JP2008140586A - Connector, and recording and reproducing device equipped with it - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a connector which is removable even when an equipment is in supply-current and connection is made between the equipments via a connector of which the data is integrated with a power supply or a power supply control signal. <P>SOLUTION: The connector is installed at the electronic equipment. It includes, in the connector between the electronic equipment and that of outside via a cable, a plurality of data pins for delivering and receiving serial data signals, a plurality of power supply system pins for delivering and receiving the power supply control signal or power supply, and a plurality of ground pins and a plurality of ground pins are arranged and installed at more exterior side of electronic equipment than positions of tips of the plurality of the data pins. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a connector and a recording / reproducing apparatus including the connector, and more particularly to a connector for inputting / outputting serial data and a recording / reproducing apparatus including the connector.

  Today, recording / reproducing apparatuses for recording and reproducing various video data and information processing data as digital data are widely used. These recording / reproducing apparatuses have various forms such as a form for recording on a recording medium such as a DVD (Digital Versatile Disk), a form for recording on a hard disk, and a combination of these.

  On the other hand, with the start of terrestrial digital broadcasting and the like, there is an increasing need for recording high-resolution video. In order to meet these needs, the recording capacity of a hard disk device tends to increase in a recording / reproducing device incorporating a hard disk device. When the recording capacity of the hard disk device increases, the cost of the entire recording / reproducing apparatus increases.

  In view of this, a recording / reproducing apparatus configured so that the hard disk device can be configured as an optional external expansion device and the recording capacity of the built-in hard disk device can be further increased according to a user's request has appeared. That is, the recording / reproducing apparatus is composed of a recording / reproducing apparatus main body and an optional hard disk device connected thereto. In this embodiment, the external hard disk device and the recording / reproducing apparatus main body are connected via a connection cable.

  On the other hand, many information processing devices such as personal computers also include a hard disk device. In these information processing apparatuses, a data transmission system based on the ATA standard is often used as a data transmission system for the hard disk device. Recently, a serial-type ATA standard (Serial-ATA, hereinafter referred to as SATA standard) in which the transmission speed is further improved and the transmission cable is simplified has become widespread.

For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a technique for connecting a portable electronic device and an external storage device with a connector based on the SATA standard.
JP 2004-319372 A

  In the SATA standard, data is standardized to be transmitted through two pairs of serial signal transmission lines (a total of four transmission lines). As a data connector, a connector having a form in which a total of 7 pins including four signal pins corresponding to these four transmission lines and three ground pins are arranged in a horizontal row is widely used. In addition, as a data cable that complies with the SATA standard, the above four transmission lines are covered with a shield braid coating (BRAID) and then covered with a PVC (PolyVinyl Chloride) jacket, etc. Is popular.

  On the other hand, a connection line (hereinafter referred to as a power cable) that supplies power to an external device such as a hard disk device or controls the power supply of the external device (hereinafter referred to as a power cable) is not regulated by the SATA standard. Configuration is possible accordingly. For this reason, as shown in the prior art in the form of connecting to an external device with two types of cables, ie, a data cable having connectors at both ends and a power system cable, the connector is a data There is a form in which the data system cable and the power system cable are separately provided as the cable while the power supply system and the power system are integrated.

  Further, as disclosed in Patent Document 1, there is a form in which the data cable and the power supply system cable are integrated as a single composite cable in addition to the integration of the connectors.

  The integration of the data cable and the power supply system cable and the integration of the connector simplify the handling of the cable and facilitate the attachment / detachment of the connector.

  By the way, in the case of a connector in which data and a power supply system are integrated, it is usually not preferable to attach or detach the connector to / from an energized device unless a function called “plug and play” is implemented. This is because data transmission may be performed while the power supply voltage of one or both of the connected devices is unstable, and the reliability of the data cannot be guaranteed.

  On the other hand, the operation of turning the device on and off every time the connector is attached or detached is complicated. In that sense, a connector that can be attached and detached even during energization is desired.

  The SATA standard is widely used in personal computers and the like. In a recording / reproducing apparatus that handles digital broadcasting or the like, it is desirable to provide a mechanism that prevents physical connection with a personal computer in order to prohibit unauthorized copying.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and when connecting devices through a connector in which data and a power supply or a power supply control signal are integrated, the device to be connected is being energized. It is an object of the present invention to provide a detachable connector and a recording / reproducing apparatus including the connector.

