side surface 5 on which the input unit 6 is provided with the base 23 provided between the terminal unit 11 and the cord unit 22. When brought into contact with the input unit 6 so as to come into contact, the audio plug 10 made of a magnetic material is fixed on the side surface 5 of the housing 2 by a permanent magnet 9 provided in the input unit 6.

  At this time, the tip 12 of the terminal portion 11 is pressed against the protruding portion 17A of the first contact 7 and the cylindrical portion 13 is pressed against the protruding portion 17B of the second contact 8, and the protruding portions 17A and 17B are springs. It is pushed into the housing 2 against the urging force of 18A and 18B. Then, the contact between the switch contact 20 of the first contact 7 and the contact terminal 21 is released, and the electrical connection between the input unit 6 and the built-in microphone is interrupted. Therefore, the tuner 1 only accepts input from an electronic musical instrument or the like connected to the audio plug 10, and the user tunes without being influenced by ambient noise based on sound data directly input from the electronic musical instrument. It can be performed.

  According to the jack structure of the present embodiment, the audio plug 10 is obtained by bringing the first and second contacts 7 and 8 provided on the outer surface of the casing 2 of the tuner 1 into contact with the audio plug 10 such as an electronic musical instrument. Can be electrically connected to the electronic musical instrument or the like with the audio plug 10 exposed to the outside of the housing 2 without being inserted into the tuner 1. Therefore, the thickness of the tuner 1 is not limited by the thickness of the audio plug 10, and the tuner 1 can be formed thinner than the audio plug 10, so that the tuner 1 can be further reduced in thickness.

  In addition, since it is not necessary to consider the space for housing the audio plug 10 inside the housing 2 of the tuner 1, the degree of freedom of component placement is improved, and the tuner 1 can be further downsized. .

Furthermore, since the audio plug 10 is fixed to the housing 2 by the permanent magnet 9, a jack structure can be provided on the outer surface of the tuner 1 without impairing the appearance of the tuner 1.
In addition, in conjunction with the connection of the audio plug 10, the connection between the switch contact 20 and the contact terminal 21 is released, and the built-in microphone input is switched to the audio plug input, so that the tuner 1 that is easy to handle by the user can be configured. it can.

In the present embodiment, the case where the side surface 5 of the housing 2 provided with the input unit 6 is a plane has been described. However, as in the modification shown in the cross-sectional views of FIGS. 5A and 5B, The side surfaces 24 and 25 on which the input unit 6 is provided may be formed in a shape having a recess that fits with the outer peripheral surface of the audio plug 10 such as a substantially V shape or a semicircular shape. In this way, the audio plug 10 can be fit into the input unit 6, and the audio plug 10 and the contacts 7 and 8 (the first contact 7 is not shown) are connected better.
Further, in order to allow the audio plug 10 to be stably accommodated in the input unit 6, the permanent magnet 9 can be formed in a shape having a recess as described above.

  Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. The difference between this embodiment and the first embodiment described above is the configuration of the fixing portion and the shapes of the first contact and the second contact. In addition, about the component similar to the above-mentioned 1st Embodiment, the same code | symbol is attached | subjected and the overlapping description is abbreviate | omitted.

  FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a tuner 31 having the jack structure of the present embodiment. The tuning device 31 according to the present embodiment includes a locking member 32 provided as an adhering portion, extending from the outer surface of the housing 2, instead of the permanent magnet according to the first embodiment.

  The locking member 32 is made of an elastic material such as resin, and a belt-like member extending from the lower surface of the housing 33 toward the side surface 35 of the housing 33 provided with the input unit 34 is wound in a substantially cylindrical shape. And a knob portion 37 formed by folding the front end portion of the main body portion 36 back to the outer peripheral side. The curved surface shape of the main body 36 is formed such that the inner diameter of the cylinder is substantially the same as the outer diameter of the audio plug 10 to be connected.

As shown in FIG. 7A, the first contact point 38 and the second contact point 39 of the input unit 34 are plate springs made of metal, and the first end portions 40A and 40B and the second end portions are formed horizontally. 41A, 41B, and protrusions 42A, 42B provided by bending a leaf spring between the first ends 40A, 40B and the second ends 41A, 41B. The first ends 40A and 40B of the contacts 38 and 39 are fixed to the inner surface of the housing 33, and the protrusions 42A and 42B are provided at the tips of the housing 33 in the normal state shown in FIG. It protrudes from the formed hole.
In the state of FIG. 7A, the second end 41A of the first contact 38 is electrically connected to the contact terminal 21 provided in the vicinity of the first contact 38, and the second end 41A. Functions as a switch contact.

The operation at the time of use of the tuner 31 configured as described above will be described with reference to FIGS. 7 (a) and 7 (b).
First, at the normal time shown in FIG. 7A, as in the first embodiment, the input unit 34 is connected to a built-in microphone (not shown). When the audio plug 10 such as an electronic musical instrument is connected, the space formed between the knob portion 37 and the housing 33 is opened by holding the knob portion 37 of the locking member 32 in a direction away from the housing 33. When the terminal portion 11 of the audio plug 10 is inserted, the terminal portion 11 of the audio plug 10 is supported and fixed to the side surface 35 provided with the input portion 34 by the elastic force of the locking member 32.