  In order to solve the above-described problems, a connector according to the present invention is provided in an electronic device as described in claim 1, and is a connector for connecting the electronic device and an external electronic device via a cable. A plurality of data pins for transmitting / receiving signals, a plurality of power supply system pins for transmitting / receiving power control signals or power, and a plurality of ground pins, and the tip positions of the plurality of power system pins and the plurality of ground pins are The plurality of data pins are arranged so as to be positioned on the outer side of the electronic device with respect to the positions of the tips of the plurality of data pins.

  In order to solve the above problems, a recording / reproducing apparatus according to the present invention comprises a recording / reproducing apparatus body having a first connector and the first connector as described in claim 5, A recording apparatus connected to the recording / reproducing apparatus main body, and a cable having a second connector that can be fitted to the first connector at both ends, and connecting the recording / reproducing apparatus and the recording apparatus. The first connector includes a plurality of data pins for transmitting / receiving serial data signals, a plurality of power system pins for transmitting / receiving power control signals or power, and a plurality of ground pins, and the plurality of power system pins and the plurality of power pins. The ground pins are arranged such that the positions of the tips thereof are located on the outer side of the electronic device with respect to the positions of the tips of the plurality of data pins.

  According to the connector according to the present invention and the recording / reproducing apparatus including the connector, the device to be connected is energized when the devices are connected through the connector in which the data and the power supply or the power supply control signal are integrated. It is detachable even inside.

  DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS Embodiments of a connector according to the present invention and a recording / reproducing apparatus including the connector will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

  FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a configuration example of a recording / reproducing apparatus (electronic device) 1 according to the present embodiment. The recording / reproducing apparatus 1 includes a recording / reproducing apparatus body 2, an external recording apparatus 3, and a cable unit (cable) 4 that connects the two. The recording / reproducing apparatus body 2 is a video recorder including, for example, a built-in hard disk drive (built-in HDD) and an optical disk drive (both not shown), and records and reproduces various types of video information such as broadcast videos. Commercial power is supplied to the recording / reproducing apparatus body via the power cable 21.

  On the other hand, the recording apparatus 3 also includes an HDD 32 (see FIG. 2), and is an optional apparatus for supplementing the recording capacity of the built-in HDD of the recording / reproducing apparatus body 2 as necessary. In the present embodiment, the recording apparatus 3 includes a power supply device 33, and commercial power is supplied to the power supply device 33 via the power cable 31.

  The cable unit 4 is a cable for transmitting recording data as serial data from the recording / reproducing apparatus main body 2 to the recording apparatus 3. Serial data is transmitted by a transmission method based on the SATA standard, for example.

  The cable unit 4 includes a power control line in addition to a serial data transmission line. Unless the recording / reproducing apparatus main body 2 and the recording apparatus 3 are connected by the cable unit 4, even if commercial power is supplied to the recording apparatus 3, it is only supplied to the primary side of the power supply 33, Is not supplied. When the recording / reproducing apparatus main body 2 and the recording apparatus 3 are connected by the cable unit 4, the connection / reception is detected by the recording / reproducing apparatus main body 2 via the power supply control line in the cable unit 4, and then recording is performed. A power-on command signal is transmitted from the reproducing apparatus body 2 to the recording apparatus 3. In response to the power-on command signal, power is supplied to the secondary side of the power supply device 33 of the recording device 3, and the HDD 32 in the recording device 3 can be operated.

  The recording device 3 may not include the power supply device 33. In this case, the cable unit 4 is provided with a power supply line, and a predetermined DC power is supplied from the recording / reproducing apparatus body 2 to the recording apparatus 3.

  FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an external appearance example of the cable unit 4. In the cable unit 4, plugs 41 (second connectors) are provided at both ends of the connection cable 40.

  The plug 41 includes a shell 43 that accommodates eleven plug pins P # 1 to P # 11, and includes a housing 42 that further accommodates the shell 43.

  At both ends of the housing 42, there are provided a screw portion 44 for screwing the shell 43 after fitting the shell 43 to a mating connector (receptacle) and a knob 45 for screwing the screw portion 44.

  FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the shell 43 as viewed from the connection end side. A plug opening 47 is opened on the connection end side of the shell 43, and eleven plug pins P # 1 to P # 11 are arranged in a line on the inner surface of the plug opening 47 in FIG. ing.

  When assembled as the cable unit 4, the connection end side of the shell 43 protrudes to the end of the cable unit 4, and the opposite side (cable side) of the shell 43 is accommodated in the housing 42.

  FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of a cross-sectional structure of the connection cable 40. The connection cable 40 includes a serial data transmission unit covered with the shield blade 402 and four power control lines 406 disposed outside the shield blade 402. The outer periphery of the conductor of each power control line 406 is covered with an insulating coating.

  Inside the shield blade 402, two pairs of serial data transmission pair wires 403a and 403b are accommodated. Each of the pair wires 403a and 403b is also covered with an insulating coating on the outer periphery of the conductor, and further covered with a cover 404 around the periphery thereof. In addition, a total of four drain wires 405 are disposed on both sides of each pair line 403a, 403b.

  The internal structure of the shield blade 402 is a structure based on the SATA standard, and stable transmission is possible even when high-speed serial data based on the SATA standard is transmitted to the serial data transmission pair lines 403a and 403b.

  FIG. 5 is a diagram showing pin assignments of the cable unit 4. As described above, the plugs 42 at both ends of the cable unit 4 have a total of 11 pins (contacts) of the plug pins P # 1 to P # 11. Among these, the plug pins P # 2 and P # 3 constitute one pair for serial data transmission, and the plug pins P # 5 and P # 6 constitute another pair for serial data transmission. These two pairs of plug pins correspond to the two pairs of pair wires 403a and 403b in the connection cable 40, respectively. The plug pins P # 1, P # 4, and P # 7 are ground pins.

  On the other hand, the four plug pins from the plug pins P # 8 to P # 11 correspond to the four power control lines 406 in the connection cable 40.

  As described above, the cable unit 4 used in the recording / reproducing apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment employs the SATA standard structure for the serial data transmission part, so that the high-speed transmission performance and excellent noise elimination performance that the SATA standard has. It has a structure that can secure.

  On the other hand, the cable unit 4 used in the present embodiment is configured as a dedicated cable unit for the recording / reproducing apparatus 1 by further combining a serial data transmission portion with a power control line with a unique structure. That is, the connector shape is different from a general-purpose cable conforming to the SATA standard that is distributed in the market for personal computers. By differentiating the connector shapes, it is possible to prevent one end of a general-purpose cable compatible with the SATA standard for a personal computer from being connected to the recording / reproducing apparatus main body 2 or the recording apparatus 3 according to the present embodiment. Eliminate unauthorized copying of digital content.

  FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram of a connection state between the recording device 3 and the cable unit 4.

  The recording device 3 accommodates an HDD 32, a power supply device 33, a printed circuit board 35, and the like inside a box-shaped housing 34, and a plug 41 of the cable unit 4 is inserted into a side wall 34 a of the housing 34. A connector opening 36 is provided.

  Inside the connector opening 36, a receptacle (connector, first connector) 30 is mounted on the end of the printed circuit board 35.

  A pair of boss portions 37 are provided at both ends of the connector opening 36 of the side wall 34a. By screwing the screw portion 44 provided on the plug 41 of the cable unit 4 into the boss portion 37, the plug 41 and the receptacle 30 are securely fitted.

  The receptacle 30 and the HDD 32 are electrically connected via the printed circuit board 35.

  7A and 7B are diagrams showing an example of the appearance of the receptacle 30. FIG. 7A is a plan view, FIG. 7B is a front view, FIG. 7C is a bottom view, and FIG. 7D is a rear view. It is.

  The receptacle 30 has a thin box-shaped housing 301 having an open connection end 303a. A hollow portion 303 is formed on the connection end 303a side of the housing 301, and a plate-like protrusion 305 is provided in the hollow portion 303 (see FIG. 7C). Eleven receptacle pins R # 1 to R # 11 are arranged on the upper surface of the protrusion 305 in FIG. 7C.

  When the plug 41 of the cable unit 4 is inserted into the receptacle 30, the plug opening 47 of the plug 41 and the protrusion 305 of the receptacle 30 are fitted to each other, and the plug pins P # 1 to P # 11 and the receptacle pins R # 1 to R # 1. # 11 is electrically connected.

  The housing 30 of the receptacle 30 is provided with a plurality of insertion pins 304, and the printed circuit board 35 is fixed on the receptacle 30 by inserting the insertion pins 304 into insertion holes (not shown) of the printed circuit board 35. .