  At this time, the protruding portions 42A and 42B of the respective contacts 38 and 39 are pressed into the housing 33 by being pressed by the terminal portion 11 of the audio plug 10 as shown in FIG. Each contact 38, 39 bends with the first end 40A, 40B fixed to the housing 33 as a fulcrum, the connection between the second end 41A of the first contact 38 and the contact terminal 21 is released, and the built-in microphone The input from is switched to the input from the audio plug 10.

  According to the tuner 31 of the present embodiment, since the terminal portion 11 of the audio plug 10 is securely supported and fixed on the outer surface of the housing 33 by the locking member 32, the input device such as an electronic musical instrument and the tuner 31 The tuner 31 can be made thin while securely connecting the two.

  In addition, since the first and second contacts 38 and 39 are formed of leaf springs, the number of components is small, and the input unit 34 can be configured with a simple structure.

  In the present embodiment, the example in which the main body portion 36 of the locking member 32 extends from the lower surface of the housing 33 has been described, but instead, as in a modification shown in a cross-sectional view in FIG. The two main parts 43A and 43B may be extended from the housing 33 so as to sandwich the audio plug 10, and the locking member 44 may be formed. Although the effect of thinning is slightly lost, the main body portions 43A and 43B may be formed so as to be hidden inside the housing in consideration of design.

While the embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the technical scope of the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the present invention.
For example, in the above-described embodiment, the example in which the permanent magnet is provided between the first contact and the second contact as the fixing portion has been described, but instead, the ferrite magnet is surrounded by a magnetic material and the magnetic path An electromagnet may be provided in which the magnetic force is strengthened by forming. Further, the position to be provided is not limited between the first contact and the second contact, and a plurality of positions may be provided outside both the contacts. Furthermore, the fixing portion can be configured in combination with the locking member of the second embodiment.

  Further, in each of the above embodiments, when the base portion of the audio plug is brought into contact with the input portion so as to contact the side surface adjacent to the side surface on which the input portion is provided, the terminal portion of the audio plug is connected to the first contact and the first contact point. The example comprised so that it might contact | abut 2 contact was demonstrated. With this configuration, the audio plug can be easily positioned. However, the positional relationship of the contacts in the jack structure of the present invention is not limited to this, and when the terminal portion of the audio plug contacts the first contact and the second contact. In addition, the base does not necessarily have to contact the portable electronic device.

  Moreover, although the example which provided the jack structure of this invention in the input part was demonstrated in this embodiment, it can be applied also to an output part if it is via a jack. Furthermore, the target portable electronic device is not limited to the tuner, and the jack structure of the present invention can be applied to, for example, a headphone output terminal of a portable audio player. In this case, the design parameters of the jack structure of the present invention may be appropriately changed according to the diameter of the target jack, the number of contacts, the distance between the contacts, and the like.

It is a perspective view which shows a tuner with the jack structure of 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a top view which shows the input part of the tuner of FIG. 1, and the audio plug of a connection object. It is sectional drawing in the AA of FIG. (A) is the normal state of the 1st and 2nd contact of the tuner of the embodiment, (b) is sectional drawing which shows the state which connected the audio plug, respectively, (c) is a 1st contact and 2nd It is an enlarged view of a contact. (A) And (b) is sectional drawing which shows the input part of the modification of the embodiment. It is a perspective view which shows a tuner with the jack structure of 2nd Embodiment of this invention. (A) is a normal state of the 1st and 2nd contact of the tuner of the embodiment, (b) is sectional drawing which shows the state which connected the audio plug, respectively. It is sectional drawing which shows the locking member of the modification of the embodiment.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1, 31 ... Tuning device (portable electronic device), 5, 35 ... Side surface (outer surface), 6, 34 ... Input part (jack structure), 7, 38 ... 1st contact, 8, 39 ... 2nd contact, 9 ... Permanent magnet (magnet, fixed part), 10 ... audio plug, 32, 44 ... locking member (fixed part)

Claims (5)

It is a jack structure of a portable electronic device that is used by connecting an audio plug,
A first contact provided on the outer surface of the case of the portable electronic device;
A second contact provided on the outer surface and at a position where the audio plug can be contacted simultaneously with the first contact;
A fixing portion for removably fixing the audio plug on the outer surface;
A jack structure for a portable electronic device, comprising:   The jack structure for a portable electronic device according to claim 1, wherein the fixing portion includes a magnet.   The said adhering part is provided in the said portable electronic device, and has the latching member which latches and fixes the said audio plug on the said outer surface, It is comprised, The either of Claim 1 or 2 characterized by the above-mentioned. 2. A jack structure for a portable electronic device according to claim 1.   A portable electronic device comprising the jack structure for a portable electronic device according to any one of claims 1 to 3.   The portable electronic device according to claim 4, wherein the outer surface is formed with a recess that fits with an outer peripheral surface of the audio plug.

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