  On the other hand, the receptacle pins R # 1 to R # 11 are connected to the mounting pins C # 1 to C # 11 inside the housing 30, and the mounting surface of the printed board 35 is mounted by the mounting pins C # 1 to C # 11. Soldered to

  Receptacle pins R # 1 to R # 11 are constituted by pins having two types of lengths, a long pin and a short pin.

  8 and 9 are diagrams showing a specific arrangement of the long pins and the short pins of the receptacle pins R # 1 to R # 11, and also their operation and effects.

  The pin assignments of the receptacle pins R # 1 to R # 11 correspond to the pin assignments of the plug pins P # 1 to P # 11. One pair of receptacle pins R # 2 and R # 3 and one pair of receptacle pins R # 4 and R # 5 are serial data transmission pins (data pins), respectively. Receptacle pins R # 1 and R # 4 and R # 7 are ground pins.

  The four receptacle pins R # 8 to R # 11 are pins (power supply system pins) that transmit power control signals.

  In the present embodiment, the power control pins (R # 8 to R # 11) and the ground pins (R # 1, R # 4, and R # 7) are long pins, and the serial data pins (R # 2). And R # 3, and R # 4 and R # 5) are short pins. That is, as can be seen from FIG. 8 and FIG. 9, the position of the tip of the long pin is the electronic device to which the receptacle 30 is fixed relative to the position of the tip of the short pin (in this case, the recording device 3 and the recording / reproducing device main body 2). ) Is arranged on the outside side by “A” mm.

  On the other hand, the plug pins P # 1 to P # 11 on the plug 41 side are all arranged at the same position.

  Therefore, as shown in FIG. 8, when the plug 41 is inserted into the receptacle 30, first, the power control pins (R # 8 to R # 11) of the receptacle 30 which are long pins and the ground pins (R # 1, R # 1,. R # 4 and R # 7) are in contact with the power control pins (P # 8 to P # 11) of the plug 41 and the ground pins (P # 1, P # 4, and P # 7).

  By this contact, the connection of the cable unit 4 is detected in the recording / reproducing apparatus body 2, and a power-on command signal is transmitted to the recording apparatus 3. By this power-on command signal, power is supplied to the secondary side of the power supply 33 of the recording apparatus 3, the potential of the power supply voltage supplied to the HDD 32 is determined, and the HDD 32 can operate stably including serial data transmission. It becomes a state.

  Thereafter, by further insertion, the short pin (serial data pins (R # 2 and R # 3 and R # 4 and R # 5)) of the receptacle 30 and the serial data pin (P # 2 and P # 2) of the plug 41 are further inserted. P # 3, P # 4 and P # 5) come into contact with each other, and serial data transmission is started.

  As described above, according to the present embodiment, even when the recording device 3 is supplied with commercial power from the power cable 31 and the recording / reproducing apparatus main body 2 is in operation, both are simply connected to the cable unit 4. It is possible to realize stable serial data transmission simply by connecting with.

  FIG. 9 is a diagram for explaining the operation and effect when the plug 41 is removed from the receptacle 30 while both the recording / reproducing apparatus main body 2 and the recording apparatus 3 are energized.

  When the receptacle 30 is removed, the connection of serial data pins (R # 2 and R # 3, and R # 4 and R # 5), which are short pins, is first released. At this point, since the long pin is still in contact, a stable power supply voltage is supplied to the HDD 32 of the recording apparatus 3, and serial data transmission stops in a state where stable serial data transmission is possible. For this reason, it is possible to prevent abnormal data from being written due to instability of the power supply voltage of the HDD 32.

  If the serial data transmission pin and the power supply pin are configured to contact at the same position, if the connector is inserted or removed while the power is on, the potential of the power supply system will be indeterminate and data will be lost. Although an event in which voltage fluctuation occurs or noise is superimposed on the transmission system occurs, it may cause not only writing failure to the HDD 32, but also the recording / reproducing apparatus main body 2 and the recording apparatus 3 may be damaged. In the present embodiment, occurrence of such a situation can be prevented.

  Up to this point, the embodiment has been described in which the pin on the receptacle 30 side is composed of a long pin and a short pin, and the pin length on the plug 41 side is the same, but conversely, the pin on the receptacle 30 side has the same length, and the plug 41 side These pins may be configured by long pins and short pins.

  As described above, according to the connector according to the present embodiment and the recording / reproducing apparatus including the connector, when devices are connected via a connector in which data and a power supply or a power supply control signal are integrated. Even if the device to be connected is energized, it can be detached.

  Note that the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments as they are, and can be embodied by modifying the constituent elements without departing from the scope of the invention in the implementation stage. In addition, various inventions can be formed by appropriately combining a plurality of constituent elements disclosed in the embodiment. For example, some components may be deleted from all the components shown in the embodiment. Furthermore, the constituent elements over different embodiments may be appropriately combined.

The figure which shows the structural example of the recording / reproducing apparatus which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. The figure which shows the external appearance example of the cable unit which a recording / reproducing apparatus comprises. The figure which shows a part of structural example of the plug of a cable unit. The figure which shows the cross-section structural example of the connection cable which a cable unit comprises. The figure which shows an example of the pin assignment of a cable unit. The figure explaining the connection condition of a cable unit and an external recording device. The figure which shows the example of an external appearance of the connector which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. The figure which shows the effect of the pin structure at the time of connector insertion while showing typically the pin structure of the long pin and short pin which a connector (receptacle) comprises. The figure which shows the effect of the pin structure at the time of connector removal while showing typically the pin structure of the long pin and short pin which a connector (receptacle) comprises.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Recording / reproducing apparatus 2 Recording / reproducing apparatus main body 3 Recording apparatus 4 Cable unit 30 Receptacle (connector)
40 Connection cable 41 Plug P # 1 to P # 11 Plug pin R # 1 to R # 11 Receptacle pin

Claims (9)

In a connector that is provided in an electronic device and connects the electronic device and an external electronic device via a cable,
A plurality of data pins for transmitting and receiving serial data signals;
A plurality of power supply system pins for sending and receiving a power supply control signal or power supply;
Multiple ground pins,
With
The plurality of power supply system pins and the plurality of ground pins are arranged such that the positions of the tips thereof are located on the outer side of the electronic device than the positions of the tips of the plurality of data pins.
A connector characterized by that. The serial data signal is a signal based on the SATA standard, and the plurality of data pins are a plurality of data pins in which four signal pins and three ground pins are arranged in a line.
The connector according to claim 1. The power control signal is a signal for controlling on / off of the power supply of the external electronic device from the electronic device, and the power supply is a power supply supplied from the electronic device to the external electronic device,
The connector according to claim 1. The serial data signal is a signal based on the SATA standard, the plurality of data pins are a plurality of data pins in which four signal pins and three ground pins are arranged in a line, and the plurality of power supply system pins are: A plurality of power supply system pins that are further disposed to be adjacent to the plurality of data pins.
The connector according to claim 1. A recording / reproducing apparatus main body comprising a first connector;
A recording apparatus comprising the first connector and connected to the recording / reproducing apparatus body;
A second connector that can be fitted to the first connector at both ends, and connecting the recording / reproducing apparatus and the recording apparatus;
Have
The first connector is:
A plurality of data pins for transmitting and receiving serial data signals;
A plurality of power supply system pins for sending and receiving a power supply control signal or power supply;
With multiple ground pins,
The plurality of power supply system pins and the plurality of ground pins are arranged such that the positions of the tips thereof are located on the outer side of the electronic device than the positions of the tips of the plurality of data pins.
And a recording / reproducing apparatus. The serial data signal is a signal based on the SATA standard, and the plurality of data pins are a plurality of data pins in which four signal pins and three ground pins are arranged in a line.
The recording / reproducing apparatus according to claim 5. The power control signal is a signal for controlling on / off of the power supply of the external electronic device from the electronic device, and the power supply is a power supply supplied from the electronic device to the external electronic device,
The recording / reproducing apparatus according to claim 5. The serial data signal is a signal based on the SATA standard, the plurality of data pins are a plurality of data pins in which four signal pins and three ground pins are arranged in a line, and the plurality of power supply system pins are: A plurality of power supply system pins that are further disposed to be adjacent to the plurality of data pins.
The recording / reproducing apparatus according to claim 5. The cable is
A serial data signal transmission line based on the SATA standard;
The power supply control signal supply line or the power supply line;
A composite cable including
The recording / reproducing apparatus according to claim 5.

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